Experience report SX20 -Yachtline-: Lake Garda & Danube

From sailing to motorboats

We come from a sailing background, but due to work we didn’t use it very much, so we decided to sail the European inland waters in a motorboat. The decisive factor for the decision was that the manufacturer is based in Germany and produces the boats with great attention to detail.

During the mooring periods, the boat is to be rented out to other interested parties with an affinity for motorboats on favorable terms via the private charter company. Since a trailerable boat does not need a mooring, the areas are arbitrary.

After Mr. Öchsner gave us a thorough introduction to the boat on the Main in May and we were given the boat and trailer, it was time to head home to Munich. We were surprised how easily the boat ran on the trailer and often had to resist the temptation to exceed the permitted 100 km considerably. It was even possible to accelerate and overtake from a slow-moving convoy of trucks with the trailer. However, when turning off in built-up areas, you have to be aware that an 8-meter-long trailer is making its turns behind the vehicle.

The SX20 as a charter boat on Lake Garda

After further outfitting as a charter boat, it went to southern Lake Garda (Peschiera) at the beginning of June 2022. As the low water level meant that the slip ramps did not lead far enough into the lake, craning was unavoidable, but this went smoothly once the boat was balanced.
For the first time on the lake, we were able to reach speeds of up to 45 km/h in medium swell, even with the smallest engine of 60 hp.

Summer 2022 was an unusual summer on Lake Garda: strong waves and thunderstorms were frequent in June, and in July and August the buoys close to the shore could no longer be used due to the shallow water depth. Fortunately, the SX20 has an advantage here with a draught of just under 50 cm, but even this reached its limits this summer.
In order to get a grip on the annoying problem of pigeons and seagulls spending the night on the boat and their droppings, a bird net was quickly procured, which was stretched from the railing to the bow and engine, very effectively reducing the need for cleaning.

The plan to install an additional electric motor at the rear has been postponed until 2023, as it is somewhat complex to combine a second motor on the mirror with the existing steering system. A plan is in sight and so even those boaters who are “in need of rest” and spoiled by sailing will be satisfied.

End of the season on the beautiful Danube

So we trailered the boat back to Germany, where we found a very nice harbor in Obernzell near Passau. Even with strong currents of up to 10 km/h on the Danube, it was calm in the harbor. Obernzell is not only a great starting point for day trips to Passau (1 hour) and Austria, but also for tours as far as Vienna. There are beautiful boat harbors with hotels nearby along the route, so that even a rainy day can be easily bridged on site.

Best regards, Manuela and Walter D.

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