One of the stars of the Southampton Boat Show, the Marex 310 shows practical, engaging Scandinavian boat building at its very best
The Marex 310 is one of those boats where takes a bit of time to get beneath the skin and really appreciate its attributes. From the outside it looks like a perfectly pleasant if somewhat unremarkable cockpit cruiser but to write it off because of that would be foolhardy.
It is essentially a scaled down version of the 375, which translates into a practical, safe and sociable cockpit protected by two sliding sunroofs with a genuinely surprising amount of accommodation on the lower deck. Key to the feeling of space below is the enormous companionway door, which splits so the lower section drops into the deck and top half slides into a recess behind the helm.
This allows buckets of natural light to infiltrate the galley/hallway area and increase the feeling of space remarkably.
Forward an angled berth makes the most of the available space and oversized hull windows ensure the forward cabin gets its own share of light. Amidships a double berth lurks beneath the cockpit with space by the door for a decent hanging wardrobe and room to change next to the bed.
Between the cabins is an amazingly spacious and well finished bathroom.
Engine options are all from Volvo Penta and the range stretches from a D3 for inland use up to the D6 370hp we had on test the propelled the 310 to 35 knots flat out.
Handling, thanks to the single sterndrive setup, is lively and fun, though with a bit of tab engaged the boat can hunker down and push through the chop comfortably when it kicks up.
On top of all this, though, there is the fine detailing that is such a pleasure to see on a boat of this size and relatively modest price. The cockpit covers alone are brilliant piece of design, stowing in the hardtop supports and drawing around the cockpit like curtains in the quickest and most fuss free way possible.
The quality of the woodwork and teak is sublime, as are the mouldings and the little things like cockpit lockers opening on twin gas rams without the need to remove cushions to use them. Every facet of the boat has been thought about and poured over by people who go boating.
Okay, it’s not all perfect. The aft sunroof surround feels flimsy and, currently, anyone over 5ft 8in will have the sunroof over the helm digging into their neck when they stand to drive but this does little to dull such a well-rounded overall package.
Read the full report in the January 2017 issue of Motor Boat & Yachting.
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