Cruisers 340 Express

There are a lot of supposed home truths about boat ownership: the best day of your life is the day you buy one and the day you sell it; it's like standing under a cold shower tearing up $50 notes; the ultimate boat is your best friend, and so on. But a tenet bandied about with even more conviction these days is that the average boatie uses his or her craft for just 50 (engine) hours a year. This latter fact helps explain why boat-share businesses are booming, but it is also the reason why I tested the new 2007 model Cruisers 340 Express. As one of the many boats under management or available through time share, the 340 is an accommodating sportscruiser with good looks and a big deck plan. But rather than shell out close to $400,000 as tested, you can get aboard - at least a few times a year - with the Leisure Boating Club time share business at Rose Bay on Sydney Harbour for as little as $23,000.

However, this story isn't about the benefits of time share, but rather the 340 from Cruisers - a boat that does warrant closer inspection. After all, Cruisers, an American family-owned boatbuilder, is trotting out more sportscruisers and sportsyachts each year now than in past seasons.

Including aft-cabin models, Cruisers offers 15 yachts from 28 to 56ft, including the interesting 390 Sports Coupe, and the Rampage express-style sportsfishers which the family also builds at a separate yard in North Carolina. The 340 Express is a handy mid-sized family-friendly boat whose prime selling features include forward sunpads and a walkthrough windscreen, a cockpit wet bar and full cabin liner with separate shower, and an oversized boarding platform that boosts the boat's LOA to almost 37ft.

Powered by twin freshwater-cooled 6.2lt 320hp MerCruiser big-block V8 petrol inboards, Horizon models with 300-hour servicing intervals, the Cruisers 340 has vee-drives (from Velvet Drive). These help to create a smaller engine room and bigger aft or mid cabin.

LAYING THE GROUNDWORK
Cruisers uses solid GRP for the running surface of the 340 but balsa-cored sides and deck for sound and weather insulation, stiffness, and reduced weight to lower the centre of gravity. Instead of a hardtop, the boat has a targa arch with canvas which, with clears, attaches to the two-pack painted windscreen frame.

The oversized boarding platform is as much a part of the outdoor living areas as the plush cockpit seating. Impressively, there are both raw-water and freshwater deckwashes and showers, a lined boot that ranges back under the cockpit seating, fender and mooring line storage, plus shorepower and dockside connections. I noted decent deck gear and cleats on the 340, a deep-reach swim ladder, a portside cockpit door, and steps to the sidedecks. However, the decks are slightly narrow, so the best access forward is via the walkthrough windscreen, with moulded steps and easy-reach stainless steel grabrail.

The foredeck is graced with twin sunpads (cushions extra) held in place with press studs and tracks. The windlass is concealed, the welded one-piece bowrail and rub rail are stainless steel, and the hull comes in white, as tested, or with blue or taupe accents.

LOUNGING IN THE COCKPIT
Although fitted with a windscreen with two-pack painted frame instead of a stainless steel frame, there are vented side windows and that walkthrough to the bow is among the most generous I have encountered. Coupled with the moulded targa arch swinging curtains with vented panels, not to mention reverse cycle air-con, the 340 should be comfortable enough in winter.

Seating is comfortable in the two-stage cockpit, with a U-shaped lounge to starboard in the lower level. There's room to seat six around a GRP table with recessed drinkholders. Cushions come gratis to convert the lounge into a sunpad.

 The boat has cockpit carpet, but this will be removed once the boat's fully operational in the boating club.

The amenities centre to port in the aft cockpit serves adults on the lounge and the kids diving off the transom. There's a moulded sink with cold-only water, good food-prep space, and optional 12V fridge (or icemaker). The Leisure Boating Club says it will fit a recessed griddle here, too. Two steps and your on the quasi bridgedeck, with short two-person portside lounge that, with aft-facing backrest, can be used as a chaise lounge. Three people could squeeze onto the twin helm seat. Flip-up bolsters give you more room when driving on your feet before the big low-glare dash.

The 340 had an optional recessed Raymarine C80 GPS chartplotter and VHF radio, plus a big spread of engine gauges, including Smartcraft for fuel flow and cruising range. There were controls for searchlight, a remote for the Clarion stereo, wipers and a big bank of rocker switches. Among them were the trim tabs, which were slightly difficult to differentiate between everything else when driving.

With a beam of 3.6m, the 340 is a comparatively wide boat. The cockpit volume is also maximised by the narrow walkarounds, making this a great platform for hanging out on. For overnighting or weekending, the 151lt of water should suffice. Then there is the accommodation…

BEDS AND HEAD
As with all mid-30ft boats, the 340 has the usual two-cabin, one-head layout below decks. The options are for a forward bulkhead - which this boat didn't have - and in standard form you get a permanent aft cabin. However, this boat had the optional U-shaped settee and second dinette aft which converts to a double bed with privacy curtain when you need it. It's a good layout for kids. With the saloon dinette also converting to a bed it is possible to sleep six adults aboard the 340.

I see this as being a better boat for young families and day entertainers. For which purpose, the aft galley, located immediately at the foot of the companionway stairs, is very handy. Marked by a moulded GRP module with solid work surfaces, the galley features a two-burner electric stove, small Tappan microwave oven, 12V fridge, a large round sink with a hot/cold mixer and concealed garbage bin. There is also decent appliance and pot storage as well as places to stow crockery and cutlery. Ventilation is via the companionway above.

 The finish, meanwhile, is all natural cherry veneer joinery with cream liners and carpet runners. Nothing should date and I like those runners underfoot. What is also evident is the exceptional amount of head room measuring around two metres in parts and the lighting plan, which will make the interior shine at night.

The AC/DC control panel is pretty logical with water and holding tank gauges, a nearby Clarion CD stacker, and a start and stop switch for the optional 6kW Kohler generator, which powers the air-con, microwave and 240V outlets. Three deck hatches and an opening port or two take care of natural ventilation.

The aft lounge option and no forward bulkhead make the interior feel decidedly open. There is a flat-screen television that can swivel into the saloon and back to face the double bed in the bow. Storage exists under that bed and in side lockers and in a hanging locker.

The huge head, with full head room, a separate shower stall with curtain, wall-mounted shower rose, moulded sink, portlight and hatch, extractor fan and electric loo, and mirror, is guaranteed to impress. Just keep an eye on the water supply.

CRUISY CRUISERS
There are arguments for and against split throttles. The good thing is that some will be more inclined to park the boat at idle, using only the gearshifts, instead of losing their cool and lunging on a combo shift/throttle and creating some serious damage. The bad thing is that it's just not intuitive. For this reason the Leisure Boating Club was going to fit single shifts, I was told. Good move, even in this experienced driver's book.

The engines, surprisingly, are accessed through a manual-lift-only cockpit hatch, as the usual hydraulic ram is an option. That mightn't be a bad thing in a time share boating club, but it is heavy going for owners. Once open, I noted plenty of servicing room around the twin 6.2lt MerCruisers and I could perform at-a-glance checks of the coolant bottles. The boat had low-maintenance batteries, paired dipsticks on the centreline, but sea-strainers are optional. The Kohler generator has a labelled strainer and, I'm told, all the wiring is coded every 15cm or so. There were typical summer conditions on Sydney Harbour, with a 15kt onshore wind. This augured will for the test. The boat proved eager, planing at 9.3kts, holding a heavy-weather cruise of 13.7kts, and offering reasonable vision at low cruise speeds of 18.5kts at 3500rpm.

 Optimum cruising speed was 24kts at 4000rpm, at which speed everything felt and sounded good. I clocked a high-speed cruise of 26.5 to 27.5kts at 4400 to 4450rpm. Considering these engines should rev to 4600 to 5000rpm, I'm betting the fresh-off-the-ship boat was sent with the wrong props.

Running at high speed, the boat turned flat, although noise becomes more obvious at higher revs. Still, the 340 Express seems like a very accommodating sportscruiser.

But for this avid boatowner, let me tell you another home truth: there is no better boat than your own. And for that the Cruisers 340 won't come up short. Train the bow on an anchorage somewhere, play your favourite album, put your feet up and relax for as long as you want comfortable in the knowledge that no one else has slept in your bed… or worse.

HIGHS

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