Experience report SRX30 -Yachtline-: Lago Maggiore

With Spicy on Lago Maggiore

We, a family of 4 (two boys 47 and 13 years old and two girls 45 and 15 years old) have decided to spend our summer vacation on Lake Maggiore again this summer. We booked a campsite with a pitch right on the lake for our camper and a buoy for our Spicy.
We only wanted to spend a night on the boat every now and then and it was too much work for us to assemble the camping cover every evening for the nights that the SRX30 was supposed to spend “alone” at the buoy. We therefore had a protective tarpaulin made last year, which is small, light and quick to put up. This was a good decision because it protected the boat from rain and dirt/insects and you could open and close it quickly.

We arrived on Saturday evening after 15 hours of travelling and launched the boat at the nearby marina straight away on Sunday morning and drove it to our buoy. Now we had our boat opposite our motorhome and we could drive over dry with our dinghy at any time. The vacation could begin and we were exuberantly happy!
The weather was great, but the long drought in Italy had of course also taken its toll on Lake Maggiore. So the water level here was about 2m below the normal water level for this time of year. However, the low water level opened up a huge sandy beach at our campsite. What looked very nice and invited you to linger here every now and then.

Trip to the bay

However, we used the first day to go to a bay we knew from previous vacations, anchor there and spend the afternoon. It was great. The boat was easy to steer and anchoring was no problem. We had previously marked our anchor chain with bird rings (much cheaper than anchor chain marking) of different colors. Each after 15, 25, 35 and 45 metres. So we always knew how much chain was used!

We had chilled drinks on board and thanks to the inverter (220V converter) we installed, we also treated ourselves to a coffee from our Nespresso machine! A wonderful day came to an end! After our return, we tied the boat to our buoy, put up our new cover and enjoyed the wonderful moonrise from our motorhome.

Unfortunately, the following day wasn’t going to be so nice.
The day started with wonderful weather, there was a light wind and we enjoyed our hearty breakfast with a view of the lake and our beautiful Spicy! After breakfast we packed our things and went out on the lake and let ourselves drift. Every now and then we cooled off by jumping into the water. Out on the lake the water is significantly cooler than in the bays! In the evening we drove to Arona and wanted to have dinner there. We had been here several times in previous years and, as always, planned to dock with the stern towards the quay. According to the depth gauge, the water was 1.30m deep and therefore deep enough for this maneuver! So we tied up to a buoy at the front and slowly backed the stern towards the quay wall. Suddenly, caused by an excursion boat, violent waves came and we drifted a little to port. When we counter-steered, a violent shock rippled through the boat. At first we thought that the bathing platform had hit the waves, but upon closer inspection it became clear that our propeller had minor damage. It was actually deep enough, but there was still an ancient, thick clay sewage pipe from times gone by under the water, which we briefly touched with the propeller! So caution is the mother of the china box. A new propeller was needed! Briefly asked Öchsner via email which model! Ms. Beck answered us directly, so we were able to order the propeller set on the same day and it was installed the next day by the local Volvo Penta specialist company. We have been motorboating for around 25 years and have never broken a propeller! If it happens again in the next 25 years, I’ll be happy! 😉

Trip to Ascona

After the propeller was installed, we booked a marina in Ascona straight away and wanted to go on a 2-day boat trip. We packed a few things and groceries, locked our motorhome well and then set off towards Ascona. On the way we did a bit of wakeboarding and enjoyed the cool water while swimming. In the evening we arrived at Ascona. It was a very hot day and there was no breeze in the harbor! After docking, we filled up our water tank, plugged in our shore power, and immediately turned on our air conditioning! After we came back from the shower, it was already pleasantly cool in the boat and we were able to change without sweating.

We then walked to Ascona and enjoyed this wonderful summer evening with cocktails and delicious ice cream. The next morning we slept late because the boat was well darkened and, above all, nice and cool.

After a hearty breakfast we left the marina and headed for the island of Isola Brissago. We anchored off the island and took our dinghy over to explore the island. There is a wonderful botanical garden here with many plants and herbs from all over the world. A wedding was also being prepared here. A dream setting for the bride and groom. Back at the boat we had a swim and then drove to Cannobio. We then moored with the stern to the jetty using mooring lines! The water here was 8m deep. So no danger to our propeller! Cannobio is a great town and definitely worth a visit! In the evenings there is often live music of good quality and you can also find very good bars on the promenade!

It warmed up quickly in the morning and we got up earlier and had breakfast on the promenade. Afterwards we set off in peace and quiet and drove into the middle of the lake to let ourselves drift. The sun was shining and I put up the awning over the foredeck for the first time! It provided shade and you could sleep and doze a little on the comfortable bow cushions. In the evening we drove back to our campsite and tied up at our buoy. Our motorhome was still there and we enjoyed the evening with grilled meat and a good Italian wine.

In the second half of the holiday there were eight of us on the boat

In the second week of vacation, a family friend visited us with their 2 children. From now on there were eight of us on the boat. It’s a little tighter, but it was still just as much fun! We went out every day, anchored, went banana riding and always wakeboarded.

In the evening we always stopped in some town to have dinner there and then often drove back to the campsite late in the evening. I didn’t have a searchlight when traveling at night because it was pitch black without a moon and it was difficult to find our buoy. I’ll see if I can retrofit something like this.

A dream vacation came to an end and our conclusion: A great economical boat with lots of amenities, very good lateral stability, a great wave for wakeboarding, still suitable for most buoys for mooring and still big enough for 4 people to sleep on. It is trailerable and therefore very flexible. After the holiday we stored our boat safely under cover, so it doesn’t deteriorate as quickly and costs little compared to a water lounger!

We are extremely satisfied. What I will still retrofit despite our extensive equipment:

• Fixed and powerful fans in the bow cabin and saloon
• Searchlights can also be used manually if necessary
• a starboard 220v socket in the cabin
• Adapted bow mattresses

We would like to thank the Öchsner team for their good advice on equipping our boat! Everything is as we wanted it to be!

We are looking forward to the coming season! Kind regards,

a family from Münsterland

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