Behind the wheel of one of this year’s most outstanding new boats
When cold 30-knot winds roll in unchecked from the east, Essex can be a sobering place to go boating. It was with good reason then that the guys at boats.co.uk decided to confine our drive of the new Parker Sorrento to a more placid test zone, tucked safely away from the raging sea on the gentle waters of the Crouch. That at least would allow us to see if the combination of a stepped hull and twin 300hp Verados could deliver on Parker’s promise of 46 knots – and although we have no wish to ruin the suspense, it absolutely does.
Right from the start, pick-up is urgent, handling is agile and, in spite of those winds lashing at the elevated structure of the new Sorrento, control over trim is very easy. It’s the simplest thing in the world to throttle on to 46.8 knots, and when you want to play, there’s loads of heel available, as well as unrelenting grip from the props. Of course, none of this should come as a great surprise. After all, outboard-powered sportsboats are what Parker is all about. But when you think how much this boat packs in, both for the cruiser and the day boater, its gregarious light-footed potency starts to seem all the more impressive.
DO-IT-ALL DECK LAYOUTS
The Sorrento uses a hard-top design with huge windows and a massive sunroof to combine some of the most welcome elements of both open and closed boating. Better still, there are no side decks, so the entire 10ft 4in beam is made available for internal volume and you absolutely feel that in the cockpit. On the starboard side, behind the single helm seat, a tapered wet bar uses a lid that slides aft to create an additional work surface. Opposite that, a huge raised dinette uses a reversible backrest at the twin co-pilot bench and a sliding backrest at the aft sunbed so you can rig it for six or seven people. It can also be converted into a large double guest bed and cordoned off from the outside world thanks to integrated canvases that zip around the aft end. And there’s still space for a broad companionway that works its way across to the port side where a door in the screen takes you safely forward to the bow lounge.
That bow lounge is a feature of genuine merit too, thanks to a raised three-man lounger with integrated backrests, drop-down armrests and built-in storage with charging points. But it’s the back end of this boat that’s likely to win the most admirers, courtesy of an elevated sunbed that conceals a really effective aft cabin. Now we know what you’re thinking. An aft cabin on a 34ft boat will only ever be a quirky little space with novel cam
