Sealine T47

"In gallant trim the gilded vessel goes; Youth on the prow, and Pleasure at the helm."

So wrote English poet Thomas Gray in the 18th Century, some time before the advent of bowthrusters, chartplotters, Miele deck barbecues and - heaven help us - washing machines on boats.

Yet, more than two centuries on, the salty sonnet retains a timeless connection with this thoroughly modern, gilded English vessel. Though we didn't have a youthful figurehead on the prow for this outing, the Sealine T47 most definitely offered pleasure at the helm.

Fully cocked with everything including the washing machine, the Sealine T47 motoryacht was recently anointed 'Cruiser of the Year' by a British marine magazine. While you might expect such patriotism, the boat's appeal stretches beyond the North Sea.

With an outdoor barbecue, four fridges and a big freezer, a bowthruster and, as mentioned, a laundry with a washing machine, the 47-footer will win hearts in America as well as around local waters.

Look closer and you will find innovation peculiar to Sealine. The shower mixers have thermostats, there is designer lighting, a dedicated bar, electric saloon windows and an aft utility room with a pull-out sink in a drawer. This is to say nothing of the marble-topped vanities, upmarket fabrics including Scottish leather-clad lounges, terrific blinds and lacquered cherrywood joinery. Nor is it to mention the hydraulic pasarelle/dinghy lift.

Put it all together and you get a boat for cruising couples who don't want to leave the comforts of home behind. Or so I thought. Apparently the T47 has attracted strong interest from 30-somethings looking for something new and exciting.

This is not so much a traditional boat as one which challenges English traditions. Sealine, embracing technology, thinks outside design parameters and ensures plenty of bang on the throttles.

The T47 also breaks new ground by offering just two cabins, each oversized with ensuites, rather than trying to cram poky guest rooms and cramped crew quarters aboard.

COSMOPOLITAN CRUISER
All Sealine boats are built using computer-assisted techniques at a shipyard in Worcestershire, eastern central England, spanning 14 acres and providing jobs for more than 400 boatbuilders and assemblers.

Each boat leaves the factory pretty much turn-key, with options on the T47 of air-conditioning, a pasarelle, covers, flooring, an extra fridge or freezer, the colour of the leather on the lounges, and the colour of the curtains and bedspreads.

One of the stand-out features of the T47 is that its wonderful fibreglass mouldings have bumps,

curves and shapes other companies wouldn't dare try. The glasswork is superior to some more costly English motoryachts, and there is a sense of fluidity when you journey from one end of the boat to the other.

Almost everything has a fully moulded liner, including the walk-in lazarette, which is reminiscent of a superyacht's. The lines suggest a boat which has been designed from the ground up, while the finish bears hallmarks of the most upmarket English motoryachts.

There is high-gloss laminated cherrywood, Scottish leather on the lounges, Corian and marble benchtops, giant walnut facias on the dash, fitted bedspreads and Grohe bathroom fittings. More innovation comes in the form of button-controlled blinds, one-touch dimmers on all the lights and black instead of chrome bathroom fittings.

The flooring, which is all teak and holly instead of plush cream carpet with an impending use-by date, makes the saloon more welcoming. The finish isn't as flawless as some UK brands, but Sealine prices its boats to undercut its competitors.

The T47 is certainly a cut above your typical production cruiser. Only those brands commanding several hundred thousands of dollars more can claim higher ground in terms of finish.

TWIN CAB APPROACH
I left the loafers at the front door and made, as one does on occasions, straight for a double bunk. The Sealine T47 has just two cabins, whereas most 47-footers try to provide enough beds to berth a Catholic family.

I like the two-cab approach because you end up scoring a double bed with ensuite no matter which straw you draw. The lounge in the saloon converts to a sofa bed to give the T47 four-plus-two sleeping capacity. And there is another bed in the cockpit cabin. All up, seven bunks are ample.

Through the saloon and down a few steps, I found the main guest room in the forepeak. The island double berth, 185cm long and topped with azure scatter cushions, waylaid me for 10 minutes. This berth has a removable infill to create two singles in case you have to sleep with a bosun mate.

I noted a big overhead hatch with a privacy screen, trick reading lights, five downlights and fibre-optic style strip lights along the porthole recesses. The bedhead is mirrored with cream novasuede surrounds, his-and-her cherrywood cabinets and hanging lockers, and separate side lockers with mirrors for morning make-overs.

Nice blinds, soft-touch white ceiling liners and lots of gleaming cherrywood create a cheerful atmosphere. My only complaint was that 10 minutes prostrate wasn't long enough. Also, there were no courtesy lights in the hanging lockers.

I moved to the ensuite to freshen up and found a separate shower, large enough to stand under. It was reminiscent of my bathroom at home but for the thermostat control, electric loo, marble vanity, designer Grohe fittings and a shaver socket. At least my bathroom has an extractor fan.

Sensibly, the master cabin is amidships, away from the slap of water on the hull, in the most stable part of the boat. There is a double berth which, like that in the forward cabin, has an infill so you can create singles should there be a lovers' stoush.

The main feature is a dedicated dressing table with a mirror and three drawers. Headroom, as you walk in, is around 200cm. The cabin's ensuite mirrors the ensuite above, with a modern look derived from black fittings, plenty of room to sit on the loo and a separate shower stall.

SALOON INNOVATION
The internal living area is open plan and high on headroom. The saloon, wet bar, lower helm station and galley - down just two steps - all relate to each other. When cooking, the chef is just a salt-and-pepper shake away from the skipper or guests.

I like this galley. It has views through a porthole, plenty of room to roll out the pizza dough and toss it high in the air, and enough appliances to cook up a storm. Incidentally, all the boat's portholes and hatches have privacy curtains, so punters strolling the marina can't look in.

Underfloor there is an innovative storage area for victuals, recycling or food scraps. The two separate bins have dividers and plastic containers where you can store packaged goods out of sight. Elsewhere are a cupboard, cutlery drawers and three other drawers, but not a huge amount of pantry space.

Amenities include a separate fridge and the option of either a freezer (as on this boat) or a dishwashing machine - methinks the latter. A two-burner electric hotplate, convection microwave with stainless facia, white Corian benchtops, Grohe fittings and twin stainless sinks round things out.

The outstanding feature, up a few steps in the saloon proper, is a dedicated bar with an oval top of genuine marble. The curved cherrywood base has several cupboards, but I was surprised to see no doors or bottle-holding devices. You run the risk of losing a decanter mid-passage.

Opposite, the dinette can seat six people on an L-shaped lounge and matching loose chair, both finished in magnolia leather from Andrew Muirhead. The lounge converts to a sofa bed and aft curtains ensure privacy. There are electric windows for cross-flow ventilation and A/C controls nearby.

The pretty timber dinette, with a Sealine marquetry insignia, is adjustable in a number of ways - it even swivels like a lazy susan. Blinds shut at the twirl of a knob, split-level windows offer views and strip lighting tucked under pelmets lets you set the mood.

Immediately to port as you step inside the giant sliding door, opposite the aforementioned lounge, is a tall cherrywood cabinet containing a television and a video or DVD, a fridge which will serve guests kicking back in the cockpit in summer, and CD storage.

You have to commend the design of the lower helmstation for placing the pilot on the outer seat. This way, the skipper can make a check on the control panel or something else while underway without having to ask the co-pilot to move.

From the lower helm it feels not unlike driving an oversized runabout. The mock walnut dash is home to the bowthruster control, Raytheon R70 plotter/radar and autopilot, a well-labelled switch panel, Volvo engine gauges with EDC controls, and signature sight gauges for the tabs. There are also windscreen wipers with a screen wash.

DECKED OUT
A trait of Sealine's motoryacht range is the big aft overhang with storage recesses. These hold the canvas cockpit covers and the deckchairs for the al fresco dining or brekky setting. With the table and chairs assembled, plus the aft lounge, you will have seating for six or more.

I found a fender locker and neat dinghy storage in the moulded transom platform. With chocks in place, you can carry the inflated tender on the tail, ready to launch an assault on a waterfront eatery somewhere. Leave the aft docking lights on and you can see the landing upon your return after a glass of red or two.

As an option, there was also a hydraulic pasarelle which doubles as a dinghy lift.

However, the masterpiece is surely the amenities centre built into the port side. Picture yourself, as I did, returning from a swim to a hot or cold handheld shower, the hot-rock barbecue smoking with lunch, and a fully stocked fridge below.

Walkaround decks with bulwarks backed by a bowrail and handrails make the passage forward on the T47 safe in a seaway. At anchor, you might stop by the sunpad to soak up the rays. There is no bowsprit or split bowrail, so boarding over the bow isn't so good.

Seven moulded steps, rather than a dicky ladder, lead from the cockpit through a big oval hatch to the bridge. Virtually the entire overhang is taken by a stylish blue-and-white striped sunpad. You can create impromptu travelling seats for guests simply by lifting and locking in place sections of the sunpad.

The helm bench seat swivels aft, so you can create a neat setting whereby everyone is facing each other around the loose table from down below. The bridge has a wet bar with fridge and an attractively raked targa arch - only a bimini top is wanting.

More Sealine creativity is evident in the aft cabin, accessed below the cockpit lounge. Rather than allocating this space to huge crew quarters, which Australian boaties might think novel but probably never use, Sealine has included just a single berth, pull-out sink, hanging lockers, loo and, wait for it, a laundry with washing machine.

The cockpit cabin has a watertight bulkhead with a door leading through to a utility room with a full liner. Here you'll find the Kohler 16kVa genset that comes standard, battery charger, clips for holding a table, and a big tool box.

Head forward again and you're in the engine room, which can also be accessed through a deck hatch. The strainers and Racor filters with nice stainless drip trays are easy to find. There are stainless steel fuel tanks and an internal deckwash. Fuel and battery cut-offs are in a cockpit hatch and below the steps inside.

HIGH TIMES ON THE HARBOUR
The agent took the boat from Birkenhead Point Marina, which was just as well. Some deft work with the bowthruster was needed to escape the challenging berth. Once clear I got hold of the reins on what was a perfect Sydney winter's day.

Blue skies brushed by high cirrus cloud and unseasonably warm air made for a busy harbour. We waved to charter yachts heading home with salty corporate types, saw trawlers steaming off to work, and barges and waterfront workers redeveloping the finger wharf area. The peak hour ferry run was minutes away from full flight.

At 1600rpm on the twin Volvo TAMD74s, and with no mention of tabs, the T47 held the plane at 13kt. This indicates an efficient hull. Cruise speed at 2100rpm was 21kt, and it was here that we had time to take in the passing parade and admire the stirring views.

At full noise or 2600rpm the T47 registered 29kt on the GPS. With a light load, clean bottom and props, the boat would no doubt meet the company's claim of 32kt - plenty fast enough for a mobile home.

Hydraulic steering and those EDC controls which I like so much made the drive effortless. With a touch of thruster you can turn on a dime. And with a touch more you might find yourself parking as expertly as we did in that tight marina berth.

Now, I'm not sure if I like the idea of a washing machine on a boat. I mean, what pleasure can there be in putting a load through at sea? But I sure know someone who does like the idea.

In gallant trim, Sealine's T47 is perfect for a husband and wife team and families with fry. Youth on the prow and pleasure at the helm. Thomas Gray was right.

HIGHS

LOWS