Cruisers Yachts 455 Express Motoryacht

I came aboard at swanky Rose Bay Marina, a spot popular for its deck cafe and ritzy seafood restaurant. I opened the convenient chain side gates to the boat, trotted along the wide walkaround decks and stepped up to the raised bridge.

The skipper tweaked the bowthruster, which wailed as they do, reversed the twin electronic shifts for the Volvo engines, and pirouetted the huge aft-cabin cruiser before the yabbering cafe crowd. But the babbling bunch of big-haired women looked up from their lattes only fleetingly and without pausing for breath as they continued sharing opinions about the best dog coiffeurs and haute couture.

Sorry, the 455 Express Motoryacht isn't as much a boat with big-city wow factor as one where the beauty lies within - quite literally - in a spa bath, no less. Head below to the full-width owner's cabin and you'll find something worth popping the cork over. And with an optional 90lt/h desalinator you can enjoy water caressing the hull sides and your sides forever more.

While the Whirlpool addition to the standard issue tub was an option, the spa is far from the only creature comfort on the contemporary 455 Express Motoryacht. In the finest of American pleasure-boating traditions you'll find a central vacuum system, reverse-cycle air conditioning, icemaker and wetbar, therapeutic mattresses, sound system with subwoofer, and 20in LCD television - to which the owner/dealer added an optional bowthruster, submersible boarding platform, extra televisions in the cabins, and more.

When it comes to life's luxuries the big Americans arguably do it best. And when it comes to homely cruisers with everything including several kitchen sinks, aft cabin motoryachts such as this new rendition from Cruisers Yachts rule the waves. If you were one of the 40,000-plus who waded through the rafts of luxury boats rubbing fenders at Sanctuary Cove Boat Show back in May you would have realised as much.

Indeed, aft cabin cruisers are back. Their return coincides with a period when we're at our most vulnerable, looking to be nurtured, fussed over, lavished and loved. It's then that voluminous, luxurious boats hold most sway, but they are not without limitations.

 By necessity these high-volume, big-displacement boats usually plod along at eight knots and take an eternity to escape the madding crowds. Unless you are a retiree - not surprisingly the traditional market for aft-cabin motoryachts - then the slow cruising soon wears thin.

But it's the word 'express' in the moniker of this motoryacht that suggests otherwise. Not only are the lines more rakish than you'll find on the clunkers of yore, but the boat doesn't hang around. In fact, it cruises at 20kt, to reach that quiet anchorage and take a tub before sundown.

OUTDOOR LIVING
Like most aft-cabin cruisers, including the Mariner 45 I lived aboard for some months, Cruisers Yachts 455 Express Motoryacht has outdoor living, entertaining and cruising room. You can waltz around the boat from bow to stern where, back aft, an optional hydraulic boarding platform will make dispatching the tender a snap.

Rated to 400kg to cater for jet skis and jet RIBs, the platform also conceals a central swim ladder. Nearby, is a handy hot/cold handheld shower, along with a Cablemaster self-stow Shorepower lead and connections for dockside TV, phone, power and water. The optional desalinator means you can go wild with the freshwater washdown.

Non-skid moulded stairs backed by handrails lead from the boarding platform to the aft deck where acrylic wing doors open onto the side decks or bulwarks backed by high rails that assist your passage forward. There are fender baskets above and below deck and this boat had the optional sunpad to create a teenagers' retreat away.

Meanwhile, the carpeted aft deck is a huge entertaining space for doing breakfast, lunch and dinner, dancing to the optional cockpit audio system with remote, or whiling away the time soaking up the ambience of a quiet anchorage somewhere. Elevation enhances the views and clear curtains provide weather protection. Or scroll them up in summer and let the summer breeze waft through the quasi veranda.

There is a more permanent enclosure offered around the cockpit, but the standard convertible arrangement seen here, with a hardtop and two sliding sunroofs and opening side curtains, suits our temperate climates. Besides, with the optional reverse-cycle air conditioning in the cockpit you have control over conditions anyway.

 Cockpit seating includes an aft lounge that, with a couple of loose chairs, can seat at least six for lunch. Moulded tables are provided along with the moulded amenities centre loaded with a 12V/240V fridge, sink and icemaker.

There's also a convenient food-prep area and place to plonk the salad bowls, drinkholders, grabrail and a small sink. Considering the galley is some distance below decks, such features will be appreciated when catering.

The bridgedeck is one higher again, backed by a two-person helm 'love' seat with a bolster for more room when driving on your feet in rough weather. The portside crew lounge can seat three people within talking distance or serve as a chaise lounge when reclining on the upholstered backrest.

Aside from ergonomics, the helm seat offers vision to all quarters except the transom. The portside helm features a good spread of nav gear for passagemaking. The Raymarine electronics package featured a RL80C sounder/GPS plotter and an autopilot and VHF radio. Controls for the Sidepower bowthruster, searchlight, cherrywood wheel, hydraulic trim tabs, wipers, and impressive auto-like switch panels were all within reach.

The twin standard-issue 480hp Volvo engines (optional Yanmars) were accompanied by electronic EDC shifts, which I always enjoy using, electronic monitoring panels and keyless digital ignition. A sternthruster and, more importantly, an intercom are options. Best get one so you can dial up lunch.

THE INSIDE STORY
Aft cabins are known for their cuddly interiors divorced from the open-air decks. The saloon on the 455 Express Motoryacht is down six steps from the cockpit, though it's not stuffy thanks to the surround the surrounding opening windows, portholes, skylights and hatches throughout the boat.

Soaring headroom, cream carpet and floor runners, buff-coloured vinyl, American cherry veneered joinery and Granicoat counters provide an industry-standard finish that's neither glitzy nor drab. Seating ranges from a four-person L-shaped lounge to port, under the AC/DC switch panel, that converts to a sofa bed and across to a U-shaped dinette alongside the starboard galley that can seat at least four for winter meals.

While it's not the biggest galley on a 45-footer, you have to embrace the domestic-sized fridge/freezer - the 50cm Sharp LCD TV mounted above is viewable from the saloon lounges - the twin sinks, handy food-prep space and servery, and storage. However, I wasn't so keen on the cupboard unit hanging from the ceiling that blocked the gourmand's vision.

The chef has a two-burner electric cooktop, but without any facility to stop pots slipping, and a basic microwave with no convection feature. The boat comes with a standard coffee maker, but take a tip and upgrade it.

 Let's not forget engine-room access, either. As with every aft-cabin cruiser this isn't a strong point via a hatch in the saloon floor. Yet I was impressed by Cruisers' labelling of all the major components and the direct access to the pre-check items such as the fuel filters, sea strainers, dip sticks, batteries and coolant reservoirs.

There was reasonable entry to the 11kVA upgraded generator, air-con units and desalinator forward, but, oddly, the Volvo motors needed to be fitted here with a heat exchanger to complement the 240V 118lt hot-water service. Tankage was good for a liveaboard boat: 507lt of water, a huge 329lt holding tank with optional macerator pump, and a reasonable 1893lt of fuel. An oil-change system and interesting auto fuel-conditioning system are optional.

BEDS AND BATH
This is one accommodating cruiser. The three separate cabins and saloon sofa bed let you collectively sleep eight adults aboard, while the two heads at either end of the boat ensure the owners quarters aft remain nice and private and provisioned with toiletries that the crew can't raid.

The boat had fitted bedding, available in several palettes and earthy colours with cheerful motel-like patterns, and a nice pillow package. Optional flatscreen televisions with DVD players and audio systems were fitted to the forward and aft cabins.

The VIP guest's cabin in the bow featured an island double berth of generous proportions, an illuminated walk-in cedar-lined wardrobe and loads of additional storage in cherrywood lockers, drawers and sidepockets for weekend wear and personals. Headroom and dressing room was present at the foot of the bed.

 The second kids' cabin has single berths tucked under the saloon floor. Though there's no headroom over the beds, there's room to stand at the foot of the cherrywood storage unit and dress or retrieve your clothes from the optional washer/dryer.

The ensuite to the VIP cabin and dayhead also serves the starboard kids' cabin. The enclosure has a full shower with wrap-around acrylic screen, a genuine tiled floor, electric loo and opening porthole for ventilation. But when it comes to beds and, well, baths, the highlight is the owner's retreat, the raison d'être for buying an aft-cabin cruiser in the first place.

Down a few stairs and running virtually the full-width of the broad hull is a double bed offset to 45 degrees to the centreline, surrounded by loads of cabinetry including a dresser and stool, huge wardrobes, opening and aft windows offering a view of the ducks paddling astern. Well, they usually visit at the anchorage I frequent.

The wonderful ensuite splits the head and sink from the spa bath, which has a shower, rose above it. The only thing lacking was an ice bucket, two glasses and a bottle of French fizz. And French doors open between the two utility areas so you can step out of the spa and dry your wrinkly toes after breaking the Guinness Book of Records for a human immersion.

FAST GETAWAY
But let's get back to the implications of that word express in Cruisers Yachts biggest motoryacht. All of the abovementioned creature comforts would count for nix if you didn't have the time to enjoy them in a surrounding other than the local marina. Unlike the plodding aft-cabin cruiser this 455 Express Motoryacht can make a fast getaway.

The boat performed surprisingly well and it wasn't overly weighed down by all that superstructure, not even in turns as tight as the twin shaft-driven 480hp Volvo diesels allowed. However, the hull was sporting some marine growth - not at all uncommon on harbour boats these days - and it didn't pull the 2600rpm one would expect.

Even so, I suspect Cruisers Yachts forecast 30–32kt top speed is with a dead empty boat. With all the options, full water and half of a tank of fuel - pretty heavily laden in other words - we hit a top speed of 25.4kt at 2500rpm. Perhaps 28kt is there to be had.

The cruise speeds matter more. At 1940rpm the boat did 15kt while the Volvos consumed 100lt/h in total - a tad high probably due to the marine growth - and it cruised at a desirable 20.1kt at 2200rpm while the motors consumed 135lt/h.

 Being shaft-driven, the boat's handling could be described as predictable, noise levels weren't an issue, and the boat felt comfortable enough to venture beyond the harbour. Indeed, with the sun heading west I entertained the thought of finding an anchorage before dark, setting-up an anchor alarm, shutting down the engines and switching to house power.

Then, finally, after all the running around town, I would embark on that one custom so important to us cruising types. Yes, sundowners on deck followed by the new must-do - spa-downers and a long test of the aft-cabin bed.

HIGHS

LOWS