The entry level of the Austin Parker brand is back on track of the season’s debuts, thanks to a diesel-electric propelled version.
The new model is a hi-tech evolution of the Austin Parker AP36 9,94-meter boat from the Tuscany, Italy Shipyard. The powerplant can operate in three different configurations: just diesel engines, just electric engines with virtually zero emissions, or by a combination of the two, to get top performance of 26-27 knots.
This last figure is certainly the most interesting, as full-electric mode saves fuels but is strongly limited by the range. With the oil-battery combination, though, you get the perfect balance between savings and performance. Long range cruising can be made alternating the two propulsion systems, in this way the diesel units can work when there’s need to recharge batteries, while the batteries themselves supply energy to the driveshafts. In this mode you can halve the fuel consumption, and even use the boat in marine reservations and protected areas.
Beside the new powerplant, the AP 36 has been redesigned in many details: the hard top is now carbon fiber, and on the sliding roof there’s solar panels who recharge the lithium battery pack. Then, the deck floors are now covered in a synthetic material that looks and feels like real teak wood, but saves weight and lasts longer against weather and time. Talking about durability, gunwales are now treated with polyurethane varnish, for a very long and maintenance-free life.
As for the rest, the Austin Parker 36 keeps the layout from designer Fulvio De Simoni, with a big open space on the lower deck featuring a double bad to the bow, a curved dinette amidships facing a big closet and the head, and another double bed towards the stern.
The galley is in the cockpit, just behind the helm station, so it’s well protected by the hard top but also very handy when the lower dinette sits the guests. The cockpit is completed by another dinette in front of the galley and by two opposing, L-shaped couches, that leave a passageway in the middle for access to the swim platform.
| FEATURE | VALUE |
| Length o.a. | 9.94 m (32 ft 7 in) |
| Beam | 3.72 m (12 ft 2 in) |
| Dry displacement | 9065 Kg |
| Engines | 2×260 HP sterndrives |
| Fuel tanks | 769 lt (203 US gal) |
| Water tank | 284 lt (75 US gal) |
| Passengers | 10 |
| Design category | B |
