Fairline Squadron 58

There I was driving along the scenic road that leads north from Sydney to ritzy Palm Beach when for some odd reason smoked salmon came to mind. Moments later lunch was served on Fairline's new Squadron 58.

How my prayers were answered. Smoked salmon sandwiches, no crusts of course, and coffee from an aftermarket machine that was too good to be true.

The sparkling cherrywood dinette and supplied crockery from which I dined was all part of this elegant English-made cruising package. So too the views of Palm Beach out of the big picture windows. But tomorrow it could be the scenic road to sunny Queensland you're admiring.

While it curries favour with the smoked-salmon set, the Squadron 58 is nothing if not a serious cruising boat. Which is exactly what its owners Howard and Sylvia Rose wanted. The couple came from a 40ft Taiwanese displacement boat after a boatless hiatus lasting 20 years.

The Roses didn't take their decision to return to boat ownership lightly. They researched the market for three years, and took a trip to the Fairline factory, whereupon they had a Phantom 50 in mind. But the pull of the Squadron 58 on the factory floor was just too great. Even if it did cost an extra million dollars.

A contemporary boat for Fairline, the Squadron 58 has reached hull number 66 already since its release early in 2001. Among the attractions inside is a forest of handcrafted cherrywood joinery, lots of spiffing gold taps and amenities like a Miele washer/dryer.

But this boat had a few extras to up the lux level. Among them a holding tank, Montana deluxe soft leather for the lounges, theatre sound system, satellite television, tropical air conditioning, watermaker and jet-powered tender.

OWNER DRIVER
The 58 is a lovely boat for a couple, yet spacious enough to invite the family or guests aboard without comprising your privacy.

The boat isn't a handful to berth, and has the waterline length to be comfortable at sea without lumping the owner with ridiculous running costs. The boat cruises at mid-20kt while consuming about 150lt/h. Do the same thing in the Squadron 74 flagship and you will use 400lt/h.

The Squadron 58, this being the first one to arrive here, is the first model from Fairline's new production facility at Oundle near Cambridge, which was opened by Prince Charlie. This 58 also carried the first pair of Volvo EVC D12 715hp motors to Australia. The motors have fly-by-wire electronics and daisychain-rigged gauges.

But for many years, Fairline has lived by the motto ‘more than skin deep'. Its research shows that the typical Fairline buyer wants a boat with purpose - not just pose. The company is also big on the finer points of boatbuilding and employs in-house teams rather than contractors to do most things, including the joinery.

Joinery detail extends to air-conditioning vents on roller bearings - so you can angle the flow - solid timber doors, grainmatched surfaces and stains that give an even finish. All the furniture is trimmed by hand to fit each boat - hence no squeaks - and screwheads are hidden inside and out.

Unlike some boats, the furniture is an integral part of the structure. There is an internal liner - that includes the shower bases - for the accommodation area below decks. All the bulkheads are glassed in top and bottom. Because the framework is rigid, there are no layout options other than fitout of the aft cabin and a mid-cabin/utility room. Stiffness is the name of the game.

ACCENT ON ENGINEERING
The accent is on engineering in most key areas. The handlaid GRP hull and deck are through bolted and 'glassed together. Stringers and transverse members are used for rigidity.

Aluminium girders or RSJs give the bridge overhang support without needing to use pillars. Yet the overhang is strong enough to support a crowd of sightseers on that summer champagne cruise.

The Avonite counters are extra thick so you can buff out any cuts created during food preparation, while the ceiling liners are perfectly level for proper made-to-measure curtain hangings. The pleats are already ironed in.

Deck fittings have 'glassed-in backing plates, there are double-moulded hatch doors, and the engines are pre-settled on their mounts to negate the need for pre-delivery shaft alignment. Every Squadron that makes it Down Under is tested for a week in the United Kingdom first.

FEATURE PACKED
Modern cruising boats like this don't leave much to chance, and the list of features is as long as it is impressive. Most of the contrivances are designed to enhance comfort, improve user friendliness and extend the boat and its crew's independence.

There is an aft paserelle that doubles as a tender lift, electric saloon windows for fresh air, an optional chilled-water aircon system, stainless galley appliances like those in an inner-city apartment, electrically-adjustable co-pilot and helm seat, and lights in all the cupboards and drawers. Purely for entertainment, there's a 32in LCD display and home cinema sound.

The decks have aft electric capstans for easier mooring. Up top, the bridge serves as a lifestyle centre. It has a griddle, fridge, icebox, electric table than converts to a sunlounge, and twin bimini tops for a variety of sun/shade options. Very clever indeed.

The two heads serving three cabins each have a full shower stall and the best waterproof doors you'll see. Unlike the circular shower screens, these aren't an effort to open and close. But my tour began well before I had a chance to test the beds and take a hot shower.

HITTING THE DECK
The Squadron 58 is inviting thanks to double transom doors. The integral boarding platform has the strength to carry a RIB on chocks. I noted two wet wells in the platform for storing bikini tops, dive gear and a fishing line. Blue LED low-voltage courtesy lights trace the sidedecks to the bow.

The electric capstans in the aft corners are handy to dedicated rope lockers, and there is a fender locker nearby. While not built to survey, the boat has survey-standard external fuel shutoffs as well as a manual activator for the fire-fighting system.

The boat hasn't the biggest of cockpits, but with surround clear curtains you can turn it into an all-weather hang. Add a table beside the aft lounge and a couple of chairs and you could seat six for breakfast. Under the lounge is the crew or kids' aft cabin with two single berths, a loo and sink. Even it has Grohe fittings.

From the cockpit you step up to half-depth walkways backed by moulded toerails and teak-topped decks to the foredeck. A trick sunpad with heavy-duty stainless-steel grabrails and a solid bowrail make the bow a safe place - at least during slow harbour cruises.

The fender baskets are handy, but the above-deck windlass might be better concealed from kiddies' toes. The optional F/W deck and anchor wash has an outlet in the bow as well as back aft.

The low bowline ensures unfettered views from the internal helm station. A starboard-side ship-like door leads from the deck back inside. There is internal and external access to the bridge. But up top is where I noticed the biggest improvements to the Squadron range.

BRIDGE TO SOMEWHERE
This 58 has one of the best bridges I have encountered on a UK motoryacht. It teams genuine innovation with comforts and amenities, great views and safety.

I particular like the seating arrangement and large padded area ahead of the helm console where guests and kids can lie back and converse in full view and earshot of the skipper.

The trick helm seat is one in a row of three comfortable chairs behind a stylish centre console with matt-grey dash, timber wheel, room for 10in navigation screens, bowthuster and windlass buttons, and single electronic engine controls.

To starboard is a lounge big enough to seat a further three people with a lift-up backrest that lets you create a Cleopatra-style sunlounge.

Mid-bridge is an amenities centre that separates the forward and aft seating area. There is an electric griddle, sink, cutting board, fridge, grabrail and garbage bin. Ordinarily, the boat comes with an icemaker up top, too. There wasn't a drinkholder near the griddle for the chef, however.

Lunch could be served on the rear seating area, behind the groovy radar arch, under the second bimini top. Separate factory-supplied biminis for the front and back seating areas are a great idea, as they let you play with the amount of sun and shade.

The C-shaped aft lounge can seat six for meals, with room for another three on the adjoining upholstered return. The table rests on an electric pedestal base. Drop the table and your have a second sunpad. Way cool.

There is room to seat 20 people on the bridge, and the low-profile boat - with its engine weight amidships and down low - is very stable. Of course, local Waterways laws will allow you to put less than half that number on the bridge. My only criticism of the area was a wobbly perspex windbreak near the helm that needed better bracing.

INDOOR LIVING
A stairwell leads down to the saloon, or you can enter via the optically-corrected, curved-glass sliding door adjoining the cockpit. However you choose to come inside, there isn't the low ceiling apparent in some low-profile Euro-styled motoryachts.

You could describe the décor as timeless, elegant, understated, not chintzy, inoffensive and refined. The leather was upgraded to a super-soft variety; there are navy carpets and buff liners, and cherrywood timber with a rich stain. The Avonite counters are a black-ice pattern.

The ambience can be changed with the mood lighting, various lamps, and timber blinds covering the terrific big picture windows. These windows provide views from every seat in the house. All the light switches are illuminated.

Climate control is on hand via fresh air through the saloon's electric opening windows and the big rear door - plus opening pots and hatches - and the aircon, of course. No matter what the weather, this is a capsule of comfort.

There is a leather lounge to port big enough for six people around a coffee table with a eucalyptus timber top and various drawers for storage nearby. Opposite the lounge is the boat's 32in flatscreen LCD display on a sideboard. It is linked to a powerful Bose Lifestyle 35 Entertainment system. The sideboard also harbours an icemaker. The galley return has bottle storage.

KING STATION
The starboard-side galley is down two steps from the saloon, but not so deep that the cook can't converse with the guests. The U-shaped area is a favoured layout of yachties who need to cook when underway.

There are twin sinks, a four-burner electric stove with rangehood, convection combo microwave oven, and counter-height fridge.

Underfloor there's a deep storage area for holding long-range provisions, while a mid-cabin leads off the galley to a secret utility room. This room can be ordered as additional accommodation. Sensibly, the owners opted for a Miele washer/dryer, ironing board and four-drawer freezer. Stacker boxes are used to stow galley items in here as the galley itself isn't overly endowed with cupboards.

You step up from the main saloon to both the internal driving and dining areas behind the windscreen. The views here are even better than back aft. The leather lounge is big enough for four to six people next to the skipper. Doors shut, this was a quiet boat. The high-tech Volvo motors and a well-insulated engine bay saw to that.

Engineroom access is via a cockpit hatch. Inside, I noted a lot of insulation and a typically first-rate Fairline installation.

The electrical system included an optional 3000W inverter for powering the boat's 240V appliances without needing to crank the genset.

The optional watermaker delivers 100lt/h. Fuel is 2727lt. At fast cruise, you can run from sunup to sundown. Port visits are necessary only to take on more fuel.

SLEEP CITY
The accommodation spans three cabins and two heads. All rooms are under the foredeck and lead off a foyer area ahead of the lower helm. A door leads to the dayhead to port, which doubles as an ensuite for the VIP guest cabin - which in itself is one of the best I have seen.

VIPs get a double bed, hanging locker, drawers and a built-in dresser that could be used as a quasi office with your laptop and satellite communications. A classy blue-and-gold check bedspread, his and her reading lights and padded bedhead finished things off.

Across the foyer was the third cabin with twin single berths, hanging locker and similarly-smart finishing touches including a bedside table. I tested the single berths, and I would have succumbed given the chance.

Owners get a big, wide, king-sized island bed in the bow with innerspring mattress, surrounded by timber lockers and topped with trick lighting and lofty headroom. There are his and her hanging lockers. The deck hatches have privacy screens and timber blinds to cover the opening portholes.

Both the owner's ensuite and second bathroom are very well planned. Showers are XOS sized and floorspace is generous. There are double extractor fans and an aircon outlet in each head. Brilliant.

Other conveniences include an electric loo, moulded vanity, frosted window, Grohe fittings and storage for personals. Magnetic door locks, double-toothed catches and matching eucalyptus doorknobs complete the picture.

CRUISING BEAUTY
Of course, all this luxury and a free lunch would count for nought if the boat bucked like a Bronco or rolled around like a round-bilged trawler.

Thankfully, lunch was safe. The offshore test was conducted into the teeth of a two-metre swell coming from virtually every compass rose.

Compared to some UK motoryachts I have driven, the Squadron is a lot more solid, quiet and stable. Much of it has to do with the motors being positioned inboard - closer to amidships - than vee-drive arrangements. Keeping the weight out of the ends explains why the boat has a level ride and doesn't depend on trim tabs.

Props in half tunnels add to the efficiency. The Squadron 58 cruised into the fray at 23kt at 1900rpm. Top speed was 30.6kt. I managed to put some spray over the bridge, but apart from that the boat was unruffled.

Despite being almost 8000kg lighter than a Riviera 58, it doesn't feel lively. A sharp 18° deadrise cuts the waves, with lift coming from big downturned chines and strakes.

The drive from the lower helm was indeed refined. Little noise, no spray, and a great view through the windscreen. The electrically-adjustable blue Recaro leather helm seats let you do everything but dial up a back massage. But it's probably not far away.

The aircraft-style dash harboured Volvo EVC engine panels, Raymarine autopilot and 10in radar/chartplotter, side-power bowthruster control and various switch panels. A hidden systems panel off to the side revealed gauges for the tanks, a desalinator control panel and inverter panel.

The Squadron 58 is a lovely boat that delivers on its $2.35 million pricetag. And I say that without undue influences, largesse and a free lunch. Given the time, I could have gone all the way to Tassie for more salmon. And to cap it off, there's a dishwasher to help with the post-lunch cleanup.

HIGHS

LOWS