BIRCHWOOD COMMANDO 370

BUILT 2003 PRICE £69,950

The Commando 370 was quite the departure for Nottinghamshire based Birchwood Marine Limited when it launched at the London Boat Show in 1999. Well known for its comfortable, if slightly staid, aft cabin cruisers, it was the only open cockpit sportscruiser the marque had in the range and was designed to broaden the appeal of this British builder, and maybe even take on the mighty Princess and Fairline.

INTERIOR

Offset stairs into the cabin mean that you must lead with your left foot every time, but they do free up space in the saloon, which is rather nicely finished. Cabins are a good size, especially the mid cabin which has a generous lobby and two single beds 6ft 6in long that infill to create a double berth. A particularly clever feature is the saloon table. Many boats have demountable tables but nowhere to stow them. On the Commando 370 it stores vertically against the bulkhead creating a headboard.

EXTERIOR

The hull of the Commando 370 is actually that of the Birchwood TS34 and later 340, the extra length justifying the 370 badge created by a larger bathing platform.

Scalloped topsides were a Birchwood trademark feature and the cockpit features an unusually high window line, giving extra protection at higher speeds.

PERFORMANCE

When we tested the boat in 1999 it was from the rather unusual location of Chelsea Harbour on the River Thames in London. We took it down to the Medway where we achieved 31.7 knots on the (pre GPS) radar gun from its twin Volvo Penta KAD 43 230hp diesels. This boat has the KAD 300 285hp diesels which give it 40 knots according to the broker.

SEAKEEPING

A wide cruising speed range and a level ride was how we described it at the time. Low noise levels merited a mention too.

LOA 37ft 2in (11.3m) Beam 12ft 4in (3.7m) Draft 3ft 1in (0.9m) Displacement 7.3 tonnes Fuel capacity 650 litres Engines Twin Volvo Penta KAD 300 285hp diesels

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