And now for something completely different, an all-aluminum workboat style cruiser from Sweden designed and built for “camper cruising.” Camper cruising is a thing in Scandinavia and cold weather vacationing is also a thing since the summers are short and the winters long.
Such is the origin of the new Ockelbo 25 Cab from this purveyor of aluminum sport boats. The brand’s boats are built by the aluminum boat specialists at Anytec. The new boat is actually a multi-purpose sport boat with a cabin and the horsepower to top out at 45 knots.
It comes with remarkably few amenities. There is no galley so a portable camp stove is the way to fix meals and a bucket will do for washing up. There is a head and for an extra $3,000 you can have that head enclosed. The bench seats in the cabin fold up to create a seven-foot-wide berth platform. And, awnings can be arranged over the large front cockpit for sleeping outside.
The boat has purposeful-looking workboat windshields and large frameless windows so the cabin is full of light. Plus, the cabin top has two large opening hatches for more natural light and ventilation. For cold-weather cruising, the cabin can be buttoned up tightly but no mention is made of adding a heater.
The builders envision mounting a folding tent atop the cabin where you can sleep without having to convert the benches in the cabin into the big berth. It’s a novel idea. It makes sense in Scandinavia but will such a berthing arrangement fly in North America?
The 25 Cab is powered by a single 350-horsepower outboard that will give it the rated 45 knot top end. But, the transom is spec’d for up to a 425-horsepower engine that will boost performance up to an eye-watering 55 knots.
The Ockelbo 25 Cab is a rough and tumble working boat that would be fun to weekend cruise while exploring out-of-the-way anchorages, not in yacht style and comfort, but in the spirit of youthful adventure. In Europe, the boat retails for about $125,000. Ockelbo is represented in the U.S. by Vasa Marine in Renton, Washington who will have a boat at the Seattle Boat Show starting January 30, 2026.
