Popular formula updated

Those who were around in the 1980s will remember the Formula 4000, a superb, good-looking, go-fast launch that captured the spirit of those times.

The company that built those must-have 80s class leaders is still in business (something of a milestone in itself) and has just released a new model which it believes could well become the new look of the present decade.

The company is Formula Cruisers and the boat is the Express 450, a sleek, sporty vessel which has been designed with modern lifestyles very much in mind.

Designer Grant Senior, head of the Senior Marine Design Group and general manager of Kumeu-based Formula Cruisers, says he wanted to create a boat that would "maximise the living space for the family.

"People today generally go boating as a family and, while there is still the occasional boys' weekend away, the main reason for buying a boat now is to spend time with those close to us, and that means good friends and family members."

Many of the features unique to the new Formula Express 450 are based on that concept.

Perhaps the most obvious - certainly, according to Senior, to the women who have so far been on board - is the fact that the galley is up.

"Instead of dropping it down into an alcove, we have put the galley up by the cockpit and made it an integral part of the saloon. When you're boating as a couple or as a family, it is important not to shut one person away down below to do the cooking."

The same philosophy has been applied to the entranceway between the cockpit and the saloon. Instead of the traditional narrow opening, the Express 450's doors open to a welcoming 1.5m, normally unheard of on a boat of this size.

"Again it was important that the family socialised and played together," says the designer. "We didn't want to force people into the sort of situation where one person is outside fishing and the others are virtually imprisoned in the saloon."

The way the boat has been created everyone has their own space - out in the air or inside in the shade - yet they are still close together, still "in touch".

Boaters who do want some space will be surprised at how much is to be found on this 13.7m sports launch with a price tag of around $800,000.

Senior and his team have allowed for two spacious double cabins (the owners' comes complete with en-suite toilet and shower) as well as a Pullman cabin (an open cabin with two single berths, one above the other) and a day head all in the forward section of the boat.

And in true Formula fashion, the Express 450 combines a very stylish finish with an impressive top speed - 31.5 knots from twin 300hp Volvo diesels.

"The top speed is pretty special," says Senior, "but I don't think it is the factor that really grabs our clients.

"They're more impressed with the fuel economy - 20 knots at just 2900rpm - and the fact the boat is fitted with conventional drives, not stern legs.

"As far as I know, the Formula Express 450 is the only sports launch in New Zealand powered by diesel engines and conventional straight drives. That is a feature that really appeals to a lot of people."

Although launched just over three weeks ago, the Express 450 has already attracted a huge amount of interest. Publicly displayed for the first time at the Imtec Boat Show early this month, it caught the eye of at least one high-profile international yacht designer, in Auckland with an America's Cup syndicate.

Although no contracts have yet been signed, Senior says that interest is indicative of the sort of attention the new design has been receiving.

"We are lucky to be based right in the heart of the action, in the Hobson West marina in the Viaduct Harbour. We are very accessible and always ready to go out for a demonstration."

If the level of interest shown so far in the Express 450 is an indicator of its future success, then this model may well fill a similar market sector to the one occupied by the 4000 of the 80s.