Aft cabin flybridge to sports cruiser

[Swaaby]

P460 is a lovely thing! Must admit we quite like saving boats, so not too worried about hard work. Oily bits not so much..

 

[Sticky Fingers]

The real value in an old motor boat is in the engines, so if they’re completely shot it’s a commercial scrapper. Unusual but could happen of course, but maybe a candidate for a love and affection rebuild. Out of interest not necessity I had a quote to re-engine the 460 with new Cummins, was c 100k.

 

[rafiki_]

My experience is similar to Sticky Fingers. I had a Sunline 31 sports cruiser on the River Severn. We wanted more accommodation, and initially were looking for a Princess 360, but spotted an Azimut 39 on the river, and fell for the style. We bought a 39, moved her to Portishead, so I could use her as a crash pad when in my Bristol office. For me she looked huge after the Sunline. I had 4 hours pontoon bashing on The Hamble with a pro skipper, and this showed me how easy it was to handle on shafts, compared with the out drives on the Sunline. We had a couple of seasons on the Bristol Channel, then moved her back to the Hamble, where we had 5 great years.
We had a 4 year hiatus from boating, apart from charter sailing, which was great. Then bought our fabulous Azimut 42 last Spring. Moored at Haslar, we are loving the Solent again. The fly gives us great accommodation options, fantastic visibility, and super leisure options.

 

[Swaaby]

Thanks Rafiki, the Azimut 42 is a gorgeous machine! I think the main problem re windage and docking for me is the large aft cabin on my boat. Ironically we never use it now, after thinking it was a must-have feature.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Thanks Rafiki, the Azimut 42 is a gorgeous machine! I think the main problem re windage and docking for me is the large aft cabin on my boat. Ironically we never use it now, after thinking it was a must-have feature.

What boat do you have? 45’ aft cabin flybridge boats are pretty rare… Princess 435, Fairline Phantom 43AC… um, Trader 445. Probably something else that I’ve forgotten!

Atlantic 444. Various Brooms. Searanger 46/48.

 

[Swaaby]

Humber 448. A beautiful thing. It became a Pearl 45 afterwards.

 

[PaulRainbow]

Compared to most (all) 45ft flybridge boats the accommodation on a 40ft sports cruiser is tiny and it's no easier to handle.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Humber 448. A beautiful thing. It became a Pearl 45 afterwards.

Wow yes of course. That’s a rare beast. I appreciate I’m not you, but I’d keep it!

 

[roa312]

I recognise your sentiment, as previously owned a flybridge and traded down to a Princess v42 - mainly to have something more manageable when it comes to weekly cleaning, etc. We also found that almost all time was spent on the flybridge, so the open sportscruiser layout suited us well, as it essentially resembles a significantly larger flybridge with a bimini top (depending on whether you go for a hardtop or not). I would second what others have said above: outdrive boats are definitely more difficult to handle during harbour manoeuvres compared to shaft-driven boats - lots of wheel turning.

The v39, v40, and v42 are quite similar and were in production for a long time. I would say the quality of these boats is low to mid-average. Many of them experience problems with leaky windows over the years, and we were no different. Then again, there’s a brand-new 2025 v50 sitting next to us that just had all its windows removed due to heavy leaks in the rain!

The boats on your shortlist are fairly different in layout, so it might be best to have a look around and see what feels right for you. Feel free to send any questions my way if the v40 or v42 looks interesting!

 

[Boaty_Pete]

Unless you're very different to the majority, I'd be surprised if long term you didn't regret the move.
Obviously you have your thoughts and reasons and they are the most important thing. You have a fabulous boat, but if you don't spend lots of time aboard and space isn't important, maybe you would love a sports cruiser.
I have no knowledge of your skills and experience but I can tell you based on your concerns, and as mentioned already, stay away from outdrives if handling is your biggest concern. Everyone with them on the larger boats in our marina whinges about not having screws.

 

[Neil1300r]

Compared to most (all) 45ft flybridge boats the accommodation on a 40ft sports cruiser is tiny and it's no easier to handle.

Looking at pictures of a 448, it looks a lot easier and more secure to move around the decks as well. Side decks look wider than the average Sports Cruiser