Captain's Report by Capt. Steve



I find the profile of the new 41 Cantius, and particularly her roof line, to be very pleasing and a classic design. The hardtop has a sunroof and moonroof.

A Class Act Aft



It's not hard to picture this boat at anchor while you sip drinks off these bar stools as the sun sets. Go ahead and add friends, drink holders are everywhere.

Your first view of the 41 Cantius will be from the swim platform and as first impressions go this one says a lot. The platform itself measures 12' (3.66 m) x 54" (137.2 cm) with the deck covered in teak. This is not only very functional swim platform, but a very cool gathering area as there are two pedestal bar stools and a large countertop. Transom storage has not been sacrificed. The countertop lifts to reveal a large storage with an LED light connected to a micro switch.

To port is a hatch that opens to reveal the city water hookup, cable and telephone, and a control switch for the Glendenning cable reel. Below that is a small hatch covering a hot and cold cockpit shower. Who could ask for anything more?

What's Cookin?



Spacious cockpit seating adds to the swim platform entertainment center. Bring up the drinks and turn up the tunes -- we can spend the night right here at anchor.



I would consider designing the space below the grill for a carry-on cooler which you can fill at home with steaks and burgers.

The aft cockpit presents very large L-shaped seating that accommodates a wastebasket tucked into the forward seat back. The teak deck continues in this level and there are pedestal bases for a pair of split high-low tables. To starboard is an optional gas grill, and if I had to pick a great place for a grill to be centrally located this would be it.

In the center of the cockpit deck is a hatch leading to the engine room.

Engine Room

The engine and has a ceiling height of 50" (127 cm). Outboard of the engines are the 150 gallon (567.8 L) fuel tanks. Racor filters are mounted right to the tanks. Just behind the port tank is the receiving drum for the Glendinning shore power cord reel. Of course the twin Volvo Penta D6 370 horsepower engines take center stage, and there's plenty of space in between for doing daily engine room checks.

In the starboard quarter the hot water heater is mounted out of the way and just ahead is the second 150 gallon (567.8 L) fuel tank. Ahead and below you can see the sea strainer for the heat and air conditioning system and hoses are double clamped as they should be. Above are the battery charger, battery switches, and engine room distribution panel. Fully forward is the generator housed in a sound reduction shield. Surprisingly, the standard generator is 13.5 kW. Normally we see 9 kW as standard.

Helm Deck and Salon



The helm deck is accessed by a triple wide sliding door that presents a seamless transition from the outside to the inside. Notice the TV just above the entertainment center and the sofa on an elevated platform behind me.



The ship’s main electrical panel is located at the bottom of the entertainment center right next to the cockpit refrigerator.

Upon entering the upper salon there is an entertainment center immediately to starboard. There are two levels of bottle storage below and plenty of counter space to aid in your entertaining. In the corner is a single basin stainless steel sink and a refrigerator is mounted just below. Above is additional storage and a flat screen TV mounted to a door that allows you to swivel the TV for viewing from the outside deck. The location of this entertainment center in close proximity to the outdoor grill is certainly no coincidence.

The helm deck features Amtico decking and a C-shaped settee on an elevated platform, 12" (30.5 cm) above the main deck. The settee features Ultra-leather upholstery with armrests at both ends. Additionally, there are armrests to either side of the center seat with drink holders embedded into those armrests.

Helm



The helm features a fiberglass inlay panel that is hinged at the bottom for easy electronics installation. We like the Volvo Penta simulated analog gauges under the compass.



The helm controls feature the Volvo Penta sterndrive joystick, the digital engine controls and trim tab controls just in between. The Sony stereo remote is just above.

The panel of the 41 Cantius offers plenty of real estate for electronics installation, in our case dual E90 wide screen displays flanking the Volvo Penta multifunction display over an autopilot control. This is a professional layout.

Visibility from the helm was outstanding with nearly 360-degrees of uninterrupted view. I'd like to see the VHF and ignitions moved to the upper panel from below. There's 6' 4" (2.0 m) of overhead clearance and an opening skylight with a retractable sunshade. The skylight is surrounded by LED lights that go from white to red at the push of a button.



The adjustable, double-wide helm seat features a flip-up bolster and flip-up armrests, but I kept hitting the back of my leg on the seat adjustment. This should be an easy fix.

Galley



Notice the storage space behind the counter and the rails on the stove. Microwave is above.

Stepping down to the accommodations deck is safe with handrails to the sides, and once down you quickly notice the wide open layout that is the signature of the Cantius line. The galley is to port with a double burner electric stove with sea rails to hold your cookware in place. A large single basin stainless sink is protected by a cover with a large handhold that allows you to use the faucet without removing the cover. There are storage cubbies behind the sink.



We like the fact that Cruisers Yachts decided to go for the bigger refer and simply raise the counter with the stove top. We like the large, round sink and modern faucet.

The storage above is deep enough to use for storing full-sized dinner plates. Below is additional storage in drawers and a refrigerator/freezer. The low maintenance and good looking Amtico decking continues throughout this deck.

Aft Cabin



The vanity features mirrored cabinets, good counter space, and a large sink with storage underneath. An opening portlight adds natural light and ventilation.



There's 2' 11" (.89 m) of space above the berth. Storage shelves and an opening portlight add to the amenities. The bulkhead behind me is loaded with storage cabinets and I am facing a flatscreen TV.

Upon entering the aft cabin you're met with 6’ 9” of headroom, a vanity to port, and a pair of berths that convert with fillers to a queen. A separate water closet allows you to the facilities, without interfering with whomever may be at the vanity.

Forward Cabin



We’re always happy to see when a builder adds storage above the berth in any stateroom.

Across from the galley is another head, this time with a separate shower stall. The cabin has a queen-sized island berth that is accessible from both sides. The usual storage lockers are to the sides, and drawers are below. A feature that some builders lack, but not Cruisers Yachts, is the opportunity to take advantage of the open space above the perimeter of the cabin for additional storage. A hatch overhead allows natural light, ventilation, and an emergency egress.

Performance and Handling

The 41 Cantius is a pleasure. Power steering allows for effortless controllability and she responds quickly to inputs. Bow rise is about 10-degrees but I didn't lose sight of the horizon at all. Once on plane, the bow still feels high, but measures out to be roughly 5-degrees.

Now here's the thing. If you start messing with trim tabs and outdrive trim to try and get that bow down further, you won't experience any boost in performance, but you will end up chasing lateral stability. It starts to feel like the boat is riding on a bubble and it keeps rolling off that bubble. In calm water, a shot or two of one tab or the other may be enough to offset this but with light chop, as on our test day, it was a pain. My advice is to leave the trim and tabs alone and let the boat find its own way. It knows how to boat better than you do.

With that said, I found that the best speed for comfort and visibility is right about at 3000 rpm. That had us running at 26.5 kts which is a comfortable speed for your passengers too. You can go faster, but at this speed the bow is down nicely and you're not dumping fuel like a maniac.

Turns were brisk with no tendency to slide off the turn, or bounce around on the edge of controllability. Remember there's a big hardtop overhead so you will lose visibility when turning to port. Clear the area before entering the turn.

With the 370-hp Volvo Penta D6 diesels cranking DP outdrives we had a top speed of 35.1 kts reached at 3570 rpm. At that speed we were burning 41 gph for a range of 231 nm. Best cruise came in at 2800 rpm with a 23.9 kt speed, a 24 gph fuel burn, and a range of 268.9 nautical miles.

We had a reasonable time to plane of 9 seconds with the tabs down and reached max speed in 32 seconds. I found her minimum planing speed to be 19 mph with the tabs up, 16 with the tabs down.



We'd prefer to duplicate the scene above with the 41 Cantius anchored in a quiet cove at sundown. Throw some swordfish on the grill and open the chardonnay for an evening to remember.

Recommendation

It's hard not to imagine yourself spending an extended cruise on the 41 Cantius, and with its seamless transition from the aft entertainment area, to the upper salon, to the lower galley, it's also clear to see that this open layout is as inviting as it is attractive.

If you are looking for a day boat for entertaining close to home then we can't think of a better 41-footer in which to do it. Here's why: there are three distinct venues for guests to congregate on the boat -- the bar on the swim platform, the outside settee in the cockpit, the settee inside the pilothouse by the bridge.

If the day is hot, then throw upon the sliding doors and open up the pilothouse, giving you two settees and a bar in the great outdoors. The 41 Cantius can easily and comfortably handle 12 guests topside.

If you are looking for a coastal cruiser for two couples or a family of four to six, you have plenty of sleeping locations and two heads. With so many places to hang out on this boat, everyone aboard will have their space.

The 41 Cantius was not a rocket ship, but then that is not her mission. Rather she is intended to provide comfortable and sensible cruising speeds that won't break the bank in operating costs. We think she should be on most peoples' short lists who are looking for a versatile cruising boat in this size range.

Speeds measured with Stalker ProSports radar gun. Fuel consumption (gallons per hour) measured with Floscan digital fuel-flow meter on gas inboards, sterndrives, and outboards, TechMate electronic scan tool on gas EFI inboards, Caterpillar digital fuel-flow meter on diesel engines, or permanently installed fuel-monitoring equipment. Range is based on 90% of published fuel capacity. Sound levels determined using Radio Shack digital decibel meter on A scale. 68 dBA is the level of normal conversation.

Performance Chart

Test Conditions