This summer, having a small cabin on the boat as well, for sleeping over the weekend or venturing a few miles further than usual from the base, will be a no small plus for spending a vacation in complete freedom.
Here, then, is an opportunity to make the “jump” from the traditional open motorboat to a slightly larger daycruiser, under 9 meters anyway. We have come up with four to look for in the marketplace that, even in such a compact size, offer everything you need to live on a boat for a long weekend at sea.
Used boats: 4 daycruisers under 9 meters
Bavaria Sport 29
Bavaria’s little one is an open of great ambition, for in less than nine meters it offers spacious, comfortable and elegant rooms. The German Bavaria Sport 29 is an open that is only seemingly small, but instead is able to offer true cruiser-like space on board and outstanding reliability under sail. As engines, the possibilities are vast: one can find 1×320 or 2×260 hp MerCruiser gasoline, or 2×225 Volvo Penta. Also from the Swedish manufacturer are the 1×260 or 2×220 hp diesel engines.
The cockpit is set up like a large cruiser. There is an expansive aft sundeck with two side passages, one of which leads directly to the foredeck while the other leads to the cockpit, where there is a large C-shaped dinette and wet bar on the opposite side behind the helm station. The latter is well balanced and is served by a two-seat sofa.
The environment below deck reveals a refined elegance with much use of light-toned wood. The open space immediately greets with a nice kitchen on the left, which is a good size, and the doorway to the bathroom, which is equally large and well used. In the bow is a V-shaped dinette that can be quickly converted into a double bed. Another two-person bed, however, is located aft in a compartment under the cockpit, which is not extremely compressed.
Boat features: Bavaria Sport 29
- Loa: 8.95 m
- B.max: 2.99 m
- Displacement: 4,000 kg
- Beds: 4
- Motorization: 2×260 hp
- Water tank: 120 l
- Fuel tank: 520 l
Cobalt 243
An elegant and versatile boat, it has in its outdoor spaces the winning weapon to ensure comfort and enjoyment. The cockpit changes according to the needs of the day. A small cabin with a separate bathroom is available for the night.
The Cobalt 243 is ideal for those boaters, who like versatility and attention to detail, not only from an aesthetic point of view, but also from a practical one. This boat, in fact, boasts respectable features for a seemingly normal eight-meter open. First of all, it has a plunging stern platform, which because of its rarity on boats of this size, can be considered a luxury.
The cockpit adapts to the different needs of the day: the pilot’s and co-pilot’s seats can rotate to the L-shaped dinette located aft to form, along with the other starboard settee, a tightly packed yet comfortable lounge for all guests. The dinette itself, in turn, becomes an extension of the aft sundeck (another uniqueness for an American boat) by simply sliding the backrest forward. Also on the bulkhead next to the below-deck entrance are two swinging steps, which are used to access the foredeck through the opening section of the windshield. The dashboard has an automotive feel and is aesthetically finished very well. In the stern, however, the port section of the aft sundeck flips open, revealing a very large locker in which sports equipment, such as a wakeboard, can also be stored.
Next to the command post are two drums: the one on the left opens the toilet compartment, which is quite large and has an opening porthole, while the one on the starboard side reveals the cabin, which extends into an open space, in which the forward dinette converts into a double berth.
Boat features: Cobalt 243
- Loa: 7.90 m
- B.max: 2.59 m
- Displacement: 2,100 kg
- Beds: 2
- Motorization: 1×300 hp
- Water tank: 38 l
- Fuel tank: 189 l
Cranchi Panama 24
Small open with great potential. It can mount one or two outboard motors, and inside it sleeps four. The cockpit, in addition to revealing careful aesthetic research, is well equipped to experience entire days at sea.
The Panama 24 is another boat that reveals the shipyard’s ability to offer environments as closely assimilated as possible to larger open yachts in terms of completeness of outfitting. At seven meters, in fact, this boat offers a cockpit with a full-beam dinette and a sundeck with padding that can be used as a headrest when lying down or as a backrest if using the surface as a chaise-longue. Looking at the conformation of the cockpit, one notices the ability to move easily even through the walkways.
Below deck, the boat offers four berths. The distribution of furniture includes a double bed in the bow, which, unlike classic configurations, is fixed and not obtained from the convertible dinette, and is surrounded by soft cushions, making it even more comfortable. In the aft compartment carved out below the cockpit, however, is another berth arranged per beam, which is not overly compressed by the canopy or even the ladder in front of the companionway, as it is carved out on a lightweight tubular structure, to which two wide wooden steps are attached.
Boat features: Cranchi Panama 24
- Loa: 8.32 m
- B.max: 2.50 m
- Displacement: 2,000 kg
- Beds: 4
- Motorization: 1×250 or 1×150 hp
- Water tank: 70 lt
- Fuel tank: 325 lt
Crownline 280 CR Gran Torino
The Crownline 280 CR is a chic, versatile, high-performance sport boat. Champagne-hued upholstery and dashboard design greatly mellow the aesthetics of the exterior areas while also giving a vaguely retro flavor, which is inspired, precisely, by those glamorous, sporty, high-class speedboats. And in terms of sportiness, the elimination of the rollbar accentuates the boat’s pulled look, which from an aesthetic point of view can be homologated to those fast cruisers with an aggressive tone and, because of that, more performance than habitability. The 280 CR, on the other hand, reveals a cozy and versatile cabin on board, but does not disdain high speeds.
As many as three “multifunction” sofas are articulated in the cockpit. The bow one is a three-seater, but by taking advantage of the special backrest, it can also serve as a chaise longue. For sunbathing, then, there is always the classic bow sundeck, accessed via steps counter-molded into the drum at the opening section of the windshield. In the stern, however, the two opposing sofas create a dinette for four, while facing the small beach is a peek-a-boo sundeck. By folding down the backrest of the aft sofa, the whole thing is transformed into a large area, on which to lie.
Despite the open space, some privacy can be enjoyed on board because the double guest berth is in an aft compartment, quite separate from the forward area, where there is a V-shaped dinette that can be converted into a bed for the owner’s use. The bathroom, then, is in a separate compartment. Very complete is also the kitchen cabinet.
Boat features: Crownline 280 CR Gran Torino
- Loa: 8.74 m
- B.max: 2.59 m
- Displacement: 3,356 kg
- Beds: 4
- Motorization: 1×300 hp
- Fuel tank: 284 l
