Massive, fast and luxurious. If I had to describe in three words the new Wellcraft 435 that I tested in La Rochelle at its world premiere, I would use these. Same engine, upgraded to a 3 x 350-horsepower Mercury Verado V10, as its smaller sibling Wellcraft 355 (read the test here), which now grows and becomes more comfortable and luxurious. A tamed beast? Not really! 435 is the perfect hull for fast, fun, and safe cruising with family or friends, a little less racy than 355 (it does “only” 40 knots), but with an extra cabin and bathroom on board.
Wellcraft 435
The vessel is imposing: 4.55 meters high, 13.4 meters long and 3.82 meters wide. The hull is V-shaped and stepless: a choice, as Martin Meyer tells us, product marketing manager at Wellcraft, due to the designer’s (Michael Peters) desire for the boat to maintain its performance even when fully loaded, without requiring a large amount of power to achieve glide (otherwise necessary on such a heavy boat), and with a less extreme hull length-to-width ratio, thus more comfortable.
Read the full test (with sailing data, etc.) in the next issue of Motor Boats (September No. 33).
Subscribe now for one year for only €39.
Performance
When cruising, the recommended cruising speed is 28 knots, to have a good fuel consumption/speed ratio, which is reached at about 4500 rpm, with trim at 11%, and with an overall consumption of 180 lt/h. The sprint from 0 to 28 knots we completed in 14 seconds. The maximum speed we reached was 40 knots at 6000 rpm with 20% trim and 344 lt/h fuel consumption, not bad considering that the sea was a bit rough and the declared maximum speed under optimal conditions is 42 knots.
Thanks precisely to Michael Peters’ hull, which glides over the water cutting through the waves. The sensation is just that of taming the sea, even more so that in yawing, at high speed, it is almost possible to turn on oneself! In fact, the turning radius is about one boat length (even less says Martin).
Read the full proof (with sailing data, etc.) in the next issue of Motor Boats (September No. 33).
Subscribe now for one year for only €39.
Data Sheet of the boat: Wellcraft 435
| Dimensions / Dimensions |
|
| Length F.T. / LOA | 13,4 m |
| Width / Beam | 3,82 m |
| Draft / Draft | 0,83 m |
| Displacement / Displacement | 10,491 kg |
| Equipment / Equipment |
|
| Water Tank / Water Tank | 250 L |
| Fuel Tank / Fuel Tank | 1.290 L |
| Motorization / Power Unit |
|
| Outboard Engine / Outboard Engine | Mercury Verado |
| Power / Power | 3 x 350 hp |
| Performance / Performance |
|
| Vel. Maximum / Top Speed | 42 kn |
| Vel. Cruising / Cruising Speed | 28 kn |
| Onboard / Onboard |
|
| Cabins / Cabins | 2 |
| Beds / Berths | 4 + 1 |
| Bathrooms / toilets | 2 |
| Design | |
| Project / Project | Michael Peters / Camillo Garroni |
| CONTACTS / CONTACTS | www.wellcraft.com |
James Barbaro
