Don’t plan on charging into 4-footers. Even 3- ûfooters will be a challenge to the Cruisers 3470. ûBut the boat has a thoughtful helm layout and ûhandles nimbly.

We’ve been itching to test a boat from Cruisers Yachts for about a year now. The builder has established a strong presence on the boat-show circuit, and our sources report improved fit & finish and better quality over the past 5 years or so. We’ve also noticed that Cruisers salespeople and engineers have been open to our suggestions during our dockside inspections at recent boat shows—always a good sign.

So we went into our December 3 sea trial of a Cruisers 3470 thinking that we were getting a chance to shine the spotlight on an up-and-coming builder’s popular family overnighter. Did our premise prove true? …