The new Cantieri Estensi 545 Goldstar has its roots deeply in the classic realm of lobster boats, combining elegance, luxury and even performance.
Cantieri Estensi is in the middle of a huge process of restructuring. The new ownership decided to insist on the two successful lines named Goldstar (lobster boats) and Maine (trawlers). The new Cantieri Estensi 545 Goldstar stands out of the crowd while at harbor, but impresses on many other points of view. It’s built using vacuum-infusion and finished with top materials, but her uniqueness raise the price to the upper part of the market.
Cantieri Estensi 545 Goldstar: the deck
Being a lobster boat means sticking to some essential standards, in terms of design: almost vertical bow, raised foredeck, retro look. Cantieri Estensi 545 GoldStar is no exception, but combines these aesthetic canons with the right technical approach, which says a rather deep-V hull (19° is the deadrise) in order to grant top seaworthiness.
The exterior layout starts with a large bathing platform with tender garage and retractable gangway, to continue into the cockpit sporting a sofa but no table (although it’s easy to have one and set up a dinette).
The passageways lead to the foredeck solarium, which is well sized but lacks some details such as cup holders and loudspeakers: they sure don’t fit on a lobster boat, although some owners would probably prefer to have them.
Cantieri Estensi 545 Goldstar: interiors
Inside, Cantieri Estensi 545 Goldstar gives her best. The layout is classic, but what impresses is the care put into every small detail. The joinery is a benchmark, in terms of materials, flair and color patterns. The glass door slides open to create a whole space with the saloon, which features the galley to port and an L-shaped sofa to starboard. The dashboard features a simple design and combines digital instruments with a traditional rudder wheel. For top practicality, there’s a side door onto the lateral deck.
Moving to the lower deck, once again the level of the furnishing and trim is extremely high, in all of the three cabins. The owner’s room is to bow, with the guest ones amidships to share a double-access head. But let’s not forget that a peculiarity of Cantieri Estensi 545 Goldstar, like the other models from the boatyard, is the full customization in order to comply owners’ needs. For instance, there’s the chance to have a crew cabin, or to go for two, large suites instead of three cabins.
Cantieri Estensi 545 Goldstar: the test
Our test boat has two Volvo Penta D11, 725 HP each, with shaft drives (as required by tradition). The new technology shows up in the joystick popping out of the dashboard: a good help while maneuvering in the harbor. If you don’t want to have a tender garage, the yard can install V-drive transmissions which move engines to the back and leave much more space for the cabins (even two crew cabins).
Cantieri Estensi 545 Goldstar sails the way I expected: a good pace even in chopped sea, and a safe approach to waves coming from any direction (plenty of, as Cannes port is really crowded during the boat show). Impacts are never hard, and the whole structure seems very compact and sturdy as there’s no noises coming from the interiors or the hull. If the turning radius is wide, as expected on a shaft-driven boat, the acceleration is impressive: 10” are enough to get into planing and 22” bring to top speed, which reads 31 knots. The boatyard declares 33 knots, probably reachable with calmer sea and a lighter displacement in terms of passengers, gear and fluids. The minimum plane speed is 12 knots at 1300 rpm for 59 liters per hour of fuel need. So, affordable cruising is possible even on such a traditional lobster boat like this Cantieri Estensi 545 Goldstar.
If you like lobster boats, read our presentation of Rose Island Lobster 53.
The numbers of Cantieri Estensi 545 GS
Length overall 16.90 m (55ft 5in)
Beam 5.00 m (16ft 5in)
Displacement 20,000 Kg
Engines Volvo Penta D11 2×725 HP
Fuel reserve 2200 l (581 US gal)
Fresh water reserve 800 l (211 US gal)
Cabins 3
Passengers 12
CE design category A
Performance
Test conditions
Moderate sea, temperature 32°C (90°F), clean hull, fuel 800 l (211 us gal), passengers 9
Indicative price (VAT not included)
Volvo Penta D11 2×725 HP € 923.000
