SEALINE C390
TESTED First full test of this practical and cleverly packaged three-cabin family coupé
If ever there was a day to test an enclosed sportscruiser it’s the one we picked to do the C390 in Flensburg on the German-danish border. There is a bitter north wind charging through the moorings and menacing skies overhead, hanging low over the colourful architecture of the town’s harbour front. The C390 is well placed to shelter us from the biting breeze as we pile into its bright saloon for some respite. It’s no wonder that hardtop sportscruisers with doors that separate the saloon from the cockpit have become so popular, and Bill Dixon’s latest design for Sealine typifies what is so good about this genre of craft. With the closure of a couple of doors we are nestled in a temperate saloon, protected from the elements but still very much aware of them thanks to the sheer enormity of the glass panels on either side. Not only that, the electric sunroof is made of glass and accompanied by three panels of the stuff aft, which fires even more natural light down into the interior. The aft doors have some party tricks too, the port section is a bi-fold design that opens up the walkway between saloon and cockpit and the starboard section has a hinged window which flips up to turn the galley top into an outdoor bar.
CLEVERDECK
There’s more ingenuity in the cockpit where, as an option, the dinette converts via an electric pivoting backrest and hi-lo table into an extended sunpad, the fabric sunroof above it grants or removes shade depending on the occupant’s tanning preferences. Another option (get used to this, a lot of kit is optional) is the wetbar on the bathing platform, which includes a grill, sink, pop-up lights and some counter space. With all the option boxes ticked this is a seriously versatile main deck, flexible to weather conditions, persons on board and activity.
The side decks are asymmetric with the bias being towards the starboard one, a sunken walkway until just past the helm which tallies with the helm door to make shorthanded crewing and communication that bit easier. Intelligent design continues on a foredeck which, on a 39ft 4in (11.9m) boat, manages to include a double sunpad, three glass panels to illuminate the master cabin below and a small bench with a footwell.
If the versatility theme hasn’t hit home yet then do let me continue with what’s going on below deck. There are several options: standard is a two-cabin, two-heads layout with a large storage-cum-utility room down the starboard side. Other options include a double bed on the starboard side to supplement the standard twin to port, two doubles amidships or a single double amidships with the bed running athwartships to create what is almost another master cabin, though it’s not ensuite nor full beam because the storage room down the starboard side re-emerges. There’s no right or wrong layout here and Sealine has been generous in allowing such flexibility on a model that will have to fly out of the factory at quite a rate to make the numbers stack up. The particular boat we had on test had the twin to port with double to starboard option, which feels a good balance, and delivers three good cabins supplemented by two bathrooms, both of which have showers. Personally, I don’t see why you wouldn’t have the third cabin because even if it’s not going to be slept in on a regular basis it’s useful to have it there and you can still use it to store luggage or clothes.
With all six berths filled it will be cramped with everyone squeezed into the saloon but with a full set of canopies for the cockpit this becomes an extension of the internal living space. The TV, mounted above the galley to starboard, swings out on
a bracket so you can watch it in the cockpit if preferred and the aft end of the saloon dinette converts into a mini chaise longue by removing its backrest and slotting it into the seat base.
ENGINE OPTIONS
The galley is concealed when not in use but a folding counter supported by gas struts reveals a twin hob and sink but little counter space, though there is the timber-topped bar aft. Storage is sparse as there are no eye-level lockers and the bin is comically small, especially given up to six people may be staying on board.
The helm seat is only a single but the dinette’s forward section flips to become a double forward-facing seat. The action is tricky to master but no doubt eases with practice and the elevated views forward will be appreciated by your guests.
There are just two engine options to choose from: twin Volvo Penta D4 300s or the D6 370s we had on test, which command a €20,000 premium over the standard motors and more than the same again if you want all of the Volvo Penta software gadgets, a joystick and bow thruster. The €13,650 joystick is unnecessary in my opinion but the larger engines are money well spent. With the 300s you’re looking at a top speed of 27 knots with a light load so imagine how hard they will be working with a bit of growth on the hull and a full quota of cruising kit on board. The 370s top out 33.5 knots and, as you’ll note from our consumption data, really get into their stride at about 3,400rpm where the boat is clipping along at 31.5 knots for a range of 197nm. This range is only bettered when you drop to single digit speeds, anything over that and you’re best to travel faster, where the boat feels more comfortable anyway.
With the sterndrive configuration the engines are installed well aft in the hull so any noise emanating from them is contained, especially with the aft doors closed. But the sound
levels we recorded are made to look higher because of the amount of squeaks and rattles coming from the interior. This is a shame because the perceived quality is good thanks to chunky door handles and catches and smart materials on show but despite the hull feeling solid, confidence in the boat’s ability in rough water is knocked because of the noises coming from the interior. Sealine and the UK dealer TBS Boats assured us that this was an early boat and the focus on finding and resolving the source of these noises would be improved going forward.
LUXURY DETAILS AT A PRICE
The rest of the driving experience is more positive, no great surprise given the beefy engines and their grippy sterndrives.
It’s a fun boat to steer, with light handling and precise, controlled reactions to the helm. Hand steering through waves, especially downwind, would no doubt be a real laugh, not that we could test this in the short and uneven chop on our test day.
It pays to employ a bit of trim tab to keep the bow down and shorter skippers especially may struggle to see over the tall helm station and bow cushions. The dash is tidily arranged though and the driving position excellent whether you choose to sit or stand with the bolster function in place.
Thanks to all of that glazing the all round view is generally very good but the one-piece windscreen requires large mullions on either side for support, which creates a hefty blind spot on the starboard side especially. The simplicity of the manual sliding (€3,900) door is refreshing and it’s as useful for getting fresh air across the helm as it is for allowing the skipper to help out with crew duties. It’s just a shame it’s an option you have to shell out for.
That’s a theme on the C390, and though prices start from €309,950 with the twin 300hp engines, our test boat came in at €470,629 before tax. That’s a lot of options. It’s in the same ball park as rivals however; in as close a like-for-like spec with the same engines on sterndrives as I could configure, the C390 comes in at around €30,000 more than the Bavaria R40 Coupe and is on par with the Galeon 425 HTL, though this is a more traditional open-backed sportscruiser without the flexible main deck of the Sealine. Even when the weather is poor, the C390’s saloon is a pleasant place to be.
Its flexibility is what makes the C390 stand out, and as a boat for families to live on board for extended periods it is best in class. It feels the biggest, has the most usable main deck and offers customers the opportunity to personalise the layout of the accommodation to best suit their circumstances.
The driving experience isn’t quite as engaging as the Bavaria R40’s but it’s still good fun and would be better still without the interior gremlins that take the shine off it in a chop. Hopefully the yard can rectify this because it’s one of very few drawbacks in an otherwise impressive package. It’s powerful, quiet and efficient, and thanks to its sterndrive drivetrain and light, responsive steering, it is more fun to drive than an IPS powered equivalent.
As the weather in Flensburg proved, if you’re after a 40ft sportscuiser you can enjoy all year round, the C390 is a great option. CONTACT www.sealine.com
It’s a fun boat to steer, with light handling and precise, controlled reactions to the helm