CRUISERS YACHTS 41 CANTIUS SPORTS CRUISER REVIEW

Cruisers Yachts is ramping up its presence and model range in Australia. As John Zammit found, its latest cruiser, the 41 Cantius Sports Cruiser, is well worth a serious look.

My overall impression of the Cruisers Yachts 41 Cantius is a positive one. She looks good, performs well and is versatile. She’s a great entertainer and, with her cruising range, 284lt of fresh water, ample refrigeration and comfortable accommodation, makes an excellent weekender too. Throw in joystick controls for easy handling at close quarters and I think you’ll have yourself a top-notch performer.

CRUISERS YACHTS

The 41 Cantius Sports Cruiser sits about mid-range within the Cruisers Yachts lineup and it’s got a lot going for it — great living areas like the fully air-conditioned saloon. This is light, bright and airy and features a large, electrically-operated sunroof; large side windows; huge two-piece windscreen and sliding glass doors out to the cockpit which provide 360-degree panoramic views.

To port, stylish U-shaped seating surrounds a foldout teak and holly table. Opposite, on the starboard side aft, a built in wetbar is perfectly located to service family and guests relaxing inside or out in the cockpit. Well equipped for casual living or entertaining, the wetbar incorporates an under-bench fridge/icemaker, dedicated glass and bottle storage and a sink within the Corian bench top. There’s more storage overhead and a combined stereo/DVD and LED TV that swings out.

A tri-panel sliding glass door leads out to the cockpit and, when fully open, indoors and outside combine seamlessly. In the covered cockpit, L-shaped seating along the port side incorporates a chaise lounge and continues around the transom.

Across to starboard, an inbuilt electric barbecue has storage underneath and overhead there’s more LED lighting. Our test boat was fitted with a cockpit camera, allowing the skipper to keep an eye on things from the helm. Very handy if you were entertaining, or had kids sitting out in the cockpit while underway.

A couple of steps down from the cockpit there’s a huge swimplatform and moulded into the transom facing aft, a large table with Corian top and a couple of removable bar stools. This is a fabulous idea with endless ways to use this space.

The table top lifts to reveal cavernous storage for dive gear, fenders, ropes, water toys and so on. There’s also a foldout swimladder, hot and cold transom shower and the shorepower lead is electrically retractable.

DOWN BELOW

The accommodation below decks is impressive – chic décor combined with innovative and clever use of space. A set of stairs leads down from the saloon, with the galley located to port. While it’s relatively compact, they’ve certainly maximised every square millimetre.

There’s a nice big under-bench stainless steel 120lt fridge/freezer, dedicated cutlery and crockery storage, cupboards under bench and overhead, stainless steel sink, twin electric cooktop and even a convection microwave. There’s no ceiling to this section, but it’s directly open to the windscreen above, and so, constantly bathed in natural light. More light emanates from a large elongated portlight in the hull, which means anyone working in the galley also gets the benefit of great water views.

CABINS

Accommodation is in two roomy cabins, each with its own en suite. Forward in the bow, the stylish master features good head height, an island bed and excellent storage, including cedar-lined hanging space. The light show continues here too, with a large overhead hatch and elongated portlights in the hull on either side.

The en suite features an electric VacuFlush toilet and, interestingly, something I know my wife would love, a self-closing lid. The stylish vanity, with ceramic bowl and mirrored doors, includes ample storage and the separate shower cubicle is fully enclosed with a bi-fold door. Another overhead hatch and opening porthole provide natural light and ventilation while the air-conditioning even extends to the bathrooms.

The second cabin, situated amidships, is surprisingly large and features twin beds with an infill that converts them to a queen if required. There’s excellent storage here too, and with beds running athwartships, room for a stylish bathroom vanity on the port side, with a separate room accommodating the VacuFlush toilet and shower.

ENGINES

Power on the Cruisers Yachts 41 Cantius Sports Cruiser comes from a pair of Volvo Penta IPS500 POD drives (370hp each) and there’s plenty of room to get around the engines and the pods for servicing. Four batteries are housed in a vented battery box with the battery isolator switches handily located and there’s also a battery charger. The engineroom also houses the 83lt hot-water service, fire-suppression system and forward of the engines, a Kohler 11kVa generator.

The main AC/DC panel is located in the saloon and it too is conveniently located close to the entry, providing easy access when boarding or leaving the boat. It includes a full array of circuitbreakers as well as gauges for freshwater and blackwater.

HANDLING AND RIDE

The day of our test was a magnificent autumn day with sun shining and just a slight breeze. We put her through her paces and tried to simulate rough water by running back across our own wake – not perfect test conditions, but it did give us the opportunity to throw the boat into tight turns and serpentines at various speeds. She really leans heavily into the turns, typical of IPS pod drives, a bit disconcerting at first but after a while you get used to it and it becomes quite fun.

We ran through the whole rev range and I found her soft riding and easy to drive. You do need to work the trim tabs though, to keep her on an even keel, especially at speed. It required a bit of tweaking before I found the sweet spot but once there, it’s worth the effort. What was also noticeable by its absence was engine noise; we were able to hold a normal conversation throughout the whole test without having to raise our voices.

In terms of cruising, I found that around 3000rpm the 41 Cantius felt about right and produced 22kts. At that speed we were using 106lt of fuel per hour, which to me means you’re covering good ground without breaking the bank. She carries 1136lt of fuel, so at that rate she’d have a comfortable cruising range of around 200nm leaving a bit of a safety margin. Of course if you really need to get somewhere in a hurry, ramp her up to WOT (3600rpm) and she returns better than 31kts.

HIGHS

• Nice styling

• Good performer

• Innovative features

• Excellent use of space

• Fit and finish

LOWS

• VHF radio location, a bit of a hazard at knee height

• No anchor washdown

• Cold water only to the wet bar sink

CRUISERS YACHTS 41 CANTIUS SPORTS CRUISER SEA TRIALS

Twin 370hp Volvo Penta IPS500.

RPM	SPEED (kts)	FUEL BURN (lt/h)
100	4.5	8.2
1400	6.6	17
1800	7.6	39
2200	9.6	65
2400 (on the plane)	12.5	77
2600	15.5	86
2800	18.5	94
3000	21.8	106
3200	24.7	115
3400	28	135
3600 (WOT)	31.2	158

*Sea trial data supplied by the author.

CRUISERS YACHTS 41 CANTIUS SPORTS CRUISER SPECIFICATIONS

PRICE AS TESTED

$A799,000

OPTIONS FITTED

Foredeck chaise lounge, aft cockpit tables, cockpit electric grill and storage, blinds to saloon and skyshade to sunroof, saloon refrigerator/icemaker, central vacuum system, Amtico floor, therapeutic mattress, three LED TVs, Flexiteek cockpit and swim platform deck, underwater lights, Raymarine E97 and E95 screens, GPS/plotter, radar, IPS integrated autopilot and more

PRICED FROM

$A749,000

GENERAL

MATERIAL GRP-cored construction with vinylester resin beneath the waterline

TYPE Monohull

LENGTH 13m overall

BEAM 4m

DRAFT 1.14m

WEIGHT 11,340kg

CAPACITIES

PEOPLE (night) 4

FUEL 1136lt