Fairline Phantom 46

It's been said that there are two things certain in life: death and taxes. Well, it won't be long before you can add divorce to the list. There were 52,600 divorces granted in Australia in 1999, which was the second highest figure since the record number of 63,230 in 1976 following the introduction of the Family Law Act.

Now, it's also been said that only acts of war and the events of natural disasters are more harmful to a child's psyche than the divorce process. So it's my view that we'd be better off cruising in a luxury family boat brimming with homebody amenities.

With three separate cabins, two bathrooms, a saloon with all the mod cons, and the scope to fit a lot of water toys, the Fairline Phantom 46 is sure to bring the family together. Among the best-selling of all Fairline boats, it has been conceived as the ultimate family cruiser.

When you consider what you get pound-for-pound, not too much can measure up. A holistic approach has been taken to its design, which means the three cabins and two heads don't fight for space. In fact, every bunk is full-sized and able to be slept on by dad should his snoring be irreconcilable.

Outdoors there are lounging areas back, front and up top - a private place to park yourself in case a domestic is hotting up - while below the floor is engineering consistent with the company's reputation for making seakindly cruisers.

Meanwhile, from the skipper's position, the bow thruster and big view from upper and lower helms means it's an easy out. To put it another way, the manoeuvrability of the Phantom 46 should put an end to those pre and post-docking divorces. While the decks backed by high rails are perfect for containing the kids.

On top of this good design is the wow! factor achieved through complex curves in the mouldings, stylish deck fittings, a heck of a lot of polished stainless, split-level saloon windows, and a big overhanging flight deck which offers shade for the sensitive screen.

Add a finish which includes high-gloss cherrywood, leather lounges and custom-quality fabrics and the result is what Fairline considers to be the ultimate family cruiser. Given a decent lump-sum payout, we'd all be better off with a boat like this.

NUTS AND BOLTS
Fairline is big on the nuts-and-bolts side of things and the Phantom 46 is no exception. It's built from solid handlaid unidirectional and woven glass rovings, with transverse and longitudinal stringers, and a deck that is joint bolted. Dad can take comfort from that.

The hull, which has a moderate 18° of deadrise at the keel, runs all the way back under the boarding platform. This way, the platform is an integral part of the boat, allowing you to carry a RIB or jetski on the tail. The pasarelle has a 250kg lifting capacity, which the kids will love.

Designed by Bernard Olesinski, the underwater shape delivers a beautiful natural trim angle. The hull rises almost horizontally onto the plane. A lot of lift is generated by the reverse chines and pronounced strakes. But displaced water is kept low. These are dry boats, which mum will love.

Engine access is through a hatch in the cockpit and another in the saloon floor, making for no-fuss routine checks and maintenance. For bigger jobs, the mechanic might detach the settee in the saloon. As it is, air, oil and water filters fall nicely to hand.

Thick insulation means engine noise is kept to a minimum. Indeed, the calmative effect of cruising on this boat will soon be felt by the family.

Indeed, my first stop was Vaucluse Beach, about one kilometre from the marina, where a press of the button saw the anchor effortlessly find its way to seabed.

I spied a fairy penguin chasing sprats and a school of tailor flickering on the surface, while lots of people roamed the beach. There were plenty of lonely old men looking wistfully at it swinging on the anchor. No doubt they were thinking what they needed - 20 years before their divorce - was a boat like this.

DECKED OUT
The Phantom's decks lend themselves to the high life. Some of the nice touches include fender baskets on the foredeck and under the lazarette hatch, where the Onan hides. There is an aft lounge that can seat six people covered in smart blue-and-white marine canvas.

There are mooring-line bins moulded into the cockpit corners, a twin gas-bottle locker, and a really good sturdy barrel-bolt to hold the transom door closed. The gunwales have thick stainless grabrails, cut in parts for cleats, that are integrated in such a way you don't know they are there.

A fold-down swim ladder, wet locker for the wetsuit, hot/cold deck shower, and the hydraulic pasarelle/davit/diving ladder are features of the transom. The boarding platform is big enough to stage lunch, but a better spot is under the bridge overhang. Chairs and a table can be kept in the lazarette.

Moulded steps and teak flooring lead invitingly to the foredeck. The passage is backed by a high stainless rail and handrails along the cabin. Up front, there's a big sunpad with drinkholders, and lovely anchoring facilities.

Meanwhile, back aft under the lounge base, are the crew or kiddies' quarters. The cabin includes a single berth, sink with hot/cold water, towel rail and trendy bathroom fittings.

Of all the Fairlines, the Phantom 46 has the best bridge access. A wide moulded staircase leads through a hatch that can be held open on its hydraulic strut. You can march up here without bending, bowing or striking your noggin - just like you do in a house.

There are many more possibilities on the bridge, thanks to a barbecue, sink and storage space for cooking utensils and salad bowls, and a big aft lounge that can seat four or more people. With the infill and shorter table legs, the lounge converts to a sunpad.

The social side of cruising is enhanced by the seating arrangement behind the dash. There is a central two-person skipper's lounge flanked by two separate seats, so three or four people can effectively drive together. Thus, no backseat commentary.

Handrails, drinkholders, a wind deflector and a circum ambient view enhance the cruising life. While you can entertain up to eight people on the bridge in comfort, families will find it a great place to travel as one. An aftermarket bimini top for shade would be a welcome addition.

FAMILY ROOM
For all that is good about the great outdoors, it's inside this boat that the family man can take greatest comfort. The saloon, lower helmstation to starboard, and set-down galley to port are in the one big open-plan area.

Dad can drive while mum prepares dinner and the tykes watch TV in the classy interior.

As you walk through the powder-coated saloon door you're met by high-gloss American cherry joinery, double-cream coloured berber carpet, cream soft-touch wall liners, and hawk-eye shaped split saloon windows with venetians.

A black dash, black window trim and black piping on a coffee-coloured lounge, with blue scatter cushions, add to that sense of class. The impression is both stately and modern, opulent but functional. Airconditioning is welcome for summer.

A cherrywood cabinet to port contains the sound system and television/VCR, with room for a fridge below. Meanwhile, a two-person lounge alongside detaches so you can pull it up alongside the coffee table opposite. With the table leaves drawn out you get a dining setting for seven. The lower helm seat also swivels aft.

After desserts, when the crowd has wandered home, the U-shaped lounge can be extended into a sofa bed. Privacy curtains on the windows mean you can wake up after sunrise. A nice touch was the handrail running down the centre of the saloon roof. It will make moving about the boat at sea that much easier.

The U-shaped galley with teak floor is designed to be workable underway. The servery includes glass and bottle storage which can be accessed from the galley and saloon side. Cupboard space is generous, the fridge/freezer has a pub-like catch and cruising capacity, while there is an underfloor hold for provisions.

I found drawers that contained coffee mugs in a rack, dedicated shelves for the crockery, though the cutlery drawer is a backbreaker at toe level. Twin circular sinks let you stack dirty plates, and there is a receptacle in the salt-and-pepper coloured Corian benchtops.

Appliances to satisfy home chefs include a two-burner cooktop and Sharp convection microwave. Just like home, there is a Miele washer/dryer with humidity control under the nearby stairs.

BEDS FOR THE NIGHT
The main guests' cabin on the starboard-side of the companionway cuts back under the lower helm. Its island double bed was topped with an elegant blue-and-yellow striped spread and surrounded by camel-coloured suede skirting. Blue curtains and a white liner enhance the sense of space.

There are separate airconditioning controls and two portholes for fresh air. While there are no drawers as such, the hanging locker has enough volume and a shelf to swallow-up a week's clobber. The second guests' cabin to port was a surprise.

While there were over/under bunks in the kids' cabin, they were the best I have come across. I found them plenty big enough for my frame. I also found an XOS hanging locker, two portholes, a/c controls and reading lights.

Alongside, the dayhead doubles as the kids' or guests' bathroom with a full-height shower stall and electric loo. As with most Fairlines, the heads are stylish and inviting, with blue-fleck Corian tops and designer chrome fittings.

Mum and dad get the stateroom in the forepeak with a separate ensuite.

Their island double berth is surrounded by a camel-coloured soft-touch suedette bedhead, his-and-her hanging lockers, cupboards for personals, two drawers and a safe somewhere.

Overall, the three cabins and two heads in this 47-footer don't compromise on space. In fact, every bed is big enough for even a big bloke to gain plenty of sleep - which is an essential ingredient for a happy marriage.

HELM AND DRIVING
You can drive the boat from inside or up top, depending on the weather.

Electric windows either side of the lower helm, as well as airconditioning, ensure there is always a comfortable place from which to cruise.

Twin pedestal seats front the lower helm. The feeling of driving from here is not unlike a big runabout. The dash has three tiers, with Volvo engine gauges on the furthest walnut brow. There is a big facia for flush-mounting (in this case) the electronics. And a chain counter, genset starter, and holding tank gauges.

A console with switchpanels and single-lever shifts is reminiscent of a car layout. Search and spotlight joysticks, and a joystick for the bow thruster, sit beside a timber wheel. Control panels for AC/DC power supplies front the copilot.

We had autumn sunshine to die for, so I grabbed my fix of rays before winter set in. In the bridge, the console was fitted with a Raytheon radar linked to the plotter downstairs via a high-speed BUS cable. You could run both functions on the one display in the bridge.

I pushed the button, raised the anchor, and set about a fly-by-adventure across the Heads. With twin 480hp Volvos, the Phantom 46 idles at six knots, planes at 12kt, and puts in a heavy-weather cruise of 16.6kt at 1800rpm. But this was indeed a day for uniting families.

With the turbos working, the ideal cruise kicked in at 23.2kt at 2200rpm. A fast cruise of 26.7kt at 2400rpm was just as comfortable.

And I'm sure a couple of urchins would have delighted in the exhilarating 31kt top-end.

As one American politician said: "If you hire a divorce lawyer today, there is a good chance you will hire a bankruptcy lawyer within two or three years." That being the case, the big-hearted 46ft Phantom - even at $1.18 million - could be construed as money well-spent if the family loves you for it.

HIGHS

LOWS