The Connecticut Spring Boat Show is special to me for a few reasons. Located at my homeport of Essex Island, it acts as a reunion of sorts for friends and acquaintances within the industry. It also signals the unofficial start of the boating season. Perhaps because the show was on my home turf, it was that much more noticeable that there was a new face in a familiar place. Impossible to miss on the face dock was a boat that blended Down East styling with European athleticism—a British Down-Easter, if you will.
Making its North American debut was the Duchy (pronounced Dutch-e) 35. A semi-custom motoryacht built by the legendary Cockwells in Cornwall, England, she boasted a large cockpit with teak accents, a smart blue hull, and a red boot stripe. Like me, she felt right at home.
Taking a hands-on approach to the U.S. launch of the 35 was Cockwells founder Dave Cockwell. “Duchy Motor Yachts started in 2010; we built and launched the first boat in 2011, and we’ve now built 40 of those. In 2018, we launched the first Duchy 35, and we’ve sold 32 of these, mostly in the U.K. and Europe, some in Australia, and this is the first one in the States.”
Today the line includes a 25, 27, 35, and 37-foot Duchy Sport, with plans for a 45- and 60-footer on the drawing board. A mass-production builder they are not; Cockwell explained that between the Duchy line, their highly acclaimed custom superyacht tenders, and a line of Hardy Motor Yachts, the bespoke builder produces around a dozen boats a year.
“I think the thing to know is that we’re very much an old-school boatyard. We’re not a factory turning out product; we’re a yard full of boatbuilders,” a passionate Cockwell said from the cockpit of the 35. “All of our timber work is solid oak—we’re talking dovetail joints. Our boats are semi-custom and not just churned out, and all the parts are made in-house in our yard in Falmouth, so there’s no subcontracting from China or bringing moldings in from Poland. We’ve got the quality control in-house, and our engineering is held to the same standard that we use on our superyacht tenders. We write all our own software for our operating system, which is pretty unique. Everything is literally programmed in-house.”
At this point, the docks were beginning to swell with showgoers. I had seen and heard enough to know this bespoke Brit needed a proper sea trial. Plans were made for me to climb aboard with Cockwell and U.S. importer Ted Hood of Wellington Yachts near Hood’s office in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the following week.
Arriving just a bit early, I approached the 35 docked at New England Boatworks on a cool, crisp spring morning. Again, I was struck by how at home the Duchy seemed in New England waters, yet she was unmistakably unique. One stylish and functional detail I noticed when boarding was an almost hidden step built into the hull for easy side-to boarding at the dock.
While this is, again, a semi-custom boat, the model brought over to the U.S. was perfectly appointed for American tastes. Stepping through fully opening doors with gleaming finishes, you are immediately greeted by a well-appointed galley-up layout. A comfortable and convertible salon features adjustable seatbacks that allow guests to enjoy a meal together one moment and then switch to watching the world disappear in the wake the next.
To port of the smartly laid-out helm is an exceptionally large chart table that lifts to reveal copious storage and even a hidden MFD if an owner so chooses. It’s a wonderfully salty touch that screams heritage. I couldn’t help but think it would be the perfect spot to rest a laptop and work remotely. How much work would actually get done, however, is anyone’s guess.
Below and forward lies the master stateroom. With the doors closed, it would feel somewhat cramped when you’re not actually sleeping, but it seems a worthy tradeoff to give the boat such a massive cockpit and salon. Amidships there is a second cabin with a berth accessed through a picture-frame-style opening. This space seems perfect for children under 10.
After daydreaming about cruising aboard the 35 for a week in Maine with my family, I was joined by Cockwell and Hood, and in short order we ditched the lines for an all-but-empty Narragansett Bay. Powered by twin 350-horsepower Yanmar 8LVs and straight shafts—270-horsepower Nannis are optional—we climbed to an easy 31-knot top end.
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Ensconced in a warm and bright salon that contradicted the raw weather outside on the bay, the word I jotted down in my notebook was “comfortable.” Not necessarily a speed demon, she’s no sports car. She doesn’t heel hard when you crank the wheel, but rather swings around with purpose in a very British manner. With the optional Seakeeper 3 and Zipwake tabs working behind the scenes, the 35 turned the wind-churned bay into a proverbial mill pond. Sliding the throttles back to a 24-knot cruise with the warm sun on my face, I could have easily cruised the day away toward northern waypoints.
Alas, Cockwell had a flight back to the U.K. to catch, so our sea trial would be short, and before long we were tucked back in at NEB. Giving the 35 one last look-over, I was reminded of a line my high school English teacher used to say: “You only get one chance at a first impression.”
The 35—and the champions behind her, Cockwell and Hood, two esteemed names in our pastime—made a very favorable first impression. I suspect boaters who cross wakes with the Duchy 35 will come to learn what I discovered: British Down East might just be an exciting new category here in the States.
Duchy 35 Test Report:
Duchy 35 Specifications:
LOA: 37’6”
Beam: 12’4”
Draft: 3’
Displ.: 17,500 lb.
Fuel: 159 gal.
Water: 32 gal.
Power: 2/350-hp Yanmar 8LV; 2/270-hp Nanni T4
Info: cockwells.co.uk
This article originally appeared in the August/September 2026 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.
