Tested By Capt. Bob Smith

This year’s Intrigue from Doral boasts room for six to sleep below and to entertain ten up on deck. She uses an efficient cab forward design to every advantage for space everywhere. She is built to exceed your expectations and certainly got this captain’s attention.

At the Bow

Out on the foredeck of our test model we had the custom optional ground tackle system with high polished stainless steel anchor with Doral imprinted on it, stainless steel chain and windlass system. Our boat also had a healthy sunpad for your sun worshippers on the bow protected by a stainless rail and served by two cup holders for beverages up front. The wraparound windshield has one wiper on the helm side for visibility in the wet weather. The walkthrough is accessed by steps built into the dash.

Down Below

Down in the cabin you have a nice V-berth that fills the front end of the boat. The large overhead hatch allows fresh air and natural sunlight into the space. The mirrored front makes the space look larger. No space is wasted. Under the mattress is a huge storage area. Privacy curtains wrap around the V-berth for night time privacy. There is a large L-shaped couch for the settee. A triangular table can be set up here for serving snacks and meals. Behind the couch is a bottle and glass organizer. Over on the right is the stereo behind a Plexiglas cover. Racks for magazines and/or CDs and DVDs are behind the couch. The TV is on a rotating pad so it can be viewed either from the comfort of the V-berth or shared with everyone in the cabin.

The Galley

Beautifully polished wood cabinets accent the galley. Here you have a microwave, pull out sprayer faucet at the single sink, double fold over cover for the cooktop and a pull out towel rack under the sink. You also have a refrigerator/freezer and three drawers for cutlery and silverware at the galley. Just aft of the galley is a long closet for hanging items. The head has stand up room, a wet head with vanity and pull out shower, and a toilet. Steps into the cabin have twin rubber non slip grooves for sure footing in the wet weather.

Features Topside

The cockpit has a chart holder over on the port side for the navigator. The port bench has a lounger back for comfort with a built in armrest in the side. The wet bar has a bottle and cup holder, single sink and faucet and ours had the optional ice maker underneath. The helm seat has storage underneath and is a double wide seat with flip up bolster for stand up driving comfort.

The tilt wheel on our model was a wood three spoke wheel. To the right of the wheel was a stereo remote, toggle switches, joystick spotlight control and bow plane controls. To the left was a large space for added electronics. Faria gauges in wood accents were in the first tier above the wheel. In the second tier was a digital depth finder that is only visible when you are standing. The arch has an electric drive to lower it for low bridges so you can go places others can’t.

Cockpit Layout

The stern bench wraps from the helm to the port side stern walkthrough. The sliding rear bench can be closed up for more intimate groups or expanded for a larger group. The engine hatch is motorized and the spaces below have lots of room for working with the engines. I would prefer the fire extinguisher not be mounted in the bilge as it is on this model now. The swim platform has a wash down in the stern trunk where the shore connections are in the bottom. I would also prefer the shore power connections be mounted vertically so backwash doesn’t foul the connections. The platform has a large storage locker and a double fender keeper system for fenders.

Specs

The 2005 Doral Intrigue is 30’6” length overall and 33’2” length overall with the extended swim platform attached. She is 11’2” in the beam and weighs in at 12,500lbs. She has a fuel capacity of 166 gallons in twin 83 gallon tanks and carries up to 40 gallons of fresh water. Cabin room overhead is better than six feet!

Test Drive

We tested the Doral Intrigue with three people on board in 1-2 foot whitecaps with 40 gallons of water and ¾ of a tank of fuel on board in the fresh waters of the Georgian Bay on Lake Huron. She cruised at 3500 rpms and 28.5mph. At cruise she burns 21.9 gallons per hour which gives you a cruising range of 194 miles on a full tank of fuel. At top speed she is turning 4800rpms and running 42.6mph. At top speed she burns 39.4gph for a range of 161 miles with twin 270hp Volvos installed. She is on plane in 10.7 seconds and can be passing through 30 miles per hour in 16.5 seconds. Sound levels start out at 59 dBa at idle, 84 dBa at cruise and tops out at 91 dBa at top end.

The Intrigue is over 30 feet of pure enjoyment. If you are looking for a medium size cruiser for entertaining and for having friends and family to spend the night on the hook, the Doral Intrigue has some very good news for you. It has arrived.

• Top speed for the Doral Intrigue is 42.6 mph (68.6 kph), burning 39.4 gallons per hour (gph) or 149.13 liters per hour (lph).


• Best cruise for the Doral Intrigue is 28.5 mph (45.9 kph), and the boat gets 1.30 miles per gallon (mpg) or 0.55 kilometers per liter (kpl), giving the boat a cruising range of 194 miles (312.21 kilometers).


• Tested power is 2 x 270-hp Volvo Penta 5.0GXI.