Arvor 250 AS

We're lucky to have avoided the truly deleterious effects of the petrol-price hike because it arrived during boom times. But if things were tighter - interest rates went up, the jobs market was tough, the share and housing markets retreated much faster - then imagine the impact of more expensive petrol. How would you cope? Hardly bares thinking about it. Or does it?

As always, there's a silver lining to even the gloomiest scenario and this boat could be it. If the abovementioned factors conspired against us, boating would be even more important to maintain our sanity. I wouldn't ditch the boat, no way shipmates, but I might make it something like this 25-footer.

A cute, quirky, but entirely pragmatic little French cabin cruiser, the Arvor 250 AS will run around town on the smell of an oily rag. Well, almost. The single freshwater-cooled 220hp Mercruiser six-cylinder turbo diesel motor is at least modest by today's petrol-guzzling standards.

After a long day of cruising and back home again, I would expect consumption of 100ltr or less. What's more, the motor has a shaftdrive not a sterndrive and we all know that means less maintenance.

Being easy to get at, the motor mounting encourages routine maintenance checks. And at 7.49m LOA, this is a no-fuss, hose-off mooring minder. Left in the water on an affordable swing mooring or a public/private marina berth, the boat will need just annual slipping, antifouling and servicing.

On top of these things are the (albeit barest of) boating essentials for overnighting. The vee berth converts to a double berth, there is an enclosed head, a sink and a stove. Just enough creature comforts, in fact, to not only camp aboard but to make the boat more attractive to mums and daughters on day trips.

FRENCH WAYS
Whereas the smaller 20ft Arvor sistership is built here under licence, this new version of the company's 25-footer is a fully-imported model. The French factory makes about 20 boats a month from two moulds that are running flat out. Construction is low-tech and nothing more than trusty GRP.

The hull retains the same shape as the initial Arvor 25 introduced here about five years ago. The running surface is a gullwing shape with a fine entry, hard chines and cathedrals either side of the keel.

A stainless-steel skeg protects the prop in case you hit bottom - good news for boaties on skinny estuaries like Queensland canals or the Gippsland Lakes. The boat turns off the wheel and its bronze rudder very snappily but steering also comes by way of a snap-on rear tiller. The standard-issue Vetus bowthruster makes parking and reversing a snap.

On the engineering front, I could access the engine drip stick, transmission oil, fuel filter and sea strainer very easily through the central engine hatch. Being central and down low in the boat, that engine mounting helps with the boat's stability. Sound insulation is excellent, though there is a coarse vibration at high speeds.

The boat has a foam inline air filter and internal air intakes that should keep the engine room fresh and free from salt air.

There is no watertight aft bulkhead to the engine room, but there are two bilge pumps down low in the engine room and a PSS 'dripless' shaft seal to help reduce leaks.

Of some concern is the fact that there is no bilge pump in the very large underfloor area forward of the engine room.

DAPPER LOOKS
Appearance-wise the Arvor 250 AS looks tres French with its navy-blue hull, robust stainless steel deck gear and purposeful rails poking out of the deck. There's even a stainless steel roller on either gunwale so you can haul your traps from the North Sea loaded with live langoustines.

Down Under, these rollers might come in handy for retrieving crab traps but I'm not sure what else. One thing is certain, the boat has an inordinate amount of freeboard and stability and no number of crabs, lobsters or fish will have much of a bearing on that.

The cabin has a pretty little moulded hardtop and an armour-plate front windscreen pane with polycarbonate side sheets. Handrails help with your passage forward, which brings us to the biggest single change with the Arvor 250 AS.

The AS part of the boat's appellation stands for asymmetrical, meaning the cabin is offset, in this case to port, unlike the old Arvor 25's cabin which was centred. What is the advantage of an asymmetrical cabin? Quite simply, more cabin space.

By offsetting the cabin hard-up against the port side you can make it much bigger while still creating a secure, moulded walkway to the bow. That latter point is important, as ease of access to the bow has been a big selling point for the Arvors.

If not for fishing then the moulded starboard-side walkway will help with fending, picking up passengers, grabbing a mooring, and retrieving the anchor. I would, however, like to see non-skid on the moulded bowsprit to make disembarking safer from the bow.

And while you're at it, put some non-skid on the cabin roof. It's strong enough to stand on and crew will surely climb up here to clean the guano from the boat, do sundowners or dive off the high board at anchor.

OBLIGING DECKS
The big cross bollard up front, deep anchor well, moulded bowsprit and high bowrail are all good stuff. But I like the size of the moulded self-draining cockpit even more. It's big enough for four anglers, a party of six and even more kid crew for day trips.

Among the better features are the boarding platform and swim ladder, the walk-through transom (the washboard is very flimsy and a redesigned door is needed), the central plumbed livebait tank with inspection window and deep-end, and in-transom tackle trays.

There were four rod holders, two of which couldn't be used with overhead reels due to the positioning of the rear safety rail. Considering the gunwale height one would think that rail was superfluous to onboard safety. There were also side racks for holding rods, gaffs or nets. An aftermarket rocket launcher on the hardtop would be handy.

The longitudinal fold-down teak bench seats that oppose each other on either side of the cockpit are great. At rest, four people can kick back and chat around a loose table topped with grub. At sea, these seats would be great for bottom fishing and whiling away the time between bites. There are handy timber handholds in the teak gunwale boards, too.

A clever awning pulls out from under the moulded cabin top to provided coveted shade for bottom fishing and trolling. You could mount outriggers of the cabin top.

For the European market, the boat has an outboard aft liferaft locker that could be used for stowing fenders or a deflated ducky instead. There is an auxiliary bracket but you would need a remote fuel source for an outboard as the main motor is a diesel.

Storage comes by way of an aft fender locker that contains the gas bottle, vented overboard I might add, and a lockable lazarette that contains the batteries, isolators, polyethylene fuel tanks and a big rod locker. There is some spare room under the floor.

CABIN CAPERS
The lock-up cabin will be a boon for security, allowing you to leave fishing gear, clobber, hardware and such aboard. I found a rod rack in the enclosed head for this very purpose. There is scope to fit a holding tank and electric loo to this boat.

The indoors starboard helm has a fold-down two-person bench seat, slippery footrest, traditional timber and stainless-steel wheel linked to hydraulic steering, and wood-look dash. The dash has basic Mercruiser engine gauges, compass, fuel gauge, switches for wipers, lights, pumps and accessories. A Navman plotter/sounder across the way is within operating reach.

There is storage for the captain's personal effects, charts and a torch, plus drinkholders, and the GME stereo and Navman VHF radio. The bowthruster and throttle fall to hand and the vision when seated or standing is very good. Under the floor is a massive storage hatch.

The boat has opening side windows and ceiling hatches for cross-flow ventilation and passenger seating by way of a longitudinal bench seat opposite the helm seat. Lift the upholstered base of the passenger seat to find a sink with pressure water, a gas stove and a small amount of food-prep space. There are storage cupboards for coffee-making equipment nearby. Cute.

In the cabin is a vee berth with small moulded table that functions as a double bed infill base for when you're not cracking a bottle of beaujolais and devouring a bread stick and brie in a traditional French lunch.

While there are compromises in the cabin, the enclosed wheelhouse and facilities make this little cruiser an all-weather boat and a potential overnighter.

FRENCH CRUISING
Actually, 220hp of turbocharged diesel motor, fashioned on an Italian block, isn't to be sneezed at. Plant the throttle and the boat jumps to planing speed. I delighted in cruising across the harbour and the mighty Heads at 2600rpm and 16 knots.

At 16 knots this was a really useful boat. Similarly, at eight knots with a rod in one hand this was a great trolling platform. Shame I couldn't raise a fish.

However, the boat became a real rattler at 3000rpm/20 knots and anywhere up to its top speed of 24.5 knots. And while the boat felt fast at these speeds the ride wasn't as smooth when the boat left the water. Sound reverberated from the hollow cabin when we cracked off one wake.

The Arvor 25 AS is cute but it won't win a beauty contest, it's cosy but not totally decked out, it's fast but best at moderate speeds. Above all it is a simple and low-maintenance boat, and will appeal to anglers and retirees looking for a stable day cruiser.

This, the first new Arvor 250 AS had an optional Muir windlass, Navman 6600 Trackfish plotter/sounder, and a cold deck shower linked to its 100ltr water tank. The deck shower, GME stereo, Navman VHF and PSS dripless shaft seal are now part of the standard specification.

But if it were my boat, I'd add hot-water via a heat exchanger, an electric toilet with holding tank, an autopilot for passagemaking and a solar panel on the roof with a trickle charger.

Oh, and crab traps, fishing gear, skindiving equipment, a beach umbrella and picnic kit, a kettle and cups, instant soups and a carry-on cooler loaded with lunch and, hopefully, to catch the carry off at the end of the day. The potential is limited only by your imagination.

HIGHS

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