Research 2014 - Windy Boats - 45 Chinook

Inspired design delivers the ultimate cruising boat for all weathers
The Windy 45 Chinook combines the comfort and protection of hard-top cruising with the exhilaration of an open sports boat. Involving a considerable investment in design, tooling and customer research, the new 45 Chinook, a development of the 44, boasts a massively enlarged hardtop that offers more shelter to the cockpit and main deck seating areas.

It also features a huge opening sunroof, transforming the boat at the touch of a button from a fully enclosed, hard-top cruiser into an open-cockpit sports machine. The new model is also some 34cm (13in) longer than its award-winning predecessor, thanks to an extended swimming platform.

"It was the success of the 40 Maestro which inspired our new 45," explained Windy's CEO, Knut Heiberg-Andersen. "Its long hardtop and the big opening sunroof have proved extremely popular, giving cruising families the best of both worlds – proper weather protection, and an open boat for when the sun comes out. It was a design development that seemed tailor-made for the Chinook."

Windy's designers also took the opportunity to redesign and enlarge the topsides windows to match the right-angles of the new Windy look. Also in common with the Maestro, the 45 Chinook has a fresh new interior design by Peder Eidsgaard, which combines cool and understated modernity with the warmth and solidity of hardwood. Tactile touches and detailing emphasize the built-in Windy quality.

"This is a very exciting boat for us," commented Ben Toogood of Berthon, Windy's distributor in the UK and France. "We're getting a lot of Windy 37 owners saying it's a logical step up for them – it has a lot more volume, two showers and three cabins, and of course the Eidsgaard interior design, which is proving really popular. And then there's the extended hardtop and enormous sunroof." The new 45 retains the Chinook's excellent, family-friendly layout, with a lower saloon and galley. Two engine options and a superb Hans-Jorgen Johnsen hull complete an unbeatable cruising package.
Beam: 13 ft. 0 in.