Whittley CR31 – Sports Cruiser

The design challenge for the CR31 was to create a premium recreational cruiser that delivered the comfort, usability, and spatial experience of a larger vessel within the constraints of a trailerable production platform. The project required careful integration of contemporary styling, ergonomic planning, structural engineering, and practical manufacturing considerations. Key challenges included maximizing onboard space, improving vision, and creating a highly versatile layout suited to cruising, entertaining, and extended family use. The design also sought to elevate the visual sophistication of Australian production boats through refined surface development and a cohesive design language while remaining commercially viable and production feasible.

The CR31 design solution evolved through an iterative process of VR sketch development, digital surfacing, and spatial packaging refinement to resolve the brief for a premium, trailerable cruiser. Early concepts explored proportion and layout efficiency using VR, followed by development in 3D CAD to optimize packaging space, storage, and ergonomics. Key challenges included the addition of a walk thru windscreen concept, to access the forward deck area. This allowed us to increase the internal saloon space by deleting the walk around side decks. We also integrated a water tight, lockable saloon door-set, something also new to us.

The CR31 delivers significant impact by strengthening the competitiveness of Australian marine manufacturing through a more refined, efficient, and desirable recreational cruiser. Commercially, it enhances brand positioning and expands appeal to modern boating customers seeking premium versatility in a trailerable format. Environmentally, the design improves efficiency through optimized weight, material use, and production-conscious development. Societally, it supports family recreation and accessible coastal lifestyle experiences, encouraging greater engagement with boating. The CR31 demonstrates how considered design can elevate user experience while supporting sustainable, commercially viable, and locally relevant marine innovation.

The CR31 introduces a series of key design innovations that significantly enhance usability, and onboard lifestyle flexibility.A defining feature is the integration of a walk-through windscreen, enabling the elimination of traditional side-deck walkarounds. This fundamental packaging decision allows the full beam of the vessel to be dedicated to the saloon, resulting in a noticeably larger and more open interior volume without increasing overall hull size and keeping it within the maximum legal trailerable width.Access and transition between spaces are improved through the inclusion of a watertight, lockable, folding saloon door system, supporting both secure enclosure and open-plan flow when required.The vessel is deliberately organized into three distinct yet connected living zones: the forward cabin, central saloon, and aft cockpit. This clear spatial separation enhances functionality while maintaining visual and physical connectivity throughout the boat.The aft cockpit features fully convertible “mega lounge” seating, allowing rapid transformation between social entertaining, cruising, and relaxation configurations. This adaptability supports a wide range of user scenarios, from family day boating to extended coastal cruising.Together, these features create a highly flexible, space-efficient, and user-focused marine environment tailored to contemporary Australian boating lifestyles.