The versatile Chris-Craft Calypso 30 has the looks, the moves and all mod cons. But with no cabins and only a T-top, is it worth the drain on your wallet?
A sweltering May morning in Mallorca, and the Chris-Craft Calypso 30 is a refreshing slice of Americana amongst the European talent packed inside Puerto Portals.
It is by some distance neither the biggest or most expensive boat in this particularly extravagant basin but it looks every pound of its £337,000 asking price. That, without question, is a shedload of cash for a 30ft 6in (9.3m) boat with nowhere to sleep and only a canvas T-top for shelter, but if any boat this size looks and feels worth the outlay, it’s the Calypso.
There’s a sheen to the stainless steel and a gloss to the mouldings that give off an air of quality, as does the lustre of the paintwork and thick, quilted upholstery. Pop-up cleats sink into teak-capped bulwarks and the catches on the boarding gates shut with the engineered clunk of a bank vault. It’s quality that is more than skin deep, and the thoughtfulness of the design extends to the boat’s practicality.
The Calypsos (there’s a 26, too) are the multipurpose boats in the Chris-Craft range, adapted for fishing, watersports, coast hopping, lunching and looking damn good lashed to a Mediterranean quayside. The 30 is even more practical given that it has a Tecma toilet, sink and some storage tucked away forward of the helm console.
The central walkway is a key element to the dual-console design of the Calypso and leads forward, past triple helm seats, to a comfortable bow area. A lot of bow riders feel exposed but the area is so deep on the 30 that you feel perfectly secure, even at high speed.
Comfortable angled backrests with folding armrests mean that a couple of people can stretch out or a few more can sit together with a small table between. The teak-laid foredeck looks very smart but also provides a grippy surface for getting on and off tall quaysides.
There is no escaping how much the Calypso costs but if you’re seriously considering a Chris-Craft, it won’t come as a surprise but be it fishing, waterskiing, covering large distances quickly or swinging off the transom of a superyacht, the C30 impresses.
Read the full report on the Chris-Craft Calypso 30 in the October 2017 issue of MBY.
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