DRIFT magazine has profiled the Duchy Sport as a watersports weekender for up to nine people, with a 42-knot top speed, a Seakeeper gyro, a forward cabin and a wake shaped for surfing.
Cornwall’s DRIFT magazine has run a feature on the Duchy Sport, the newest model in the Duchy Motor Launches range, and it reads the boat differently from the technical press: less as a list of figures and more as a way of spending a weekend. For families on Sydney Harbour and Pittwater who divide their time between towing the kids and lunch at anchor, that is the more useful lens, so here is the feature in my words, with local context added.
From gentleman’s launch to tow boat
DRIFT’s starting point is lineage. The Duchy range takes the proportions of a traditional gentleman’s launch and finishes them to a modern standard; the Sport applies the same recipe to a hull drawn for a different job. Cockwells launched the first one at the Southampton International Boat Show last September, and the magazine notes that the boat has since been shortlisted for the 2023 Motor Boat Awards in the Weekenders class.
The design brief was a wave. The boat was conceived to throw a clean, surfable wake, and DRIFT is clear that wakesurfing remains its signature. The magazine’s wider point, though, is that the same platform copes with any other adrenaline sport you care to tow behind it, and does so with the level of finish Cockwells is known for rather than the stripped-back feel of a purpose-built tow boat.
Room for nine, and a cabin for the night
The capacity DRIFT quotes is nine people. Supporting them is a wet bar in the cockpit, a galley, and a cabin forward with its own day heads, which is what lifts the Duchy Sport out of day-boat territory and into weekender territory. Stabilisation comes from a Seakeeper gyro, and the magazine makes the point that it keeps the boat settled right up to its 42-knot top speed, not only at rest.
- A large bimini for shade, with removable awnings that go on when the weather turns
- Aft sunbeds that adjust to make a seating area at the dining table
- A bathing platform and a full-size swim ladder for getting in and out of the water
- Plenty of stowage for boards, tubes and other water toys
Why this brief suits Sydney Harbour and Pittwater
Read that list with an Australian summer in mind and the logic is obvious. Shade is the first thing a family here asks about, and a bimini that also carries awnings covers both a January afternoon and a southerly change. The adjustable aft sunbeds become the lunch table after a morning of towing. The swim ladder and platform matter more than they sound: on a wakesurfing boat, people are in and out of the water constantly, and a proper ladder beats scrambling over a transom. The stowage keeps boards and inflatables out of the cockpit while you are under way.
The cabin and heads make a weekend on a Pittwater mooring or a run up into the Hawkesbury practical rather than heroic, and nine aboard covers two families for a harbour day. The Seakeeper is the detail I would point to first. At anchor in a busy bay, with ferry wash and weekend traffic rolling through, a gyro changes how long people are happy to stay aboard, and DRIFT’s note that it works at full speed as well is a bonus for the run home.
What the Motor Boat Awards shortlisting adds
DRIFT mentions the Weekenders nomination in passing, but for a buyer here it is worth more than a line. That category is judged against exactly the kind of boats an Australian buyer would otherwise consider at this size, so a place on the list is independent evidence that the Duchy Sport belongs in the conversation. If you want to see the boat moving rather than described, Aquaholic’s video review of the Duchy Sport makes a good companion to the DRIFT feature.
Ordering a Duchy Sport through Davis Marine Brokerage
Davis Marine Brokerage is the exclusive Australian and New Zealand dealer for Duchy Motor Launches, Hardy Motor Yachts and Cockwells SuperYacht Tenders. We are based at Fergusons Marina on The Spit in Mosman, and we manage the import of each new Duchy together with its delivery and commissioning in Sydney. The first Duchy 35 for Australia was sold in December, and a Duchy Sport can be specified the same way for a buyer here. Contact us to discuss the tow equipment, the Seakeeper and the rest of the specification, or read about how Cockwells builds the Duchy range before you do. The original DRIFT feature is reproduced on Cockwells’ press pages.
Frequently asked questions
How many people can the Duchy Sport carry?
DRIFT magazine puts the figure at nine. The cockpit has a wet bar and adjustable aft sunbeds that form seating around a dining table, and there is a galley and a cabin forward with day heads, so the boat works for a full harbour day with two families as well as an overnight stay.
Is the Duchy Sport only for wakesurfing?
No. It was designed to produce a surfable wake, and that remains its signature, but DRIFT describes it as capable of any towed or adrenaline watersport. It is also a fully finished Cockwells launch with a cabin, galley and heads, which makes it a weekender rather than a single-purpose tow boat.
Does the Duchy Sport have a stabiliser?
Yes. The boat DRIFT describes is fitted with a Seakeeper gyro stabiliser, which holds it steady at rest and, according to the magazine, at its 42-knot top speed. On Sydney Harbour and Pittwater, where wash from passing traffic is constant, a gyro makes time at anchor far more comfortable for everyone aboard.
Can a Duchy Sport be ordered for delivery to Australia or New Zealand?
Yes. Davis Marine Brokerage is the exclusive Australian and New Zealand dealer for Duchy Motor Launches and handles the import, delivery and commissioning of new Duchys in Sydney. The specification, including the watersports equipment, bimini and stabiliser, is agreed with you before the build starts at Cockwells in Cornwall.
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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