|
There’s one more model squeezing into Mochi Craft’s Dolphin line of lobsterboat-style cruisers. But why add a 54 when the Italian builder already offers a 51? Because, according to Mochi, it’s time for an upgrade. Launched in 2004, the 51 was the first Dolphin, but the company has built three other versions since then-the 44, 64, and 74-learning much with each build. The question in my mind as I prepared to test the 54 was how many new features from those boats would it incorporate into its latest launch? As I stood on the dock in Ancona, Italy, staring at the flotilla of pastel Dolphins assembled before me, it didn’t appear that much had changed with the 54. She had the same tumblehome stern, rounded superstructure, and ample cockpit that had made the Dolphins famous, but nothing that caught me as strikingly new. It wasn’t until after I had boarded over the retractable passerelle and begun to explore the boat’s interior that I realized the extent of the upgrades.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
|
The most apparent difference between my vessel and her predecessors is her galley. The 54 is the first Dolphin to place it aft. (On the 51, 64, and 74, the galley is across from the helm, and the 44’s is down.) Social cooks will benefit from this layout as it not only puts them directly across from those seated at the C-shape dining settee but also lets them chat with anyone out in the cockpit, thanks to both the sliding-glass door and 25"x193¼4" flip-up, port-side window.
The second change I noticed caught me a little off guard. Directly forward of the Bosch cooktop and Daewoo microwave, stairs lead down to a relatively narrow, full-beam room. On the European model, this is the crew quarters, complete with a single berth and a tiny port-side head. (The head does come with a circular window to let in light and air.) It’s a big step up from the 51’s crew area, which can only be accessed via a hatch under a settee in the saloon, but if you don’t opt for the berth, the space becomes a large stowage area with an optional day head. Unless you’re stowing extra supplies for a long weekend, the crewless room seems like an unnecessary vestige for crewless Americans.
However, while the crew quarters should appeal to Europeans, Mochi is offering a flying-bridge version (see "Flying Bridge," this story) to fire-up potential stateside buyers. Judging from the success of the topside helm on the 64 and the 74, this option should ingratiate the new boat with American audiences who want better sightlines and a lot more sun and wind.
The accommodations area is another place where the 54’s evolution is evident, but this time the change is a bit more subtle. Actually, the 54 and 51 have almost identical layouts below deck: twin berths and a private head to port and a master forward with its head to starboard. The 54, however, has an extra stateroom to starboard that comes with either standard athwartships bunks and a lofted single berth or with an optional "prince-size" (bigger than a double but smaller than a queen) mattress. The only major difference between the layout of the 54 and the ten-foot longer 64 is the addition of a full-beam master cabin aft in the latter. The appointments that define the Dolphins’ distinct style-teak joinery, shoji screens, oversize mirrors gracing each stateroom, and porcelain sink basins in every head-remain.
Mochi improved natural lighting on the 54 with the inclusion of hull-side ports (there were none on the original 51, but there are on the other models). There’s one 42"x61¼2" teardrop-shape, black-tinted window for each guest stateroom and one 48"x61¼2" port on either side in the forward master. Mochi says these windows-which dipped below the waterline on our test because of the sea conditions-are definitely strong. The 3¼5"-thick glass meets RINA safety standards and is mounted in a proprietary epoxy.
|
PAGES:
|
1
|
|
 |
|