2013 Boat Review: Dyna 65

Trade-a-Boat regularly features great Taiwanese-built boats (and usually they are boats for sale), including Fleming and Horizon. We also covered the lesser-known Dyna Craft yard in a trip I took to Hong Kong late last year. In that story, the Dyna 52 motoryacht was the subject of our attentions. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and was given opportunity to be completely immersed in generations of Asian-based family boating tradition.

What I learnt was that the luxury boat Dyna yard is really more of a custom builder than a production house, always keen to take onboard the specific desires and requests of its customer with the ambition of impressing the person signing the cheque rather than the market at large.

BESPOKE, ALMOST

Now, we shouldn’t be misleading. Dyna Craft didn’t specifically build the gorgeous boat displayed on these pages for the Australian market. Our understanding is that this boat was originally intended for a US-based customer, except the order wasn’t completed due to an issue at the American end. Someone Down Under saw the boat in Taiwan and thought it may well appeal in Queensland.

And it appears they were right. Between the dates we saw it, and the time I got a chance to sit down and pen the story – less than four weeks – the boat sold.

WIDE-EYED ASTONISHMENT

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to be overwhelmed by the Dyna 65. The 52 I’d seen in HK was a nice boat, customised to some very exact specific requirements while offering very good value, but it wasn’t spectacular. Seeing the Dyna 65 for the first time I have to admit to a moment of disbelief.

This was something in an entirely different league. To my eye, what I was seeing was a vast improvement in styling, with near perfect proportions. The graceful curves at every turn and the windowless bridge (which you could argue is not practical) add balance and a certain degree of sexiness to the lines. This Dyna was a boat with a quite enviable poise.

While our extensive ensemble was preparing for the afternoon’s work I grabbed the opportunity for a quick look inside. Even though the five minutes I had up my sleeve was scant time to look into anything in much detail it was clear that the workmanship would be hard to fault and that there was consistency to every cabin.

For example, the bird’s eye maple wall panelling was continued through to the aft crew cabin, where it is seldom you see such pricey stuff being used. No expense had been spared here.

VIEW FROM THE TOP

With the crew ready for departure I joined our captain for the day on the bridge.

The Dyna 65 has multiple stations with a primary helm in the saloon, an almost exact replica on the bridge and a remote lanyard station, which can be operated from the cockpit or the bow as required, readily plugged in at a moment’s notice. With its hardtop but open-air approach, the flybridge station would be my first choice, weather conditions excepted. The helm itself features a walnut embossed, centrally located dash forward with seating consisting of a twin bench seat and a recliner to port for a VIP. It’s more in line with the sort of styling you would see on a larger luxury car than perhaps what could be described as ship-like, but it works well when taken into context with the rest of the vessel.

To aft is a curvaceous lounging area, which got my vote for “best seat in the house”, featuring sumptuous reclining for six lucky guests around a table serviced by a full wetbar with icemaker and a complete barbecue and alfresco catering setup.

Clearly the “no windows” approach is somewhat controversial, given it’s less than perfect protection from the weather. That said, it did make for a very pleasant place to spend a sunny day, and as I’ve already mentioned it does add balance to the overall look. For this reason I think if windows need to be put in place to increase the practicality of this bridge, the less intrusive the better.

DYNAMIC

Working against a timeline, we opted to head straight out of the Broadwater and into the waters offshore the Gold Coast for a decent sea trial.

For some reason my notes suggest the engines installed are twin 1000hp Caterpillar C18s, whereas the specifications available online state twin C12s delivering 705hp per side. Whatever the truth, the carlike styling to the helm became immediately relevant as we thrust the twin electronic controls flat.

It is always a pleasure to throw a big boat with plenty of boogie around in wide-open spaces and the Dyna 65 was no exception. Clean, effortless acceleration and a naturally flat attitude meant little in the way of manual tuning was required to get the most out of the boat. The hull was also delightfully predictable and we soon had the confidence to happily throw this almost 35-tonne hull with what some would describe as almost reckless abandon.

Such water play may seem frivolous and unnecessary to some, but on a calm day it’s the only way to get some idea of how the hull will behave when the weather is less welcoming. It’s not a true test, of course, but you get some idea of what sort of cavitation to expect and in the Dyna, on this day, there was none.

FINE-TOOTHED COMB

Back in the shelter of the Broadwater it was time to get down to business with a thorough inspection of the vessel’s interior in order. The three cabins forward – two doubles and a twin single – are augmented by the aforementioned crew cabin aft. Naturally, of the three, it’s the full-beam master that really warrants our attentions.

It is my observation that Taiwanese builders put more emphasis on the presentation of their products’ sleeping quarters than most. The extensive use of the honey-coloured bird’s eye maple wall panels gives these below-deck retreats a slightly surreal feel. I like that Dyna continued with the curves-at-any-opportunity approach established on the exterior. It adds to the continuity and elegant styling.

The king-sized bed in the master cabin did look slightly smaller than others we see, although that could well be an affect created by the sheer size of this space. There wasn’t quite the natural light available we have experienced on other vessels, but it was more than made up for by clever use of semi-hidden artificial lighting.

Both sides of the bed lead to the bathroom featuring a full-beam walkthrough with central twin-nozzle showers and two separate heads. With flooring done in granite (or some similar stone), as well as large white tiles, classy tap fittings and more lashings of maple, this would be a classy bathroom in any situation.

Finishing off this excellent master cabin is a full walk-in wardrobe, a nice vanity and a comfortable two-seat couch.

The rest of the guest accommodation is finished in a similar vein, with first-rate upholstery, subtle lighting, even more timber panelling and curves to every corner. My notes include a few details not obvious in the photography, specifically the mention of classic lamp shades to add to the ambiance and fully lockable doors on every cabin.

OPEN SPACES

As mentioned earlier in the story, my first impression of the Dyna 65 could be categorised as astonishment. At least part of that emotion was invoked by the wide open spaces I was confronted with in the saloon.

Subtly presented in two levels, with an interestingly styled lounging space – which features an inviting semi-circular couch opposite an entertainment centre – aft and a step or two lower than the impressive dining and galley level forward, Dyna have outdone themselves in terms of outdoor-indoor flow. This was one of the areas I had been a little critical of in the smaller 52, which I thought drew a strong mental barrier between what happened inside and outside the boat.

Noting at the time to the company’s representative that this was an approach unlikely to appeal to buyers Down Under, it was very pleasing to see it addressed in the 65. Of course, it is near impossible to please everybody all the time but I think this styling is likely to get the majority vote.

Looking at the galley in more detail, there is much to like with excellent bench and cupboard space, a full-sized domestic-styled fridge/freezer and a quality three-burner cooktop combining to provide a base from which to produce quality gourmet feasts. However, as is so often the case these days, I would prefer to see a proper household oven in place to support the combo convection/microwave and some sort of lip around the benches will save a few inevitable accidents.

Directly adjacent the galley the Dyna 65 boasts a six-seat formal dining table, which should ensure the family is gathered together at least once a day to enjoy the tales of each other’s adventures on the briny. In front of the table is a huge downstairs helm station with a bench seat in place capable of accommodating up to four interested parties. Finished in walnut, the customised dash layout has much more space than that taken by the single Raymarine E120 multifunction navigation machine in place. Personally, I would take the opportunity to do more here as such an investment could be easily justified on a boat of this size.

THE OUT BACK

While not quite the crowning jewel of this boat (for me that title goes to the flying bridge), the aft lounging deck is resplendent in its simplicity. Teaked decks, which continue to surround the vessel, provide comfort under foot, another subtly curved lounger a place to rest one’s derrière while soaking-up the gorgeous Queensland evening light – drink in hand and hors d’oeuvres within reach on the wide polished timber table.

With twin staircases leading to the wide hydraulic swimplatform, the opportunity to dangle my toes in the nearly tepid water proved too hard to resist. And that is exactly how I finished my day.

THE VERDICT

From the moment I first saw the Dyna 65 it was apparent this was a boat wholly better suited to Australian boating pursuits than others I had seen.

As the images confirm, it’s a beautiful boat with its elegant curves and balanced proportions. Internally, the Dyna is close to decadently upholstered with a sense of continuity we don’t often see. To underline the point take a look at the crew cabin aft; this is finished in almost as much detail as the VIP guest accommodation forward.

Of course great looks are one thing but it means little if the engineering is not up to standard. To that end, everything I saw on this boat (which I say with all care, and no responsibility) suggests it is – with oversized bulkheads, genuine multipoint locking sea doors, top-quality fittings, large side scuppers and a precisely laid out and labelled engineroom.

To top it all off, it should be remembered Dyna Craft can be considered a custom boatbuilding yard with a production yard’s price tag. The company is well used to meeting the bespoke needs of demanding customers and has long proved to be capable of delivering on those needs.

All-in-all there is a lot of value to be realised in the Dyna 65.

[TRADE-A-BOAT SAYS… ]

From the moment I first saw the Dyna 65 it was apparent this was a boat wholly better suited to Australian boating pursuits than others I had seen. It’s also a beautiful boat, with elegant curves and balanced proportions. And as Dyna Craft can be considered a custom boatbuilding yard with a production yard’s price tag, there is clearly a lot of value to be realised in the Dyna 65.

[HIGHS]

› Totally balanced exterior styling

› Excellent continuity in terms of detailing and finish

› Class-leading flybridge and upper deck entertainment area

› Effortless performance on the water

› Semi-customisable approach by the manufacturer

› Seems to offer good value

[LOWS]

› Galley appliances could be upgraded

› Yet to be established in Australia

PRICED FROM

$2,290,000

GENERAL

LENGTH 20.45m (overall)

BEAM 5.28m

DRAFT 1.55m

WEIGHT 35t

CAPACITIES

PEOPLE (NIGHT) 6+4

FUEL 3780lt

WATER 832lt

ENGINE

MAKE/MODEL 2 x Caterpillar C12

TYPE Inline six-cylinder common rail diesel

RATED HP 705 (each)

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact Dyna Craft

Web: www.dynacraftyacht.com

Originally published in Trade-a-Boat #441, June/July 2013.