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There’s also the propeller pockets, which nozzle thrust, and cant it slightly inward for improved running efficiency. Yet another factor is the narrow pad (two foot at its widest point aft) that stretches the full length of the running surface, which produces stern lift and a reduced running angle out of the hole. And finally, there are the step-like amidship chevrons that angle between the chine and outboard strake on each side of the boat. Since they affect only the edges of the running surface, Cruisers says they induce friction-fighting, speed-increasing turbulence, without disturbing the solid water that needs to go to the props.

After winding up our Victory at Sea seatrials, I headed the 5370 on back to our slip at Galati’s and a look at the engine room. Accessed via a cockpit hatch and a beefy stainless steel ladder, the place turned out to be flat-out voluminous, with near standing headroom for my 5'11" stature, fiberglass diamond plate on a wide walkway between the 800-hp Caterpillar 3406E close-coupled, V-drive diesels, and fairly wide walkways outboard of them. Outboard walkways? The 5370’s got the best all-round engine access I’ve seen in the 50-something size range.

Other examples of thoughtful engineering included duplex 900MA Racor fuel/water separators on the mains along with Y-valves on the raw-water intakes, so either engine (or both) can double as a bilge pump. I also liked the 1,000-cubic-foot-capacity Fireboy FE241 fire-extinguishing system securely bracketed on the forward firewall (way more than minimum capacity), the big Aqua Signal spotlights flooding the area with light, and the Soundown insulation throughout, with a whopping three inches blanketing the sturdy aluminum box beam support grid overhead.

Several aspects of construction were observable from the engine room as well, starting with the hull-to-deck joint. Cruisers bonds the 5370’s Baltek AL600-cored hull and deck with tenacious IPS methacrylate adhesive and screws. I could also see that the Decolite-cored forward firewall, like the three other ring-type bulkheads, was glassed into the hull-to-deck construct all the way around, and that the Decolite-cored, hat-section fiberglass stringers and transversals were capped with carbon fiber for added strength. Moreover, I noted the solid-glass reliefs around all through-hull fittings, designed to keep the flanges from compressing the comparitively soft coring, and the solid-aluminum blocks laminated into the deck that support stanchion bases. All cleats are also supported with aluminum blocks and backup plates.

With the tour of the engine room complete, my next stop was the warm, conservatively decorated interior with its cherry joinery and Corian accents. Three layouts are available: a three-stateroom version, a two-stateroom version with separate office space, and the two-stateroomer with additional living space on our test boat. Furnishings are understated for the most part, although some features stand out rather robustly, like the huge, cedar-lined, walk-in closet in the master aft, the hanging locker in the forward VIP that was big enough for me to climb into, the optional, easy-loading, drawer-type Fisher & Paykel dishwasher in the galley, and the two Flexsteel incliners on either end of the U-shape leatherette sofa in the saloon. Precision craftsmanship was evident everywhere, from the seamlessly wrought, raised-panel cabinet doors in the forward stateroom, to the flawlessly-finished solid-cherry table that rises from the saloon sole on an electrically-actuated, push-button, brushed-aluminum pedestal.

As I finished off my survey of the 5370 in the large cockpit, with big sun lounge aft and electrically actuated insert, the wind continued to blow vehemently, driving the rain almost sideways. Nevertheless, a Strataglass enclosure made it easy to have a seat on the lounge and appreciatively note a spiffy design element or two, like the generous one-foot width of the side decks, the access to the double helm seats from both port and starboard sides, the benchseat on the immense swim platform, and the clever way Cruisers hides the optional Nautical Structures davit under a long molded hatch at the transom.

Reaching an overall impression of this boat wasn’t hard. For some years now Cruisers has been known almost exclusively as a midwestern builder of family cruising vessels. No more. With her superb finish, fast-paced performance, and gutsy engineering and construction, the new 5370 Express takes the company to a whole new level.

Cruisers Yachts Phone: (920) 834-2211. Fax: (920) 834-2797. www.cruisersyachts.com.

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