2019 Whitehaven Harbour Classic 40 review

Logically speaking, only a damn fool would buy a practical tool purely because of the way it looks. But can you really describe a “picnic” boat worth more than $1 million as a practical tool, or is it more of a shiny toy, a thing of wealthy whimsy?

What is not in question is that to look upon Whitehaven’s Harbour Classic 40 is to want one. Very badly, and that’s before you even get onboard and soak up the refined and ridiculously plush interior. If you had a spare million laying around, you might just buy one of these so you could gaze upon it, moored out the front of your Sydney Harbour-facing mansion, every day.

But it is meant to be a practical piece of marine beauty as well. Australian naval designer Misha Merzliakov, who came up with its stunning looks and fitted it out with such finery inside, says the Harbour Classic 40 is made for quick after-work evening cruises.

One can imagine it will be bought by the kind of people who have other, bigger boats for holiday adventures, whereas this will be more of a day-to-day gad-a-boat.

If its “peacock teal” paint and “baby ostrich” roof linings aren’t to your personal taste, fear not, because Whitehaven will happily bespoke a Harbour Classic 40 just for you, with a build time of just five months. It just might cost a little further north of $1m. But think how good you’ll look on it.

The Harbour Classic 40, which dropped in the water only a couple of days before we leapt aboard, is available at a special introductory price in the Tonic spec you see here in all its glory.

The base boat’s price is from $869,000 while the introductory price for the Tonic is $1,198,000. The Harbour Classic 40 was first introduced to us at the 2017 Sydney International Boat Show in rendered form.

That price gets you just a single 550hp Cummins QSB 6.7-litre engine (the standard engine is a 435hp Volvo Penta D6), but Whitehaven will be happy to provide you with the alternative twin-engine model with Volvo Penta IPS pod drives.

That money also scores you the long roof, vital for avoiding our brutal sun (shorter roofed versions are optional). There is also sleeping space for four to six people, two rollout fridges on the rear deck and a full-size fridge downstairs, one luxury head (with metal and timber door handles sourced from Japan), Corian synthetic stone benches and features, “antelope” wall panels and lime-washed walnut features.

It’s all hand built in Taiwan, with a solid Kiwi-designed hull and chines to the waterline, while the engine room features both acoustic and thermal insulation and the engine mounts feature anti-vibration technology.

Bow and stern thrusters are fitted and operated using a choice of two joysticks (classy metal ones, not plastic), with one at the helm and another on the rear deck to make single-handed berthing easier on your own.

All the mod-cons are included as well, such as a microwave and a dishwasher.

Something you don’t often see on a boat the size of the Harbour Classic 40 is a stabiliser system, meaning you’ll rarely spill your sunset cocktail, or suffer from sea sickness.

The Harbour Classic 40 layout consists of a luxurious rear deck with a fold-down table that becomes a coffee table, two rollout fridges and a lifting window panel that creates a sense of flow into the rear saloon, and the helm.

Downstairs is the head, the galley, a slightly cosy guest bed for two and then the main cabin, with a comfortable bed.

Its looks, though, are really the Harbour Classic 40’s standout attraction, and what a work of art it is.

Misha Merzliakov had free range to create something special, and has gone after a look that he says is “a lobster boat wrapped up as picnic boat”. It takes mid-century exterior lines and applies a retro touch of cool.

There’s a homage to the past with that timber look on the sides, but it’s all modern underneath, with plenty of carbon-fibre in the big roof, which he says was the biggest challenge of the design.

Merzliakov also delved deep into classic car culture for inspiration.

“If you look at sports cars of the 1960s, Ferraris, Jaguars, even the MGs, they had these little knuckles on the bonnets, so the roofline here has a little knuckle on it, too, like the cars of the period,” Merzliakov said.

“The other element of custom design are the air vents, which are meant to reflect a fighter plane, like a Spitfire or a Messerschmitt, to give a bit of aggression to the shape.

“The colour is just a bit more fun. We wanted to do something that makes a splash, so we went for peacock, a playful name, but it’s also a colour found on classic Jaguars and Ferraris.

“Ultimately, what we’ve got is a lobster boat, so it’s American, but with Italian elements, bits of Lake Como boats, a bit of Venice; hopefully it’s unique in that regard.”

Unique is certainly the term that comes to mind when examining its design, that and luxurious, because the quality and feel of the interior fittings are truly something to behold. And to touch.

This Harbour Classic 40 is the first of its kind in Australia, and still so new that we were not allowed to give its single 550-horsepower engine a belting.

We were assured that had ample torque and that the Harbour Classic 40 can comfortably cruise at 25 knots, which is more than fast enough for a boat suited to soaking up Sydney Harbour sunsets.

The bow and stern thrusters, operated by the classy-feeling joysticks – one at the helm and another handily tucked away under a cover in the cockpit – made it very easy to berth the boat, even in a tight, tricky Darling Harbour space.

The downside, however, was that the thrusters were particularly noisy – the whole cruising experience was far more pleasant once we switched to the single engine.

What was noticeably wonderful, though, was how flat the Harbour Classic 40 sits, particularly at anchor, thanks to its stabiliser system.

It’s perhaps the cleverest example of what Whitehaven says was its goal with this vessel; bringing superyacht quality, and technology, to a smaller and more affordable class of boat.

The stabiliser also keeps the Classic sitting pretty when you’re cruising over slightly choppy Harbour waters, and will be a boon if you have any passengers or friends who suffer slightly wobbly sea legs.

The Harbour Classic 40 does what it’s designed to do – effortless cruising in inimitable style – perfectly. It doesn’t feel like the kind of boat you want to hurry in, and indeed it’s the kind of machine you’ll probably enjoy most when sitting still.

No, the Harbour Classic 40 isn’t cheap, but it is unique, and there are plenty of people who’d be happy to pay more than $1 million for a boat that looks, and feels, as special as this one. The large number of ways in which Whitehaven will let you bespoke your personal picnic boat only makes the offering more attractive.

As a bonus, unlike many boats this expensive, the Classic is nice and easy to manoeuvre, and smooth on the water, meaning you really would be happy to skipper it yourself.

Personally, I was so taken with the sports-car styling, and the fighter-plane air vents, that I’d be happy just to sit and stare at one all day.

Specifications
Model: Harbour Classic 40 by Whitehaven
Length overall: 12.9m (including swim platform)
Beam: 3.9m
Draft: 0.90m
Engine: Single 435 D6 Volvo engine (550hp Cummins QSB 6.7 upgrade available)
Top speed: 25 knots
Fuel capacity: 800L (est)
Water capacity: 460L (est)
Holding tank: 151L (est)
Berths: Double cabin and optional convertible

Priced from: $869,000

Price as tested: $1,198,000

Supplied by: Whitehaven Motor Yachts