Comfortable, versatile, and easy to operate – this boats are perfect for families who want to spend more time at sea

A cruising yacht, or more often fondly called cruisers, is a class of yacht that excels at longer distances and offers adequate amenities to make the journey highly comfortable, without needing additional hands via crew members. A cabin cruiser takes it to one step further by providing accommodation as well, essentially turning the yacht into a home you can bring with you as you explore coastal areas and hop between countries. Here are some of the best ones available today.

Grand Banks Eastbay 44

One of the appeals of the EB44 is that the shipyard did not go over the top with gadgetry, preferring simpler solutions instead. For example, instead of complex remote-controlled mechanisms to keep out the sun, there’s a maintenance-free parasol that is easily and quickly tied to four corners that also enhances the boat’s lines. Where technology is applied, it is applied well, as with the use of the Volvo Penta IPS Powertrain that has a joystick for easy low speed manoeuvrability.

Boat-building philosophy aside, she features a deep-V hull famed for stability, and a broad beam that enhances interior room. Teak is used extensively for a warm and homey interior, even in the 3 cabins, where a number of sleeping configurations can be specified. There’s even an option to configure her with an up-galley or down-galley, depending on your entertaining needs.

Jeanneau Merry Fisher 1095 Fly

Much has been said about this boat on our website, and much will continue to be said about her because her virtues bear repeated extoling. The MF1095 Fly excels at space, because her designers have cleverly designed her to use up her entire hull cavity. Not just that, extra touches abound too, like the convertible saloon seats that can transform into a double berth, and the moveable lounge chair that allow her outboard engines to be lifted out of the water easily.

Two versions of the yacht are available: a sedan and this one here with the flying bridge. The flybridge supports are designed well to blend into the architecture of the yacht too, creating a homogenous aesthetic.

Azimut Magellano 43

Stretching the term cabin cruiser a little is the Azimut Magellano 43. The smallest of the Magellano line, the 43 is a semi-displacement cruiser, which means that what she lacks in svelte exterior lines, she more than makes up for in interior room. In fact, the Italian yard says they evolved the traditional semi-displacement concept into a dual-mode design, with a rounded V-shape entry with full fore-sections which then flatten out at the chines to a lifting surface whilst planning, and the chines are also designed to minimise spray.

What these technical talk mean is that the 43 is able to cruise efficiently in displacement mode, but also hit 24 knots if necessary. Aside from the aforementioned spaciousness, she’s also excellent finished inside, as is expected from a yacht that is made in Italy.

Monterey 355SY

At 33 feet, this Monterey is one of the smallest vessels on the list, with two cabins available so a small family can spend a comfortable night at sea. In our opinion, the best space onboard is the aft social area, where a dinette is found, along with wrap around seating, and another round couch that can also be transformed into a lounging bed. This is where most time will be spent on board. This couch opens up electronically to reveal the engine compartment and all the accompanying gubbins.

The Monterey 355SY comes with a full enclosure, fiberglass hardtop, which is the one we recommend for tropical boating, but there is also an option to simply have an arch for boaters in cooler climes.

Sea Ray Sundancer 350

Just like the Sundancer 340 she replaces, the 350 has a solid ride when braving the waves, and though she only has 4 extra inches of headroom when compared to her predecessor, she feels quite a bit larger inside due to the clever way her cockpit is designed. The curved companionway and the crescent settee onboard the 340 have been replaced with a straight companionway and a straight salon settee, which resulted in more useable space here.

She comes with a hardtop as standard, though an arch is available on request, and also has a few powertrain options.

Jeanneau Leader 33

What is immediately apparent is the modern design matched with her classic proportions – the Leader 33 is a cruiser straight from the imagination, really. Her lines are clean, especially as she is powered by inboard motors to keep her visually unfussy. Jeanneau excels at giving boaters space and room in their boats, and the Leader 33 is very much in the same vein. In fact, one review is astounded that the 33 sits and sleeps the same number of people as the larger 36, but still boast similar water and fuel capabilities.

Thoughtful touches abound as well. The dining table in the galley is extendable to increase the versatility of the space, while the passenger’s seat can be adjusted to face aft or dropped down to integrate into the dining station. Below decks, the aft facing lounge has a removable dining table that again provides versatility. More interestingly, with it open and the sliding doors of the forward berth fully open, the galley, settee and stateroom is socially integrated to enlarge the space.

Hunt 44 Express

The classic design of the Hunt 44 Express is almost aristocratic, especially in the palette seen above. It’s crisp and timeless, and evokes images of yachts of old. The spacious and brightly lit saloon is decked out in lustrous teak, and the coffee table here can also lower to the level of the seats, whereupon a cushion can be thrown over it for a berth. Though classically designed, modern tech is not uncommon, as seen in the hidden TV that can be summoned from its hideaway at starboard.

Another noteworthy feature is her tender garage. In a yacht of 44 feet, having such a feature is remarkable, especially if it is done without huge compromises on interior comfort.

Sabre 38 Salon Express

Sabre’s smallest yacht is large where it counts: comfort.  The yard designed the 38 with an easy-riding, soft-landing hull that has a 24-degree deadrise amidships flowing back to 17 degrees at the transom. This hull is designed specifically to match with Vovlo Penta’s superb IPS pod drives for a sufficiently powerful and immensely comfortable time at sea, not to mention excellent manoeuvrability during low rpms.

One of the more interesting features on the 38 is its sliding aft bench that can fit 3 people. With a lever, the bench can be moved 14 inches aft over a section of the swim platform to increase the social area of the saloon. What a simple and elegant solution.

Hinckley Picnic Boat 40

Hinckley’s flagship for their Picnic Boat line is a lobster-boat inspired gentleman’s motoryacht. This style of yacht is more commonly found in the USA, but it has its own charms and an iconic design that makes it beautiful to behold. Another rarity is her propulsion system – the yard was one of the first to install a jet drive in a mid-sized pleasure boat and paired it to their patented Jetstick steering system. The result is a boat that can enter significantly shallower waters than one with propellers, and at the same time is highly manouevrable and precise.

To counter the perception that ‘jets don’t corner’, the Picnic Boat 40 has a deep-V hull by Michael Peters for balance and control, which gives her exceptional manners at sea.

Greenline NEO

The 36-foot Neo is unlike anything else on this list as she is made with electric power in mind. Solar power on a catamaran like Silent Yachts is a familiar, and excellent, concept, but to build a monohull around this idea is astounding, to say the least. The Neo is capable of 16 knots with her twin 80 hp Torqeedo outboards and 30.5 kWh batteries, which is good for 40 nm. With an optional range extender, the NEO can go up to 180 nautical miles at 5 knots. Just like any electric vehicle, range anxiety does exist, but this is where her 1.2 kW solar panels on her roof come into play to constantly feed power back into her batteries.

Let’s end

Cabin cruisers of 40 to 50 feet are the perfect boats for a comfortable weekend at sea for a small family or group of friends, with enough room for all the necessary amenities like fuel and water as well. Pen Marine is a representative of Grand Banks and Jeanneau in the region, and we have connections all over the world as well, so drop us a line if you’d like to know more about any of these yachts.