Cruisers Yachts 5000 Sedan Sport

In a perfect world everyone would have access to a 50ft luxury cruiser. Corporate types would do business aboard; diligent staff would be rewarded with regular sabbaticals; and the sloths of the office would be dragged out screaming (as if) for a motivational and team-building boating weekend away.

The self-employed? They'd be given tax breaks for buying a business boat. The unemployed? No problems. They could work for the dole at the slipway and finish their day with a water test to make sure that the antifouling job wasn't too slap-dash. Even life on the unemployment line would be something to look forward to.

And in a perfect world that 50-footer cruiser which has touched all these people and created such a great quality of life could well be Cruisers Yachts' 5000 Sedan Sport.

With a wow factor to win friends and influence people, doing business aboard this American-made 50 would be a snap. Luxuriating after a long week in the office would be even easier. And for the downright idle, this boat really is close to paradise.

This is something I can attest to after a morning aboard the 5000 Sedan Sport. It was a perfect spring morning with blue skies and calm waters when we cruised outside the heads, roared up the harbour, and bobbed about some quiet inshore beaches where angelic figures flaunted their perfect bodies in the warm sun.

But there was just one hitch. Cruiser Yachts' new 50-footer costs around $1.5m. In a perfect world those scratch lottery tickets I bought last week would have come good. Alas, snap - it's back to the real world.

EUROPEAN FLAIR
What do you get for $1.5m in a motorboat these days? Whichever way you look at it, there's a lot in the 5000. You get comforts befitting a penthouse in the Hyatt on a boat which boasts better views. You don't get the bedspread turned down and room service, but you do get the kind of coddling which only serious money can buy.

Indeed, creating a perfect world on the water is the intention of Cruisers Sedan Sport. It borrows from the European flair for styling and adapts it to suit American and, coincidentally, our markets.

This means you get the lovely raked lines and the big open-plan saloon, and an overhanging flybridge with room to lounge about up top.

But it doesn't mean that space down below is compromised.

There's none of the pokiness you sometimes encounter in European cruisers. For instance, the galley is open to the saloon, the cockpit is actually big enough for a table and chairs, and headroom throughout is pretty good.

The layout maximises space by having three separate decks. There's accommodation in three cabins down below, a big open-plan saloon with dinette and low helm station on the mid level, and an extended flybridge above with seating and bar amenities to satisfy 10 guests.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS
But while the decor in the 5000 Sedan Sport is impressive, the amenities and the details are the biggest selling points. These become apparent the moment you step onto the giant boarding platform which flanks the transom. The boarding platform is hydraulically operated from a handheld remote in a nearby locker.

With the press of a button you can lower the platform to at least knee depth in the water. This way, you launch the kids for a swim or simply roll off on your belly for an easy skin or scuba dive into the depths.

Better still, the submersible platform makes launching and retrieving an RIB, tender or PWC ridiculously easy. Forget davits - this is the way to go. Not only can you carry the boat on the platform, but you can load it and be heading for the shore in minutes.

Thoughtfulness extends to details such as a cockpit locker for the remote fuel tank which you will need to carry in your tender. The locker for the tank even has a breather.

In the engine room, under the cockpit sole, there is a frame to hang a trash bag, a remote oil-changing hose, and room around the twin 625hp Detroit motors and the steering gear to service them. There are also pressurised shaft seals instead of glands, so if you decide to run with a lazy engine you won't take water aboard.

Everything but a desalinator was included - air-conditioning units, hot water systems, and a 11.5kva Kohler genset. Not usually one to get excited by a genset, this Kohler was impressive, with the latest in low-vibration and sound-deadening technology. Was it running? I had to check its pulse with my hand to tell.

From the cockpit, you can head around the walkaround decks to the bow. Or you can take the moulded staircase up to the bridge level. Or you can do as I did and head for the air-conditioning on the saloon level. This means sliding open a stainless-steel and glass door, which remains a one hand job, despite its heavy-duty engineering.

DECOR WITH DECORUM
The saloon is furnished with a coffee-coloured suede fabric on the lounges, a soft-touch felt-like buff-coloured headliner, cherrywood floor and rosewood joinery, and jaffa-coloured and salt-and-pepper flecked Avonite benchtops.

The carpet was a nice neutral camel colour. And with strip lighting and halogens, the impression was one of understated elegance rather than glitz. While the standard of finish was good, again it's the details which most impressed. The L-shaped lounge to port - one of four optional seating arrangements - converts to a sofa bed. But the piece de resistance is the viewing seat on the aft end of the lounge with a pull-out footrest just like my Jason Recliner Rocker.

Kicking back in the lounge or the recliner, you can look across to the starboard side television set, be fed by the galleying gourmet alongside it, and have your thirst assuaged by the wet bar.

The galley includes black and gold taps, a deep sink and a neat detergent dispenser. Nearby, a family-sized fridge/freezer with wooden facias blends in, and there's a three-burner electric stove, oven and microwave.

DINNER AND A DRIVE
Forward of the saloon the interior opens out as you step up to the central lower helm station. The feature here is a giant pneumatic, electrically-adjustable skipper's chair. It's finished in black leather, has armrests, and a built-in airbag for lumber support.

Vision through the wraparound windscreen is excellent and, with the DDEC motors, you have just two LCD displays rather than a mind-boggling array of gauges on the dash. There are also switch panels for accessories and an intercom.

The impression you get when driving from here is akin to that of a giant runabout. The view over the foredeck is reassuringly clear. But equally noteworthy is the fact that you can see the starboard corner of the boarding platform through the transom door when berthing.

Not far from the helm seat is a sliding door so you can leap outside and fix the fenders as you approach the marina. But swivel to port and you'll find yourself at the head of a dinette which can seat five for meals with views.

The fold-out wooden table with a smart insignia is a nice piece of work, but the swooping lounge was more impressive. It was finished in a deep-blue mock ostrich-skin material and it seemed to engulf you as you plonked down in the hope that someone would bring you a snack.

When lunch didn't eventuate, it was off to the stateroom level where there are three cabins and two bathrooms.

Wander down the spiral staircase and you will arrive at the master cabin first. It's located to port and amidships. The unconventional offset queen-sized berth has an inner-spring mattress and a beige and blue mosaic patterned bedspread.

Thanks to a two-station Bose sound system, you can listen to your own music as air-conditioning pipes through strategically-placed vents. There are also two opening portholes for fresh air, and all kinds of neat recesses for personal belongings.

The atmosphere is suitably romantic, with indirect strip-lighting a feature as you look up from the bed. There's also an entertainment system and a large walk-in wardrobe to house all your clothes and other bits and pieces.

The shower is just a few steps away in the master bathroom. As with the second bathroom, which is shared between the two guest cabins and day passengers, it's reminiscent of what you might find in a five-star ship.

The floor is tiled, the wash basins are deep, the taps gilded in gold, and there's a Vacuflush toilet. The showers in both bathrooms are massive, standing-height things which you'd feel proud to have at home.

The other two cabins include a conventional double berth in the bow for your most treasured guests, and a cabin with twin singles back under the walkway.

It doesn't have standing headroom, but it has ample space to at least sit on the beds. And while it hasn't a TV or VCR, this kids or crew cabin is wired into the boat's sound system.

Another nice touch was the washer/dryer hidden in a cupboard at the farthest wall of this cabin - not that it will be easy dragging a big load of washing from this device. I guess it's more for tarting up a few office shirts so you can spend all Sunday aboard. And if you're really missing the housework you can always test out the central vacuuming system.

A BRIDGE TO SAVOUR
Back near the dinette, forward of the saloon, is an internal ladder leading up to the bridge. This is a complete level rather than a landing tacked on the top of a superstructure. You can seat 10 people and spend the day up here.

You can also access the bridge from the cockpit. Either way, you will need to open a big hatch at the top of the ladder to make your way through. Fortunately, this is mounted on gas-assisted struts.

Features in the bridge include a long lounge to port, a three-person helm bench seat which is push-button adjustable, an aft sunpad with 15cm-thick foam and drink holders. But best of all there's an island wet bar with icemaker, drinks fridge, bottle locker with a square hole for the JD, cutting boards for nibblies and a sink to tidy up.

The sound system for the flybridge is also independent of the one below. And the moulded radar arch not only looked good, but is big enough so you can mount all the aerials and the radar dome without creating interference.

Although it might seem obvious, it was terrific to see a bimini top which offered some shade without ruining the lines of the boat. Like the sense of space wherever you go, the bimini top is something the Americans have considered which is often missing from European cruisers.

DRIVE TIME
The skipper's view from the bridge is clear to the bow and you can see the starboard corner of the boarding platform and the same side of the boat. As mentioned, the twin Series III DDEC engines negate the need for a plethora of gauges, as their LCD displays virtually monitor the lot.

With single electronics shifts as part of the DDEC package, you can run them on synchro. This way, driving really is a matter of finger-tip control.

And out of synchro-mode, the boat is a cinch to reverse up to your mooring berth. While there was a bow thruster included as an optional feature, you really don't need it as the hull goes where you want it to and isn't top heavy.

With a full load of fuel we charged out through the heads and shadowed the cliffs down towards Bondi. It was dead calm and, of course, this 50-footer took it in its stride. But what came across most was how easily the hull planes and how it runs with a seaworthy profile.

There's none of that ugly reverse sheer. So, with the bow well out of the water, you feel you could run fast or slow at sea and make substantial passages along the coast without looking like a submarine as you go.

Top speed was in the order of 30-32kt. But cruising along at 24kt seemed more fitting for the 5000 Sedan Sport. It offers so many comforts along the way that you're best enjoying them.

What's more, you don't need $1.5m to get aboard. Michael Wright from Boating World has a new access plan called Club Boating. For $150,000 you get 48 days access to the boat over two years. Our perfect world just became one step closer to reality.

D IS FOR DETROIT, DDEC, DASHING

Much ink and some diesel has been spent exploring the new generation of electronically-controlled diesel engines from Detroit. The DDECs feature an impressive control module that makes all the decisions for you.

The DDEC computers decide things such as engine governing, synchronisation, fuel-injection rates and diagnostics.

And they monitor operation on a second-by-second basis, even recording any glitches for future reference.

Coupled with an electronic display module in place of a whole feast of separate gauges, you can glance what your DDEC engines are doing - how much fuel they are consuming, their revs, your speed, and other relevant data - on the one facia per motor.

The twin Detroit 6V 92TIA DDEC diesel engines did a lot of clever things in Cruisers Yachts' 5000 Sedan Sport. They produced little visible smoke, displayed quick response to the throttle, and I didn't feel any vibration or shuddering.

The 625hp motors went about their business quietly. I guess that's a sign of a good motor - performance without making a song and dance about it.

For more information contact Detroit Diesel-Allison Australia, (02) 9794 2600.

D IS FOR DETROIT, DDEC, DASHING

Much ink and some diesel has been spent exploring the new generation of electronically-controlled diesel engines from Detroit. The DDECs feature an impressive control module that makes all the decisions for you.

The DDEC computers decide things such as engine governing, synchronisation, fuel-injection rates and diagnostics.

And they monitor operation on a second-by-second basis, even recording any glitches for future reference.

Coupled with an electronic display module in place of a whole feast of separate gauges, you can glance what your DDEC engines are doing - how much fuel they are consuming, their revs, your speed, and other relevant data - on the one facia per motor.

The twin Detroit 6V 92TIA DDEC diesel engines did a lot of clever things in Cruisers Yachts' 5000 Sedan Sport. They produced little visible smoke, displayed quick response to the throttle, and I didn't feel any vibration or shuddering.

The 625hp motors went about their business quietly. I guess that's a sign of a good motor - performance without making a song and dance about it.

For more information contact Detroit Diesel-Allison Australia, (02) 9794 2600.