Author Peter Janssen

Cruising Life
By

Yamaha Makes New 450-hp Outboard

Yamaha just launched its most powerful outboard yet, a 450-hp, V8 four-stroke with more torque, faster acceleration and a higher top speed than ever before. It’s called a 450 XTO, which stands for Xtreme Thrust Output. It’s a larger version of Yamaha’s 425 XTO, and it’s naturally aspirated with a 5.7L displacement. The new Yamaha is designed for larger, and heavier, boats, and it comes with Yamaha’s updated Helm Master EX controls that are built to handle up to three of the new 450s on a single transom. The new 450 has several important improvements, including a high-out alternator system…

Charter
By

Aquila Launching New 42 Power Cat

Aquila just announced that it will launch its new 42 Yacht Power Catamaran at the Miami show, starting Feb. 15. The new Aquila, designed by VPLP, the French naval architects, will be on display at the show’s One Herald Plaza site. Aquila just celebrated its tenth anniversary last summer. It now makes power cats from the 28 Molokai to the 70 Yacht. The 42 fits in a popular size range for owners who want to cruise (or charter) with their families; it’s small enough so it can be handled easily by a couple, while it’s large enough to carry that…

Cruising Life
By

Volvo, Beneteau Developing Hybrid Electric Systems

Volvo Penta and Groupe Beneteau just announced that they’ve formed a partnership to involve customers and dealers in developing their new hybrid-electric power systems for recreational boating. The two companies say they want immediate feedback so they can develop new technology that provides a quiet and sustainable power for boating in the future. Volvo already has run a successful commercial hybrid-electric system on a tour boat for Hurtigruten Svalbard in the past year. Now it’s turning to the recreational market. The new demo boat will be one of Beneteau’s Jeanneau NC 37 models (see rendering above). It will be at…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
By

Sirena Building a 48 Starter Yacht

Sirena Yachts just announced plans for their new 48, the smallest Sirena yet, at the big Düsseldorf show. It is scheduled to be launched in time for the Cannes Yachting Festival next September. In the announcement, the Turkish builder said the new 48 is designed as its entry boat; the Sirena fleet now has a 58, 68, 78 and 88. The company says the 48 “will appeal to a new generation of boaters and marine enthusiasts.” It’s designed by Germán Frers, the acclaimed Argentina naval architect, who also has worked on the larger Sirenas. It has three cabins  (sleeping six)…

Boat Reviews
By

New Cheoy Lee 72 Heading for U.S.

Cheoy Lee just finished sea trials on its latest CLB 72 family cruiser in Hong Kong. It’s  now on a ship heading for the U.S. The 72 is one of CL’s most successful yachts. A spinoff of the historic Cheoy Lee Shipyards, CL Yachts introduced its first boats at the Miami show in 2019. The new CLB 72 is hull #49. It’s a four-stateroom, four-head cruiser with a two-berth crew cabin and head aft. Hull #49 heading this way has new sliding windows in the galley, up/down windows in the salon, and opening portlights in the four staterooms on the…

Boat Reviews
By

New Tender Adds to La Dolce Vita

Now here’s a way to arrive in style. No more pulling up to the dock in your aging RIB or your well-used dink, the one with the scuff marks on the hull. Instead, consider the still-being-built limousine tender by Wooden Boats in its yard in Viareggio, Italy. In this case, style is king. Indeed, Marco Arnaboldi, the Wooden Boats founder and designer, says he was inspired by Fellini’s iconic 1960-era film, La Dolce Vita, as well as by “the timeless design of the runabouts of the time.” The film, he said, celebrates Italian style and beauty. The boat, named Limo…

Cruising Life
By

Avikus’ AI Nav System Wins Award

Hyundai’s Avikus autonomous navigation system just won an Innovation Award at the big Consumer Electronics Show, a recognition that will surely give a boost to the use of artificial intelligence in recreational boating, The award was in the Vehicle Tech and Advanced Mobility category, and it was for Avikus’ NeuBoat, already in its second phase of autonomous navigation. NeuBoat uses a Navigation Assistant System and a Docking Assistant System to navigate and dock in real time without human intervention. It also works with an Augmented Reality screen that indicates risk levels with different color boxes. Humans can control the systems…

Destinations
By

Ecuador: Home of 2,800 Giant Manta Rays

If you want to see some giant manta rays, lots of them, head to Ecuador this summer. A new study says that more than 2,800 of them gather there in August and September, more than ten times the number of rays found anywhere else in the world. A recent study by the Marine Megafauna Foundation and the Manta Trust said the overall population of oceanic manta rays could be as high as 22,000, if you counted those off the coast of Ecuador and neighboring Peru. Oceanic manta rays are indeed giants. They grow to be as large as 29 feet…

Cruising Life
By

Oceans Warmer Than Ever Before: Report

Last year was the warmest ever for the world’s oceans, according to a new study by scientists from 16 institutes around the world. It actually was the fourth year in a row to set records for high ocean temperatures. To make matters worse, the speed at which oceans are getting warmer is faster and faster, raising concerns about more powerful storms in the near future, as well as melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica and rising sea levels around the world. The new study was published last week in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences. It examined the temperature…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
By

Saxdor Unveils Versatile 400 GT

Saxdor just unveiled plans for its new 400 GT, an aggressively styled, versatile cruiser with a low profile, large fold-down terraces and outboard performance. The new Saxdor, built in Finland, will be ready later this year, and the company says it is designed for boaters “whether you are spending the day under the hot Miami sun or driving through a blizzard in Norway.” It will turn heads with its modern Scandinavian look, almost vertical bow, and sleek cabin roof. It has windows all around, for 360-degree visibility, and sliding doors on both sides of the wheelhouse lead to the folding…

1 … 57 58 59 60 61 … 390