Author Peter Janssen

Boat Reviews
By

New Electric Hovercraft Hits 50 mph

Michael Mercier built his first hovercraft when he was 13 years old, working with plans from Boy’s Life magazine. Mercier’s now 36, and after studying mechanical engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University and  years of dreaming and tinkering, he’s launched his first personal hovercraft. It’s the VonMercier Arosa, an all-electric craft that can hover about six inches above the surface (ground, water, or a combination of the two) and cruises at 20 mph but can top out (briefly) at 50 mph. The Arosa is powered by three electric motors producing 240-hp. Potential owners can choose either an 18 kWh battery that will…

Boat Reviews
By

Numarine Building Explorer Yacht with a Pool

Numarine, the upscale Turkish builder, just announced that they’re building a new 40MXP global explorer yacht with transatlantic range. Standard power on the new 128-foot 40MXP is twin 800-hp MAN diesels, producing a range of 6,000 miles at 8 knots. Numarine says it has already sold the first two hulls of the yacht, and both clients, who are existing Numarine owners, have ordered the optional 900-hp MANs for a bit more power. Numarine specializes in high-performance, luxury explorer yachts. Umberto Tagliavini, the Italian naval architect who has worked on many of the company’s yachts, drew the hull for the 40MXP.…

Cruising Life
By

7 Tips for Safer Coastal Navigation

In an age of sophisticated electronics and digital course plotting, it’s all too easy to overlook the basics of coastal navigation. Here are seven tips from Skipper Tips that can serve as a refresher course to keep you and your crew safe on your next cruise: 1. Double-check Courses. Parallel rules and protractors tend to slip when underway. Just a slight bit of slippage could throw a course or bearing off by several degrees. Take the extra step and measure your plotted course twice. If both measurements agree, you will know you’re right! 2. Keep Bearing Spreads to 60-90-120. Shoot two…

Boat Reviews
By

Linssen Launches New 55, a True Convertible

Linssen has launched its new flagship, the 55SL Variotop, a long-range, steel-hulled cruiser with a creative convertible top. The 55, like some smaller Linssen, features a proprietary fully automatic convertible roof that opens or closes at the touch of a button. Linssen positions the 55 as an all-weather cruiser, or a live aboard, and the Variotop adds to that appeal. On a sunny day, open it and enjoy the breeze; if the weather turns, press the button to add overhead protection. The new Linssen has another standard feature that’s a bit unusual. The helm seat can be elevated above the…

Boat Reviews
By

Apollonian 52 To Make East Coast Debut

Apollonian Yachts, a new brand that’s already making headway in the Pacific Northwest, will make its East Coast debut with a new 52 at the Palm Beach show, starting March 23. Apollonian is the result of a collaboration between Howard Apollonian, the highly regarded naval architect, and Vic Parcells, a veteran yacht broker. Their yachts are affordable cruisers that are designed for an owner-operator. The Apollonian 52 is a three-cabin, three-head, raised pilothouse cruiser with comfortable living spaces for cruising (or living aboard) and an easy flow for entertaining or relaxing. It’s powered by twin Cummins QSB 6.7 diesels linked…

Boat Reviews
By

Arksen 28, 30, To Debut at Palm Beach

Arksen, the creative British builder, will show its new Adventure 28 and 30 for the first time in North America at the Palm Beach show, starting March 23. The boats then will head west, all the way to Arksen’s first U.S. dealer in Seattle. Arksen was started about two years ago and makes larger expedition and explorer yachts, up to 86 feet. It makes its Adventure boats in partnership with XO boats. They’re designed to be rugged, go-anywhere vessels and they’re made with military grade aluminum. Even if adventure boating isn’t your thing,  the company says you still can use…

Boat Reviews
By

Kadey-Krogen Making Long-Range 60 Open

Kadey-Krogen is making a new Kadey 60 Open, the second in its line of Open blue-water, long-range cruisers. It introduced the 50 Open two years ago, with an interior that seamlessly blends the salon and galley areas with the pilothouse. The 50 Open will be on display at the Palm Beach show that starts on March 23, while the 60 is under construction at the same yard in Taiwan that’s made more than 600 Kadey-Krogens in the past 45 years. During that time, Kadey-Krogen has won a reputation for building full-displacement cruisers that combine easy living on board with excellent…

Boat Reviews
By

Prestige Unveils New 65-Foot Power Cat

Prestige, the upscale French builder, is doubling down on its power catamaran line. It launched its first power cat, the M48, last summer. Now, it says it’s making a new M8 that’s 65 feet long and has as much room as a five-bedroom house. The new M8 will have  the same semi-planing hull as the M48, with the same profile designed to look like a monohull. Its 19-foot beam is large enough to provide a lot of room inside and outside the boat, but it’s relatively narrow in terms of a 65-foot cat. The foredeck on the M8 is unusual;…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
By

Yacht Runs Aground, Is Rescued, Sinks

Two weeks after it ran aground, Nakoa, a 94-foot, 2004 Sunseeker, was freed from a reef in Hawaii and then sank in 800 feet of water before it could be towed to Honolulu, 90 miles away. Nakoa’s problems started on Sunday, Feb. 19, when Jim Jones, who owned it as part of Neolani Yacht Charters, spent the weekend on board with his family. It was moored in Honolua Bay near the northern tip of Maui. Somehow the mooring line failed and the yacht drifted onto a reef near a marine sanctuary. All eight people on board were taken off the…

Boat Reviews
By

New Explorer 62 Heading for U.S.

The new Explorer Yachts 62 made its debut at the Düsseldorf show in January, and will head to the U.S. in time for the Fort Lauderdale show in October. Explorer Yachts are made at the LOY Sri yard in Bergamo, Italy, and they’re the brainchild of Riccardo Radice, the former owner of the Sessa yard. The 62 is the product of considerable R&D and testing, and is meant to be a safe and comfortable long-range cruiser. Explorer is working on a 92 that will be ready in two years. Powered by two 600-hp Volvo IPS800 pod drives, the 62 has…

1 … 50 51 52 53 54 … 390