The design by Marc-Oliver von Ahlen has a fresh look and the wraparound window strips in the deck saloon are contemporary. Nevertheless, the 310 is recognisable as a genuine Sirius. However, it is hard to guess how much comfort she offers.
The Plön shipyard's stand is always full, which is hardly surprising as the brand new 310 and the 35 DS presented last year are two crowd-pullers in Düsseldorf.
Shipyard boss Torsten Schmidt is correspondingly satisfied. "The 310 has been well received, we are in constant dialogue with customers and have already sold two boats."
Of course, there are also a lot of people on the lookout, but the small company can only process the enormous interest in the new design slowly anyway. Anyone entering into negotiations today is talking about a building site for 2013.
The fact that time is taken to plan and build the yachts can be seen in every centimetre of the boats. Even from the shipyard, 15 different interior variants can be ordered, and every customer has their own ideas and requirements. On the exhibition ship, for example, great importance was attached to independence from harbours and infrastructure. A washing machine in the foredeck is rather unusual on 31-foot yachts.
The 310 also clearly stands out from boats of the same length in terms of space. Anyone who goes below deck quickly forgets that the Sirius is only 9.60 metres long.
The owner's cabin below the saloon, the bathroom, the foredeck with a full double berth and plenty of room for changing, or the deck saloon itself, everything is spacious and practical.
It is worth noting that this lavish layout is not at the expense of storage space. On the contrary, the Sirius is a real freighter when required. The two forecastle boxes can hold up to 3.8 cubic metres and various crates of drinks can be stowed upright under the floorboards.
The shipyard is breaking new ground when it comes to draught; while only two versions were possible on the previous model, the 310 is variable under water: from a 1.80 metre deep fixed keel with lead bomb to a flat keel of 1.15 metres and chine keels to a swing keel, there are six different attachments to choose from.
Of course, so much craftsmanship and individuality come at a price: at least 17,500 euros are due. But you also get a very well-equipped boat that is hard to beat in terms of living comfort and build quality.
Hauke Schmidt
Test & Technology editor
