Hull Talk  |  Cannes Boat Show

The Axopar 38 Hull Shape: What's Hiding Below the Waterline

Axopar's founding partner shows us, in detail, why the hull comes first.

Jan-Erik Viitala, Founding Partner and Innovation Director of Axopar, walks BoatTEST through the new 38 hull.

Every boat builder claims to have the best hull on the water, so at the Cannes Boat Show, BoatTEST put Axopar to the test. After more than five years of running Axopar boats and coming away impressed with their fuel efficiency and handling, we sat down with Founding Partner and Innovation Director Jan-Erik Viitala and asked him to show us, in detail, what makes the new 38 Cross Top's hull different. His answer reveals a design philosophy that puts the running surface ahead of everything else. "Any successful boat always starts in the hull," Viitala told us, "and that is usually always hidden underneath the waterline and people never question it."

“Any successful boat always starts in the hull.”

Jan-Erik Viitala, Founding Partner, Axopar

Using CFD pressure-point analysis, Viitala walks us through how chines, bow flare, and weight distribution work together to change how the 38 meets a wave and how it rides at different speeds. The goal, he says, is a boat that feels "more like a sports car instead of an SUV or 4x4." How Axopar has evolved its hull across three generations, and the clever way it fine-tunes the boat's running attitude, is something you'll want to see for yourself. Watch our hull talk with Jan-Erik Viitala to hear Axopar's secret design sauce straight from the man who created it. Then see that hull in action in our sea trial of the Axopar 38 Cross Top.

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Sea Trial: Axopar 38 Cross Top

BoatTEST takes the Axopar 38 Cross Top out on the water.

Who can squeeze a higher speed out of the Axopar 38 Cross Top: World-Famous dare-devil, boat-tester Capt. Boomies who is know for being fast...or, Axopar founding partner Jan-Erik Viitala who is known for being very careful?  BoatTEST co-founder, Jeff Hammond, threw down the gauntlet – and the race was on!   

The Axopar 38 Cross Top promises to be one of he most popular boats in the Axopar line because of its remarkable performance – including top speed. See the video and find out who was fastest.