Bavaria Motor Boats 25 DC

I had the Sydney Fish Markets in my sights. Those $20-odd cold platters piled with crustaceans were calling from afar. The public marina wouldn't be too busy midweek, I reckoned, and across the way in the Lane Cove River I would find a quiet place to polish off my platter.

But there was a last minute change of plans, and that other famous seafood provedore, Doyles at Watsons Bay, called louder. So I grabbed the boat keys and made for the lunch spot post haste. After all, the prospect of a sun-drenched arvo at Doyles isn't something you agonise over.

My conveyance, the German-made BMB 25 DC, is the baby of Bavaria Motor Boat range - but it's just the ticket for making a speedy exit to a waterfront eatery, a marina berth or a protected anchorage somewhere.

The DC part of the badge stands for, you guessed it, day cruiser. The boat is all about here and now rather than tomorrow. To put it another way, there isn't a lot of accommodation below decks. Hey, there isn't even full headroom.

But what this jumping German offers is a smooth cruise, a daring drive and a rather handy layout for lounging with your friends. It's akin to a cabriolet that's geared for daytrips and driving pleasure.

Having said that, the BMB 25 DC is bundled with a pullout chemical loo, two sinks, a single-burner stove and a dinette that converts to a double berth just in case. There's even a hanging locker in which you can swing a change of clothes. But more on the interior later.

THE HARD YARDS
One thing that Bavaria does well is build apparently strong boats. The 25 DC begins life in the so-called laminating hall. The first layer of 'glass is handlaid powder-bound mat with an isotopic resin. Construction is described as composite, with foam above the waterline.

Various pre-production items are made available thanks to computer-controlled CNC rotary cutters. The boat leaves the laminating hall and gathers components from precut timber furniture to aluminium fuel tanks as it rolls down the assembly line.

The mahogany (veneer on doors and furniture) comes from an in-house milling centre. It also passes through an automated varnishing line. Such production efficiencies give rise to an annual production run of 1200 powerboats.

The BMB 25 DC comes with a CE certificate and a CE fire-suppression system, twin batteries for engine and house needs, and coded wiring that passes through a circuit-breaker board. There is a shorepower connection for the 24amp 12V charger and 240V/alcohol stove.

DAY CRUISER
BMB produces a nice spread of 25?40ft sportscruisers mainly for the European and American markets. But its day-cruiser range - as opposed to the accommodation range, which features fore and aft internal cabins - is pitched at new-boat buyers looking for something a bit different.

No other sportsboat I have driven is so top-heavy with deck space. Apparently buyers like the DC idea. And BMB is now running with it - a new 32 DC, with a cockpit the size of something from a 37?40-footer, has just been released. The 25 DC's cockpit was akin to that in, say, a 28-footer.

On the styling front, the 25 DC looks fast. Because it's not constrained by the need to provide full headroom, the boat tends towards being streamlined rather than boxy. It measures 1.62m above the waterline.

The company has made clever use of an extended wraparound windscreen, which reaches back to the transom corners. It gives added protection to the long cockpit. The boat was to be fitted with a canopy for shade - all that white vinyl might be hard to take in the height of summer.

The hull is a monohedron or constant-vee shape, I am told. The lines remind me of a lot of powerboats from Europe. There are pronounced chines and strakes to redirect water, provide lift and bolster stability. The boat didn't labour with 320hp in the tail.

From a driver's perspective the BMB 25 DC follows in the footsteps of the other BMBs I have driven. That is to say, it's fast, nimble and soft riding. And backed by a five-year hull warranty.

There are both petrol and diesel engine options. The importers went down the more-is-better route, packaging the 25 DC with the V8 Volvo Penta 5.7 GXI motor instead of the 240hp diesel donk. The 300lt fuel tank sitting amidships should more than cater for the day.

Standard factory-fitted features include a harbour mooring cover, 12V cockpit bar fridge, anchoring gear and safety equipment. While the boat will be at home in the water, with bronze through-hull fittings below the waterline, it will slot into a drystack rather nicely too.

Needless to say, the 25 DC doesn't skimp on dayboating amenities. The blunt end has a teak-topped boarding platform, extendable swim ladder and a transom shower.

The 100lt watertank is also linked to the sink in the cabin - where you might fill the kettle or wash the picnic plates after the prawns and salad - and a second, smaller sink ahead of the co-pilot in the cockpit.

There is a ski tow eye from which you could drag Little Johnny on a toy or tube, some nice big cleats for the mooring lines, and a concealed aft storage well for the supplied fenders, ropes and so on.

The full-width sunpad lifts on gas struts to reveal the single V8 motor and a surfeit of servicing space. Lid down, the entire aft section of the boat is one big double daybed clad in heavy-duty vinyl. A brace of bronzed bodies is all that's needed to finish it off. And a seafood platter.

While compact, the 25 DC is an all-over accessible boat. Non-skid walkaround decks trace the outside of the extended windshield, but the best access to the foredeck is through the opening windscreen and step-up dash.

Up front, the stainless-steel work is truly excellent. The windscreen framework, deck cleats, fillers and bowsprit fittings are what you would expect on a much bigger boat.

Future 25 DCs will have a windlass fitted as part of the local specification. But full marks for the split bowrail and opening lifelines; they let you take passengers - and a dextrous photographer! - over the front.

OUTDOORS AND IN
The self-draining cockpit has a lot more seating than you would ordinarily find in a 25-footer. The U-shaped aft lounge can accommodate four around a removable lunch table. The aforementioned full-width sunpad provides casual seating and great views at rest.

Add the two helm chairs and you have the room to seat at least six people, which is the boat's CE-certified offshore capacity - although NSW Waterways rates it for 10.

The moulded cockpit liner is topped with non-skid rather than carpet, so it should be easy to clean. The fuel and water tanks are accessible via a hatch in the floor. When not assembled, the cockpit table can be kept down there, along with an inflatable, fishing gear and ancillary items such as buckets and cleaning products.

The bar fridge is a simple 12V unit that you can leave running when connected to shorepower. Above the fridge, topped in blue Corian, is a drink and food-prep area traced by a rail that will keep bottles or salad bowls contained. There are also several drinkholders.

If the helm seats were swivelling types - a modification that won't be hard to effect, said the dealer - you could create round-table seating. Another small thing: the blue Corian used for the food-prep space seemed kind of dull to my eye.

But for these two details the 25 DC does a great job of catering for a crowd. Especially when it's topped with a bimini for shade.

While kids will find the cabin a veritable bedroom, two adults could also sleep aboard at a pinch. The vee-shaped lounge up front, set around the timber dinette, converts into a double bed.

This berth could come in handy when struck down by boater's fatigue - that combination of sun, wind, waves, a swim and a sherbet or two - or after a big nosh-up at a waterfront eatery.

When not converted to a bed, the blue-and-white upholstered seating set around a timber dinette is accommodating. The plushly padded backrests let you kick back with a pack of cards or a coffee.

Storage is a strongpoint despite the boat's modest dimensions. There are holds beneath the berths and in timber side lockers. A mirror-backed bedhead adds to the illusion of space. The big, round escape hatch with sunshade and opening ports provides ventilation.

The starboard-side kitchenette, if you can call it that, comprises a mahogany cupboard with sink, pressurised freshwater and single-burner alcohol/240V stove. There is a small waste bin and cutlery drawer. An opening port and sliding saloon door assists with ventilation. You could fit a microwave oven, since there is a shorepower connection.

Thanks to a moulded headliner and timber flooring the cabin shouldn't be hard to keep clean. The portaloo or chemical toilet is tucked inside a dedicated locker. The marine stereo/CD player is close at hand, but there was no helm control.

I noticed an improvement with the finish on this 25 DC compared to some other BMBs I have ferreted through: there were some nice chrome light fittings and a lighter shade of mahogany for a somewhat livelier feel.

DRIVE TIME
The helm has matt-grey dash panels to cut through reflection, but the windscreen can be hard to see through when your wearing sunnies, because it too is tinted. A wiper is provided for the driver, though spray wasn't an issue.

The engine gauges are cool chrome-rimmed VDO numbers with black switch panels set alongside a carbon wheel. The boat is fitted with trim tabs. Add the trim variables derived from the Volvo Duoprop leg and you have a small boat that can be set up to contend with a wide range of conditions.

With the bow glued to the water - using the tabs - I could push the boat hard through wake and wind waves without upsetting my guests. I ran the boat much freer for a flighty ride downwind where it hopped from crest to crest.

In the cornering department, the drive of the little German was akin to that of, well, a sportscar. The single Volvo Duoprop is loath to let go and the 320hp V8 has enough grunt to snap you out of the bends.

Despite a 5.7lt engine block, the boat shouldn't break the bank with fuel costs because it gets to where you are going in a hurry. It has an excellent power-to-weight ratio and at 3400rpm you can enjoy a dignified ride and smooth cruise of 25kt.

Fast cruising ranged from 30.2kt at 4000rpm to 34?37kt at 4500rpm depending on how much trim tab you used and whether you were tackling headseas or following seas. Top speed was 38.9kt at 5000rpm. But as the motor was only 4.5 hours old, it's a sure bet that this is a 40kt boat.

Priced at $129,800, the 25 DC was pretty attractive buying for a turnkey dayboat with a difference. It's a few thousand more than, say, the Bayliner 265. It hasn't the accommodation or volume, but it's faster, sportier, better in the rough and equipped with more deck seating.

After a good workout, the baby German felt right at home on a joggly Sydney Harbour. The BMB 25 DC would suit other busy city waterways or exposed bays too; especially those offering a pot of gold - i.e. a big seafood nosh-up - at the end of the drive.