FAIRLINE F//LINE 33
In one of MBY’S most hotly anticipated tests yet, will Fairline’s latest star player live up to our expectations? Editor Hugo takes the helm...
The first full sea trial of the British yard’s sensational new sportsboat
Ican honestly say this is the most excited I’ve been about testing a boat since I joined MBY 15 years ago. In that time I’ve driven everything from a 90ft Pershing to a 100-knot race boat and pretty much everything in between. But exhilarating as these experiences have been, they have never felt like the type of boat I could ever envisage owning – even when my Euromillions ship comes in. The F//line 33 is different. The minute I saw the first renderings in 2017, I was smitten. It wasn’t just the taut, muscular styling that did it for me, it was the size and price too. At a whisker under 33ft long it looked small enough to be fast, fun and manageable but large enough to cope with half a dozen guests during the day and a family of four at night. And the mooted starting price of £264,000 inc VAT, while still well beyond my league, at least seemed within dreaming range.
Time has done nothing to dilute those first impressions. Admittedly the starting price has crept up to £290,400 in the intervening months but everything else has survived the development phase intact. When hull No 1 was revealed at the end of August during a preview event in London, it looked every inch the modern British sportsboat we’d all been waiting for. Even at its global launch in Cannes a few weeks later, it more than held its own in the company of Rivas and Wallys costing several times as much.
Now the initial hype has died down, I’m here to discover if it has the substance to back up those glowing first impressions. It’s a lot to live up to and, to be honest, I’m nervous it might not. The constant quest for ever more space and comfort means that many of today’s sportscruisers don’t handle or ride as well as their lower, leaner, more focused predecessors. The Fairline Targa 34 and 38 both drove superbly and while the 33 is smaller than either of them, it comes from very different design stock. With Olesinski now exclusive to Princess, Fairline turned to J&J Design for the F//line’s hull in an effort to replicate or exceed the magic of those legendary Targa forerunners. No pressure then.
SWING LOW
Ambling out of La Napoule in the South of France, hull No 1’s twin 430hp petrol V8s sounding more muted than I’d hoped (Fairline is looking into fruitier exhaust options), I couldn’t have asked for better conditions in which to test it. The October sun is still strong enough to warm our backs in the open cockpit (a T-top option will follow) but a stiffening autumn breeze has built a confusing chop over an underlying swell. What’s immediately obvious is just how sensitive the steering is. There are only 2.2 turns lock to lock and the hull reacts instantly to every inch of turn. It’s not just the speed of its reactions or tightness of the turn that grabs your attention but the degree of heel it induces.
I don’t recall any other boat that leans quite as far as the F//line does; during a tight starboard turn I’m convinced I could have touched the water with my hand. It never looks as dramatic in the photos as it seemed at the time but it is genuinely eye-opening how far you can push it. Perhaps the most surprising thing is that even at this angle it holds its line as surely as a short-track ice skater. It’s not entirely idiot proof, though; if you throw it too quickly from side to side under power it’s possible to overwhelm that grip and push the back end into a sudden slide, so make sure your guests know what to expect before you demonstrate its go-kart-like responses and wear the kill cord at all times in case you lose your footing.
It’s not just the handling that takes your breath away, the performance is pretty awesome too. Fairline is confident it will crack 50 knots with the right props and was hoping to prove it during this test, but even though the new props arrived in time we lacked the tools to remove the old ones. Still, an average two way speed of 47 knots through a hefty chop and a stiff breeze is 2 knots faster than the carbon-fibre Princess R35 and only 10 knots slower than the lighter, narrower Sunseeker Hawk 38.
The F//line’s standard engines are 240hp V6 petrols and there is an option for twin 220hp D3 diesels but we can’t see either of these doing justice to the hull. Nor is the fuel consumption of
the big V8s as bad as you might think; 3.2 litres per mile at
27.5 knots is not much thirstier than a Jeanneau NC37 powered by those very same 220hp D3s diesels (2.8 lpm @ 20 knots).
The good news is that you don’t have to drive the F//line like Steve Curtis to appreciate its seakeeping. It also has an uncanny ability to take the sting out of a lumpy sea at a 25-35 knot cruising speed. Plenty of boats make a decent fist of this when the hull is level, the bow immersed and the deepest part of the vee can soften the initial impact but few cope anything like as well when they land at an angle or too far back on the flattest part of the vee. The F//line seems to glide through unflustered, all but impervious to the angle of the hull or the waves.
There is no such thing as a planing boat that never slams but for its size and beam the F//line gets as close as any. We’d have to drive one back to back with a Windy Zonda or Camira to be certain but I’d wager it would be a close-run thing. We’re not just talking the small stuff either, later on in the day we have to make a mad dash back to port through waves you wouldn’t choose to be out in and we arrive sodden but safe and immensely impressed by the hull’s strength and ability.
The only thing that’s lacking from the driving experience is a better thought out helm position. There is no height or reach adjustment on the seats and only the small front section folds up so that when standing the bolster tucks behind your knees rather than your hips and lacks any side support to hold you in place. It might also be a good idea to add a lip to the low-slung windscreen to help divert the apparent wind over your head.
The helm itself is attractive and uncluttered but in the absence of any analogue dials could do with an extra screen for critical engine information as well as somewhere more secure to stash sunglasses and a more comfortable grab rail for the navigator than the current rectangular section one. The built-in phone holder/charger is a nice touch, though.
The rest of the cockpit is close to perfect, at least it will be once the usual teething troubles have been sorted out. Fairline admits that it was a race against time to get the first 33 ready for Cannes so some things were either rushed or not yet tested in earnest. The good news is that it’s only small stuff like seat back hinges, locker latches and table swivels that need beefing up while the luxury of time will ensure the fit and finish meets Fairline’s usual exacting standards. The basic architecture works a treat with a full-width wet bar directly behind the helm seats packing a fridge, icemaker, sink and induction hob (you’ll need the generator or lithium battery option to use it at anchor) plus a full set of cutlery, crockery and glasses securely stowed in custommade drawers. The dinette behind it can seat six for lunch around the foldout table but also makes up to a sunpad, while the rearmost bench can face aft to look over the clever folding transom/bathing platform. It’s a shame this is such a pricey option as the alternative of a pair of transom gates won’t have quite the same visual or practical appeal.
The lack of bow rails may prove an issue for some, although the beautifully engineered pantograph-hinged doors at least make it easy to get onto the sidedecks with pop-up cleats and buttons for lines and fenders. Personally, I felt safe enough on the foredeck in a marina but would think twice about it in a seaway. At least the anchor can be set and recovered from the cockpit thanks to a sprung bow roller that extends out when the tension comes off the chain to ensure the anchor drops clear of the bow.
There are also some gorgeous details like the F//line logos cut into the stainless steel bow cap, the foredeck strip lights, the vented air scoops and backlit ‘brake lights’, all of which illuminate at night for dramatic effect.
WEEKEND AWAY
Arguably the F//line designers’ greatest achievement is managing to create such a sporty, low-slung boat while still finding space for four decent berths below deck. There is over 6ft of headroom at the bottom of the companionway and enough space to sit five around the lower dinette. An electric hi-lo table helps this
The F//line seems to glide through unflustered, all but impervious to the angle of the hull or waves
convert to a double bed when required but with just two on board most owners will opt for the permanent double bed in the separate cabin under the cockpit. There is just enough headroom to sit up and read with lights and lockers at either end. A special recess means the door to this cabin clips flush into the adjoining bulkhead so that it can be left open when privacy isn’t an issue. The heads has standing headroom too but no separate shower compartment.
The overall look and layout below decks works well with sufficient storage for weekends away (but no indoor galley) and carefully designed LED lighting to keep things bright during the day and cosy at night. There are plans for a bow camera to project an image of the view forward on the optional bulkhead televison but I can’t help thinking a strip of glazing on each side in place of those blacked out styling lines would be a better solution if the hull structure allows it.
Again there’s a bit of sorting to be done behind the scenes, such as the unlined lockers and ply lids under the dinette cushions (drawers would probably be a smarter and more accessible option) but doubtless this will all get sorted in time. Fairline’s larger boats have some of the best quality interiors in the business so there’s every reason to believe the F//line will live up to the same standards.
VERDICT
Hallelujah! The wait is over and I’m more relieved than anything. A bit like meeting your favourite film star only to find that they’re not as likeable as they seem on screen, I had been concerned that the F//line might not live up to expectations. It does, on almost every level. It’s more expensive than I’d hoped (once you’ve specced it with the correct engines) and some of the fixtures and fittings on this first example need to be sorted before boats hit the market but the looks, driving experience and detailing are every bit as special as I’d hoped. Crucially, it’s also a really fun, useable boat not just a clever piece of design. At the time of our test Fairline already had orders for 27 boats and as soon as word gets out about how good it is to drive, more are bound to follow. Now I just need my Euromillions win to come in before the waiting list gets too long.
It’s a really fun, useable boat – not just a clever piece of design