BOAT REPORT


A CLOSER LOOK WITH JACK HAINES


NAVIGATOR’S SEAT The optional (£984) Niroxx grey cockpit upholstery looks and feels like top-notch quality and adds some real class to the cockpit. Both helm seats are trimmed in it and combined with their supportive shape and comfortable bases make for some of the best seats you will sit in.


WONDERFUL WOODWORK Be it the chunkiness of the doors, the dark hue of the teak decking or the solid wood bottle slots on the cockpit table, the quality of the timber on the 310 is outstanding. To see this on a boat twice the size (and price) is one thing but here it really sets the boat apart from mass-produced rivals.


The driving environment of the Sun Cruiser is excellent – symptomatic of a boat that is built to be used like a car and driven all year round


like a small perch to sit and put socks or shoes on and reading lights on bendy stalks. The surprises continue in a bathroom that


has plentiful headroom and natural light thanks to a wedge-shaped window and slim opening port. There is a proper wall-mounted showerhead too and a curtain to prevent the whole bathroom from getting a soaking. The materials in here are top notch, including attractive Corian surfaces and more warm teak.


OUT ON THE WAVES At the helm, the sterndrive that saved us earlier makes for an engaging and lively driving experience. The 310 Sun Cruiser is far from an out-and-out sportsboat but a brisk 35-knot turn of pace and quick-witted steering mean it does a pretty good impression of one. We had the top-spec Volvo Penta D6 370hp fi tted to our test boat and with the weight of that in the engineroom, the 310 needs a decent portion of tab (or in this case, interceptors) at slower speeds to keep the bow down. We’re talking displacement speeds here – once on the plane, the boat settles down into a nice, natural attitude, though some tab to get the forefoot cutting through the chop as cleanly as possible


is welcome. You can save yourself around £12,000 if you opt for the D4 300hp engine instead and performance will still be perfectly good, but for those who want the extra zip of the D6, it’s a fi ne match for the 310. The driving environment of the Sun Cruiser


is excellent – symptomatic of a boat that is built to be used like a car and driven all year round. The helm has space for two, albeit on a cosy bench, and a dash layout that is ergonomically brilliant. The driving position when seated is superb and all switches and functions fall within very easy reach. It’s not a helm that drips with style but it’s functional and incredibly effective. The one fl y in the ointment makes itself apparent when you stand and fi nd the lip of the sunroof digging into the back of your head. This is an issue on hull number one, which is offi cially a prototype, though it doesn’t feel like one – and will be amended on future boats. Similarly, the yard plans to add some reinforcement to the structural surround of the aft sunroof and some curved handholds to help traverse the bathing platform and side decks. These tweaks aside, there really is very little to criticise the 310 for. There are cheaper


CLEVER COVERS A brilliant bit of design that has been brought over from the 375 whereby the aft-cockpit covers stow in the hardtop mouldings and slide around like curtains to meet in the middle and seal off the cockpit. Neat, fuss free and quick, this is an excellent alternative to the finger-busting hell of poppers and zips.


ENGINEROOM Access is via a hatch in the cockpit sole. With the table and cushions in place, there is enough room to lift the hatch up for a quick peek but for deeper investigation, the dinette cushions need to be removed to allow space for the table when the hatch is fully open. As you can see, insulation is generous.


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