POWER PLAY
to the wheel and ready to obey inputs from the throttles. The steering is light enough to be whirled about with one hand but the boat doesn’t wander when you want it to maintain a straight course and there is feedback through the wheel when you dial in some hard lock. It is here where sterndrives are so much more rewarding than pods, which despite being light of steering tend to disconnect you from the action and limit the heel angle which the 37 so relishes. Throw the wheel in hard and the Grandezza banks with devilish tenacity, the stern sweeping around in a controlled glide in the manner of a sportsboat half the size. So fast are the boat’s reactions that in particularly ferocious manoeuvres you can almost feel the electronics trying to keep up with the inertia.
Few owners are ever going to drive their boats as hard as this but it’s reassuring to know that it feels so capable on the limit.
With only our own wash and that of passing boats mounting a challenge to the 37’s ride it was hard to get a definitive take on how well the boat would handle rough weather but it seems unlikely that the hull will be caught out if driven sensibly. Like most cruising boats of this ilk, it isn’t the hull that makes a fuss when waves arrive, more likely the components. To an extent that is the case with the Grandezza, where the Webasto sunroof and helm door rattling on impact take the shine off a boat that, in general, handles hard landings with confidence.
A glance at the sound readings in the table on the final page would suggest the 37 is a bit of a noisy cruising companion but I don’t feel they reflect what it’s actually like on board. For longer journeys you will probably want the cockpit doors closed to drown out the hum of the engines but it’s not as loud as the numbers suggest. While we’re on engines, there are two options available: twin D4 270hp as standard or a pair of 300s for around £8,000 more, which we had on our test boat. Both are fitted with Volvo’s lovely DPI sterndrives. The extra oomph of the 300s is pleasant but, given the smaller engines are on the same fourcylinder block and will only be a couple of knots shy at full chat I would probably go with them and spend the money saved on some goodies elsewhere, like teak in the saloon and the classy hi-lo cockpit table. Torque is slightly up with the 300s but the curve is broadly the same so in day-to-day use the difference will be imperceptible.
Back to the helm and, as good as it is, it’s not perfect. On the boat we tested there was nowhere for the skipper to stow loose items on the dash apart from a flat shelf. An excuse was made that the factory omitted the single cup holder that is usually on the dash, which seems a little slapdash for a yard as experienced as those who build these and Finnmasters. Even if it had been included it still wouldn’t be enough; a single slot in the dash isn’t going to manage a mug, phone, handheld VHF and sunglasses so there needs to be a rethink here. In contrast, the storage options on offer for the navigator are excellent. This is an area of the boat that is well thought out, with a double bench allowing two passengers to sit up front when the boat is underway. Before them is a moulded tray with grippy inlays to hold electronics, two USB chargers and a fabric wallet that can be removed and taken home. Great for – dare I say – storing something as old fashioned as a paper chart.
PRACTICAL DELIGHTS
Exploring the saloon and cockpit you begin to pick up where the premium that this boat commands over its mass-produced rivals is being spent. The joinery is high quality and beautifully assembled and there is storage everywhere. Just count the number of drawers in the galley, each one mounted on soft-close runners and punctuated with tactile pop-out catches. There is a diesel-fired Wallas hob, so there is no need to carry gas on board, and above it a Dometic extractor fan – not something you see on every 38ft sportscruiser. The table in the saloon and optional one in the cockpit are both mounted on electric hi-lo legs, the latter
dropping down to create a sunpad in the cockpit. Accessing deck storage in the cockpit doesn’t require pulling cushions off and removing awkward locker lids, you simply lift the seat base, which is mounted on a pair of gas-assisted hinges. The backrests are attached to their mouldings not with cheap Velcro or fiddly poppers but magnetised sockets, which slot home perfectly. There is a huge dry storage void in the saloon floor, perfect for storing dry food supplies but large enough to swallow a folding bike or blow-up SUP if needed. Engine access is equally impressive; the entire cockpit deck rises electronically to reveal the pair of motors, which will be a joy to work on given how much space is around them and the quality of the installation. It is a craft that has so clearly been built in a country where boats are viewed as tools, not extravagant playthings – it’s built to be used and used all year round. With two sliding roofs – a glass one over the saloon and a canvas one over the cockpit – and full canopies to enclose the cockpit you can do just that. The boat’s neat proportions and flexibility prepare it perfectly for the changeable weather conditions of northern Europe.
Downstairs the layout isn’t revolutionary but what is there is
executed well. The forward master’s double is mounted quite high but there are shallow steps on either side to ease the clamber into bed. Both occupants get a cup holder, twin charging sockets and a tray for storing jewellery. The cabin door is split in two so it doesn’t gobble up valuable space and there is a hanging locker in the hallway that guests have access to if they need it. Headroom is restricted over the berths in the guest cabin, especially the inboard one, but the beds are a good size and the backrest fitted to the outboard berth to create a sofa pulls away and slots in between the beds to create a truly huge double. It’s yet more evidence of space being used wisely and guests will appreciate how much storage the designers have shoehorned into even the pokiest of corners.
There is only enough space for one bathroom but it’s attractively fitted out and features a separate shower cubicle with a proper door and a teak bench to perch on mid-wash.
VERDICT
With a starting price of just over £400,000 the 37 is well towards the top end of sub-40ft sportscruiser class. Its rivals are the likes of the Marex 360 CC and Nimbus 365 Coupé, not high-volume options from Jeanneau, Beneteau, Bavaria and Sealine. Yes, there are broad similarities in their interior layouts and propulsion choices but the French boats are cockpit sportscruisers without the protection and flexibility of the 37’s deck saloon. The base price of the Beneteau Gran Turismo
40, for example, is over £100,000 less than the Grandezza but it’s likely that the gap will be a fair bit narrower once the GT40’S optional extras match what comes as standard on the 37.
In fact, the Grandezza is somewhat of an outlier in the class. The Nimbus is a classy alternative but doesn’t engage you from the helm like the 37 and though the Marex is just as well put together and equally fun to drive, its quirky main deck layout won’t suit everybody. The Windy 40 Maestro? Expensive even in this company.
In fact, with the Brits and Italians all but abandoning this sector, if it’s a high quality sportscruiser of these dimensions you want the Grandezza makes an excellent case for itself. CONTACT Gibbs Quay Boat Sales. +44 (0)1202 682457; www.grandezza.fi