Cockwells, the well known Cornish yard that has done everything from new pilot cutters to sailing yacht restorations, these days focuses on its range of attractive, fast, seagoing powerboats. These are thoroughly modern beasts, with a traditional sense that goes beyond the aesthetic – they not only have a whiff of strong working boat in appearance, but the Andrew Wolstenholme design is for a semi-planing hull, which gives better fuel economy and ride than a pure planing craft, and a better attitude at speed, as they stay flatter.

The sacrifice for all this is loss of top speed, but with 25+ knots on tap, no one’s going to complain on that front. This latest boat is a customisation of the popular Duchy 35. The original won its category (Wheelhouse and Cockpit Cruisers) in the 2018 Motorboat and Yachting magazine awards. Now it has an extra double cabin.

“The Duchy 35 is for cruising and relaxing, and offers unrivalled seakeeping with style,” explains founder and managing director Dave Cockwell. “The twin-cabin layout transforms the boat into a comfortable family cruiser with a galley located in the spacious saloon and two double berths below. The shower compartment offers generous headroom and a full-width electric sunroof enables you to take in panoramic sea views from all-round windows.

“Your choice of hardwood joinery, electronics, butter-soft leather upholstery and features to enhance your comfort, such as a gyro stabiliser, complete the picture, providing the perfect choice for both nautical novice and seasoned sailor.”

As well as the twin-cabin layout, there are other takes on these modern classics. The design is semi-custom, so aside from the hull in modern composite, everything is up for discussion by the prospective owner. Hull colour, layout, engine choice and internal fit-out vary considerably from one boat to the next. Sunbeds, a flybridge option and a Scandinavian option (with aft windlass for bow-to mooring, a pulpit with a gate and bow passarelle) are all now on the drawing board to widen the appeal of this modern classic.

The standard Duchy 35 (without customisation) is priced from £350,000 plus VAT. The Duchy 27 comes in at £140,000. The smallest model in the series is the Duchy 21, and the largest, the Duchy 45. See cockwells.co.uk/duchy-launches

See the PDF here:

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