LIFESTYLE CRUISER
Tested by DAVID HARDING
Where we tested: The Solent.
Wind: 12-20 knots with slight chop.
Model: Moody 41DS, hull No12, with extras including electric in-mast reefing and genoa on outer forestay.
Whatever your opinion of decksaloons, there’s something extremely civilised about being able to walk ‘inside’ from the cockpit, staying on the same level and looking out through big windows.
Of course decksaloons are nothing new, and they come in all shapes and sizes. The one on Moody’s 41DS, however, is likely to win new converts, including people who might otherwise be tempted by a catamaran or even a motorboat. Opening to the cockpit via a push-and-slide door, it gives you a virtually uninterrupted 360° view of the outside world. You have the galley immediately next to the door, with a large hatch opening to the cockpit for extra light and ventilation. Descending to the depths to put the kettle on will become a distant memory.
Moody’s newest decksaloon model is all about inside/outside living space – and a lot of each. A hard top covers the cockpit forward of the wheels, the centre canvas section sliding away so you can sit in the sun if you choose. Naturally you have a bathing platform at the stern and there’s also a seating-cum-lounging area in the bow, creating a sort of forward cockpit.
And down below? Well, the Moody is truly cavernous. Bill Dixon’s team drew a boat with plumb ends, high freeboard, full
