Wellcraft Martinique 3000

You might have guessed that US boatbuilding giant Wellcraft turns out a swish 30-something sportscruiser. The Martinique 3000 epitomises everything good about 30-footers, from its commodious cockpit with room to recline to its interior which can sleep as many as six.

A classic sportscruiser with rakish lines, a wrap-around windscreen, a targa arch, an integrated boarding platform, and white upholstery hitting it off with glistening white gelcoat, the Martinique has had the recent addition of big, circular ports, oval windows. Portholes have been omitted from the bow, leaving a more fashionable Euro look.

Plugging a gap in the Wellcraft range where the compact 20-somethings ran straight to a 32-footer with a higher price tag and shaft-driven engines, the Martinique 3000 slots in wherever you take it. A twin engine boat, it had 5.7L EFI 260hp MerCruiser V-eights with Alpha One sterndrive legs that delivered wonderful manoeuvrability, while the boat's low windage seemed to prevent it from unduly skating along in cross winds.

With a generous 3.2m beam and plenty of aft running surface, the hull doesn't hang around. Though it could be fitted with engines as small as 4.3L V-sixes, the 5.7Ls delivered just what you want - a top speed of over 40kt top speed.

Bravo One sterndrive legs are better still, letting the hull plane at lower revs. While the Alpha Ones let it shuffle along at 2900-3000rpm, with the Bravos the boat planes down to 2650-2700rpm. And that means less fuel.

It's at rest that the Martinique 3000 reveals its flip side. Cockpit comforts rate as five-star, with everything built into the fully-moulded liner that spells low maintenance. The U-shaped lounge on the starboard side can seat at least five people around an easy-clean moulded dinette with drink holders.

Lower the dinette, add some extra cushions, and the area converts to a sunpad. Opposite, virtually within arm's reach of the lounge, is the wet bar. Hidden behind a curvaceous deck moulding which doesn't block through traffic, the wet bar includes an optional icemaker - nothing like the clink of cold ice in a tall glass on a summer's day - a moulded sink and pressurised water.

While you can step up from the cockpit to the bridgedeck, the transom is worth mentioning for its neat fender baskets, easy access to the water, and its hot and cold handheld shower. At night, courtesy lights illuminate everything outside that's on offer and the targa arch comes standard with spreader lights.

To access the foredeck you can head around reasonably wide sidedecks or step over the low-profile windscreen. The bowrail is a two-piece design, so you can set people down or pick them up without stretching ground muscles, and there's a smart anchoring set-up with chain and a push-button windlass.

The Martinique 3000 is fun to drive from the two-person bench seat. And a pleasant ride in the co-pilot's seat to port. Seat-height is right to gain a clear view forward through the screen, which means you can drive with your peaked cap firmly in place.

The three-tiered dash has an upper black panel for flush-mounting the gauges - an engine synchroniser comes standard - and enough space on its mid-sections to plonk the sounder, GPS and marine radio built-in, while an imitation-walnut panel adds some class and is home for strings of rubber-booted waterproof switches.

As a dayboat, the Martinique can go places, drop anchor, act as springboard for watersports and an entertaining platform for guests.

Once the chill wind brings goosebumps to your lobster-red skin and the party has left it's time to head down below. And what a revelation is the interior.

Rather than run obtrusive moulded steps down from the cockpit, there's just a neat little ladder from which you can see every quarter of the boat. From the forward berth through the dinette and galley to the day head and aft cabin, the Martinique is just one big moulded space below.

With European styling but the bigger-is-better attitude of America, the boat blends elegance and elan with more practical needs. By doubling as a lounging area by day, the aft cabin extends the usefulness of the boat. For privacy, the cabins have curtains (there is a fixed bulkhead option for the forward cabin), along with cedar-lined hanging lockers finished with fascias of cheery cherrywood.

The dinette converts to an impromptu third double, while the galley has a moulded sink, microwave, 12/240V fridge, and two-burner electric stove. For ventilation, a porthole can be opened nearby, as it can in the head where you'll find a sink, mirror, vanity with storage, handheld shower and VacuFlush loo.

Mark Chapman, importer for Wellcraft in Australia, says the Martinique is a breath of fresh air and that the biggest difference with all Wellcraft boats is that they, quite simply, work. Certainly, the Martinique 3000 gets up and boogies and is an easy boat to drive, yet it's the interior which I like best.

There's so much room gained inside through the deletion of bulkheads and the inclusion of the mid-cabin as a lounging area and berth. And with a choice of fabrics, light headliners and beige Corian benchtops, the boat's sense of space is overwhelming.