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Geared
for entertaining, Doral's Elegante
376 also appeals as an
overnighter. Simply, it's an
aptly-named vessel that won't
baulk at the prospect of a long
time at sea
Someone at the Canadian
headquarters of boatbuilder Doral
must know that sportscruisers
aren't used as overnighters
anywhere near as often as they are
for entertaining. How else can you
explain the amazingly
accommodating uni-level cockpit
with surrounding seats for more
than a dozen and two outdoor
tables on the Elegante 376? We're
talking lunch settings par
excellence.
To which you need to consider the
interior layout without the usual
pre-made permanent berth in the
bow, but continuous lounges
tracing the saloon around another
two tables. That's four
entertaining areas in total! Thus,
should the weather turn turtle or
you want more intimacy the whole
gang can head below for fine
dining on the aptly named Elegante.
Needless to day, the good days are
for dining on deck. There is a lot
that distinguishes the Doral from
other run-of-the-mill
sportscruisers – things like the
boarding platform, which is so big
that it rates as a waterfront
balcony; the European finish with
stainless steel tread steps in the
cockpit to designer fabrics
inside; the hull, which is built
to CE Category B (force eight
seas) and NMMA standards.
Though it is yet another
sportscruiser sporting Volvo Penta
power – very much the engines of
the moment – the Elegante was
fitted with the latest
freshwater-cooled Ocean Series 5.7
OSXi-XDP 320hp petrol motors with
composite sterndrive legs and the
NeutraSalt push-button flushing
system. In fact, in most respects,
this Doral had the latest of
everything.
CONSTRUCTION
Beginning as a small-boat builder
in the early 70s, Doral was soon
owned by French yachting giant
Jeanneau before Erwin Zecha bought
the company in 1996. Since then,
Doral has taken a different
direction, blending European
styling with a huge standard
inventory that goes beyond what's
provided by most American yards.
While the Canadian company still
builds sportsboats and small
performance craft, it's the
express cruisers such as this
Elegante 376, which is really a
33-footer sans its huge boarding
platform, and the sportyachts to
45ft that best represent the
different Doral thinking.
Speaking of which, to the hull
form…
The variable deadrise from 18 to
14 degrees at the transom hasn't
as much to do with producing a
smooth ride as the fine forward
sections and, moreover, the build
quality. Doral uses the so-called
CoreGuard system to produce a
keel-to-gunwale, handlaid,
balsa-cored composite boat, with
what it calls Next Generation
through-bolted hull and deck
assembly.
The end result is a truly
monocoque boat, backed by 10-year
warranties on a hull and deck that
doesn't shake, rattle or roll.
Being so wide aft, it does tend to
porpoise with too much trim out,
but with trim tabs and the latest
Ocean Series composite sterndrive
legs there's plenty of scope to
button it to the water.
Clearly, 316-grade stainless steel
deck gear isn't in short supply,
but nor are the integral creature
comforts and amenities. To power
many of these amenities, the
Elegante is bundled with a 6kW
petrol-powered Kohler generator.
The generator runs very smoothly,
without the usual diesel-engine
clatter. The dealer-fitted options
such as the stainless steel anchor
and mahogany foredeck sunpads add
to the luxurious nature of this
boat.
All Elegante 376s imported here
feature the optional
factory-fitted Elite package,
which includes a windlass, cockpit
fridge or icemaker, double cockpit
tables, a marine stereo and CD
player, foredeck sunpad cushions
and an extended swim platform,
which is where my deck tour began…
DECKED OUT
There's room for four chairs and a
table on the oversized boarding
platform, which has a four-rung
(one extra step than usual)
deep-reach swim ladder, pop-up
cleats for swinging fenders and
tying off watertoys, and a
Sunbrella cover to prevent
weathering of the teak stripping
when the platform is not in use.
The boat is big on storage, coming
with twin aft boots including
shorepower and marina connections,
fender baskets big enough to carry
dive tanks, and a neat hot/cold
freshwater shower outlet. The
snap-on hose can reach the
windscreen and there's another
freshwater outlet in the bow,
thereby letting you rinse the boat
from the onboard supply.
The deck cleats are of a decent
size on the Dorals. Unusually,
stainless steel checkerplate tread
steps lead to the sidedecks, which
are almost 20cm wide. There's also
a walkthrough dash and opening
windscreen (with dual wipers) that
together provide unfettered
bow-to-stern access.
A second lifestyle area, the
foredeck is a beauty. It has
five-star, mahogany-framed
sunlounges that can recline to
various positions – perfect for
toasting the sunset or working on
your tan. Of course, drinkholders
are provided.
I also noted good security on deck
by way of a high, one-piece
bowrail with an intermediate wire,
moulded toe rails, handrails and
grabrails beside the sunlounges.
There was a fair grade of non-skid
and the whole deck was illuminated
by eight LED droplights mounted on
the bowrail. The recessed windlass
helps save toes, while the
sparkling stainless steel anchor
is the cherry on the cake.
The fact that the targa arch can
fold might come in handy when you
need to slip under low bridges.
Hydraulic activation is an option.
The targa was also fitted with a
remote spotlight. Though not a
hardtop, the Sunbrella package,
including camper covers, clears,
mesh vents, a stainless steel
frame and snap-in fittings, is a
more permanent structure than some
canopies I've seen.
COCKPIT LIVING
Boasting as many seats in its
cockpit as a decent airplane –
room for 12, I thought – the Doral
isn't cluttered. Because the
outdoor seating, with port and
starboard lounges, each with a
table setting for four, traces the
edges of the boat, there is a
thoroughfare to the boarding
platform, the interior, or through
the dash to the bow.
The Doral's upholstery is first
rate and the high-backed lounges
are supportive. Each lounge is
traced by a thick stainless steel
grabrail and there's moulded
storage under their bases that can
double as an icebox. Drinkholders,
all 11 of them, range in size from
small to large, so sit where your
drink fits.
The portside lounge continues
forward and morphs into an
aft-facing lounge/daybed with
ergonomically designed head
support and armrest and storage.
There's a chart locker ahead of
this. The amenities centre behind
the helm seat includes a 12V
fridge, sink with hot and cold
water, and a single-burner Ceran
cooktop.
Engine access is gained via a deck
hatch or, at the press of a
button, via double rams that raise
two split sections of the cockpit
sole. Stand on the boarding
platform and you can jump down
into what's a massive servicing
space. Cabling is attached to the
boat every 30cm or so, and there
are double clips on all hoses,
colour coded seacocks and neat
plumbing.
The Elegante has dedicated
low-maintenance house and
engine-start batteries, a quiet
petrol Kohler generator, according
to my ear, and a surfeit of room
around the twin Volvo 5.7lt V8
blocks. I could easily perform
visual checks of the coolant
bottles, reach the oil dipsticks,
but interestingly there were no
secondary fuel filters, only
primaries on the motors. I also
noted the bottle for the
NeutraSalt flush system.
The helm station is no less
accommodating, with a double seat,
thigh riser and shaped cushioning.
The dash, with perforated
soft-touch vinyl and mock timber
trim, houses a lot of Faria gauges
and switches, and has room to
flush-mount a compact GPS
chartplotter.
The wheel can tilt and there are
Lenco trim tabs, remotes for the
Clarion stereo and the spotlight,
and an impressive switch panel for
the windlass, engine hatch,
lights, including the red driving
light, the numerical depthsounder
and so on. But there's no
bowthruster.
CONVERTIBLE ACCOMMODATION
Let's turn back to the Elegante's
distinguishing features, such as
the double dining areas below.
The door leading off the cockpit
also includes a separate insect
screen, while the interior is air
conditioned, well ventilated, and
bright, thanks to five opening
ports, three hatches with privacy
curtains, and skylights.
The main dinette fronts a
four-person family lounge to port
in the saloon, which with infill
converts into an impromptu single
bed, opposite the moulded galley
marked by a small area of
hardwearing mock timber flooring.
There's a decent 12/240V fridge,
concealed (small) Tappan
microwave, two-burner recessed
stove with hinged Corian cover,
and sink.
Storage is a highlight, ranging
from a dedicated spice rack in the
galley and a decent area for
storing appliances, to surround
lockers and under-seat holds,
nooks alongside the stairs, and
cedar-lined hanging spaces.
There's also underfloor storage
and good access to the shower sump
pump and holding tank.
If not via a pack of cards or a
board game, entertainment comes by
way of a small flat-screen
television with a DVD player, plus
a CD player with four concealed
speakers below and another four in
the cockpit. Joinery is all US
cherry and there's a choice of
decor packages. The interior
lights are trick Euro numbers.
The saloon lounge continues along
the port side of the saloon to
snake around the second dinette in
the bow. Press a button and the
table drops on a ram and you can
add the infill – stowed in the aft
cabin – to create a double. The
cushions at the head of the bed
fold up for more sleeping room and
a privacy curtain is included. If
there are just two of you aboard,
you might leave the dinette
assembled as a second lounge and
gravitate to the aft cabin, where
there's a lock-up door and twin
single berths that convert easily
into a large double bed. There's
cabinetry at the bedhead, scope to
fit a second TV, and portlights
with curtains for crossflow
ventilation.
There's even a comfortable dresser
lounge aft where you can pull on
your clobber while examining the
views through the portlight. And
to help prevent stuffiness,
there's a large, vented aperture
with a privacy shutter leading
back into the saloon.
The head is another point of
difference. There's a
lower-than-usual moulded vanity
and sink to maximise floor space.
With a wall-hung handheld shower
rose and curtain and fold-up seat
over the head itself, you get a
real shower. The loo is a
Vacuflush model and there's an
opening port and air-con for
ventilation.
CRUISING BEAUTY
With a deep-blue hull, racy red
bootline and raked targa arch, the
Elegante is, in some ways, a busy
boat to look at, but in other ways
it's a dashing sportscruiser.
Turning the key on the twin Volvo
V8s, I found the boat to be a
dream to drive, although I always
find the Volvo manual throttles
clunky, especially when new. With
the trim tabs down and the
composite Ocean Series XDP drives
trimmed in, the wide-beam-aft hull
holds a pleasant low-speed cruise
of 16 to 17kts at 3000rpm, but
finds its sweet spot between 3500
and 3600rpm for a 23 to 26kt
smooth cruise. It was nice and
quiet, too.
Charging across the choppy
harbour, the boat remained smooth
and in control at 28.5kts at
4000rpm, all the way up to 32 to
33kts at 4500rpm. But at 4800rpm
and its 36kt top speed, the boat
was prone to launching itself.
With 640hp, the Elegante 376 had
lots of poke, but an incredibly
smooth ride that, to me, was the
big difference on a day when I
drove three sportcruisers
back-to-back. Then there are all
the aforesaid details to win over
family and friends. Doral calls it
‘the art of luxury'. We call it
pleasure boating.
HIGHS
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Balsa-cored hull travels
beautifully on the water
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Terrific inventory surpasses its
competition
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Amazing attention to detail
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Huge outdoor living areas with
lots of seating
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Trick amenities in cockpit
including single-burner stove
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Foredeck doubles as sundeck with
the fold-up lounges
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Big open-plan interior with
double dinettes
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A well-priced sportscruiser
LOWS
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Non-skid could be more
aggressive in some areas
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Powder-coated windscreen frames
don't last like stainless steel
ones
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Lots of outdoor trim,
upholstery, and stainless steel
to maintain
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Infill cushions for bow double
bed are a pain to store below
decks
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No bowthruster and clunky (a
Volvo thing) engine controls
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Relatively new badge in a big
sportscruiser market
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DORAL ELEGANTE 376 |
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HOW MUCH? |
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Price as tested: $ w/
twin Volvo Penta 320hp Ocean
Series engines and options |
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Options fitted: Engine upgrade
with NeutraSalt. Elite Series
upgrades includes cockpit
fridge, windlass, extended
swim platform, Vacuflush
toilet, stainless steel
anchor, and mahogany sunpads.
Australian specifications
include television, VHF radio,
and full decor package. |
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Priced from: As above for a
fully-equipped luxury
sportscruiser |
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GENERAL |
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Material: Composite
balsa-cored hull with E-glass |
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Type: Moderate to deep-vee
variable deadrise planing |
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Length overall: 10.11m sans
the extended platform |
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Beam: 3.63m |
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Draft: Approx 0.95m |
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Deadrise: 14 to 18 degrees |
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Weight: Approx 7050kg dry with
base 454 MerCruiser Mag motor |
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CAPACITIES |
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Berths: 4+1 |
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Fuel Capacity: 870lt |
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Water Capacity: 167lt |
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Holding tank: 114lt |
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ENGINE |
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Make/model: Volvo Penta 5.7
OSXi-XDP |
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Type: V8 petrol engine |
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Rated HP: 320hp at 4800rpm |
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Displacement: 5.7lt |
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Weight: 449kg |
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Gearboxes (make/ratio):
Aquamatic XDP composite
sterndrive leg |
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Props: Duoprop |
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* Prices & data correct at time of
publication |
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