LOA 31ft 0in (9.73m) BEAM 9ft 8in (2.99m) ENGINES Single 425 to twin 450hp outboards TOP SPEED 40-80 knots
PRICE From €217,000 inc VAT CONTACT www.sterkyachts.com
Making its world debut at the Düsseldorf boat show, against a backdrop of DJ tunes, the M new Sterk 31 looked for all the world like another reverse-bowed weekender to muddy the waters of the Axopar-inspired sportsboat sector. But as we got a little closer, its individuality became ever more evident.
Firstly, this is a distinctly premium boat, built in Germany to a very high standard with a price tag that, when specced up to show boat level, puts it closer to the Axopar 37 than the Axopar 28. And its approach to performance also feels very individual. The hull and topsides, for instance, join right up at the gunwale, where they marry together and are capped and bonded for extra stiffness and resilience.
In addition to its deep twin steps and wide chines, the Sterk hull also employs pronounced ridges on the bottom edges of its spray rails. The idea is to grip the water in a turn, minimising slip and increasing control – and that’s an important part of the mix because the Sterk’s transom is designed to take a whole range of outboard rigs right up to twin 450s, delivering top speeds as modest as 40 knots or as ferocious as 80.
On the inside, the show boat uses the rear cabin (RC) layout, with a handy double berth dropped into the aft deck beneath a sunpad, very much in the Axopar style. Th
