Integrity 49CE Cruiser

I don't want to own a powerboat... yet. I reckon I'll keep the mighty Lionheart for a while, then get a newer and more fancy yacht, then later, I'll get my powerboat.

Just what I'll get when I do decide to migrate from the "rag-and-stick" man that some people unkindly call me, to the realms of powerboat ownership, I'm not sure.

However, the plan of what boat I might buy is formulating in my mind. It'll be a displacement-type boat with a big, lazy diesel that pushes me along at a gentlemanly pace. It'll have a nice, hefty wheelhouse, plenty of room for entertaining, a semi-flybridge for balmy days and lots of outdoor space for lolling around in the sun.

My powerboat will be sure to have good sea-keeping ability, it will be able to weather storms at sea and will have long range for cruising. It'll probably have air conditioning for comfortable nights in Queensland, it'll have a spacious galley, and a saloon that opens to a large cockpit. It'll probably look a lot like the boat you see here.

This is the Integrity 49CE or Coastal Express. The Integrity is being imported by Maurice Drent or, more accurately, MDBS Imports. Maurie has been around boats for a while, as quick perusal of the pages of Trade-A-Boat will reveal, and he's pretty savvy when it comes to boats. Maurie is a bit of a sailor as well, and I reckon his idea of a good powerboat is similar to mine.

We met at the CYC in Sydney on an absolute cracker of a day to spend a few hours aboard the Integrity 49. The Integrity sat high and mighty at the marina, looking stately, powerful and full of, well, integrity.

It's designed along the lines of the trawler-style boats of the Seattle area of the US. The boats that need to be able to ply the waters off Alaska. The classic lapstrake hull and raised pilothouse along with the Portuguese bridge and the high freeboard really give a timeless look and real little-ship appeal.

The Integrity 49 really started life as a 46-footer for the US market. Maurie was impressed with the boat and went to visit the Jianjhua boatyard in China, where the hulls are built. This is the same yard that builds the Island Gypsy boats for Halvorsen, so they have a pretty good grounding already here in Australia.

 Maurie thought the 46ft hull was a good-looking, strong boat that would appeal to our market. The cockpit, however, he deemed too small for our outdoorsy lifestyle, so he had the designers add an extra few feet to the design and increase the size of the cockpit. It's now easy to get a table and a few deck chairs there for some al fresco dining or a read of the Sunday paper.

LAYOUT
The design of the Integrity allows for a walkaround deck on the starboard side only. Access from shore is via the central deck gate to the deck then straight into the saloon.

The port side is flush, giving a very wide saloon and no intrusion into the owners' cabin amidships.

This means that, obviously, one berths starboard-side to on most occasions. The helm station on the semi-flybridge above the pilothouse is also on the starboard side. From this viewpoint, the helmsman can look over and see the length of the boat for ease of berthing via the bow- and sternthrusters.

If one does have to berth port side to, then there is a gate on the port side of the cockpit for access.

We encountered the boat in its customary starboard mooring position with its upswept bow seeming to tower over the marina.

It's an imposing boat to say the least. Once aboard, the Burmese teak interior is inviting. Two comfortable chairs and a big lounge adorn the saloon, which leads out through wide doors to the cockpit. Maurie told me he had the big doors especially fitted for the Australian market to make the best use of the aforementioned enlarged cockpit. Off the stern is a swim platform accessed via a transom door.

The saloon is lit by subdued downlights and flows to the big galley. The galley features a domestic-style upside-down fridge, a three-burner stove with oven, microwave, heaps of storage, a dishwasher and double sink.

I like the functional stainless-steel splashbacks in the galley, a good idea for cooking at sea.

From the saloon area, one can either step down toward the owner's stateroom or up to the pilothouse. Down takes you past the bathroom to port which has double doors - one so it can be used as a day head and the other through to the stateroom so that at night it's the ensuite.

A queen-sized bed dominates the stateroom, which also has ample hanging and storage space and a cleverly hidden washer/dryer behind teak folding doors.

Into the aft bulkhead is set a watertight door giving direct access into the engine room which gleams in white and houses the big single QSM 11 electronic injection Cummins rated at 535hp.

Flanking the sides are the Naiad stabilisers and the engine room is adorned with big-boat systems. From the twin filtration systems, to the uprated genset, the big sea-chest water inlet through which you can see if anything is clogging the inlet, the XOS wet exhaust, keel cooling and the three-inch propshaft - it's big-boat gear.

The shaft swings a 42in four-blade prop that pushes the Integrity along at 8.8kt at 1300rpm or 9.2kt at a lazy 1400rpm. According to Maurie, on his last trip he returned figures of 21.25lt/h. Do the sums on that, based on the two 1700lt stainless-steel tanks of diesel, and you'll see that this is a serious long-range cruiser.

Of course the Integrity will go faster - it'll top out around 16kt at 2250 - but it's not that kind of boat. Optimum hull speed is around nine knots and it'll do that all day... and all night, in any conditions.

UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS
Up the stairs from the saloon is the pilothouse. This could really be seen as another entertaining area, it's that big. The helmsman sits amidships with everything within easy reach. The screens for the E Series electronics, the autopilot, the radios and the big 26in wheel.

The left screen on the console offers views of the engine room or out the back of the boat via two closed-circuit cameras - or you could watch the cricket or a movie from the DVD. The right screen gives radar, plotter, and depth displays, whatever you want to dial up.

The pilothouse L-shaped berth is a beauty with a table that can drop down to make a double berth if required. We had five in the pilothouse on the cruise and could have fitted half a dozen more.

Moving forward and down the seven stairs on the starboard side of the pilothouse we find the guest cabin. Oozing style with lovely wood panelling, it offers a high double berth, again stacks of storage and a separate shower and electric vacuflush head. This is great cabin; it's secure, cosy and very private.

 Opening hatches above and opening ports give ventilation while the 1000btu Cruisair air conditioner (one of three onboard) provides a comfortable sleep in the tropics.

I had a little lie down on the bed while we were steaming and it was very comfy and quiet. I could have nodded off happily but there was more to see and work to be done.

One thing I did notice about this boat was the abundance of hand holds. This was evidenced when traversing the stairs and companionways: there are handholds where you need them and where you expect them to be. Very sensible.

Coming back up to the pilothouse, one can climb up the stairs aft and access the flybridge. Here, as mentioned, there is a helm station to starboard and an L-shaped dinette to port. The boat deck is huge and a boom is swung off the radar mast with electric winches to launch and retrieve the ship's tender.

Maurie had a rubber duck up there, but I reckon I'd go for a full tinnie with a healthy outboard on it for those sojourns to catch a few barra up north or some decent denizens for the dinner plate.

Even with a big tender up there, there's still plenty of room for lounging around catching some sun or just reading and enjoying the view. The upper helm station has full controls including thrusters plus a full set of gauges. There is ample storage in the brow as well as the mast base. The gas bottles are stored under the settee. Excellent non-skid pattern adorns all the surfaces.

PUT TO SEA
We decided that we'd spend most of our time in this boat's element - out at sea. Maurie had seen some whales on his trip down from Pittwater, so we thought we'd go out and have a look, as it was too nice a day not to. We ambled out from the CYC and into the east channel. We mooched around South Head for a while to get some photos then headed out.

There was a gentle sea and bit of confused chop about and a very light easterly blowing. Perfect cruising weather. The stabilisers took care of the slop and we soon had a beautiful easy motion going as we pushed north-east at around nine knots.

I turned the boat beam-on to the sea to test the stabilisers properly and the boat was perfect. Turning them off, we got a bit of a roll up that would have proved annoying.

I tried it off North Head where the backwash was worst and the stabilisers really came into their own. Why wouldn't you have them? Unfortunately, there were no whales to be seen so we cracked a cold can from the fridge and reluctantly headed her back into the confines of the harbour.

Hand steering or on auto, the Integrity handled the little sea with aplomb. Maurie told me he took her out on a nasty day to do some sea trials and even with big seas and 25kt sou'easter, she handled well. I was not to disbelieve him.

On the way back in, we got some very admiring stares from some fishermen returning from a day charter. They too could appreciate the classic lines of this boat - if only they could have come on our cruise, they'd appreciate it more!

BROAD APPEAL
This little ship will not appeal to everyone. If you're in the market for a point-and-shoot boat that gets you around the harbour quick and home by nightfall, this ain't for you.

 However, if you're in the market for a long-haul cruiser that will handle just about anything that Huey will throw at you, then this is it.

If you enjoy the ‘getting there' as much as the destination, then it's for you too. The motion, the gentle thump of the big diesel, the comfort and security of the big pilothouse, it's all there.

If you've come out of a yacht but still want that yacht-style feel and ambiance, then you'll go for it too.

Me? I'm still yachting. Maybe one day I'll get a boat like the Integrity. Unfortunately, I can't afford it at the moment anyway. But gee, if I could, well you never know...