GROUPTEST


Helm seats are comfortable either standing or sitting


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A tall wraparound windscreen does a very good job of keeping things dry


MattiViitala. He designs boats that tread the line masterfully between function and form and this may just be the best one yet. Although our four sportsboats are rivals of sorts they are also


quite different in what they offer, who they target and how much they cost. But the Axopar is the most rounded package of the lot, offering the dayboat deck space of the Draco with the protection of the Paragon and nearly as much go as the XO. Having spent two days on board the boat all I could fi nd to


criticise was the length of the windscreen wipers, the lack of a ski pole option (a solution is being sought) and the rather exposed extensions either side of the outboard, which are vulnerable to being bashed on a pontoon. This is just a matter of adding some rubber capping, though. If that’s all we can fault then that isn’t bad going. And then there’s the real kicker. This OC version, with its excellent


The console opens up to reveal a loo and small sink


the aft cabin option. Got all that? It may seem a little confusing but it does mean that there is an Axopar 28 to suit pretty much every need, taste and budget while all using the same hull and engines. No matter the body shape, the level of fi nish and practical


detailing aboard the boat is always in evidence. There are full walkaround decks, guardrails from stem to stern, a lovely stainless steel A-frame and neat hinged cubbies either side of the stern, the perfect size for lines and fenders. The transom is actually very open, so even with the aft cabin you can easily get into the water with skis on. It doesn’t come as much of a surprise at how practical and well thought out this boat is, though, when you learn that the man responsible for it is also the founder of Paragon and XO, Jan-Erik


Sakari 54 MAY2015


deck design, fl awless seakeeping, punchy performance and suprisingly comfortable aft cabin and heads compartment is the cheapest boat here by quite a distance. The Open model with a 150hp engine and no cabin or heads starts at a barely believable £44,575 inc UK VAT. I’m not sure how the yard is offering so much boat for so little money. Yes, it’s built in Poland to take advantage of the cheaper labour costs but that is not refl ected in the fi t and fi nish and, lest we forget, the high-class Draco is built there too. They say that if something is too good to


be true then it usually is but fortunately, in the case of the Axopar 28 OC, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Jack Haines Contact Offshore Powerboats. Tel: +44 (0)1590 677655 Web: www.axopar.fi


THE DATA


SPECIFICATIONS PRICE FROM inc UK VAT £53,635 MERCURY VERADO 150hp std MERCURY VERADO 250hp £63,414 MERCURY VERADO 300hp £63,414


ESTHEC DECKS


PREMIUM PACKAGE BOW THRUSTER CANOPY


TRIM TABS 12V FRIDGE


£5,712 £1,612 £1,900 £1,200 £749 £768


FRESH WATER SYSTEM £749


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