The most interesting thing about this boat is how German engineering differentiates it from other 40-something cruisers. You know how German cars have all those nifty little unexpected features and perks built into places you’d never expect? Expect to find the same thing on the Virtess 420. When I walked inside the master stateroom, for example, opening up all the little cubbies and drawers exposed not only an integrated vanity with jewelry box, but also a built-in safe. On the flybridge, there’s a passenger’s seat that magically converts into a lounge or a flat sunpad. But the biggest surprise comes in the cockpit, where the modular furniture is mounted on tracks built into the deck. If you want to change the centered settee into two facing lounges, just flip a lever, slide the settee apart, and position the pieces wherever you want them. Facing them forward, aft, or side to side, and sliding a table into place is no problem. Even the Ottomans are unusual; do a little flipping and turning, and they transform into chairs.
Performance is solid if not stellar for a cruiser of this size, with a cruise in the mid to upper 20s and top speed in the mid to upper 30s, depending on what power option you choose. And there are several options, in both stern drive and pod drive configuration. Getting the pods is a no-brainer — once you dock a boat like this with joystick-controlled pods, you’ll never want to oppose the engines and feather the throttles again.
The Virtess 420 didn’t just impress me; it also wowed the judges of the 2013 European Boat of the Year contest, who named it Powerboat of the Year. Achtung, baby, this is one cool cruiser, the likes of which we haven’t seen around here before. $650,000 on up, depending on how she’s rigged.
Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 11:31
Sailboaters know how to build sailboats, and powerboaters know how to build powerboats, but sometimes we see some interesting cross-overs in the industry. Case in point: Bavaria, a German builder, which has been constructing sailing yachts since 1978. When it comes to motorboats, they’ve merely dabbled for over a decade, but the company made a huge push into the power market two years ago by introducing a sport line with eight models ranging from 29 to 44 feet. What’s new this year? The Virtess 420 Flybridge, first seen in the U.S. of A. at last fall’s Fort Lauderdale Boat Show and now available nationwide.
The most interesting thing about this boat is how German engineering differentiates it from other 40-something cruisers. You know how German cars have all those nifty little unexpected features and perks built into places you’d never expect? Expect to find the same thing on the Virtess 420. When I walked inside the master stateroom, for example, opening up all the little cubbies and drawers exposed not only an integrated vanity with jewelry box, but also a built-in safe. On the flybridge, there’s a passenger’s seat that magically converts into a lounge or a flat sunpad. But the biggest surprise comes in the cockpit, where the modular furniture is mounted on tracks built into the deck. If you want to change the centered settee into two facing lounges, just flip a lever, slide the settee apart, and position the pieces wherever you want them. Facing them forward, aft, or side to side, and sliding a table into place is no problem. Even the Ottomans are unusual; do a little flipping and turning, and they transform into chairs.
Performance is solid if not stellar for a cruiser of this size, with a cruise in the mid to upper 20s and top speed in the mid to upper 30s, depending on what power option you choose. And there are several options, in both stern drive and pod drive configuration. Getting the pods is a no-brainer — once you dock a boat like this with joystick-controlled pods, you’ll never want to oppose the engines and feather the throttles again.
The Virtess 420 didn’t just impress me; it also wowed the judges of the 2013 European Boat of the Year contest, who named it Powerboat of the Year. Achtung, baby, this is one cool cruiser, the likes of which we haven’t seen around here before. $650,000 on up, depending on how she’s rigged.
The most interesting thing about this boat is how German engineering differentiates it from other 40-something cruisers. You know how German cars have all those nifty little unexpected features and perks built into places you’d never expect? Expect to find the same thing on the Virtess 420. When I walked inside the master stateroom, for example, opening up all the little cubbies and drawers exposed not only an integrated vanity with jewelry box, but also a built-in safe. On the flybridge, there’s a passenger’s seat that magically converts into a lounge or a flat sunpad. But the biggest surprise comes in the cockpit, where the modular furniture is mounted on tracks built into the deck. If you want to change the centered settee into two facing lounges, just flip a lever, slide the settee apart, and position the pieces wherever you want them. Facing them forward, aft, or side to side, and sliding a table into place is no problem. Even the Ottomans are unusual; do a little flipping and turning, and they transform into chairs.
Performance is solid if not stellar for a cruiser of this size, with a cruise in the mid to upper 20s and top speed in the mid to upper 30s, depending on what power option you choose. And there are several options, in both stern drive and pod drive configuration. Getting the pods is a no-brainer — once you dock a boat like this with joystick-controlled pods, you’ll never want to oppose the engines and feather the throttles again.
The Virtess 420 didn’t just impress me; it also wowed the judges of the 2013 European Boat of the Year contest, who named it Powerboat of the Year. Achtung, baby, this is one cool cruiser, the likes of which we haven’t seen around here before. $650,000 on up, depending on how she’s rigged.