The Bella has left the family- we needed a narrower boat (!). And one with a newer engine.
So here it is, the replacement:
It has the standard 60 horsepower Yamaha which I had no experience with. Four-cylinder 1 litre inline, and very smooth it is, too.
It always amazes me how promo-videos of boats show it racing across a glassy surface on a windless day. That’s not what I want! I want a boat that can ride the waves, and this one really can. It has a deep V-hull, and cuts across choppy waves extremely well. I have taken it out in really rough weather, and it feels very-very safe. It really handles well. Not that you ever need it, but you can also throw it into tight turns and it corners without skipping thanks to longitudinal profiles welded to the hull.
The internal space has been utilized to the last inch, so it feels bigger than the figures say. A 5m bowrider can feel cramped behind the windscreen, but this one doesn’t. The rear bench is way way back in the boat, and underneath it there is quite decent storage, and you wonder where the fuel tank is, and it’s one floor below, and really not easy to get to.
So – hats off to the designers of the hull, the designers of the interior, and the people who welded it together. It really is a gem.
schoutbynacht 