Now and then when we attend boat shows in Europe and the US, as we do many times every year, we come across new boats that catch our eye. The Norwegian builder Marex is just such a brand and their 440 Gourmet Cruiser Sport Coupe and the smaller models in their line offer cruising couples and families classy alternatives to others in the midrange, sport coupe fleet.
The new flag ship of the Marex line is the new 440 Gourmet sport coupe. A fast, family cruiser, the 440’s whole design concept is to link a family to the natural ocean environment around them as they enjoy their weeks of vacation on the water.
First, notice the volume of the hull with its high topsides, full sections forward and broad transom aft. This is a big boat but the lines all flow together with a kind of modern angular harmony. The slightly reversed sheer matches up visually with the sleek cabin top and the glazings in the hulls and salon add to the modern styling.
The 440 has what designers call a V-warp hull design under the water. This modified V shape has many positive attributes. The V forward cuts into waves and provides a soft ride at speed through choppy waves. The flatter mid and aft sections allow the hull to rise up onto a plane more easily and require less power. And, when at anchor or moored, the broader, flatter sections aft provide form stability to keep the boat from rolling or rocking.
Sticking with the technical details, the 440 has twin Volvo D6 engines with DPI out drives that will give her a top speed of 35 knots and an economical cruising speed of 30 knots. With 400 gallons of fuel aboard, she will have a useful cruising range of 400 miles or more between fill ups.
Two other drive trains are also available: twin Volvo D6 IPS drives or twin D6s with V-reverse shafts. For our money, the IPS drives would be a feature-rich upgrade that gives joystick handling and great close quarter maneuverability.
We dwell on all of the under-the-hood detail to emphasize that the Marex 440 has great breeding and very good bones. This new model is the descendant of 51 years of family boat building experience and many hundreds of boats delivered.
The Norwegian company is run by Espen and Thomas Aalrud who took over from their father, the founder, 25 years ago. Even though the company has grown and expanded their markets worldwide, Espen and Thomas still build each boat as if it were a one-off custom yacht for a very particular owner.
I visited the Marex stand at the Cannes boat show and had the opportunity to go over the 440 with Espen and the US representative Chris Hughes. As the details of the design become apparent you realize just how much thought and boating experience has gone int the final product.
A simple detail that sets the tone is the curved cushions in the corners of the large aft dinette. These fit your back comfortably so you can lounge in the corners, as you do, without needing a throw cushion.
At a more complex level, the living spaces of the 440, and the smaller Marex boats, are designed to be true indoor-outdoor environments. There are two huge sliding sun roofs, one over the cockpit and the other over the helm and forward area of the salon. With these open the whole boat is exposed to the sun and stars. Close the roof and you have a snug haven from wind and rain.
The cockpit and its large dinette have open sides so you are out in sun in normal conditions. But, in an instant, the whole cockpit can be enclosed with sliding canvas enclosures that are cunningly hidden in the Targa-style arch structure at the aft end of the salon. This makes so much sense, one wonders why others have not developed similar enclosure systems.
Marex actually offers the 440 in two versions, the Gourmet we have been dwelling on and the Scandinavian version that has a small inside dinette in the salon and a sliding glass door between the cockpit and the salon. The second version makes the 440 a full three-season cruiser for families in cooler northern climes, like Norway.
One design feature I really like is the side doors in the salon. Being able to get to the side decks and foredeck without having to go aft and then climb over a coaming to handle docking lines or drop the anchor is a real benefit. Plus, this makes the forward sunning lounge more of an integral part of the 440’s living spaces.
The 440 can be built with either two or three cabins and two heads. The master cabin forward makes good use of the hull’s beamy sections and is truly spacious for a cruising boat of this size. The two guest cabins have twin single berths so you can sleep up to six people comfortably. The two-cabin version has a second large double berth and a bench-style sofa, which makes it a special guest cabin, indeed.
Marex USA is a new enterprise that will be bringing boats from Norway to North America for the first time since the company’s founding. Their goal is to gradually introduce the brand and the company’s deep commitment to building boats of the highest quality to American cruisers over the next few years. Given their track record, Marex will soon make a name for themselves in the American cruising community.
