Integrity 496 Coastal Express Cruiser

 

There is more usable outside deck space on the Integrity's top deck, which you get to through the pilothouse. This area has a small helm station (with all controls) and vast open spaces forward and aft of the wheel. I even climbed up on the pilothouse roof. You can walk on the roof because it's built to take the weight and features a nonslip finish. For one brief moment I felt like that guy in the Titanic, umm, you know, Leo De Caprichosa. Or was that a pizza?

The main helm station will make any captain proud. A single seat resides over a wooden wheel and while the instrumentation is unassuming, it's still comprehensive, featuring a chartplotter/ sounder, trip log, radios, bow thruster toggle, autopilot, a large compass and all the electrical switches. There is also a navigator's table and large, comfy settee on the portside of the helm, to lay out and look at conventional charts.

OVERALL
Built in Southern China, the Integrity 496 is a displacement cruiser that offers a tremendous amount of living area finished with a good blend of both traditional and contemporary styling.

As tested, this boat costs around $920,000, or $960,000 once the stabilisers are fitted. But the base model, without airconditioning, bow thruster and custom fit-out, will set you back around $870,000.

read on below advertisement



But you can also get the Integrity 466 model, which is a boat with the same interior, but less deck space, that has a starting price of $750,000.

SPEAKING OF INTEGRITY
The Shenzhen Jianghua Marine & Engineering Company was founded in 1981 and was the fi rst to manufacture motoryachts, passenger ferries and speedboats in China. Now, after more than 24 years, the company is the largest manufacturer and exporter of fi breglass commercial boats and luxury motoryachts in China.

Shenzhen Jianghua Marine builds serious boats using advanced technologies, skillful workers and strict quality control. The company enjoys a good reputation in the yachting world and has won the respect of many international customers.

In the past 20 years the company has built more than 500 yachts for customers all over the world. Most were exported to the US, Europe, Australia and Japan. The company builds a range of motoryachts from 30 to 80 feet.

ENGINE ROOM
The Integrity 496 was powered by a single QSM11 Cummins 535hp diesel. A twin-screw version is an option. Access to the dual fuel-filters is through the owner's cabin. Another big plus is that the engine doesn't have to be stopped for a filter service.

next page »



« go back