Like most sportscruisers, Carver's Trojan 440
Express appeals to the performance buff first.
The profile is low, the foredeck long and the
windscreen a giant wrap-around shield.
Basically, it has a go-fast-anywhere image.
It's slick alright, though grease isn't the
word which best describes this new
sportscruiser.
It's w-i-d-e.
Despite the sleek lines, the slippery hull and
the performance which will flatten the most
defiant hairdo, the big thing here is good
old-fashioned beam.
This boat is big enough to host a party - a
big party on deck and down below. You've got a
10-stacker CD player, halogen downlighting,
plush carpet which pokes up between your toes,
air conditioning and icemaker. But best of all
is its sheer floor space - enough to party
with friends well into the night.
In fact, with three separate cabins and two
heads, you can feasibly sleep six people
aboard this sportscruiser and do it in comfort
- not by converting dinettes and putting
cushions on top of tables.
Day or night, party or not, the accommodation
remains private, especially in the owners'
cabin built way up there in the bow.
Carver, a subsidiary of the giant corporation
Genmar Industries in America, which makes
Wellcraft, Bayliner and other sporty brands of
boats, has long believed in the value of elbow
room. Indeed, Carver boats have always been
interior boats full of clever ideas about
space utilisation.
And so it is with this new 44-foot
sportscruiser - as it should be with a boat
that starts at $738,000.
THE SPACE RACE
Where you are first hit by the space thing is
at the helm. It's like sitting in the cockpit
of a 747-400 and with no more wind on your
face as you travel, thanks to the big
tempered-glass windscreen.
Behind the windscreen, guests travel on a
forward-facing bench seat while you drive from
your double-width seat with room for a friend.
The tilt steering wheel falls to hand, and
when you look out past the sweeping dash with
wood accents and lots of back-lit switches,
the view to the bow is clear. And there you
will find a nice safe deck with high rails
and, of course, a sunpad.
Look over your shoulder and you'll see that
the cockpit isn't so big that guests lose all
sense of intimacy. There's a wrap-around
lounge built around a moveable drinks table
which converts to a sun lounge. There's carpet
underfoot and a smart targa arch with lights
and aerials flying overhead.
The curves and bumps and mouldings are
Italian-styled, making the 440 not only a
pretty boat but comfortable for, say, 10
people to ride in.
Of course, where the party begins is with the
wet bar. Built into the cockpit on the
starboard side, the wet bar includes an
ice-maker as well as a useful fridge. From
here, a wide transom door leads out to a nice
big boarding platform.
Ingenious is the word to describe what you
will find next... Though offered as an option,
the testboat boasted a brilliant adjustable
hydraulic drive-on swim platform.
Coupled with a push-button lazarette storage
hold, it provides space for two PWCs making
sure they're out of the way but ready at a
moment's notice to be set free.
THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE
Now, put all this together and picture what
the Trojan can do for you.
You can cruise to your destination with your
entourage in style. There you send the anchor
down with the push of a button as guests
wander to their respective lounges - from the
bow to the stern - with a tall glass filled
with a Screwdriver and icecubes which tinkle
as they go.
The sun is yours and so are the water toys -
those two PWCs tucked away in the transom,
which are so easily launched from the optional
hydraulic platform or the davit. A day like
this on the water and you'll make friends for
life - such are the delights of top-class
sportscruising.
When the sun sets, guests will go below deck
to find an entertainment centre with colour
TV/VCR, a cocktail table, a long sofa made
from a soft, sensual leather-like material
and, of course, lots of floor space.
Headroom is a high point, but the finishing
touches are what really make the room sparkle.
Cherrywood combines with brass and chrome
hardware, softened by overhead lighting with
dimmers or the skylight by day; a headliner in
neutral buff-colour; and carpet which is a
light straw tone.
The galley has been located forward in the
saloon to port and has been cleverly built in
so you never need to look at dirty dishes
again. There are louvre-like covers which
slide out and conceal the sink and appliances,
though the coffee maker, microwave and big
fridge and freezer are always at hand.
HEADS AND TAILS
The dayhead is sensibly located near the
companionway steps leading back up to the
cockpit. Aft from the saloon are two adequate
cabins for those blessed hangers-on - of which
this boat will attract plenty.
The port cabin has a queen-sized berth with
private entry, cedar-lined lockers and its own
entrance to the bathroom to turn it into an
ensuite. Pillows, shams and even a complete
sheet set with logos are thrown in.
The smaller starboard cabin still manages a
queen-sized bed and its own private entrance.
It's the place to put the children if you're
unlucky enough to find them stowing away for
the night.
Even then, the master cabin in the bow is far
enough from the living areas that you'll
always find it a retreat. It has a queen-sized
island berth with enough floor space so you
can change outfits without tripping over. It
has an ensuite, vanity with make-up mirror,
twin hanging lockers, solid privacy door and
its own sheets, shams and pillow set too.
IN YOUR SIGHTS
With the throttles in your hand and automatic
synchronisers for the engines, the Trojan 440
is an easy boat to launch.
Thank the wide beam for that, too. The boat
lifts out of the water and eases onto the
plane smartly, the rudders are transom-hung
and the props well aft to help transfer the
power.
That power is, in standard form, twin C-series
450 Cummins, though you can have Volvo,
Caterpillar or, if you really want to shake a
leg, twin 680hp eight-cylinder MANs.
All motor options are shaft-driven and diesel,
so you can enjoy the benefits of both range
and reliability.
Travelling quite flat on the water, the hull
penned by Milanese company, DeSimoni Yacht
Design, seems dry enough. Though it turns
casually, it does so without banking.
Where you'll find the Trojan 440 Express best
is in a straight line, doing a top speed of
30kt or cruising at an economical 24.
Wide-eyed and innocent it may not be, but the
Trojan 440 Express is built for travelling far
and wide - just like Business Class but with a
much better view.
|
TROJAN EXPRESS 440 |
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Priced from $730,000 |
|
Price as tested $759,000 |
|
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HULL |
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Material: GRP |
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Type: moderate-vee mono |
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LOA: 13.59m |
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Deadrise at transom: N/A |
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Beam: 4.57m |
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Draft: not given |
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Displacement: 13,608kg laden |
|
|
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ENGINES (as tested) |
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Make: Twin Diamond Series Cummins |
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Type: Inboard, inline six, turbo-diesel |
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Model: 450C |
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Displacement (ea): 8300cc |
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Rated hp (ea): 450hp |
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Weight (ea): 856kg |
|
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CAPACITIES |
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Fuel: 1635lt |
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Water: 390lt |
| |
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* Prices & data correct at time of
publication |
