Nuova Jolly Prince 38 CC Review

The Nuova Jolly Prince 38 CC is one of those boats that makes more sense the longer you spend with it. At first, it presents as a big centre console RIB, but the details are more polished than that. It has the speed and grip you expect from an Italian performance hull, yet the deck layout is very much about day boating, entertaining and making the most of time at anchor.

That is why it feels so well suited to Sydney Harbour. It has wide walkways up both sides, large sunpads forward and aft, a proper twin helm, a wet bar behind the driving position and a cabin that is useful rather than token. It is still a RIB, and the tubes are part of the character, but this is a refined version of the idea rather than a basic inflatable.

Nuova Jolly 38 CC sits at 11.30 metres long with a 4.00 metre beam, capacity for up to 18 people and maximum applicable power of up to 1000hp. The test boat ran twin 400hp Mercury outboards, which felt like a very good match for the hull.

Pricing will depend on the exact engine package, electronics, finish, delivery, and options, so it is better to think about the 38 CC as a blank canvas rather than a fixed spec package. Importantly, the standard boat already includes the things people use such as space, shade, water access, a toilet, a proper fridge, and a deck that can change mood throughout the day.

The aft wet bar is one of the better features. It sits directly behind the helm and has a fridge underneath, so drinks and food stay close to the social area. It means the boat does not rely on people constantly going down into the cabin, which is exactly how a dayboat should work.

There is also a practical anchor winch, freshwater shower system at the stern, teak flooring, self-draining deck and a manual shade cloth over the aft table and lounge. Together they make the boat easy to use and that matters more than a long list of decorative options.

The layout is built around movement. The centre console leaves wide walkways up each side, so people can move from the aft lounge to the bow without stepping over cushions or climbing around furniture. It is a simple thing, but it is one of the reasons the boat feels as comfortable with a crowd on board as it does with just a few people.

There are sunpads both aft and forward, and the hydraulic tables are a real highlight. They can lower away to open the space, sit at dining height, or rise into sunbed height to create more lounging area. That flexibility is exactly what you will need. The best layout at 10am is not necessarily the best at 3pm.

At the stern there is a small swim platform arrangement that gives simple access to the water via a stainless ladder. It works for swimming and getting back aboard, and the deep cockpit and tubes give the whole aft area a secure feel when people are moving around.

The cabin is better than you might expect from a centre console RIB. It is large enough for a couple to overnight, but in day-to-day use it will probably be most valuable as a rest space for children, a place to escape the sun, or somewhere to keep bags and towels out of the main deck areas.

Headroom is good for this style of boat, and the toilet on the starboard side is a major part of the appeal. Once you have guests aboard for a full day, especially families, a proper toilet changes how usable the boat feels. It also helps separate the Prince 38 CC from smaller open RIBs that may be fast and fun but do not give the same level of comfort.

The cabin is there to support the dayboat experience, not replace it. In that role, it works very well.

The 38 CC also makes more sense when you look at it within the broader Nuova Jolly range. Below it, the Prince 33 Sport Cabin gives buyers a more compact cabin RIB with a listed length around 10.40 metres, 3.40 metre beam, 12-person capacity and maximum power around 700hp. It is the easier step into the cabin range, with enough accommodation to add comfort without pushing into the scale of the bigger boats.

Above it, the Prince 45 moves the idea into a much larger and more luxurious package. Nuova Jolly lists the 45 at 13.70 metres long with a 4.05 metre beam and maximum applicable power of 1600hp, with more substantial cabin accommodation and long-range tankage. It is the boat for owners who want the RIB attitude but closer to cruiser-level volume.

The 38 CC sits between those two ideas. It has more presence and deck space than the 33, but it does not feel like it has crossed into the commitment level of the 45. For many owners that will be the sweet spot.

The hull is the part of the boat that stands out most underway. Nuova Jolly describes the model as using a Hi-Power deep V hull, and, on the water, you can feel it working. The entry is fine and clean, and the deep V carries all the way through rather than feeling like something that only exists at the bow.

The hull is important as some RIBs can feel as though the tubes are doing too much of the work. On the 38 CC, I did not get that feeling. Even when crossing wake or waves, you do not feel the water slapping hard against the underside of the tubes. The hull remains as the primary contact point, and the boat feels firm and surefooted rather than bouncy.

The test boat was powered by twin 400hp Mercury outboards. There is plenty of thrust through the whole rev range, and the mid-range is where the package feels especially strong. The throttle response is smooth, the acceleration is easy to control, and the boat never feels as though it is working hard to hold speed.

The twin helm is well set up for both seated and standing driving. The controls fall easily to hand, the large MFD gives clear access to the important engine and navigation data, and the driving position feels natural straight away.

At low speed, the boat lays over more noticeably in a turn, which is common enough for this sort of hull shape and tube package. Once it is running at speed, however, it corners flatter and with more confidence. It feels secure and predictable, which is exactly what you want from a boat that can carry a lot of people and still run close to 50 knots.

Our test day was flat, so it was not a full offshore punishment test, but the 38 CC still gave a clear sense of what it would do in rougher water. It feels like a boat that wants to cut through the surface rather than sit on top and chatter. Across wake it stayed composed, and the ride had that smooth, dense feel that comes from a hull with genuine V and enough weight in the right places.

The best cruise number was around 30 knots. At that speed, it felt extremely capable, surefooted, and firm across the water, with plenty of reserve power left. It is fast enough to get across the harbour or up the coast quickly, but relaxed enough that the boat does not feel like it is being pushed.

Top speed on the day was just over 47 knots on the dash, and around 50 knots feels realistic in the right conditions. More importantly, the boat had clean acceleration and strong mid-range torque, which is what owners will notice every time they load it with people, food, drinks, and gear.

The Nuova Jolly Prince 38 CC is a very convincing luxury RIB because it does not rely only on speed. It is quick, but it is also genuinely useful. The deck works, the cabin is practical, the helm is easy to drive from and the hull has the sort of composure that makes the boat feel expensive in the right way.

For Sydney Harbour, it makes a lot of sense. It can take a crowd, it has shade, sunpads, a wet bar, a toilet, easy water access, and enough overnight ability to extend the day when needed. It also has the performance to make short trips feel exciting and longer runs feel very achievable.

The 38 CC is a high end, Italian dayboat with serious hull ability and just enough cabin comfort to make it more versatile than most centre consoles.