Classic Boat magazine has featured the twin-cabin Duchy 35 in its New Classics column, highlighting the Andrew Wolstenholme semi-planing hull, the 25-knot-plus performance and the semi-custom approach behind every Duchy.
Classic Boat is a magazine about traditional boats first and foremost, so a Duchy turning up in its New Classics column is worth noting. The column looks at the twin-cabin version of the Duchy 35, and the magazine’s interest lies less in the second cabin than in the thinking underneath it: a traditional-looking boat built around a hull that behaves differently from most modern motor cruisers. The piece is reproduced on the Cockwells website. What follows is a summary in my own words, not the magazine’s.
Classic Boat sets the scene by describing Cockwells as a Cornish yard with a long back catalogue of pilot cutters and sailing-yacht restorations, which in recent years has concentrated on a range of quick, seagoing motor launches with a working-boat look about them. The Duchy Motor Launches are that range. The writer’s point is that the traditional feel is not skin deep: the shape below the waterline is as much a part of it as the sheerline.
Why the hull is the real story
Andrew Wolstenholme drew the Duchy hulls as semi-planing forms rather than full planing ones, and Classic Boat’s explanation of what that means is the most useful part of the feature for a buyer. A semi-planing hull uses less fuel for a given speed, gives a better ride, and holds a flatter running attitude as the throttle goes forward instead of climbing bow-high onto the plane. What you give up is outright top speed compared with a flat-out planing boat, and the magazine’s view is that with more than 25 knots available nobody is likely to miss it.
What the twin-cabin version adds
The boat in the feature is a customised Duchy 35, the model that took the Wheelhouse and Cockpit Cruisers prize in Motor Boat & Yachting’s 2018 awards, now fitted out with a second double cabin. Classic Boat quotes Dave Cockwell on the arrangement: galley up in the saloon, two doubles below, a shower compartment with proper headroom, an electric sunroof the full width of the coachroof and windows right round the wheelhouse. The owner chooses the hardwood for the joinery, the electronics and the leather, and can add comfort equipment such as a gyro stabiliser.
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.
Dave Cockwell, Founder and Managing Director, Cockwells, quoted in Classic Boat
Everything but the hull is open to discussion
Where the magazine lands is that the twin-cabin boat is one expression of a semi-custom product rather than a separate model. Beyond the composite hull, a Duchy owner has a say in nearly everything: hull colour, the layout of the accommodation, the engine, the interior fit-out, to the point that no two boats leave the yard the same. Classic Boat also notes what is coming next: sunbeds, a flybridge version, and a Scandinavian specification with a windlass aft for mooring bow-to, a gated pulpit and a passarelle over the bow, all intended to broaden who the boat suits.
The piece closes by placing the 35 within the family, with the Duchy 27 beneath it, the Duchy 21 as the smallest Duchy and the Duchy 45 at the top of the range.
Reading it from Sydney Harbour
The hull discussion is the part I would ask an Australian or New Zealand buyer to dwell on. Our cruising grounds are not the Solent. A run from the Harbour up to Pittwater, or a day outside the Heads with a leftover swell, is where the semi-planing form earns its keep: a flatter attitude at speed, a better ride, and less fuel burned to get there. That is the case Classic Boat makes for the design, and it holds at least as well on this side of the world.
Davis Marine Brokerage is the exclusive Australian and New Zealand dealer for Duchy Motor Launches, and a Duchy 35, in the twin-cabin layout or any other, can be ordered through us for delivery to Sydney. We import the boat and handle commissioning here, from our base at Fergusons Marina, The Spit, in Mosman. The Duchy difference page sets out why we took the range on; to talk through a build, contact Sam Davis or call 0408 864 111. Classic Boat’s original feature, and a PDF of the printed page, can be read on the Cockwells website.
Frequently asked questions
What did Classic Boat magazine say about the Duchy 35?
In its New Classics column, Classic Boat profiled the twin-cabin Duchy 35, describing Cockwells’ move from pilot cutters and restorations to fast seagoing motor launches with traditional looks. It focused on the Andrew Wolstenholme semi-planing hull, its economy, ride and flatter running attitude, and the semi-custom approach that lets owners vary colour, layout, engine and fit-out.
What is a semi-planing hull and why does it suit the Duchy 35?
A semi-planing hull runs partly on buoyancy and partly on dynamic lift, rather than lifting fully onto the plane. According to Classic Boat, the Wolstenholme design gives better fuel economy and a better ride than a pure planing boat and stays flatter at speed. The trade-off is a lower top speed, although the Duchy 35 still exceeds 25 knots.
How fast is the Duchy 35?
Classic Boat reports that the Duchy 35 has more than 25 knots available. The magazine notes that top speed is the one thing a semi-planing hull gives up against a pure planing design, and that at this level the trade-off is unlikely to trouble anyone, given the gains in economy, ride and attitude at speed.
Can the twin-cabin Duchy 35 be bought in Australia?
Yes. Davis Marine Brokerage is the exclusive Australian and New Zealand dealer for Duchy Motor Launches. A Duchy 35 can be ordered through us in the twin-cabin layout or any other specification, and we handle the import, delivery and commissioning in Sydney from Fergusons Marina, The Spit, Mosman. Call Sam Davis on 0408 864 111.
Davis Marine Brokerage is the exclusive Australian and New Zealand dealer for Duchy Motor Launches, Hardy Motor Yachts and Cockwells SuperYacht Tenders. To talk about a new build, a demonstration on Sydney Harbour or a pre-owned Duchy, call Sam Davis on 0408 864 111 or send an enquiry.
About the author
Sam Davis is the Director and Lead Broker at Davis Marine Brokerage, Fergusons Marina, Mosman. Brokering on Sydney Harbour for over a decade, he is a NSW State Councillor of the Boating Industry Association and the Australian and New Zealand dealer for Duchy, Hardy and Cockwells SuperYacht Tenders.
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