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I love maritime jewelry.
Not the shiny stuff that dangles from gold chains, but boats and yachts
of a certain kind, small or large, that are so self-contained, so expertly
designed and finished, that they have a gem-like quality. The Cruisers
3470 Express is an excellent example. Not only is this compact go-go-getter
polished to a standard seldom seen in 30-something production cruisers
these days, she’s so loaded with redundant features and thoughtfully
installed equipment that she virtually sparkles.
I tested the 3470 at
South Seas Plantation, a marina-equipped resort on the west coast of Florida
with ready access to an archipelago of palm-shady islands, the perfect
venue for showcasing a coastal cruiser intended for weekend outings and
occasional longer trips. The first thing I picked up on during the test
drive was the boat’s mannerly personality, as evidenced by her modest
bow rise coming out of the hole and her tendency to plane quite easily
and quickly. Both of these characteristics are related to an intelligent
disbursement of furniture, equipment, and machinery weights, of course,
but a more subtle factor is involved as well: a set of shallow propeller
pockets that have just a smidgen of hook (or concavity) in them. The hook
collects and momentarily confines prop turbulence, thereby generating
lift at the stern, which in turn reduces bow rise and optimizes on-plane
running angle.
The practicality of
all this manifests in a couple of ways. First, driving while seated requires
absolutely no rubbernecking. Second, the range of efficient, useful throttle
settings is enhanced because out-of-the-hole struggle is confined to a
comparatively narrow slice of the rpm register, more or less between 1500
and 2500 rpm. Of course, our test boat owed some of her poise to close-coupled
V-drive inboards, a more weight-forward configuration than the stern-drive
version of the 3470, which has engines virtually up against the transom.
Open-water handling
on Pine Island Sound was excellent, although a near-flat sea state precluded
any rough-and-tumble analysis. Tabs weren’t necessary and are presumably
fitted for leveling in crosswinds and when loading is uneven. The instrument
panel is an easy read, with large, open areas for flush-mounting electronics,
and the double-wide helmseat is comfortable, thanks to fore-and-aft adjustment.
Via a Teleflex SeaStar hydraulic steering system, turning was quick, although
the stern-drive version with its steerable props is likely to turn quicker.
I recorded a 37.2-mph two-way-average top speed, another aspect of the
3470’s performance that presumably would be quicker with stern drives,
trimable lower units being more efficient than fixed props.
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