Gobbi 315 Sportscruiser

It's got exemplary mouldings, is smothered in sunlounges, topped with a racy deck, and fitted out down below with a level of finish that wouldn't be, well, out of sorts in a top-class Mediterranean marina. By no stretch of the imagination, the Italian-made Gobbi 315 is a saucy sportscruiser with plenty of show and a good dose of get-up-and-go.

Powered by twin 170hp Volvo diesel engines with sterndrives, the swanky Italian cruiser does better than 30kt in a straight line. Behind the wheel, it reminds me of driving an Italian sportscar. To put it another way, there is a degree of familiarisation and driver skill required to extract the best performance from the deep-vee hull.

No matter what your experience with boats, it is impossible not to be impressed by the Gobbi's finish. I'd go so far as to say the sportscruiser leaves mainstream American marques in its wake. Not since thumbing through the latest Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition have I seen so many perfect curves.

Other standout features beyond the norm include a hydraulically-activated sunlounge, high-gloss walnut joinery, designer Italian fittings from the bathroom to the galley, high-quality fabrics and moulded benchtops with mock-marble prints.

Piece it all together and you get a sportscruiser tailor-made for the good life.

Indeed, the Gobbi brochure gives you the impression that the 315 is designed for la dolce vita. Every picture page bears a portrait of a tanned Italian diva stretching out on a sunlounge, pulling on some flippers and diving gear, contemplating a bowl of fruit... Or something or other.

The Gobbi 315, a sportscruiser with an equal amount of space devoted to outdoor and indoor living, appeals at a lifestyle level. Its seating is particularly generous - and gregarious - while the accommodation and amenities invite you for an overnighter.

A DIVA ON THE DECOR
Despite the glossy finish, there is plenty of substance on the 315. My notes of the interior include descriptions such as modern and modular, high quality, up-market, avant-garde, pragmatic and practical. The latter description is apt considering the amount of headroom, the separate head with hand-held shower, neat galley, and accommodation which can cater for four people.

The bow area is taken up by a six-person circular lounge covered in a plush azure-blue fabric with a thatched motif. The lounge cushions are filled with what feels like high-density foam and have pleated backrests with twin rolls. When you plonk yourself down, the lounge feels firm but comfortable.

The lounge is centred around a dinette big enough for a dinner setting for four. Under the moulded floor beneath your feet is a storage well that holds a second table base so you can convert the lounge into a rather sumptuous bed. Privacy comes from surrounding curtains and fresh air through a big circular hatch with both flyscreen and sunscreen.

Without sounding too kitsch, an almost romantic mood is produced by the boat's finishes. There are cream-coloured curtains, overhead 12V lighting, a mirror-backed bedhead and superb burl walnut joinery. The avant-garde timber is used on a nearby hanging locker, for the sidepockets surrounding the bed or lounge, and for the galley cupboards.

The ceiling is covered in soft-touch mock-ostrich liner panels, while the carpet is a rich caramel colour. The whole thing comes together nicely.

The moulded galley and separate head are configured in such a way as to give plenty of elbow-room in the interior.

Those walnut timber facias also extend to the Indel-B fridge in the galley. The practical food-prep space includes U-shaped moulded benchtops with a sink with Avonite cutting board infill, a two-burner gas stove, and overhead microwave oven.

There is sufficient pantry space and cupboards, plus a dedicated drawer for cutlery, in which to stow all the grub and snacks for a weekend away. At 110lt, water capacity is sufficient for a shower or two. I noted that the boat's plumbing is fully accessible through lift-out floor panels.

The boat's switchboard and JVC CD stacker are located alongside the galley, conveniently near the companionway, where you can access them.

The fully-moulded head, with mock-marble benchtops tinged with an aqua-blue and jade-green swirl, is a cut above the rest. It has a deep sink, hand-held shower/mixer, electric Jabsco loo, designer mirror, opening porthole for ventilation, headroom, and stylish door catches and latches.

A traditional Euro layout, normally reserved for much bigger boats, can be found in the aft cabin. You get twin single berths finished with a designer fabric, a foam-backed bedhead, a decent hanging locker, mirror, and some dressing-room space near the companionway.

I thought this boat struck a good balance between maintaining a sporty image and delivering an interior that is liveable. Though none of the areas are oversized, each is big enough to be functional. Thanks to the boat's wonderful mouldings and curves, it almost seems bigger than 31ft down below.

The door to the aft cabin, the bathroom and indeed most of the internal walls appear to be made from a composite material. The boat displaces 5000kg with a single petrol sterndrive, suggesting a better power-to-weight ratio and more performance than some solid-glass sportscruisers.

OUTDOOR AMENITIES
The overall workability of the boat is further emphasised up top. From the foredeck to the big boarding platform, the Gobbi 315 is nothing if not affable. There are lounges of varying sizes and degrees of sumptuousness on which to kick back and soak up the rays. Sunworshippers will go weak at the knees.

Access around the sidedecks is via teak-laid tread steps. You feel secure when heading to the sunpad on the bow. But none of the boat's many lounges can hold a candle to the contoured sunpad opposite the helm seat. It's a recliner that seems to follow the curves of your spine when you fall back in it.

The terrific sunlounge forms part of a continuous S-shaped lounge on the bridge deck. A hydraulic backrest can be lowered - at the push of a button - to turn the area into a seamless sunpad. With the backrest down, the aft sunpad is long enough to stretch out on while fronting the water.

With the backrest up, you have a perfect setting for alfresco lunches around a walnut table. Opposite is a wet bar with fridge and sink. Elsewhere you will find a hot/cold deck shower, fender storage, rubber-duckie locker, overhead targa arch from which to hang some canvas, and access to the engine bay through a gas-assisted underfloor hatch.

Needless to say, the Gobbi 315's transom and cockpit liner are beautifully moulded. The floor is strip planked in teak, while the boarding platform is big enough to lie on. A fold-down ladder hides in a locker, with a davit listed as an option.

DRIVING STATIONS
No complaints with the helmstation, either. The stylish, raked and slightly-tinted windscreen offers protection when seated and is unobtrusive when you fold-back the helm seat base and drive on your feet. The moulded sidedecks also offer a good degree of protection from ambient spray.

A moulded dash insert features a raised brow with walnut facia upon which chrome-rimmed VDO gauges are mounted. The Volvo ignition switches are just above the throttles to the right of the tilt-adjustable wheel. There is plenty of room for flush-mounting electronics and a good switch panel for the nav lights, wipers, bilge pumps and more.

We cast the lines at Blakehurst Marina and wasted no time heading up the Georges River. The meandering course seemed to suit the Gobbi 315. It's a boat which likes to bank through the bends and which, no matter how hard you try, doesn't let go in tight turns. In this sense it honours its sportscruiser tag.

At 2800rpm, the twin Volvos have the hull up and planing. At 3200rpm you are cruising at a very comfortable mid-20kt. Top end, estimated at around 32kt, comes at 3800rpm.

The boat is a tad twitchy when you run it free, with the tabs off and the engine legs out, but it responds to trim almost immediately.

There is a lot of vee to button down if you need to cleave the waves. Just as reassuring is that the boat is very easy to command and manoeuvre. Going astern and shifting the hull this way or that is simply a matter of alternating the throttles. Windage doesn't seem to be a big factor.

From afar or up close, the Gobbi 315 is a nice bit of work. It's super stylish, with a sumptuous five-star finish, and more than a hint of the Italian exhibitionist or extrovert. I liked the boat for its frippery and flamboyance but even more for its pragmatism, a trait not normally associated with Italian designers.