It seems like Corsair boats have been around in New Zealand forever, well three decades at least. The Corsair reputation for strength and integrity was such that many were built as police and customs boats. Flybridge versions were produced for game-fishing and also proved popular with the cruising fraternity. The Corsair brand undoubtedly became one of New Zealand's proven production designs.

In 1984, the Mark I was relaunched. The result was the Mark II version which included flybridge and aft cabin options. The brand has now been relaunched by Dean Salthouse, the youngest of Bob Salthouse's three sons. As a schoolboy, Dean can remember helping laminate the hull mould for the MkII after school. On completing his apprenticeship, Dean joined Salthouse Corsairs Ltd, where he worked on the MkII Corsair, Coastal 32 and Corsair Caprice.

His love of sailing prevailed and he left to sail professionally in Europe before returning home to New Zealand to help build the Team New Zealand America's Cup yachts at Cooksons. Dean and his wife Treena then established Next Generation Boats Ltd with their first production boat - a new Corsair Cabriolet.

The second boat out of the mould is owned by NZ expats Roger and Elizabeth Bowler, now living on Queensland's Gold Coast. Roger is a retired engineer and, after a lot of experience with a variety of boats, the couple knew what they wanted in a boat - and they saw it in the Corsair Cabriolet.

They have named the boat Dionysus, after the Greek god of wine – but that's another story. “I have never been a fan of flybridge boats,” said Roger, “and that is a criticism I have of sports boats right through the range. We are outside cockpit people, and that's the big advantage of the Corsair.”

The beam has been increased by 8 inches and the hull extended out to 44’4” (13.5m). It's no surprise, with Dean's sailing background, that the hull is built using a balsa core construction. The result is a strong and, for its size, light hull and superstructure with the boat weighing in at around nine tonnes. The hull planes easily at 12 knots but is equally at home plugging along at 10 knots. Roger remarked that “the boat transits smoothly from displacement to planning mode so smoothly that it's hard to tell the difference.”

The boarding platform is a continuance of the hull, and there is plenty of buoyancy at the stern. An interesting addition is the skeg. It looks more like a small cruising yacht keel, with a bulb shape on the bottom to promote lift. It also extends below the 22 x 28 inch four-bladed props. “So if you whack a sandbank on the Broadwater, it won’t damage the props,” said Roger.

Now the big surprise - when some of the boatyard experts first saw the boat on the hard, they remarked that a keel that big would have to slow the boat down. They were not so cocky when told the top speed with the twin D6 310hp Volvo Penta diesels at 3,600rpm was 33 knots on the GPS.

The keel also helps to hold the boat in a straight line in a cross-sea, and it sits like a yacht at anchor. According to Roger, the Corsair has the sea keeping qualities for which the brand is renowned. Different engine options are available, but Roger likes the common rail Volvos and the electronics that come with them, and they suit the boat. Another factor is the economy of the Volvo Pentas. At 8.0 knots the boat is using a minimal 10 litres/hour, at 16 knots this goes up to 42 litres/hour and at 20 knots they are using 61 litres/hour.

The entrance to the cockpit from the boarding platform, with two big tanks that can be used for live bait or kill tanks when fishing, is through an unusual door. When Roger wanted a folding transom door, so that it could be opened up, he used his engineering skills, drew it up and it worked. So now there is a wide entrance to the cockpit where the dinghy can be stored when on the move. The lounges either side of the cockpit lift up to reveal cavernous lockers that continue through under the floor. There is enough depth to store the dinghy outboard upright on a bracket, and on the other side is the biggest hot water service I have ever seen in a boat – all 85 litres of it. Roger and Elizabeth go away cruising for weeks on end, and there is no chance they will ever run out of hot water. The entire cockpit can be enclosed with clears if needed, and an added accessory are the curtains that slide across the clears to keep the sun from pouring into the cockpit in late afternoon. There is also a rubbish bin moulded into the side of the cockpit. It lifts out to empty and gives access to the gas bottle hidden behind it. There is also a small fridge under the starboard lounge and the barbecue clips onto the half rails at the back. It's all there for outdoor living.

“There are a lot of things we’ve included that Dean hasn’t done in a boat before,” added Roger. Normally, Corsair cockpits are finished in cork. This one is carpeted so that it carries through the boat to the helm station. When Elizabeth is working in ‘the best galley I have ever had” she can lift up the hopper bulkhead window and still be part of the party.

The galley is neat, with a four-burner gas stove, microwave, Corian-style working spaces with raised edges to stop things sliding off, and an electric freezer that is fired up before they leave. The food is just transferred straight from the freezer in the house onto the boat. The cutlery drawer is partitioned, and there are drawers for mugs and glasses, all individually partitioned. Roger has made good use of white doorstops to keep the crockery in place. Elizabeth has added a soap container and a rack for T-towels, which are forgotten on most production boats, and there is more than enough storage for extended cruises.

“You don’t see many of these on a boat this size,” said Elizabeth proudly, as she reached for a handle on what looked like a cupboard opposite the galley, and promptly pulled out a sliding pantry. Next to it is another of her ideas, an upright cupboard to store serving trays.

The windows are huge and shed plenty of light in the saloon and, if that's not enough, there are two big opening hatches in the roof. The lounge opposite the galley can be pulled out to form a comfortable single bunk if needed, and under the helm seat is the slide out bar with individual bottle and glass holders. The table in the dinette is beautifully finished in cherrywood and holly – cherrywood is used for the timberwork throughout the boat. The table is oversize and extends over the leather surrounding lounge. As Roger explained they don’t need another berth in the saloon, as they have two double cabins downstairs. The helm console is set into two wooden panels with a very sporty steering wheel, equipped with a Raymarine package that includes a C80 monitor mounted in a moulded panel above the console. There appears to be moulds for everything, and Dean admits that he has more Corsair moulds than his Dad ever had. The view through the plate glass windows is excellent, and from the helm the driver can see all the corners of the boat. Roger has no worries about getting out onto the wide side decks from the helm if he's in a hurry. He takes a shortcut. The sliding window beside the helm opens wide enough to step through onto the side deck!

The accommodation is down a set of stairs that lift up for access to the engine room, through what is called the tank room. By definition, this holds the holding tank, two freshwater tanks and the generator. The fuel tank is a work of art, with a drain plug to check for water in the bottom, and a good old-fashioned sight gauge to show how much fuel is left. The engine room is through another door further aft. It's crawlway stuff. There is another hatch in the saloon floor, but this way is easier and quicker. The engine room is neat and has a surprising amount of room around the D6s. Dionysus is the first with an island double berth in the bow. The regular double berth that continues under the saloon floor is still on the port side, but the forward cabin bulkhead has been moved aft to allow room for the island berth and a set of drawers with a mirror. There is a door to the forward cabin but, instead of closing the cabin up, they open the door to the bathroom. This closes off the companionway and provides privacy. The bathroom is also a good size with a full-size shower and a pull out screen.

The chines moulded in the hull above the waterline are a blessing, too. “It's marvelous at night in the forward bunk without the noise of the water slapping the hull,” Elizabeth added. There is no doubt that Dionysus is the Bowler's dream boat, and they plan to spend a lot more time cruising and enjoying it. “We are sick of boats that either do 8.0 knots or 25 knots with nothing in between,” said Roger. “With the Corsair, we can potter along at 10 knots if we want, or we can run at 24 knots. Even though the boat will do around 30 knots, we just don’t want to go much faster.”