Aquador 400HT review: Extraordinary combination of day boating flexibility and cruising capacity

We head to Poland for a sneak peek at the Aquador 400HT, the new flagship of Aquador’s “next-generation” sportscruiser fleet

You might imagine that a remote Polish lake, raked by drizzle on a chilly winter’s morning, is a questionable start to a fun day out. But the new Aquador 400HT that we’ve come here to see could hardly be more exciting.

It comes on the back of an invigorating market shift from Aquador that has seen it transform its increasingly dated fleet with a fresh generation of sportscruisers known as the HT line. We’ve already seen the Aquador 250HT and the Aquador 300HT over the last couple of years – and both of them have managed to combine usable volume and dynamic styling to better effect than pretty much anything else out there.

So as the new flagship emerges through the gloom, it’s great to see that the basic design principles appear to have made their way onto the larger platform unscathed.

Just as before, volume is maximised on the Aquador 400HT by means of a deep forefoot, a beam-forward hull and raised hull sides. The use of an elevated foredeck sunbed also increases lower deck headroom and the fact that the walkaround side decks are so narrow means that pretty much all of the 13ft beam is made available to the occupants of the internal saloon.

Better still, those lofty hull sides mean that the superstructure feels quite deepset by comparison. You could still argue that, with its extra scale, the Aquador 400HT is not quite as pretty as the smaller models but this Nimbus-inspired design approach still brings a degree of stylistic potency that a boat of these proportions has little right to achieve.

Day boating options

Volume is of no great value if it isn’t properly used and the 400HT is particularly strong in that regard. At the back end, a big fixed platform uses an aft-facing L-shaped lounge for outdoor lunches with unobstructed access to the water.

A drop-down table means this unit can also be converted into a sunlounger and the extended roof line and sunshade mean you get plenty of overhead shelter if you want it. But this is, of course, the inboard variant and as on the smaller models, you can also spec this boat with Mercury outboards.

If that’s the way you want to go, this transom lounge is sacrificed and your engines are instead concealed beneath a sunbed, in much the same style as a De Antonio day cruiser.

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In all cases, though, the foredeck sunbed adds another two-person lounging option and getting there is much easier than you might think. In spite of the modest breadth of those side decks, a slender roofline, alongside well conceived rooftop rails, guardrails and toe rails, actually makes this a very confidence-inspiring boat for making your way fore and aft.

The cleats are also positioned outboard, in little gaps between the toe rails, so they present no trip hazard and they’re neatly positioned for access through the superstructure’s side windows too.

As for the Aquador 400HTs internal saloon, that uses the extra scale of the 400 for a pair of uprated seating zones on the port side. The first, opposite the L-shaped galley, comes in the form of a really sizeable C-shaped dinette with another drop-down table so you can use it as a fourth double berth for occasional guests.

The wraparound aft canvases make that particularly practical and on a day like today, it’s interesting to see that the roof’s aft overhang protects the canvas ‘window’ sections from the rain, bringing far better visibility than most solutions, when the weather confines you to the internal seating.

There’s additional refrigeration beneath these seats too, plus lots of easy-access storage that enables you to deposit your gear one-handed without removing cushions. But good though it is, it’s the forward seating section that really puts a smile on your face.

For a start, it’s substantially raised, providing all-round views on a par with those at the twin helm. Secondly, it’s large enough for three or four people, which means even a large family can keep one another company on a long passage.

And thirdly, the natural sociability of its facing seats is augmented with an implausibly large slide-out infill that emerges from beneath that narrow side deck with all the playful fanfare of a handkerchief from a clown’s pocket.

It’s a disarmingly brilliant use of space and it means you don’t have to mess about with separate infills or waste valuable storage space with extra boards and cushions. And if that’s a pleasing detail, so is the broader picture – because with the aft lounge, the big dinette, the convertible companion seats and the bow space, this is a boat that enables the full ship’s company of 12 to gather for day parties without the slightest need to get under one another’s feet.

Cruising room for six

Down below, you get three double cabins – an open-plan owner’s cabin forward and a pair of guest cabins aft, which share the beam beneath the front end of the saloon. While the headroom is limited on the Aquador 400HT in these guest cabins because of the saloon’s deep-set central walkway, it lifts in increments as the saloon furniture steps up, creating plenty of space for a changing seat and some full-height storage at the cabins’ entry points.

There are also multiple windows in staggered ranks, admitting plenty of natural light and ventilation, while also providing excellent views from the large low-level double beds, which entirely fill the floor space further aft.

It’s good to see that, in spite of the open-plan (bulkhead-free) principle that seems to govern the layout in the forward part of the lower deck, both guest cabins get proper doors for authentic privacy; and the starboard day heads is also impressive.

By using some clever furniture angles in response to the challenges posed by the onset of the hull taper at its forward end, it creates the space for a separate shower cubicle, a good sized toilet and a generous sink unit, all of it lavished with plenty of light and headroom, which is not something you necessarily expect from a boat in this sector.

As for the owner’s cabin, things are just as positive. The big raised bed in the V of the bow benefits from wraparound bulkhead cushions to keep you comfy at night. There’s hanging storage and a changing seat to port. The windows are long and deep, the walkaround decks are well used for ambient lighting and there are vast reserves of headroom, even at the head end of the bed for sitting up without a squeeze.

A privacy curtain would be useful in this open-plan section, just in case you intend to cruise with friends rather than family, but storage is again strong – not least beneath the hinged mattress, where a vast, properly lined space, with the bow thruster and battery tidily tucked away, provides all the volume you need for a week’s worth of bulky cruising baggage.

Making moves

Boats that are relatively short, high, wide and voluminous don’t tend to make the very best driving machines but the signs here are really quite good. The helm enjoys brilliant visibility, thanks to its raised seating, steep windows and narrow mullions and, against all odds, the tracking, even off the plane, feels very secure.

The Aquador 400HT is quite a composed boat when you get up to speed too. There’s some fairly acute but commendably settled heel in the turn with a decent bit of responsiveness from wheel and throttle, and the running attitude also feels very sound.

With the trim set on auto, our tabs never deploy to more than 14% so it’s reasonable to assume that, when operated manually, optimising the performance will involve little more than graduated tweaks.

Sadly we don’t have time to experiment with that, as our boat was about to make its way down to the Düsseldorf Boat Show for its world debut. But certainly, during our brief spell at the wheel, the cruising credentials look very strong…

At everything from 25 to 33 knots, our fuel flow sits neatly beneath 3L/nm, bringing a range of nearly 200 miles from that 700L fuel tank. These speeds also bring a really user-friendly dip in the noise levels, as the diesel engines wind up and the low-rev rumbles settle down.

It’s a very generous trait for a boat that tops out at around 37 knots but, as intimated, there are engine options here. If you favour the outboard variant, a pair of Mercury V8 300s will deliver around 35 knots, alongside some extra refinement and simplified maintenance.

But for us, the extra pace, the improved weight distribution, the more open back end and the likelihood of 30% fuel flow savings make the Volvo Penta D4-320 sterndrives far and away the better option.

Aquador 400HT specifications

LOA: 39ft 7in (12.10m)
BEAM: 13ft 0in (3.96m)
DRAFT: 3ft 5in (1.05m)
DISPLACEMENT: 8,200kg
FUEL CAPACITY: 700L
WATER CAPACITY: 250L
ENGINES: twin 300-350s outboards / Volvo D4-320s / Mercury V6 270s
RCD: B12
CONTACT: aquadorboats.fi

Aquador 400HT costs & options

from €499,000 inc VAT. Test boat including the following options…
Twin Volvo Penta D4-320 upgrade: €20,000

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