BOAT TEST
Storebro 435 Commander
Joinery is beautifully executed, with solid wooden doors
– an almost unheard of luxury on a production boat.
Excellent and expensive G-series Raymarine chart plotters Position of galley makes it easy to serve food inside, out
are standard on the 435, below decks and on the fl ybridge. in the cockpit, or up the stairs to the fl ybridge table.
ome boats knock you dead the moment you set eyes on Free fl ow
them; others are slow-burn affairs that need more time A few years ago, MBY were lucky enough to run a Nimbus Commander 370. In
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and effort to appreciate. Storebro’s new 435 one crucial area, this boat defi ned my notions of what the ideal sub-50ft
Commander is defi nitely the slow-burn type – in truth, fl ybridge cruising boat should be like – a defi nition that remains unchanged.
you could spend an age getting to know this boat. Twin pilothouse side doors plus separate steps leading from the fl ybridge to
Part of the reason for this is that, inside and out, the the pilothouse – I bet that once you have run a small cruising boat with these
435’s appearance is so unassuming that the depth of its benefi ts, you will never want to go back to a conventional boat without them.
refi nement is easy to miss. For instance, how many of us Even on much larger fl ybridge cruisers, it’s unusual to fi nd two side doors
would appreciate during a cursory boat show inspection unless that boat is a trawler.
that the beautifully engineered patio door runs more You gain so much from these simple additions. At rest or under way, the
smoothly and quietly than any other door you’re likely to come across? Or that ventilation through the boat improves dramatically. There’s more light inside
its lock was a great chunky thing with a big key that for once looked like it the boat, too. Safety gets a huge uplift because it’s much easier to move around.
might keep trespassers at bay? Nor would you spot that the 435 is quieter It’s worth remembering that as a planing boat trims nose up under way,
under way than its rivals – in fact, quieter than almost all other similar speedy cockpit steps to the fl ybridge get steeper. In contrast, the 435’s pilothouse steps
planing boats. You might not even notice it’s available with two or three cabins. become more gently inclined and easier to negotiate (it has cockpit steps too).
So, knock you dead or slow burn? Let’s guess which type might have more On our 370, I discovered that pilotage into strange harbours was more
staying power. effective because within seconds I could shuttle between the better view on the
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