For serious cruising in style, you’ll want to consider the Doral Alegria. You’ll likely have a tender or PWC along. If so, you will want the hydraulic swim platform option from TNT as seen here. She is built in Canada, but she is all-European in execution.



When the tender is in the water, the extended platform makes a nice place to swim, sunbathe or just hang out. Enter the cockpit through centerline doors. The teak-soled steps onto the side decks look a bit precarious, but are actually quite functional and easy to negotiate.

Climb Onboard

Our test model had the hydraulic swim platform as well as the teak inserts on the platform and cockpit (you can also get NuTeak PVC – which looks like teak but is easier to maintain). Stowage at the stern is plentiful. Deck lockers, stern lockers, all dockside service connections, remote for the stereo and a TDI Shore Power Cable storage system are all convenient. The primary entrance is through double swinging centerline transom doors that lead one step up into the aft cockpit.



For this year, Doral has upgraded the cockpit, helm and master stateroom and offers more options, too. If you want something different, speak up; they will go out of their way to try to accommodate your individual tastes.

Party Time

We like the cockpit grill and refreshment center on the Alegria. The refreshment center has everything you need including a refrigerator, ice maker, stowage galore, bottle and drink holders and pressure water. Set up your al fresco meal on the cockpit tables and have everyone relax and enjoy. Generous seating for guests includes a starboard L-lounge and a port corner lounge with its own teak table.

Forward, on the bridge deck, there is another large C-shaped lounge with yet another teak table, this one with a chart holder in the center for comfortable navigation. A cockpit TV/DVD player is optional and supplements the deluxe marine sound system.



Comfortable lounges provide seating for the whole crew. The table opposite the helm has a chart holder in the center.



This is an on-deck refreshment center and galley that we think is fit for Wolfgang Puck. There is no express cruiser like this one in class.

Engine Room

Engine room access includes both a day hatch for oil checks and a motorized hatch for better access. The Alegria is offered with several engine packages from both Cummins MerCruiser and Volvo Penta. A Cummins MerCruiser CMD QSB 5.9-425 Zeus 3500 joystick drive with skyhook electronic anchor will run you $714,143. Straight drives will save you a little money as the Volvo-Penta D9 diesels list for $647,965 for 500-hp and $695,959 for 575. We tested an IPS 600 option -- check with your dealer for this pricing. Whatever power you choose you’ll find plenty of room around the engines for fluid checks and routine maintenance.



Standard electronics include electric trim tabs, engine synchronizer, Faria gauges, Danforth Compass, rudder indicators and remote spotlight. Upgrade options include Raymarine multifunction navigation displays (C-120 or E-120), Raymarine autopilot for Volvo Penta IPS and Raymarine DSM digital depth sounder upgrade for Raymarine navigation displays.

On the Bow

The foredeck is a wide expanse that gives you a feel for the room inside. A unique stair system unfolds from the sliding companionway door to get you safely up through the center opening in the windshield, which opens at the push of a button.

On deck you’ll find 316 stainless steel mooring cleats, rails and grab rails for the loungers, and for the European markets that require it, an intermediate safety line is beneath the rails. (Why don’t all boats get the safety line, even if the law doesn’t require it in North America?)

Foot-wide side decks have courtesy lighting for night work. Standard fender stowage tubes in the pulpit make it simple to keep the fenders where they are needed. An electric windlass is standard and you can opt for a polished stainless anchor. On deck you can add twin teak loungers or sunpads with integrated pillows.



Twin teak loungers on the foredeck are options; you can have sun pads with integrated pillows instead. Note the intermediate rails that keep folks from sliding under the bow rail. Why don’t all boats have them?

The Lap of Luxury

Below decks, the galley has everything to let your culinary creativity shine. There is a separate refrigerator and freezer, double burner electric cooktop with matching Kardon cover, stainless steel coffee maker and stainless steel convection microwave oven and a bar with glass storage.



You can’t see it, but there’s an optional retractable 26” TV under the counter. This leaves the counter free when the TV is not in use. (Is the TV ever not in use? Not aboard our boat!) The standard boob-tube is 15” with DVD. Surround sound stereo is standard and includes a CD player, subwoofer and speakers.

Cabin cooling is maintained with a standard 16,000 BTU system. You can upgrade to an additional cockpit system with 16,000 BTUs or maximize to a Tropical system with a total of 36,000 BTUs in two separate systems.



Seating includes a crescent-shaped lounge for four to six adults with Ultraleather that it converts into a bed. Our test model had the optional leather upholstery that really felt wonderful. The cherry wood table will be a hit when you serve dinner aboard. This reminds us of an exclusive banquette at an up market Parisian or Manhattan restaurant.

Berthing

The forward stateroom has a dedicated 7,000 BTU air conditioning system to keep you comfortable. Full height lockers are to port and starboard with additional port and starboard cabinets for your clothes and gear. There’s a separate entry into the head, where you and your first mate can prepare for the day at the same time – the Alegria has separate head and shower compartments, one to port, the other starboard.



The forward stateroom has a queen-sized island berth with stowage under and wooden steps leading up to the bed. While virtually all forward cabins look the same, Doral has managed to make the Alegria’s stand apart from the rest. Bravo!



The forward head is divided into two separate compartments with the toilet and sink on one side and the shower on the other. This bowl-syle sink in the flavor of the month in yachtdom, but how to you keep a glass bowel like this looking clean?



The aft stateroom is more our style. The angled berth isn’t as awkward to get into as many island berths we’ve seen and there’s room to move around it, too. We’d live here, and put our guests up forward.

The aft stateroom should be the master – it’s roomier and there’s less wave-action noise. Aboard the test boat, Doral used the extra space created by the compact pod drives to expand this cabin. Even with the queen-sized berth, you can easily get into bed from either side. There’s 61” of headroom at the vanity, 51” at the foot of the bed. Full cedar-lined closets will keep your clothes fresh.

The aft head has a vanity with Karadon counter top, Vacuflush toilet and shower with curtain. Unlike the forward head, it’s all in one compartment. Serious cruisers will want the optional washer/dryer combo unit.



Just another quiet evening in the Great White North, we can almost hear Celine Dion wafting across the water. Maybe she would like to join us on our Doral Alegria? We wouldn’t ask her to sing. We think the lines of this boat are about as beautiful as they come.

Test Results

We tested the Alegria on a fresh water river close to the Doral plant in Canada, with five people onboard, air temperature was 66 degrees. The boat maneuvered with ease and turned smoothly, thanks to the pod drives. She was on plane in 6.6 seconds and up to 30 mph in 12.6 seconds. Her top speed was 41 mph or 35.6 knots at 3620 rpm delivering .93 mpg. Her most economical cruising speed was at 3000 rpm and 30.5 mph or 26.5 knots, delivering 1.07 mpg for a full tank range of 386 miles. That is very good range for this class of boat.

Recommendation

As you can see in the pictures above, the Alegria has a level of sophisticated design detail that is pretty much unmatched on the west side of the Atlantic. We have tested this boat with a number of different propulsion systems, so you should check them all out and pick the one that best meets your needs. Doral is positioned in the top tier of brands in class, nevertheless her pricing is surprisingly competitive. For those who want to be the king rooster on the walk, the Doral Alegria should be on your short list. We don’t think there is anything quite like her on the market.

• Top speed for the Doral Alegria (2009-) is 41.0 mph (66 kph), burning 43.9 gallons per hour (gph) or 166.16 liters per hour (lph).


• Best cruise for the Doral Alegria (2009-) is 30.5 mph (49.1 kph), and the boat gets 1.07 miles per gallon (mpg) or 0.45 kilometers per liter (kpl), giving the boat a cruising range of 386 miles (621.21 kilometers).


• Tested power is 2 x 435-hp Volvo Penta IPS600 - Diesel.