Doral Prestancia
By Capt. Rob Smith
Doral’s been building boats for over 30 years now. As a boutique builder, many may not have heard about them, but they are a very hands-on company. Seating, upholstery and even the bed and speaker covers are hand-made right in their factory. For the Prestancia, Doral has brought aboard many high-end amenities to a cruiser under 33’ length overall.
Construction
Doral builds the Prestancia using a sandwich construction technique to add rigidity to the hull. This adds sound and temperature insulating quality to the hull itself. The lamination schedule starts with 18-22 ml of gelcoat finish and continues through eight steps, including finishing the interior of the model with gelcoat.
Beginning at the Stern
The Prestancia has a semi built-in swim platform and an extended fiberglass swim platform. Fender racks keep the fenders where you can easily find them, yet out of the way. An option that dresses up the cruiser is the teak insert or NUTeak PVC insert, which I prefer as it is easy to maintain. The transom entry is on the starboard side of the single level fiberglass lined cockpit. Lines, cords and cleaning gear can stow in the storage box across the back of the stern rather than bringing them into the cockpit. Battery switches are also in this locker so you don’t have to remove the canvas or crawl under it to turn the batteries on or off.
In the Cockpit
After entering the cockpit, the first thing you have is a cockpit beverage center on the starboard side. This has a standard anthracite aspect finish countertop, sink with water and bottle and glass holders of green acrylic. Doral does offer a cockpit refrigerator or ice maker as an option on this model.
Speakers in the cockpit are now 160 W. Standard carpeting is the deluxe teak and holly pattern with Aquatrac backing. You can option up to the same teak or NUTeak inserts in the cockpit as well. The engine hatch has a large electric actuated side with a secondary manual access hatch with a handy keeper strap to keep it from falling. Overhead, the radar arch is hinged to get you under some of the low overheads you may have to deal with. If you regularly have to lower the arch, opt for the electric assist.
Seating is quite comfortable. The aft bench has two positions it can lock into that can extend the port side by about one seat or you can close it up to get maximum use of the swim platform. Cockpit seating is hand-made using composite bottoms so you don’t have to worry about them rotting over time. The passenger side lounger across from the helm has a built-in armrest and butts up against the port side bench to make one huge bench that wraps from the stern to the dash. Just above the lounger in the dash is a green acrylic chart holder for your navigator to use.
At the Helm
The helm seat is a dual size seat with stand up bolster. It would be easy to imagine the dash designer likes the sports car look when you see this dash. Faria gauges, digital depth sounder and electric trim tabs are standard at the helm. Teleflex Extreme throttle and shift cables give smooth trouble-free action. You can upgrade the helm with a deluxe steering wheel, trim tab indicators and Raymarine A60 GPS Chartplotter and a VHF.
Going Forward
You can reach the bow by either the 6” side decks, or as I prefer, through the center walk-through windshield with polished aluminum and stainless steel cap. At six feet tall, I was looking through the top of the frame when standing to drive. Heavy duty 316 grade stainless rails guard the bow. Doral offers mahogany loungers or cushions with built in headrests as options on the bow. Anchor windlass, stainless steel roller and self-bailing anchor chain locker are standard. You can opt for a stainless steel anchor package if you want to stand out at the docks.
Below Decks
The companionway door is a sliding green tinted translucent door with privacy curtain for bedtime, and my personal favorite, a sliding screen door for the cool nights and mornings. This way you can enjoy the air without the bugs enjoying you. I measured just under 74” sole to cabin top at the highest point in the salon.
Galley, Berths and Head
The galley is on the starboard side and the dinette is L-shaped with storage and converts to another berth for guests aboard. You can have a standard laminated table or upgrade to a solid wood table. The galley has a built in refrigerator/freezer and now also includes a coffee maker. The single burner cooktop has a Corian cover to match the anthracite granite aspect counters. Also included is a stainless steel sink and silver microwave oven. The forward V-berth has a privacy curtain. The aft cabin has a double bed and privacy curtain. The TV/DVD player is standard in the U.S. and Canadian version. Carpets are textured with non-skid backing. The head has a solid wood trim and matching door to the cabinetry in the galley. Inside the fully lined head unit is a shower curtain, fiberglass vanity with matching anthracite granite aspect counter, and Vacuflush toilet.
Notable Options
Other than what I have already mentioned, you can opt to include a gas or diesel Kohler generator. That will be handy if you have the 10,000 BTU system, or the upgraded Tropical system with 18,000 BTUs. You can extend the optional teak or NUTeak sole throughout the cockpit, and you can add underwater lights.
Specifics
The new Prestancia’s length overall measures 27’9”, and 32’2” with the integral bow pulpit. Her beam is 10’1” and she tips the scales at 10,000 lbs. Her fuel capacity is 110 gallons and fresh water capacity is 30 gallons.
Test Results
I tested the Prestancia on a freshwater river near the plant in Canada. Conditions were calm and the handling was great both around the docks and underway. She is nimble, capable of tight turns under control and jumps wakes almost as easily as a PWC. Top speed measured 47.7 mph, burning 43.7 gph or 1.09 mpg at 5100 rpm. Her most economical speed was at 3500 rpm and 31.1 mph burning 17.8 gph or 1.75 mpg. At this speed she can deliver about 173 miles on a full tank of fuel. She reached plane in 5.5 seconds and passed through 30 mph in 8.5 seconds with twin Volvo Penta 5.7GXi engines.
Conclusion
The Prestancia is the first in the line of Doral pocket cruisers to offer twin engines for options. They offer 17 different packages for power from Volvo Penta, MerCruiser, Yanmar and Cummins-MerCruiser. They range from the Volvo Penta 190 hp diesel to 320 hp gas engines from Volvo Penta and MerCruiser. If you need a little more room than the typical pocket cruiser or want more amenities and more customization than most can offer, the Doral Prestancia is one you will want to look over.
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