Euro 68: Seriously super by any standard

Twenty metres is an interesting length for a powerboat. Much smaller and you are definitely in the launch category and, too much bigger, you are talking motoryacht or even superyacht.

At 20m, both are possible. If the boat is New Zealand-designed and built, the former is the most likely. If not, the options could include a racy giant sports cruiser, a staid passagemaker or almost anything in between.

The latest model from the Taiwanese-based builder New Ocean Yachts is a good example. Even its manufacturer seems at a loss to describe it succinctly, settling instead on what must surely be the longest model name in history: the New Ocean Yachts Euro 68 Enclosed Flybridge.

This is a boat that's hard to ignore. Built in Taiwan, it boasts a design that has been heavily influenced by respected Australian marine industry identities Keith and Ryan Hanson.

On first impressions, it would be easy to dismiss the curiously named Komotion (the first of this model to make it Downunder), as a piece of European fluff.

Sharp, racy lines, dark windows, lots of power, built to be seen and to impress. But that would be doing the designers a disservice. While outwardly Komotion would seem to be tailor-made to swan around swanky Mediterranean ports, it has the pedigree to venture well away from such sheltered waters.

Pacific PowerBoat's Australian editor, Barry Tyler, a Kiwi with many years' experience in the demanding world of offshore powerboat racing, rates this hull as one of the best he's ever tested.

"This was the best-handling cruiser it has ever been my pleasure to be aboard," he says.

"Whereas most cruisers tend to roll into the troughs of big ocean swells and momentarily pause under the inertia, this New Ocean, with its surprisingly deep V [13.5 degrees at the transom and increasing from there], cut through the seas like a knife through butter."

Furthermore, thanks to a brace of 1622hp Caterpillar C32 ACERT diesels (upgraded from the standard 1150hp Caterpillar C18s), Komotion can hit 31 knots or cruise between 22 and 25 knots, and is well-equipped for long-distance passagemaking.

Included in its impressive inventory are a 2000-litre long-haul fuel tank under the garage, two 1800-litre diesel tanks amidships, either side of the engines, another 2000-litre diesel tank and a 1000-litre water tank at keel level below the master stateroom.

Also on board: 22.5kVA and 11kVA gensets, water blaster, 24V/5kW/120A inverter and 240V/60A battery charger, separate 24V/30A chargers for the engines and genset batteries, 31.9kW of air-conditioning, a 140L/h watermaker, a huge fire-suppression system and the battery banks of four house, four engine and two genset, 200Ah AGM batteries.

This serious attention to the type of detail needed to safely cruise far offshore is mirrored in Komotion's no-nonsense helm station. There is just the one of these, on the flybridge, and it is highly impressive.

Three captain's-style helm chairs face the almost full-beam dash, which features three Raymarine E140W screens, the Caterpillar engine readouts and a Twin Disc EJS joystick system that controls both the engines and the 15hp bow and stern thrusters.

When not passagemaking or showing her style close to shore, Komotion is an entertainer of superyacht proportions. There are areas to relax, to dine and to mingle all over this 22m LOA boat.

While under way, the flybridge is sure to be a favourite. Here there is (as well as those helm chairs) a four-person, L-shaped lounge which converts to a double berth, two coffee tables, a full wet-bar and cocktail cabinet, all inside.

On the aft deck is a teak seat and walnut table, an aft-facing lounge and a service module that includes a remote helm station for reversing, a sink and more refrigeration.

The al-fresco area down below, partly shaded by the flybridge, is built around a six-seat cherrywood table with a lounge seat aft and stand-alone chairs opposite. A barbecue, sink and icemaker-fridge are complemented by a drop-down flat entertainment screen.

Inside, the decor is more refined. Large timber panels are offset with white upholstery, working surfaces and soft furnishings, in waterfront-apartment style.

New Ocean Yachts offers a sort of semi-custom approach, with owners able to have a considerable amount of input into the type of accommodation they choose.

In this case, Komotion's owners have chosen a fairly standard layout, with three cabins and a utility room with laundry, refrigeration and galley equipment.

The master cabin is, in the modern fashion, a full-beam affair set amidships. It features a high level of appointment, appropriate for a boat that on this side of the Tasman will cost between $3.5 million and almost $5 million, depending on engine size and other options.

Standout features, in addition to the king-size berth, headboard and side tables, include separate vanity, lounge and table, walk-in wardrobe, en-suite bathroom and elongated porthole windows.

This, then, is a serious boat, despite those initial impressions - and a welcome addition to any marina.

Euro 68

LOA: 21.95m

LOH: 20.57m

LWL: 18.25m

Beam: 5.33m

Draft: 1.67m

Displacement: 48 tonnes (dry) - 58 tonnes (heavy ships)

Construction: GRP composite

Maximum speed: 31 knots

Cruise speed: 18-24 knots

Fuel capacity: 7600 litres

Water capacity: 1000 litres

Engines: 2 x1625hp Caterpillar C32 ACERT diesels

Want to know more?
Check out Barry Tyler's boat review on the New Ocean Yachts Euro 68 in the September/October issue of Pacific Powerboat magazine.