Review
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Fairline Squadron 58 Review supplied by Modern Boating
WORDS & PHOTOS IAN MACRAE
Go back almost seven years to the day and you’d have found me out on Sydney Harbour on another sunny Autumn day putting one of the first Fairline’s to grace our shores through her paces. She was a Squadron 62 and at the time was the epitome of style and luxury. This boat also marked the launch of the local luxury big boat market and was the forerunner to the hundreds of luxury motoryachts now plying our waters.
But it was also a time when the style of these luxury cruisers was brought in line with ‘21st century’ design trends. It started when many Italian boats opted for sleek wave-like saloon windows (with an absence of sharp corners and fin-like panels on the rear of the saloon walls), trends that quickly spread worldwide.
After that original Squadron 62 was sold, Fairline boats dropped from the radar here in Oz for a few years, but the Chapman Marine Group now has the importation rights and can offer an excellent level of after-sale service through its Australia-wide dealer network.
Having the back-up service is an important facet of buying a boat these days, but the market also demands ‘sleek and slinky’ and that’s exactly what this latest Fairline Squadron 58 delivers — with plenty of style, performance and handling thrown in for good measure. She’ll make the perfect chariot to convey us across Rose Bay at the end of this on-water test to Sydney’s renowned Catalina restaurant. But let’s get the business end of the job out of the way first.
Quality workmanship
Step onto the massive swim platform and you get a feel for just how big this 58 footer actually is. But it’s when you enter the opulent main saloon that the superb build quality of this luxury vessel hits home.
The workmanship and quality of fixtures and fittings used in her construction are first class. I literally ran my hand over just about every piece of joinery in that saloon and found no imperfections. And that includes inside the cupboards and draws and under the plush lounge cushions. There aren’t many boats on the market, in Australia anyway, that you can do that to and not find a flaw somewhere — I was impressed.
Open plan layout
But equally impressive are the open-plan layout of the saloon and the functionality of the sunken galley behind the helm station. The aft section of the saloon consists of a huge ‘open’ U-shaped lounge to port and the home theatre entertainment system against the starboard wall. Feel like a drink? There’s a wine bottle/glass cabinet and bar in the saloon near the steps leading down into the galley. And while the raised helm station is separated from this area by the lower galley and the internal flybridge stairs to port, conversations can still take place between people seated in the two areas easily.
Still on the helm, yes it’s well laid out, has all the right electronics and gauges and the skipper does have excellent forward and side vision, but the flybridge overhang does limit vision aft when underway. However, this is a problem owners of all vessels of this size and layout have to contend with. Headroom above the helm is also limited, so watch your head when you stand up.
To port is another large U-shaped lounge surrounding the dining table. So four people can sit next to the skipper to keep him/her company, six if you include someone sitting in the second helm chair.
But how about that galley! It’s a chef’s delight. Plenty of bench space, dual sinks with mixer tap, limestone bench tops, dishwasher, three-burner stove, microwave, special draws and cupboards for the Fairline fine China dinner service and cutlery set and a teak and holly floor. Below the floor is a massive pantry locker and to port is a full head height walk-in laundry and ironing room. Now that’s something you don’t normally get in a 58-footer.
This Squadron 58 has the three cabin layout (aft crew quarters are optional), main stateroom with en-suite in the bow, a double guest stateroom to port and a third to starboard with dual bunks, which convert to a double with an infill. All of these luxurious cabins have air-conditioning, ample hanging space and televisions. An equally luxurious bathroom services the guests’ staterooms.
Third storey
Access to the third storey (flybridge) of this floating palace is via a stylish internal staircase, or up the wide and easy to negotiate rear stairs outside the saloon. On this boat you can get to the flybridge without getting wet in all conditions. This boat’s a true entertainer’s delight and it’s the flybridge where much of the entertaining will take place.
Again the skipper gets a complete electronics package, excellent all-round visibility and two other friends can join them at the helm. The guests aren’t forgotten either. There’s a huge circular lounge aft around a removable table (just the place for a spot of alfresco dining) and a couple of sun lounges for those wishing to work on their tans.
The flybridge has a barbecue, bar fridge, icemaker and sink unit, the only reason you’d need to come down is to use the loo, or go for a swim. Plus, a custom-made and easy to remove bimini covers the entire flybridge to protect occupants from the harsh Aussie sun.
Performance & handling
Out on the water this fair lady showed she lacked nothing in the performance stakes under power from two Volvo Penta D12 800hp diesels engines. These engines are extremely quiet, thanks to the heavy soundproofing in the engine room and the water-cooled engine exhausts with silencers and side outlets. Engine operation is also silky smooth aided by the electronic controls, which help make close-quarter manoeuvrability a breeze. The in-gear idle speed of the twin 800s is also low enough, so that the boat doesn’t ‘leap’ in and out of gear as you manoeuvre around the marina.
The helm is a light, one-finger affair and the bow swings effortlessly from lock to lock. This is another big boat you can throw around like a runabout, but I doubt there’s a need to drive this boat like that.
Top speed at 2450rpm is 34 knots, but for economical running and a gentle cruise speed, 24 knots at 1900rpm is the go.
The seas on the day of this test were like glass and ferry wakes became the only semblance of a wave or swell I could find, even outside The Heads.
But Mark Chapman ran the boat up from Wollongong after the delivery ship arrived ‘in country’, straight into a head sea and praised her sea-keeping ability.
According to Fairline “all boats are not created equal” and after spending a few hours onboard the Squadron 58 I am tending to agree with them. The design, engineering and workmanship that have gone into this vessel are exemplary and her performance and handling is up there with the worlds best in class.
With a price tag of $2,485,000, she’s also pretty good value for money; especially when you consider the quality of her fixtures and fittings and the extensive options list that’s all part of the deal.
Now, what’s on the lunch menu?
It’s a rarity to find a restaurant that improves with time, but Catalina has done just that. I first came here more than a decade ago and at the time thought it was a good restaurant with a great view.
Now I would say that the quality of the food and service is certainly equal to its spectacular location.
Catalina is a Sydney icon, and it’s heartening to see that it deserves this status. What is even more heartening is to realise that in an age of corporatisation and franchising, this is a true family affair, run by people with a passion for what they do. When Michael and Judy McMahon opened Catalina in 1994, they set out to be Sydney’s favourite waterside dining venue. I don’t know who measures these things, and whether it has officially achieved this status, but I think they’ve made an excellent attempt. This effort involved the sometimes-dubious practice of employing their sons, but in the McMahon’s case, it’s paid off marvellously.
Chef Paul McMahon literally grew up in restaurants. As a nine-year old hanging out at his father’s Barrenjoey House in Palm Beach, he met chefs like Neil Perry, John Vanderveer and Peter Kuruvita and began to explore the world of food. The family claim that he could identify cuts of meat and exotic vegetables before he was 12.
McMahon’s kitchen now turns out an exquisite array of dishes, with something to tempt the fussiest of palates, and satisfy the heartiest of appetites. Befitting the waterside location, there’s a Mediterranean twist to the flavours, plenty of Italian warmth, and a bit of Spanish zest.
Staff at the restaurant were so helpful that I decided to give-up my inner control freak and submit to their recommendations, and I’m glad I did.
TESTING NEW WATERS
I would normally never order octopus, which is notoriously difficult to cook well. In the hands of the wrong cook it is a nasty rubbery substance that could be recycled as that material they’re now putting outside pub doors to cushion the falls of drunk patrons. Up until now the only decent octopus I had ever tried was caught fresh by my fisherman grandfather and cooked slowly in a traditional sauce for what seemed like an entire day. So it was with trepidation that I ordered the braised octopus carpaccio with vongole, black mussels and avruga (herring roe) on the recommendation of the charming waiter.
It was excellent sliced paper thin, with a delicate mosaic appearance, subtle flavour and melt-in-the-mouth texture.
Other winning entrees included scallops with confit chicken wings, and Hawkesbury squid with wait for it crispy duck tongue! These were lapped up (sorry) by diners at our table.
In another brave move, I yielded to the suggestion that I try a chardonnay with my char-grilled yellowfin main. Not the biggest fan of the often cloying taste of chardonnay, I accepted the sommelier’s assurance that it would compliment the strong flavour of the tuna. His suggestion of a Tyrell’s Vat 47 Hunter Valley chardie was spot on. In fact, almost everything that arrived at our table hit the mark, from the roasted snapper to the lamb rack with caramelised witlof and tahini sauce.
We paused for a while to enjoy the stunning view through the floor to ceiling glass sliding doors. The 40m long curved balcony looking out over Rose Bay and Shark Island is a perfect spot for an aperitif or one for the voyage home.
When it came to dessert we decided to avoid menu envy, and order the dessert platter for a taste of everything. Each dessert deserved a superlative, but in the interest of brevity I’ll just say lemon tart, vanilla panna cotta, pure pleasure.
Catalina, means ‘pure’, and it’s a perfect name for the unadulterated bliss of dining here. Arrive and leave by boat on a brilliant Sydney day pure heaven.
Fairline Difference
So what does make a Fairline different from other boats?
The hull is bonded to the deck; then bolted in place for extra strength and structural integraty. Fairline hulls have a double gelcoat layer, so minor knocks are easier to repair and all interior hull surfaces are flow-coated. Each model features a unique hull form and design. Fairline has never lengthened, or shortened an existing hull to create a new model.
Every timber bulkhead is handcrafted to fit the hull exactly without any joining pieces before it’s glassed in place, so the boat doesn’t squeak, creak or rattle.
Fairline engines are pre-installed on their rubber mountings and left to settle for some weeks before the boat is built. This helps eliminated the need for shaft-realignments after delivery.
Only genuine, solid woods of the highest quality are used throughout the boats and Fairline go to great lengths to make sure the grain is perfectly matched in every detail, both horizontally and vertically, on all panels and cabinetry. Even the screw heads are invisible.
Fairline beds have luxurious full-length mattresses that are either pocket-sprung or the highest quality reflex foam. All curtains have ‘blackout’ linings, the carpets are insulated and the cooling water outflow from the generator is completely silenced, so a good night’s sleep is definitely on the cards.
navico recommends Leading Australian-based electronics distributor Navico recommends the Simrad GB40 chartplotter/sounder for the Squadron 58. It allows tailormade solutions that provide owners of large yachts a complete view of their surrondings — around, below and above the vessel. It features 10”, 15” and 19” monitors for multi display/multi-station installation and radar from 2kW to 25kW. There’s a high power dual-frequency echosounder and the GB40 combines 3D-electronic charting, high definition radar and high performance fish finding into a easy to use navigation system.
Engine Room
Twin 800hp Volvo s power the Fairline Squadron 58.
Performance
In calm conditions wide of Sydney Heads the 58 returned the following performance figures.
knots - RPM
24 II 1900
34 II 2450
LOA II 58’ 10”
Length II 57’ 8”
Beam II 15’ 1”
Draft II 4’ 7”
Displacement II 23,877kg
Engines II Twin Volvo D12 800hp
Fuel II 2727lt
Freshwater II 1008lt
Sleeps II 6-10
