CRANCHI ZAFFIRO 34
BUILT 2002 PRICE £69,950
A good looking boat that offers great value, the Cranchi Zaffiro should be on the shortlist of any mid 30ft sportscruiser hunt.
INTERIOR
The interior isn’t quite as ‘cherry ’n leather’ as a Fairline, but the pale linings and light upholstery look fresh and contemporary (and high gloss wooden doors throw in a little contrast). Another classic two-cabin layout, one either end of the saloon, might be entirely conventional, but it’s a proven formula that works well. The mid cabin features two single berths that infill to create a double – best of both worlds, and although the cabin bed is offset, it’s still able to be accessed from either side.
EXTERIOR
The split level cockpit has a raised section forward protected by a sweep of windscreen with space for crew on an L-shaped settee next to the helm. Drop down to the lower section aft to discover a big three-sided dinette that converts to a sunpad to port and a wet bar opposite. Access forward is via narrow but perfectly useable 6-inch wide side decks, but unusually there is also access through a central opening section of windscreen – very handy for fast access forward from the helm.
PERFORMANCE
Twin 5-litre V8 petrols were a fast but thirsty option so twin diesels were more popular. Base diesel engines were Volvo AQAD 41 at 200hp but most got the more powerful KAD 43 230hp motors for a mid 30-knot top end. Some of the last boats got the new D4-260hp engines when they came on stream in 2005.
SEAKEEPING
We were given four consecutive days in the South of France to test the Zaffiro when it launched in 1997 – happy days! Sadly, our carefully crafted plan to spend them cruising from Antibes to Iles d’hyères and back to St Tropez (all in the interests of serious consumer journalism) were thwarted by 25 knot Mistrals. They did at least give us the chance to test the seakeeping, finding a ‘useful sea boat and fun performance drive”.
LOA 35ft 9in (10.9m) Beam 11ft 4in (3.5m) Draft 2ft 10in (0.9m) Displacement 5.4 tonnes Fuel capacity 570 litres Engines Twin Volvo Penta KAD 43/dp 230hp diesel
FOR SALE Tingdene Boat Sales www.tingdeneboatsales.net