Winds of change?

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A vast expanse of cockpit seating allows aft guests a place in the sun and relieves pressure on the saloon space. (Courtesy of Windy Boats)

Can the Windy 44 complete the triangle of performance, build and accommodation?

Windy may have a reputation for building 30ft boats that you can drive as fast as you like, for as long as you like, but recent launches suggest it has its eye on the larger, more accommodating, end of the sportscruiser market.

The 52 Xanthos and 48 Triton both deliver impressive and very practical versions of the hardtop genre and, being 50-footers, they also offer lots of interior options too, which is where this new, three-cabin 44 Chinook  looks to make its mark.

Outside of the peripheral Elan 42, is there another 40ft tri-cab sportscruiser around? Or has Windy managed to completely outflank this 40ft market in one go? We went to Norway to find out more.

Based on the old 43 Typhoon, the deep-vee Hans Jörgen Johnsen hull has been broadened in the beam and given more topside to allow for its new three-cabin interior. But these are mere details, more importantly is that the end result is a beautifully aggressive looking boat - think Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft, all lip gloss and guns.

Windy has had to come around to the idea of taller topsides to deliver more accommodation but a happy side-effect of this is a low and menacing hardtop design that is every bit as sleek as the Princess V45, but which manages to include a solid sliding-roof with inset skylights in place of the V45's canvas.

Good Windy design reassures you the moment you step onto the bathing platform with a row of concealed fender lockers along the transom, while the boat feels solid everywhere you tread. It is worth noting what you are treading on, as it could well be the new ash decking that Windy is currently trialling.

Beneath this fabulous skin, vacuum infusion has been used for the lay up on Windy boats for the last five years. The perfectly distributed resin gives a very reliable build, as well as a lighter, overall displacement, which is good for strength and performance. Within the bilges there are perfect compartments, bordered by equally neat stringers, dropped in and bonded onto the hull as part of a grid system build process.

So far, so good when it comes to the underlying build, but once you've got your head out from the bilges your eye is left to wander over the rest of the interior and this is where you may start to become confused. Your eye does not have far to wander, the numerous screw-heads into the timber sole are an immediate disappointment.

Our test boat is, in effect, hull number one from the production line but its state of finish is more R&D than ready to go. Roughly cut and disjointed cabinetry is very rare in today's digitised production world and on a Windy it is virtually unheard of, but that is what you get here.

Similarly, Windy isn't the first builder to fall foul of the emptiness that the current preference for light oak and minimal styling can induce.

Builders such as Fairline and Sessa get around this by packing out their interiors with deft style and ergonomic touches, but Windy's usual eye for detail has deserted it here. Given the price, buyers may find this blandness unforgivable.

Or rather they might have done had the Windy design team not leapt into action the moment these defects were pointed out.

The boat was immediately lifted and sent straight back to the factory whereupon an interior refit began and production ceased until it was put right. Having looked at the post-production Chinook in the yard, it is clear that Windy is still very capable of building a 44 to its own high standards, but we will need to wait for the finished product to be absolutely sure.

What is certain is that the small saloon needs to be improved upon. As the first thing you see on entering the interior, it is imperative that the seating and cabinetry welcomes you and makes you glad you made the trip down below.

Bizarrely, Windy has already shown that it can deal with the saloon seating issue on the Triton 48, adding an extending arc out across the saloon sole, a feature that would also add a lot to the detail and form that is missing here on the 44. Usual service resumes, in places, such as with the overhead skylight and textured entertainment pillar that curves into the saloon, but more is needed.

The two guest quarters running aft off the saloon both offer comfortable, relaxing interiors, especially the twin-bunked starboard cabin with its larger entranceway and seat. Each berth is surrounded by upholstered panels, which break up the oak and light vinyl. You also get two of the chunky port lights per cabin, although the OceanAir blind could do with a border for it to sit within to help keep the light out.

When it comes to berths, best of all is the forward master suite whose proportions show no sign of being pinched.The clearance at the foot of the bed is deeper than most two-cabin boats of this length.

Three cabins means more privacy and greater cruising options, but on a 40ft boat three can also mean a crowd, or rather one area being overcrowded and in this case it is the saloon. There is no doubt that the cabins themselves work well.

Thanks to the larger hull dimensions and the IPS or room bulkhead being pushed that bit further back - they each enjoy an impressive level of space and design.

However, Windy's decision to site the galley over to port means that the saloon seating must share its starboard floor space with a toilet.The midships guest cabin would usually include an en suite toilet, here the second toilet compartment has nowhere else to go, squeezing the saloon's seating area.

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