2021 Saxdor 200 Sport review

Jet skis are furious and frenetic fun. But they are to boats what motorbikes are to cars; entirely lacking in practicality and likely to leave you soaking wet, and sometimes sore and sorry.

What if you could have a boat that combined the best of both worlds?

Not only that, but wrapped in an affordable, fun and practical package? 

The Saxdor 200 Sport is a recently launched newcomer from Finland, marketed in Europe to “people who have outgrown their jet skis”. Run by one of the founding members of Axopar, the similarly styled Saxdor is the smallest boat in a growing family of ever-larger existing and concept models.

Finland, where Saxdor boats come from, has more than 100,000 islands and many of its citizens commute by boat. It’s no surprise that it also has the highest level of boat ownership per capita worldwide.

Saxdor boats are brought into Australia via Mosman, NSW-based The Adventure Boat Company.

The Saxdor 200 Sport's jet ski links are strong. In the northern hemisphere, the base model is often sold with a central steering wheel and jet ski-style seats along the centre of the craft, making it something of a jet ski-slash-boat mash-up.

The Adventure Boat Company operations manager Campbell Wills said the jet ski seats had yet to catch on in Australia, with buyers favouring the traditional side console seating layout.

“It [the Saxdor 200 Sport] does give you a fantastic driving experience, a bit like a sports car, and with 175 horsepower on the back, it will do 50 knots, so it feels like you’re in a Porsche on the water,” Wills said.

“But people here are used to sitting side by side so they prefer that option,” he said.

“And this is still very much a driver’s boat — that driving experience is a big part of the sales pitch.

“Even with 100 [horsepower] on the back it will do 30 knots, and in something this size, that’s properly fast.”

Although small, with a length of 5.9 metres and a beam of 2.3 metres, the Saxdor 200 Sport stands out on the water with its striking looks. 

We took a 100hp-equipped version out for a test run, and had very nearly as much fun as we could have had on a jet ski — without soaking our shoes.

The Saxdor 200 Sport starts from $54,995, which is a reasonable starting point to get out on the water with your family. That price includes a 100hp Mercury Four-stroke outboard engine (115hp and 150hp options are also available) with Mercury's VesselView system.

You’ll almost certainly want the T-top to keep you out of the sun, which is a $3814.61 option. 

Plenty of storage space comes standard, and includes fully lined bins for holding ice or fish, and a larger lift-up storage space under the cushioned sun deck in the bow. 

An optional camper-style tent costing $2020.71 can fit on the foredeck, so you can even overnight it on your Saxdor if you’re up for it.

There’s also a low windscreen that drops down if you fancy some sea spray in your face.

Our test boat also featured a Simrad touchscreen navigation unit.

A ski bar is another option, and a leather steering wheel adds a touch of classiness. 

The Saxdor 200 Sport may be a small and simple boat without many luxuries, yet somehow it still feels like you’re getting quite a bit for your money.

Eye-catching even from a distance, there’s something undeniably modern and angular about the Saxdor.

The boat features a deck-level open transom, and its plumb bow makes the most of its small footprint. 

Wills says the range’s distinctly European styling had attracting plenty of interest from people wanting to know what it was.

“The design of the bow, being straight up and down, it’s a unique feature,” he said.

“It’s unlike most boats you see in Australia at the moment, and we’re trying to shake it up a little bit,” he said.

“All the innovation in boating is happening in Europe, and unfortunately when you look around anywhere in Australia, you really see boats that were designed in the ’70s and ’80s.

“We still love them, because we love boats, but we’re just not getting new ideas,” Wills said.

Another unique feature of the boat is its twin-stepped hull that gives the Saxdor 200 Sport a performance advantage at speed.

“They’re very sharp steps, so when the boat is on the plane, at speed, they put it on  a cushion of air at speed, a bit like a hydrofoil,” Wills said.

“So it sits up off the water and you get a lot less resistance, which means more performance and less fuel usage for any given speed.”

The promise of sports-car like, or at least jet-ski like, performance on the water looked like a challenge with the base model’s 100hp Mercury on the back. Yet it delivered.

The Saxdor 200 Sport is light, sharp and fantastic fun to drive, gliding as if it it’s running on a cushion of air while up on the plane.

Sharp turns are huge fun and the manoeuvrability is approaching jet ski levels. 

The leather steering wheel feels nice and chunky in your hands and the hydraulic steering linking with the Mercury outboard engine provides appreciable feel. 

We cruised at 25 knots with ease, and at 3000rpm the engine was only using about 10 litres of fuel an hour. A bigger outboard engine would be a hoot of a thing.

The cabin is comfortable for two people to sit side by side, and there’s plenty of space on the sun deck to sit and chill out, or even cast. Aline,  once you’re anchored up. 

Hanging your feet off the near water-level deck down the rear is another good option. The lack of a transom makes it very easy to jump off or reboard after a swim.

It’s one of those boats where you walk away form a test drive and think maybe you should buy one. If that is the case, you’d best be quick; The Adventure Boat Company has been swamped with orders and is desperately trying to get more stock. 

Fast, fun and frisky, the Saxdor 200 Sport is exotic, genuinely new, and tempting. 

It also makes a lot more sense in our climate than theirs.

Priced from: $54,995 including forward sun deck with storage; rails, handles and cleats; navigation lights; adjustable windscreen, horn, hull graphics; Mercury four-stroke outboard engine with hydraulic steering

Price as tested: $58,809.61 including T-top