Galeon 385 HTS (2017-)

Brief Summary

The 385 HTS is quite literally maxed out with amazing use of space and the depth of consideration in adding luxury grace notes at every turn. The Alcantara suede lining the inside of closets, the backlit vanity elegantly squeezed into a bulkhead in the master stateroom, the artful inlay of the lowerdeck salon dining table.

Specifications

Length Overall	44’2’’ (13.46 m)
Beam	12'10" (3.90 m)
Dry Weight	23,060 lbs. (10,460 kg)
Draft	3'5" (1.04 m)
Air Draft	13'9'' 4.19 m
Max Headroom	6’ 6'' 1.98 m
Weight Capacity	28,329 lbs. (12,850 kg)
Fuel Capacity	251 gal (950 L)
Water Capacity	119 gal (450 L)

Engine Options

Tested Engine	Currently no test numbers
Std. Power	2 x 370-hp Volvo Penta D6
Opt. Power	Not Available

Warranty

Hull Warranty Extended	3 Year Limited Warranty

Mission

The 385 HTS is quite literally maxed out with amazing use of space and the depth of consideration in adding luxury grace notes at every turn. The Alcantara suede lining the inside of closets, the backlit vanity elegantly squeezed into a bulkhead in the master stateroom, the artful inlay of the lowerdeck salon dining table.

One of the key missions for this boat was clearly natural light -- sun roof at the helm, skylights in the staterooms and master head shower, the large hullside windows below deck and the huge, single-piece windshield bring the sunshine indoors while keeping guests protected from the elements.

While the 385 HTS is the smallest boat in the Galeon line, which is sold in the U.S., she incorporates the same high quality fit-and-finish, materials, and execution that we find in the larger Galeon models. She is intended cruising and entertaining - both done with panache.

Major Features

• •Tender Garage Standard. A tender as big as 9’ (2.74 m) can fit into the 385 HTS garage in the transom, standard. It opens hydraulically. The floor also rises to reveal the engine room below.
• •Designs from award-winning Tony Castro and Roberto Curto. Design is a major part of any luxury yacht, and Galeon boasts work from multiple award winning design studios headed by Tony Castro and Roberto Curto.
• •Huge, retractable sunroof. The electrical retractable sunroof over the main deck and helm is the perfect example of this -- 7’ (2.1 m) long, 5’4” (1.63 m) wide and is made of carbon fiber.
• •Raymarine electronics standard. The Galeon offers a standard GPS, autopilot, chart plotter and radar, all from Raymarine.
• •Extra-large swim platform. At 5’10” (1.78 m), the swim platform is perfect for staging water-play at anchor, and comes with teak decking standard.
• •A joystick comes standard.
• •A 8kW diesel generator is standard.
• •Stainless-steel fuel and water tanks are standard.
• •Air conditioning, 28,000 BTUs, is standard.
• •Two heads.

Inspection

Stern

The 385 HTS’ swim platform is generous -- extending aft 5’10” (1.78 m), it is very large and can accommodate a number of guests relaxing while at anchor. There is a concealed boarding ladder with teak hatch as well, with grab rails on both sides.

The deck on the swim platform is teak inlay, and two small stainless steel sockets sit to accommodate the roller system for the tender when bringing it out of the tender garage. There are two 8” pull-up cleats on both sides of the transom, as well as courtesy lights. On either side of the tender garage there are vents, sitting just in the steps to access the side decks. The starboard side vent lifts to reveal the potable water fills, while the port side lifts to reveal a freshwater shower.

Just adjacent to the transom entrance to the cockpit, on the starboard side, are shore power connections as well.

Cockpit

Moving forward from the aft swim platform, access to the cockpit comes via an 11” and then 4” step up, through an acrylic door structured around by stainless steel. The second step is also a hatch that lifts up to access the engine room. Above this hatch is a small door leading to a panel with blackwater and greywater levels, pump control for both, an engine room light, an emergency stop button and a shore-generator switch.

The cockpit has two gathering areas -- aft and forward. The aft space has U-shaped seating wrapping around a high/low table supported by double pedestals. This table is removable and can be lowered to support filler cushions to convert the “U” shape into one large sunpad. The table is also foldable, adjusting depending on the space required. The aft leg of the U-shape has storage under the lift-up seat, and the portside seat has open storage underneath for something like a cooler. There are also two stainless steel drink holders in the aft corners of the wraparound seat.

Just forward the U-shaped seating, and up an 11” (27.9 cm) step is the second seating space in the cockpit, the portside lounge. It has an aft-facing angled backrest designed for relaxing. The lounge is 4’11” (1.50 m) long and 2’9” (.84 m) deep. The grab rails on the portside bulkhead both just above and just below the lounge seem insignificant at first glance, but are a nice ergonomic touch.

Entertainment Center. Just abaft the portside lounge to starboard is the cockpit entertainment center. This island houses an electric Kenyon grill with a sink just to the left. The grill sits under a hatch that drops down to create Corian countertop space. Lining the front of this surface is an impressive looking stainless steel grab rail; rectangular instead of cylindrical, it has built-in angles contouring to the shape of the grill/sink surface edge just above it.

Simple and functional, but also beautiful, this console is an excellent example of the extra steps Galeon takes in innumerable places all across the boat toward design excellence.

There is storage just below the grill and sink behind two swinging cabinet doors. Just aft of these sits the entertainment center refrigerator.

The Helm

The helm on the 385 HTS has bronze tones highlighting the color scheme around it. The boat’s twin engines have gauges flanking a 12” Raymarine hybrid touch display. There are two A/C vents facing directly to the boat’s operator. Below the Raymarine display are trim gauges, along with a steering indicator. Trim tab controls are to the right along with ignition control and the Raymarine autopilot.

The steering wheel has a tilt base, with a roadster-style design on the wheel itself. The digital throttle is mounted to a sub-panel to starboard with the joystick control just behind it.

A massive sunroof as well as opening side windows to port and starboard do a nice job of bringing the outdoors into the helm station. The sunroof is 7’ long and 5’4” wide, with deep gutters surrounding the edge to channel water away, in addition to the compound curve of its design, with prevents water from pooling.

Shorter captains will appreciate the drop-down step that raises the deck at the helm 10” (25.4 cm). With this in place the headroom still comes to 5’9” (1.75 m), where it is approximately 6’9” (2.06 m) without -- something is unusual in European express cruisers of this length. The helm seat is double-wide at 40” (1.02 m) and includes a single flip-down bolster.

Visibility from the helm is outstanding, with large side windows, completely unobstructed stern views and a single piece windshield forward. The single piece windshield design, along with its compound curve, is another example of Galeon’s taking the extra step to improve its product overall. The windshield is 8’ across and 4’9” (1.45 m) top to bottom.

Ahead of the dash at the helm, extending out to the windshield, are smoked-glass panels that create a natural-light atrium in the lower cabin below.

Cabin

The companionway hatch to the lower deck is made of smoked Plexiglas, and it curves with the contour of the boat as it flattens forward toward the windshield. A stainless-steel grab handle slides the hatch open to starboard.

Three steps down into the cabin brings us to an open and airy space with 6’2” of headroom. The Alcantara suede upholstery on the bulkheads and overhead are a beautiful contrast to the matte Walnut woodwork seen throughout. The deck is striped walnut.

The galley is to starboard and includes overhead storage, with one of these compartments housing the microwave. There is a two-burner electric stove, double-basin stainless steel sink surrounded by Corian countertop. The sink has a cover to create more counterspace, and the cover itself has dedicated storage space just behind the faucet.

Refrigeration is just below, forward-facing on the aft leg of the galley space. Just under the electric stove is a clever storage compartment that has racks -- the racks attach to the cabinet door, and as it is opened the first rack is pulled out, followed by the second as the door opens further.

Cabin Salon

To port is the lower deck salon, and features L-shaped seating wrapping around a high/low pedestal table.

The table itself is a beautiful work of art -- a wood surface top inlayed with a compass rose and hand-stitching along the edge. The table also has flip-up wings to expand its available space.

The upholstery on the seating space is a diamond-stitch pattern, double stitched, and has the soft touch of ultra-leather. The port bulkhead above the seating has two rectangular hullside windows (a major part of the 385 HTS’s exterior design) and in between them a rectangular opening port light; this design is repeated to starboard above the galley.

Storage cabinets sit above the portlights to port as well. On the forward bulkhead is a 31” flatscreen HD TV.

Just forward to starboard is an access door to a shared day head -- which is also the master head. The door is made from the chosen wood accent (mahogany/oak/walnut high gloss/whitened oak) and has a full-length mirror on the inside. The door is solid wood -- not veneer over plywood.

The head itself continues the beautiful woodwork seen throughout the boat, as well as the angular line accents also seen throughout. There is 6’ of headroom in the head, with a rectangular opening hullside window just above the sink. The faucet is stainless steel, and the countertop Corian. There is a medicine cabinet with mirrored doors above the opening portlight over the sink, and storage cabinets below.

Abaft the sink is a dual glass door with stainless steel knobs, which open to lead to the head itself and the shower stall. The shower in the master head has a skylight overhead, and is tucked away enough well forward of the windshield to maintain privacy.

Master Stateroom

Master. Forward the day head is the master stateroom, which sits in the bow. There is an 8’ long skylight over the berth, with an opening hatch at the forward end. A full-length blackout shade can close off the entire space if so desired.

There is 6’ (1.83 m) of overhead clearance at the entry to the master stateroom. Storage comes on both sides of the berth in wood cabinetry. Forward near the top of the berth are small, recessed spaces in the wood surface with electrical outlets nestled in the back -- idea spots for charging electronics, phones, tablets and keeping them close at hand overnight.

To port are a small set of steps to access the berth, while at starboard there is a single step alongside a single seat, 2’4” (.71 m) wide and perfect for pausing to lace up shoes, curling up with a book, or even relaxing after a day in the water. Hullside windows are to port and starboard, with the aft side of each a rectangular portlight that can open and let the fresh air in.

Vanity. Just to the portside of the entry door there is a small, recessed space in the bulkhead only 3” (7.62 cm) deep. While the space seems shallow, Galeon made perfect use of it by creating small storage there, with vanity and mirror inside surrounded by backlighting. There is also a flip up table underneath the mirror. This is where Galeon’s use of space really shines -- finding high utility solutions for what would otherwise be dead space.

Also to port, just next to the backlit vanity is a hanging locker, the interior lined with the same Alcantara suede seen on the bulkheads and overhead throughout the boat. To starboard, on the bulkhead just above the one-person seating, is a 23” HD TV.

FYI -- Alcantara suede is a synthetic material, which feels like suede but is synthetic and, therefore, more durable and is stain-resistant.

Mid-Cabin

The mid-cabin is accessed from a private doorway just to port of the salon companionway. The mid-cabin opens up to 6’7” of headroom upon entry, with a seat with a curved back below an opening portlight to port.

A pair of single berths mounted to the deck athwartships. Each berth is 6’4” (1.93 m) long and 2’6” (76.2 cm) wide, with 1’2” (35.6 cm) between them when separated completely. Each is mounted to a track that can slide the berths together to create one large berth -- the best such system for this kind of setup we’ve yet seen. The berths have 2’7” (78.7 cm) of headroom above them, and the bulkheads and overhead are upholstered in Alcantara suede.

Hullside windows are on the starboard bulkhead, with rectangular, opening portlights at the aft end. Straight ahead from the mid-cabin entry door is another door, to the second stateroom’s head.

Most important, the mid-cabin has a small wet head, which provides extra privacy for two cruising couples.

Bow

The bow is accessed by side decks port and starboard, 15” wide. One inch stainless steel rails to port provide safety measure until the side rails come up to their full 18” (45.7 cm) of height roughly four feet forward of the stairs to the cockpit. Additional grab handles to the top of the cabin provide more safety. There is an opening gate in the rail to port and to starboard accessed by a coupler that slides fore and aft and locks into position with a quarter turn. A midship cleat measuring 10” (25.4 cm) is mounted on top of the toe rail.

Moving forward there are two sunpads to either side of the skylight (which sits above the master stateroom). These pads are in a fixed position, and while they do have a “lip” at the aft end facing forward as a head rest, but they do not lift into chaise lounge positions. There are stainless steel rails to the outside edge of both pads.

Fully forward is a flush-mounted hatch, which opens with a turn-and-lock hatch that leads to the windlass, which is mounted to a stainless-steel plate. The stainless-steel anchor roller is recessed into the foredeck, and the windlass foot control switches are to starboard. To port is a remote-controlled spotlight.

Power

The Galeon 385 HTS comes standard with twin 370-hp Volvo Penta diesel engines.

Performance

The 385 HTS has a beam of 12’ 10” (3.9 m), a draft of 3’5” (1.05 m), and an estimated test weight of 26, 400 lbs. (12,000 kg).

We have not tested the yachts, but the folks at Galeon have in flat-calm conditions in protected water in 55-degree weather (13 degrees C). With a pair of Volvo Penta D6 370-hp diesels driving through Duoprop Sterndrives, they recorded a top speed of 35.4 knots and 3630 RPM.

Best cruise came at 3200 RPM and 29.2 knots where the vessel burned 30.17 gph (114.2 lph), giving her a range of 242.9 nmiles, according to the builder.

Option Packages

This boat comes with a number of options as well as what Galeon calls a “Comfort Pack” and a “Luxury Pack.” The “Comfort Pack” includes most major items of electronics, among other things, and the “Luxury Pack” includes the hydraulic swim platform, among other things.

We recommend both packages as then boat then becomes “turn-key,” something that not only saves money but also eliminates aftermarket hassle.

Observation

It is hard to overstate the care and attention to detail in the 385 HTS’ designs and build. When we compare this boat’s basic specs with other boats in class, we find that her beam is about average, but her displacement is one of the highest. This is clearly due to her build quality; she will ride better in rough conditions.

Because she is a sterndrive, she is faster and more fuel efficient than she would be with straight drives.

The Galeon 385 HTS is sold exclusive in the western hemisphere by MarineMax.