AXOPAR 28

It says much about the Axopars 28’s design that even the dealers were taken aback by its radical styling when it was unveiled to them at the end of 2014. Steve Lane, MD of Offshore Powerboats, sole agent for Axopar in the UK at the time recalls: “Considering the price and build time, we wondered whether it was going to work at all with such aggressive lines and the variety of modules on deck.

“Thanks to the online configurator the customer experience was also like nothing we had seen before.”

In 2015 MBY tested the first 28 in the country, an Open with a single 250hp Mercury outboard. The starting price with a 150hp engine was £53,365 inc VAT; as tested with a turnkey spec it was just over £75,000. Extraordinary value for money.

Aside from the eye-catching pricing strategy, it was the 28’s outstanding hull and deck design that had journalists and customers rejoicing. The team behind it had previously been responsible for Paragon and XO and that pedigree flowed through