Cruisers 447 Sport Sedan — By Capt. Patrick Sciacca — June 2006

Seafaring Bliss

PMY’s latest company boat offers on-the-water escapism at its best.

Courtesy of Cruisers Yachts  More of this Feature • Cruisers 447 Sport Sedan • Cruisers 447 Sport Sedan Part 2 • Cruisers 447 Sport Sedan Specs • Cruisers 447 Sport Sedan Deck Plan • Cruisers 447 Sport Sedan Acceleration Curve • Cruisers 447 Sport Sedan Photo Gallery
Related Resources • Boat Test Index
Elsewhere on the Web • Cruisers Yachts

But a boat like this is not just about WOT and S-turns, especially with the social crew here at PMY. Entertaining is a key component, and Cruisers has addressed this need quite well. The flying bridge offers an alfresco party place with lounge seating just abaft the helm and two tanning-friendly chaise lounges on the flying-bridge overhang. To whet your whistle, the cockpit is armed with a wet bar and ice maker. The full-beam (14'6"), wide-open saloon, accessed via the cockpit’s sliding-glass door, provides an inviting indoor entertainment venue with standard port and starboard lounges. (The port lounge has a double incliner, and the starboard one is a sofa/sleeper.) Both offer a clear view of the standard 23-inch Sharp LCD TV for movie night. The saloon’s open arrangement is enhanced by 6'7" headroom. Standard cherry warms up the interior, which is further brightened by wide side and front windows. There’s no feeling of sitting in a hole in this boat, especially since the galley and dinette are up one step from the saloon, with clear views in all directions. All the requisite galley tools are available for the cooking cruiser, including a EuroKera cooktop, solid-surface countertop-prep areas, and a Nova Kool refrigerator and freezer, and all standard issue.

After considering the ride, layout, and amenities of the 447, I found her model designation Sport Sedan to be spot-on. The helmsman will appreciate the racy side of her as indicated by her speed and smooth ride. Yet, her performance didn’t come at the cost of shoehorning huge engines into a tight space. As a matter of fact, I easily managed my 5'7" frame through the cockpit hatch and accessed between the powerplants to check oil, filters, and the like. In addition, Cruisers has labeled every hose, wire, and through-hull, a great attribute for the DIY boater. And on the sedan side of this boat, she’s simply cozy. The soft tone of the cherry, lighting, and her two-stateroom layout make you want to toss off the lines, make way for destination anywhere, and drop the hook when you get there. And I think the PMY crew will be doing just that. So look for us this summer in our 447. We’re coming to a port near you.

Cruisers Yachts (920) 834-2211. www.cruisersyachts.com.

Gear on Board >> Murphy HelmView

Office Ours’ helm features Murphy. No, not PMY’s group managing editor Eileen Murphy, but HelmView from Murphy, a company that builds engine-monitoring systems. It’s a plug-and-play system that works with J1939 and NMEA 2000 protocols to allow the sharing of information between onboard electronic devices. There are three CAN (Control Area Network) inputs that can integrate engines, gensets, NMEA devices, and GPS. On a display at the helm, I was able to view everything from speed, engine rpm, and fuel burn to waste-tank level and rudder angle. I could even view trim tab levels. The 6.4-inch color VGA LCD flat-screen display was easily viewable, too. Stay tuned for more on HelmView’s progress as PMY puts it to a long-term test this summer.

www.fwmurphy.com

Spotlight on | Construction

To minimize weight and maximize strength, Cruisers builds the 447 with a fully cored hull. Below the waterline she features Airex foam core, while above the waterline balsa adds stiffness as well as impressive sound deadening. Enhancing the latter is a new product from 3M, which Myers says is placed everywhere including “hull sides, bulkheads, and anywhere they could put it.” My test results indicated this stuff works, as my decibel meter read only 79 dB-A at cruise speed (65 dB-A is the level of normal conversation). I suspect having the engines aft and the use of underwater exhausts also play a big part in this boat’s quiet nature.


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