Windy Yachts Triton 48

windy 48 t r i to n

Sam Tinson finds Windy yachts’ new Triton 48 offers poise, performance and more Scandinavian style than a branch of IKEA.

sam tinson

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norse code windyboatsaustralia.com.au

windy 48 triton

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pale rider Despite its unconventional layout the Triton 48 maintains an open boat feel, thanks to its neutral decor, uncluttered finish and large opening sunroof.

The cockpit features a comfortable lounge area with lozengeshaped table for dining, with a small BBQ area adjacent.

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the most striking thing is the layout itself, which is more akin to that of a sailing yacht with galley, saloon area and accommodation all below decks

ydney Harbour is having one of those moody days, when the weather can’t decide if it wants to rain or shine and sailing jackets come on and off more regularly than the passing ferries. Today is the eve of the 2010 Sydney International Boat Show, and the harbour is busy with yachts making their way to their berths at Darling Harbour. Most are following a single converging course towards the exhibition centre, but one, a sleek 48-foot motor cruiser with pale teak decks and an elegant downward-curving prow, is not running with the pack.

The rogue vessel is making high-speed runs between the heads, skipping over the choppy swell on its deep V-hull, and then banking hard on the turn with a rooster tail of spray. At straight-line speed she’s planing well, airborne from bow to midships, then digging in hard with each turn before powering away on another zigzag course. Clearly, the helmsman is having some fun.

The yacht is a Triton 48, the latest in a line of performance motor cruisers from boutique Norwegian builder Windy Boats. If you’ve not heard of Windy before don’t be surprised; the Triton is the first Windy in Australia, and its appearance at Sydney 2010 (which is where this boat is eventually heading, once it’s finished executing high-speed maneuvers for Ocean’s camera) is the first opportunity most Australians will have to see one up close.

No-one will be paying closer attention than the brand managers at Sunseeker, Fairline and Princess, big players in a Euro cruiser market that Windy has firmly in its sights. As the new kid on the block the Norwegian brand has a lot to prove, but with the Triton 48 it’s certainly making a clear statement of intent.

This is a very stylish European motor yacht, built with painstaking attention to detail and to Grade-A Survey standard. A performance cruiser powered by twin IPS drives, it comes fully loaded with reassuringly branded bells and whistles: a range-topping Raymarine E140 HybridTouch display; multi-speaker Bose audio; a Bosch oven and hob; Dometic reverse cycle air-conditioning with individual climate control in each of the three cabins… the list goes on. And crucially, it comes with a price tag that ends, fully optioned, where its competitors start off.

Robert De Graaf, who in partnership with his son Robert distributes Windy Boats in Australia, discovered the brand while scouring the internet for good Survey-standard builds.

“We were searching online for a good brand that built to Grade-A standard,” says Robert. “The blogs and forums were raving about Windy, people on their second or third Windy boat saying how good they are, how much support they get from the manufacturer. We knew it was the right boat to bring to Australia.”

The De Graafs found that a lot of the positive online chatter about Windy related to the high quality build and finish, a result, say Windy, of centuriesold Norwegian boat building traditions.

The techniques may be old but the look is thoroughly modern, with a focus on Scandinavian designer cool. Warm neutral tones, soft padded surfaces, pale ash cabinetry and practical, unfussy finishing abound, all complimented by an abundance of natural light.

The most striking thing is the layout itself, which is more akin to that of a sailing yacht with galley, saloon area and accommodation all below decks, and the bridge and an additional lounge-dining area topside. Everything below decks is on one level, with a guest cabin either side of the cabin stairs aft (one double, one twin) and a full-beam master bedroom with ensuite head in the bow. It’s this arrangement that contributes to the Triton’s elegant exterior profile, characterised by the long bow, high waistline and sleek, foreshortened superstructure located a long way aft. It makes for a goodlooking motor yacht, but not one that the Australian market is used to.

“It’s a European boat with great style

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and build quality, but it is designed for the European climate,” says Robert. “I’ve just come back from Sweden, where we’ve been discussing plans to take the closed cabin access style and change it to suit the Australian market, which prefers a more open boat. The layout is going to be really opened up. These are the sorts of things that Windy are happy to do. We’ve got a 76 on the drawing board which will have up to 20 metres completely open.”

Anyone who buys a Windy now, though, need have no fear of feeling cooped up. The light colour scheme, clutter-free finish and practical layout give the Triton 48 a feeling of spaciousness that continues on the bridge lounge, which features a large banquette and triangular dining table within chatting distance of the helm. A hot-rock barbeque and icemaker are hidden beneath a hinged Corian worktop, and by opening the sunroof the whole space becomes an al fresco dining area. The helm itself offers a commanding 360-degree view, helped by that gently sloping bow. At the touch of a button a teak plinth slides out from under the helm seats, providing a stand-up helm position for those who like to feel the wind in their hair.

Fit and finish aboard the Triton 48 are outstanding, from the polished mahogany handrails on the foredeck to the bespoke cabinetry below decks. Nice touches include dimmer-switch mood lighting throughout the boat, under floor storage and cool boxes, fully-enclosed stand up showers in both heads and doors that secure on hidden magnets (dispensing with the need for dangling catches).

“Everyone comments on the finish,” says Robert.

“We’re not a production company so we don’t mass produce boats, we build to order. The owner of Windy is a publisher and a financier, a billionaire. He doesn’t need to make money with Windy, so he puts all the money straight back into materials and R&D. It’s like a very expensive hobby of his. So it’s ridden the GFC easily and it also means Windy owners get brilliant support.”

The Triton comes with a range of engine options including D6 and D9 Volvo Penta shaftdrive set ups, but the De Graafs are keen to steer customers toward the twin IPS 600s with which our test boat is fitted.

“We try to push the IPS because it’s the new technology, it’s powerful and fuel efficient and great

for low-speed maneuvering,” says Robert. “We’re getting a lot of interest in customers who want something for short coastal cruising, and to use as a day boat. But they all want the option for going up the Hawkesbury river or up to Port Stevens for a couple of days too if they want, and the 48 with IPS is ideal for that.”

“The beauty of this boat, and the reason why we were so happy when we found this brand, is that it’s built to A-grade build,” adds Rob De Graaf Jnr. “It’s designed for the North Sea, so it can handle a trip outside the heads, no problem.”

And he’s right. The water between Sydney Harbour’s South and North Heads is doing its best impression of the North Sea on the day of our test, and the Triton looks and feels very much at home. Under full power she irons out the bumps beautifully, reaching her maximum speed of 34 knots with pace and grace despite the choppy conditions. Our performance soon attracts the attention of the local maritime patrol (or it may be our lack of trade plates, we’ll never know) but they seem less concerned about maritime law and more interested in telling us what a nice boat we have. We escape without copping the $400 fine – thank you, Windy.

When we finally ease into Windy Boats’ berth at the Sydney Boat Show – child’s play thanks to IPS and two-speed joystick control – the Triton makes a tempting sight for any prospective buyer. The message is clear – a new player has blown into town.

Windy Boats Australia +61 (0)2 9968 1800 www.windyboatsaustralia.com.au

Builder country of build

Sweden

designer

Windy Boats

interior designer

Windy Boats

Year of build LOA HANDY SCANDY The interior of the Triton 48 is a masterclass in Scandinavian sense, with top quality craftsmanship and clever use of space. Liberal use of bleached ash for the cabinetry adds to the feeling of space and light, and gives a clean modern appearance.

The main bedroom (opposite) benefits from light from double portholes and a circular hatch.

Windy Boats

Beam displacement

2010 14.52 m 4.20 m 12,500kg

hull Modified deep V hedron with PVC foam girder stiffening system superstructure

GRP laminate with PVC foam sandwich construction

engines

2 x Volvo Penta D6 or IPS 600 or 2 x D9 shaftdrive

output

2 x 324kW / 435hp (IPS)

propellers Twin forward facing propellers in Volvo Penta IPS drives speed (Max) speed (Cruise) Fuel Capacity Freshwater navigation electronics Berths Tenders

34 knots 28-30 knots 1500 litres 350 litres Raymarine 6 berths (2 doubles, one twin) Dinghy platform

price as tested AU$1.51m

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