There are occasions when, after intensive work or an extraordinary challenge, one stops and says: ” more couldn’t be done”.
Well, it’s probably what Ranieri International team thought when the first Next 370 SH finally touched the water. The Italian shipyard based in Soverato is famous for being one among the best European manufacturers of fiberglass boats and ribs.
The new Next 370 SH is a boat with a waterline length of 9.99 metres. However, her overall length (11.50 m) seems to suggest something more: first, “more couldn’t be done”; then, the Italian shipyard shows a willingness to go further and look at higher boat categories.
As we will see below, another consideration is inevitable, namely that the Next 370 SH must have been designed as a sort of test case. This certainly occurs when a new product is launched but Ranieri, which crafts every single component of its boats (except for engines), seems to have tested the “firepower” of its products.
Seen from the outside, the new Ranieri flagship might make us wonder: is it a yacht or a motorboat? The question is not banal because, as we will see, the Next 370 SH encloses some specific features of both categories.
The boat looks like an elegant walk around with notable but not exaggerated volumes. Bulwarks are high, almost vertical, and the deck, enclosed between the 3-metre beam and the 11.50-metre overall length, is completely teak-paneled and hosts a central console with a steering wheel on the right.
Undoubtedly, exteriors are the most important elements on this kind of boats and Ranieri International knows that very well. Each portion of this area is well-finished and designed for a comfortable usage without neglecting soberly luxury aesthetic aspects, especially in terms of details. Two astern half-swimming platforms, for example, provide external protection to the couple of outboards and make the descent to the sea easier.
Teak is present in this area, too, and side handrails offer a safe support to passengers when they’re in the water or they get on and off the boat. Climbing one step, the left swimming platform gives access to the cockpit level and, after a steel gate, we find a large L-shaped sofa on the right.
The lockers opening on the cockpit floor and in the two areas behind the sofa are watertight and counter-moulded. They can be useful for accommodate live bait and fish even if the idea of dirtying or even damaging their teak could make many owners shiver.
The sofa faces the structure which hosts two seats and hides a complete stove and a sink, both made of stainless steel. The cabinet positioned vertically below is closed by two teak doors. A solid teak table completes this living corner.
Between the cockpit surface and the console walkway, there’s another step and this will be the leitmotiv of the entire deck of the Next 370 SH.
This solution, in fact, allows easy frequent passages between the bow and the stern even though they lie on different levels. The two eco-leather seats are wrapping and comfortable and they can be even converted into a good ground plane which allows to steer the boat almost standing up.
In fact, Ranieri seems to have privileged this driving posture: the inclination of screens displaying maps and system diagnostics makes them handy. Moreover, this zone is equipped with many accessories.
Between the two seats, the armrest hides a compartment equipped with a USB socket. Gas levers are positioned on the right and they are always handy and ergonomic. Opposite the passenger’s seat opens the access to interiors while the large windscreen is overlooked by a stainless steel tubular which also serves as a handrail. A large fore fabric sun pad offers the possibility to sit and listen to music thanks to a leather backrest which hosts the front diffusers of the stereo system.
Below deck, we find everything we can expect from this kind of boats which, generally designed for short cruises, usually give priority to sleeping quarters. Nevertheless, the Next 370 SH have some surprises. Opposite, and behind its door, there’s a master cabin furnished with a home-sized bed which can be converted into a small lounge by removing the central pillow and raising the table.
The central hallway has other two doors on the right since the bathroom was divided into two different zones: a real toilet and shower zone, which represents a welcome choice. Open and positioned aft, another space hosts a double convertible bed. The boat features led lights and a 115-litre refrigerator. Windows and portholes ensure a proper light intake under any condition, enhanced by the clear shades of durmast.
Up to now what we’ve described is a yacht. However, the heart of the Next 370 SH is that of a purebred motorboat. With a weight of 4,500 kg which can even reach over 6,000 Kg when tanks are full and some accessories are boarded, the two Mercury Verado Racing 400HP engines output an exciting but not excessive power. What contributes to keep such energy under control is, above all, the hull design and its two redans which sustain the boat reducing both consumption and friction. The boat is always well-balanced and list is gently progressive, as befits a real racer.
