Oryx 379 2023 Review

However, the advent of ever more powerful outboard engine technology is starting to transform the sector. Lighter, easier to maintain, packing more punch and connecting seamlessly with the electronics at the helm, the outboard-powered sports cruiser has become a compelling package.

One of the latest to jump on the trend is United Arab Emirates-based fibreglass luxury motor yacht specialist Gulf Craft.

Gulf Craft is better known for its line of Nomad and Majesty superyachts – you could barely have missed the quad-deck Nomad 101 sitting in the place of pride on the water at the recent Sydney International Boat Show.

But it also has a line of pocket rockets built under a subsidiary called Oryx Sport Cruisers.

So, what do we get when a superyacht specialist turns their hand to build an outboard-powered, shrunken-down version of its cruising flagships?

Oryx was formed in 2005 specialising in sports cruisers made for the Middle East. However, the brand has since internationalised to offer three models starting with a conventional-looking 11.2-metre cabin cruiser and building up to an equally conventional-looking 12.8-metre cabin cruiser.

Smack-bang in the middle of the range is the 11.5-metre Oryx 379, the subject of our test. Rather than featuring glassed-in hardtops and split consoles similar to the other two models in the line-up, the Oryx 379 features a metal frame supporting a large hardtop and a  centre console layout that gives the sports cruiser a more contemporary look.

The Oryx 379 can come as either a stern-drive or outboard-engined layout, and with a two-berth option featuring an offset forward berth, or as a single berth with a forward dinette.

Sydney-based Flagship International Yacht Brokers has our test Oryx 379 priced from $899,000 sail-away, which is sharp value for what is by all measures a 40-foot boat.

Our boat, featuring the forward dinette, is fitted with three 350hp Mercury Verado outboard engines that are the older 4.6-litre V8 versions rather than the all-new 5.7-litre V10s launched in Australia earlier this year.

The boat comes equipped to enjoy the water straight away. Its convenience fit-out includes two Vitrifrigo fridges and an ice maker, an induction cooktop, a Panasonic convection microwave oven, an electric barbecue, a pair of suspension helm seats, 18,000 BTU below-decks air conditioning, premium JL Audio sound system and a Samsung TV, and LED strip lighting.

Surprisingly, though, the Oryx 379 features plastic hinges on external hatches where we’d normally expect to see stainless steel, and below decks the handles on the premium-look cabinetry are also made from moulded plastic.

The Oryx 379 is also fitted with a genset, battery charger, twin Raymarine HybridTouch chartplotters with autopilot, a Raymarine VHF radio, Raymarine Quantum 2 radar unit, Zipwake trim tabs, bow thruster, LED underwater lights, searchlight and more.

The Oyx 379, first released in 2019, is a big step away from the other models it shares its name with. For starters, the hull features a plumb bow to maximise the forward volume below decks.

The Oryx 379 features a strikingly curved sheerline that drops around the console before kicking up and falling away to the transom. Breaking up the sides are hull windows formed of a single upper line and a pair of trapezoidal panes that let more light into the bow and amidship accommodations.

Oryx is a laminated fibreglass boat brand based in Dubai. The 379, penned by an upcoming UAE designer named Hussein Alshaali, was described by Gulf Craft as a revolution, and the first step in creating a new DNA for the brand.

Few details show how the Oryx boats are made, but all the cabinetry and stainless steel work is done in-house. Walking around our test boat, the quality of the finish on the fibreglass and fixtures is as good as you will get.

The factory builds boats ranging from a 9.9-metre walkaround up to the 56.4-metre Majesty 178 superyacht.

The Oryx 379 doesn’t stray too far from the premium centre console formula, featuring a two-person sunbed forward, deep walk-around decks leading aft, a compact cockpit that doubles as a social zone, and an aft-facing sun lounge over a large space where the inboard engines would have once been housed, now serving as a lazarette and a room for the genset.

Duck boards extend out each side of the Oryx 379’s outboard engine pod, making boarding from either side easy. Three steps up the Portofino-styled transom and via a low stainless steel gate is the entry to the aft cockpit.

The steps ascend beside a large raised platform with an aft-facing sunbed framed in a low stainless steel rail that uses its backrest to divide the space from forward-facing seating for the cockpit dinette tucked into the port corner.

Below the sunbed is a large lazarette, handy for storing water toys.

The aft section of the cockpit features a teak table with triangular folding leaves around the port-side L-shaped lounge with under-seat storage that’s large enough to accommodate half-a-dozen people. To starboard is an electric barbecue and a Vitrifrigo bottle fridge.

The entire space is covered in teak-look flooring.

Wide side decks framed in a deep rail run to either side of the console, stepping up to the forward cockpit. 

The forward cockpit features a full walkaround layout with the two-person sun bed forming an island in the middle. The sun bed features a low step on its leading edge and a removable cushion to let light into the saloon below via a tinted hatch, as well as an adjustable backrest and outboard stainless steel-rimmed drink holders.

The Oryx 379’s anchor is housed in the stem of the bow, with the chain locker hidden below a hatch on the forepeak.

Below decks is accessed via a lockable sliding door on the port side of the console. Stepping down is via a floating staircase built off a central support pole. 

Once below, the forward section features a galley with a combination fridge and freezer to port and a surprisingly roomy wet head to starboard. Forward of this, up a slight step is a large U-shaped dinette with a drop-down table that, with the help of an insert, turns the space into accommodations.

Overhead, the roof is finished in soft-touch material – important given the lack of standing headroom – while curtains pull across the twin hull windows to add privacy.

Aft, below the console floor is the main accommodations featuring a queen-size bed running east-west. Head room is tight making it a crawl space, and a curtain pulls across to provide some privacy.

The only obvious problem with the Oryx 379’s layout is that it is a platform optimised for enjoying the outdoors. If you’re caught out in the rain, you and everyone else above decks will get wet on the run home.

Sitting at the helm of the Oryx 379 feels like jumping behind the wheel of a high-end sports car.

It’s a sensational space. The skipper sits inboard facing a wide dash running right across to the starboard side of the console. In front, a single-piece tinted windscreen offers decent weather protection but with just enough wind-in-your-hair stimulus to remind you that this is a sports cruiser, not a passagemaker.

Overhead, a large hardtop supported by a black metal frame features three glass-filled cutouts that flood the space with filtered light.

The helm, which features stainless steel handholds to either side, comprises a pair of large, well-bolstered and extremely supportive black captain’s chairs finished in a contrasting red diamond stitch pattern, and with matching billeted aluminium adjustment levers. They’re suspended on a shock-absorbing system to smooth out the ride at the high speeds this boat is capable of hitting.

The seats are separated by a low floating console that houses the two-lever drive-by-wire controls for the triple 350hp Mercury Verado outboard engines fitted to our test boat.

The space on the dash is huge, with plenty of room for the twin 12.0-inch Raymarine Axiom screens fitted – one in front of the skipper and the other for the first mate.

The dash is an odd mix of full digital for features such as the multifunction chartplotter, Mercury VesselView console, Raymarine VHF radio and JL audio systems, and analogue gauges for fuel and water and the switchbank for the boat’s suite of electrics.

Below, moulded footrests are large and comfortable, while a deep, lidded glovebox provides plenty of small-item storage. The only criticisms are that there is nowhere to easily stash the content of your pockets to keep it in easy reach, or any USB or Qi wireless recharging points.

To say we were just a bit excited to jump behind the helm of this boat is something of an understatement. David, the boat’s owner, had already opened the taps on a run across to Manly, with the Oryx 379 easily sprinting away from us.

The Oryx 379 features a fine entry carried right forward, but with hard chines that also come right up to the stem. The fine entry cuts through waves and chop, while the chines provide lift and deflect spray.

The Oryx 379 is a heavy, solid boat, so it takes a bit of effort to get up on the plane. Once there, though, it settles nicely, with engine trim enough to find the perfect running angle without needing to call in the trim tabs.

At speed, the Oryx 379 is a bag of fun to pilot. The helm is responsive to the electric steering with the boat tossing its head like a much smaller craft in response to quick inputs. 

The bank of Mercury engines behind respond immediately to throttle adjustments, roaring a throaty, growling chorus when asked to dig deep and push on.

The suspension seats are a good addition to this boat, because at speed and over some of the bigger Sydney Harbour chop the hull tends to judder and slam a bit rather than rise and land softly. The opposite of this is pointing the Oryx 379 out towards the heads, where the hull jumps off the big swell with confidence and accuracy.

Performance

*All engines
Maximum range from 1130L tank based on 5.0 per cent reserve: 224nm at 4000rpm

Forward vision is good, interrupted only by a pair of uprights for the fibreglass T-top overhead. The bow does lift high on take-off, so look ahead before rolling on the throttle. Setting the Zipwake trim tabs to their automatic function helps to keep the bow in check.

At rest, the Oryx 379 is a stable platform, using its decent 3.6-metre beam and extensive flat chines to good effect so that you won’t be tipping the drinks onto the floor each time a passing boat’s wake hits.

There is no joystick control for the Mercurys, but the smart throttle can link all three engines to the one throttle lever, and the bow thruster comes into play in tight spaces.

The idea behind a sports cruiser is that the experience behind the wheel should match the performance on tap. In this respect, the Oryx 379 delivers.

Backing this up is a build that exudes quality and attention to detail, apart from the odd, unexpected surprises such as the plastic hinges and door pulls.

That said, the Oryx 379 is a lot of boat for the money, and built by a brand that has serious skin in the superyacht game. If you’re after a fast, comfortable platform that will make the most of those lazy spring, summer or autumn days, this has to be high on the shopping list.

Price as tested: $899,000 including 2x Vitrifrigo fridges; ice maker; two-burner induction cooktop; Panasonic convection microwave oven; electric barbecue; 2x suspension helm seats; 18,000 BTU air conditioner; JL Audio sound system; Samsung TV; LED strip lighting; 7.0kW genset; battery charger; 2x12.0-inch Raymarine Axiom chartplotters; Raymarine Quantum 2 radar; autopilot; Raymarine VHF radio; Zipwake trim tabs; bow thruster; LED underwater lights; 3x 350hp Mercury Verado V8 outboard engines

Supplied by: Flagship International Yacht Brokers