440 Carver Trojan Express

Source: David Lockwood, Boatpoint Magazine

Carver’s Trojan 440 Express has European flair, room to party and a good old-fashioned dose of Yankee horsepower. Or so says, chief TAB party-boat tester, David Lockwood

Like most sportscruisers, Carver’s Trojan 440 Express appeals to the performance buff first. The profile is low, the foredeck long and the windscreen a giant wrap-around shield. Basically, it has a go-fast-anywhere image.

It’s slick alright, though grease isn’t the word which best describes this new sportscruiser.

It’s w-i-d-e.

Despite the sleek lines, the slippery hull and the performance which will flatten the most defiant hairdo, the big thing here is good old-fashioned beam.

This boat is big enough to host a party – a big party on deck and down below. You’ve got a 10-stacker CD player, halogen downlighting, plush carpet which pokes up between your toes, air conditioning and icemaker. But best of all is its sheer floor space – enough to party with friends well into the night.

In fact, with three separate cabins and two heads, you can feasibly sleep six people aboard this sportscruiser and do it in comfort – not by converting dinettes and putting cushions on top of tables.

Day or night, party or not, the accommodation remains private, especially in the owners’ cabin built way up there in the bow.

Carver, a subsidiary of the giant corporation Genmar Industries in America, which makes Wellcraft, Bayliner and other sporty brands of boats, has long believed in the value of elbow room. Indeed, Carver boats have always been interior boats full of clever ideas about space utilisation.

And so it is with this new 44-foot sportscruiser – as it should be with a boat that starts at $738,000.

THE SPACE RACE
Where you are first hit by the space thing is at the helm. It’s like sitting in the cockpit of a 747-400 and with no more wind on your face as you travel, thanks to the big tempered-glass windscreen.

Behind the windscreen, guests travel on a forward-facing bench seat while you drive from your double-width seat with room for a friend.

The tilt steering wheel falls to hand, and when you look out past the sweeping dash with wood accents and lots of back-lit switches, the view to the bow is clear. And there you will find a nice safe deck with high rails and, of course, a sunpad.

Look over your shoulder and you’ll see that the cockpit isn’t so big that guests lose all sense of intimacy. There’s a wrap-around lounge built around a moveable drinks table which converts to a sun lounge. There’s carpet underfoot and a smart targa arch with lights and aerials flying overhead.

The curves and bumps and mouldings are Italian-styled, making the 440 not only a pretty boat but comfortable for, say, 10 people to ride in.

Of course, where the party begins is with the wet bar. Built into the cockpit on the starboard side, the wet bar includes an ice-maker as well as a useful fridge. From here, a wide transom door leads out to a nice big boarding platform.

Ingenious is the word to describe what you will find next… Though offered as an option, the test boat boasted a brilliant adjustable hydraulic drive-on swim platform.

Coupled with a push-button lazarette storage hold, it provides space for two PWCs making sure they’re out of the way but ready at a moment’s notice to be set free.

THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE
Now, put all this together and picture what the Trojan can do for you.

You can cruise to your destination with your entourage in style. There you send the anchor down with the push of a button as guests wander to their respective lounges – from the bow to the stern – with a tall glass filled with a Screwdriver and icecubes which tinkle as they go.

The sun is yours and so are the water toys – those two PWCs tucked away in the transom, which are so easily launched from the optional hydraulic platform or the davit. A day like this on the water and you’ll make friends for life – such are the delights of top-class sportscruising.

When the sun sets, guests will go below deck to find an entertainment centre with colour TV/VCR, a cocktail table, a long sofa made from a soft, sensual leather-like material and, of course, lots of floor space.

Headroom is a high point, but the finishing touches are what really make the room sparkle. Cherrywood combines with brass and chrome hardware, softened by overhead lighting with dimmers or the skylight by day; a headliner in neutral buff-colour; and carpet which is a light straw tone.

The galley has been located forward in the saloon to port and has been cleverly built in so you never need to look at dirty dishes again. There are louvre-like covers which slide out and conceal the sink and appliances, though the coffee maker, microwave and big fridge and freezer are always at hand.

HEADS AND TAILS
The dayhead is sensibly located near the companionway steps leading back up to the cockpit. Aft from the saloon are two adequate cabins for those blessed hangers-on – of which this boat will attract plenty.

The port cabin has a queen-sized berth with private entry, cedar-lined lockers and its own entrance to the bathroom to turn it into an ensuite. Pillows, shams and even a complete sheet set with logos are thrown in.

The smaller starboard cabin still manages a queen-sized bed and its own private entrance. It’s the place to put the children if you’re unlucky enough to find them stowing away for the night.

Even then, the master cabin in the bow is far enough from the living areas that you’ll always find it a retreat. It has a queen-sized island berth with enough floor space so you can change outfits without tripping over. It has an ensuite, vanity with make-up mirror, twin hanging lockers, solid privacy door and its own sheets, shams and pillow set too.

IN YOUR SIGHTS
With the throttles in your hand and automatic synchronisers for the engines, the Trojan 440 is an easy boat to launch.

Thank the wide beam for that, too. The boat lifts out of the water and eases onto the plane smartly, the rudders are transom-hung and the props well aft to help transfer the power.

That power is, in standard form, twin C-series 450 Cummins, though you can have Volvo, Caterpillar or, if you really want to shake a leg, twin 680hp eight-cylinder MANs.

All motor options are shaft-driven and diesel, so you can enjoy the benefits of both range and reliability.

Traveling quite flat on the water, the hull penned by Milanese company, DeSimoni Yacht Design, seems dry enough. Though it turns casually, it does so without banking.

Where you’ll find the Trojan 440 Express best is in a straight line, doing a top speed of 30kt or cruising at an economical 24.

Wide-eyed and innocent it may not be, but the Trojan 440 Express is built for travelling far and wide – just like Business Class but with a much better view.

Boat Specification: 440 Carver Trojan Express

TROJAN EXPRESS 440

HULL

Material: GRP

Type: moderate-vee mono

LOA: 13.59m

Deadrise at transom: N/A

Beam: 4.57m

Draft: not given

Displacement: 13,608kg laden

ENGINES (as tested)

Make: Twin Diamond Series Cummins

Type: Inboard, inline six, turbo-diesel

Model: 450C

Displacement (ea): 8300cc

Rated hp (ea): 450hp

Weight (ea): 856kg

CAPACITIES

Fuel: 1635lt

Water: 390lt