Aquastar Ocean 118, FORTUNE’S STAR

Broker’s Comments

These Aquastar’s are the epitome of a “proper” boat. Built in St Sampsons on the Channel Island of Guernsey by Geoff Willson and his team of craftsmen at Aqua-Star, the Aquastar Ocean 118 hull is hugely built – a happy accident of a background in commercial ship-building (moulding and fitting out the local inter-island ambulances, fishing and working boats). Having driven these boats hard upwind out of Chichester Marina, and over a vicious bar in rolling waves and winds that were probably well over a health and safety inspector’s happy stamp, they do instill a sense of complete confidence.

We have known FORTUNE’S STAR since the egg, and she is a proper Defender of the sea; be that laying at anchor of Brittany, tucked up in the tree-lined stretches of the Upper Yealm, or stretching her legs off to the Baltic – these ladies travel very well.

The grunt comes from a pair of six-cylinder 260HP Volvos. They do not have much of the clever electrickery of your modern engine, because they are built to rumble on. Best fed on a diet of clean fuel, fresh air and regular exercise, they are engines perfectly tuned to their role. With a strong service record courtesy of Volvo Penta, including recent removal of both engines for a full refurbishment in 2018, she also sports a generator, diesel heating, davits, and had her decks re-laid with a high quality synthetic teak.

The forward cabin can function equally as two singles, or a double, and shares a forward heads/shower with the converting dinette area. Her galley is in a neat horseshoe to starboard, with a stair leading up to the main saloon and wheelhouse. Her Skipper is positioned to starboard, with a super-handy access deck access door, and the navigator has a full table to chart on, with a clever folding seat to rest on when on passage. Main seating lies to port, on a very comfortable (and fully removable) sofa, and there is a massive stowage sideboard running down the cabin side to starboard. The whole area can be made snug at night, or opened up during the day, with a near all-round view through her large windows and triple forward screens. Looking aft, a separate aft cabin with en-suite is set down to starboard, with a central stair leading up to the aft cockpit and external helm. Side decks are very safe (a minimum of 33cm wide) with a generous 7.5cm toerail moulding.

To fit all this into a 42’ hull is a tough ask, but to do it so very well into an 11.8m length, with so very little compromise, has made these vessels such a sought after and successful cruising solution for many yachters.

Owner’s Comments

We have loved our time with Fortune’s Star. Moving to motor from sail in 2015 to suit ageing parents and small children, we have used her for gentle cruising along the south coast. She has been perfect for swimming off on long summer days at anchor off the Needles or in shallow waters in Newtown Creek, but we’ve also had great pleasure from outings throughout the winter, when crisp, cold days have been enjoyed from the wonderful outlook of her warm and cosy main cabin. On those occasions we have had to ‘fight the weather’ to get back home on time, she has shown all those sea-worthy qualities the Broker mentions above. A genuine ‘home-from-home’ for us, the spacious and varied layout downstairs has made extended stays a joy and proved great for entertaining friends. However, with children now in their late teens and the prospect of more time, the call of ‘sail’ is increasingly loud. We sell her now only to answer that call.

Manufacturer’s Comments

The Aquastar 38/118 Aft Cabin has been in continuous production for many years and remains one of our most desirable motor yachts. A combination of solid construction with comfortable accommodation for two couples and a beautiful fit-out in a thoroughly seaworthy hull make the Aquastar 38/118 Aft Cabin truly legendary.

Independent Reviews

Motor Boats Monthly used boat test report and was reviewed by the panel and surveyor extremely well. Their final verdict being “If you want a proper-looking seaboat that will take you anywhere in safety and style, then the Aquastar wins out.”

Motor Boats Monthly – December 1999:
“Aqua-Star’s new 118 certainly benefits from some improvements on the earlier (38) model, successful though this has been. The modifications to the transom add to, rather than detract from, what has always been a pleasing-looking craft, the level of fit-out has been taken up a step, for a softer ambience, and underneath it all there is still plenty of solid engineering. Available horsepower pushes the boat well past the normal criteria for semi-displacement performance, but the hull does not appear to mind this. And when you drop back to the more usual 18 knots, you have all the passage-making benefits that this type of vessel affords.”