Boat Reviews

New 50-Knot Electric RIB from eD-TEC

By Peter Janssen on March 26, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

A German start-up is now starting sea trials on its new all-electric, high-performance 31-foot RIB that cruises at 30 knots and hits 50 knots at its top speed. The company is called eD-TEC, which stands for Electric Driven Technology. Based in Munich, the company was founded by Michael Jost, the former chief strategy officer for Volkswagen, and the new carbon-fiber monohull was developed by Sven Akermann, who’s been designing performance sail and power boats since 2007. The 31-footer is the first in a range of RIBS from 22 to 55 feet. It’s due to be delivered this summer, and it’s…

Lexus Unveils New Luxury Yacht 680

By Peter Janssen on March 25, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Lexus just unveiled its new 68-foot LY (for Luxury Yacht) 680, a new and slightly larger version of the LY 650 it launched in 2018. The new 68 will be built by the Horizon Group in Taiwan, which produces models from 52 to 150 feet. Lexus says that Horizon has “a reputation for its advanced technological capabilities, which have been honed through the construction of superyachts.” Standard power is twin 800-hp Volvo IPS1050 pod drives; twin 1,000-hp IPS1350s are upgrades. Lexus says the concept of the new 680 is “to feel like a hideout in the middle of the sea,…

First Nordhavn 51 Cruises to Greece

By Peter Janssen on March 25, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Hull number one of Nordhavn’s new 51-foot blue-water cruiser just took a 600-nm shakedown run from Istanbul, near its factory in Turkey, to Rhodes in Greece, through some of the most beautiful cruising grounds in the world. Along the way, the new owners, Mark and Fiona Rammell, were able to try out their new boat on its first venture in what they plan as a multi-year exploration of the Med, the coast of England and then the U.S. before returning to their home waters in New Zealand. Rammell is a retired pilot for Air New Zealand, and he and Fiona…

New 66-foot Valder Cat: A Foil and a Heliport

By Peter Janssen on March 25, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

It may have been the somewhat-orange color, or it may have been the idea of a helicopter landing on the top deck, but The Keys, a custom Valder Yachts 66-foot foiling catamaran, got a lot of attention at the Palm Beach show last week. Built in New Zealand, the brainchild of offshore racer Wayne Valder, The Keys is designed as a fast, comfortable offshore boat powered by twin 1,300-hp MAN turbo diesels, ZF gears and custom five-blade props. It has a foil about half way aft in the hull that lifts the boat up above the surface at 17.5 knots.…

Riviera Launches 58 Sports Motor Yacht

By Peter Janssen on March 19, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Riviera has launched its new 58 Sports Motor Yacht, a versatile cruiser with room for a family or group of friends to spend a lot of time on board in a variety of settings. One appealing spot is a terrace that’s aft of the salon and just a few steps up from the lower cockpit. This al fresco deck is protected by the overhang from the flybridge up top, and by glass quarter panels on the sides. It has U-shaped seating around a high-gloss dining table and a settee, and a window opens to connect it directly to the galley…

North Pacific Building 590 Pilothouse Flagship

By Peter Janssen on March 19, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

North Pacific Yachts is making its new flagship, a 590 Pilothouse, designed for serious cruising couples or families who want to spend a long time on board. With offices in Surrey, British Columbia, just outside Vancouver, North Pacific makes five models from 44 to 59 feet. John Brice and his son, Trevor, started the company by showing their first boat, a 43, at the Seattle show in 2004. They’ve made more than 150 yachts since then, and Trevor runs the company. The boats are made near Shanghai, China. North Pacific prides itself on working directly with its owners. The first…

Johnson Launches Large New 70

By Peter Janssen on March 18, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Johnson Yachts is showing its newest model, a 70-footer, at the Palm Beach show. Designed by Bill Dixon, the well-known British naval architect, the Johnson 70 is meant to provide the usable size of a superyacht in a manageable size. Johnson has been making yachts for the past 37 years in Taiwan; it’s built 350 of them so far, selling them all around the world, but with the United States as a major market. The new 70 is the smallest in the fleet, with five models now going up to 115 feet. The 70 takes advantage of its 18’ 3”…

New Off-Grid Cat with “Muskoka Room”

By Peter Janssen on March 17, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

A small Canadian company is building the prototype of a 30-foot, off-the-grid blend of a houseboat and a unique catamaran cruising boat. The main cabin is designed as a “Muskoka Room” to resemble a cabin in the north woods. The new NC9 is the creation of the North Channel CabinBoat Company and it’s being built of aluminum by Henley Boats on Manitoulin Island. It’s originally meant for the rugged North Channel, part of the Georgian Bay on Lake Huron, one of the most popular cruising grounds on the Great Lakes, and a favorite spot on the Great Loop. The semi-displacement…

New Fairline Targa GT 50 High-End Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on March 16, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Fairline, the big British builder, is showing its sporty new Targa GT 50 at the Palm Beach show. It’s a two-stateroom, two-head, 33-knot cruiser with some luxury touches and contemporary lines. Once you walk from the wide, submersible, teak swim platform into the cockpit, the Targa GT 50 is one large entertaining space, from the transom to the helm. There’s an L-shaped settee and a high-low table on the port side, and an outdoor wet bar with a grill, sink and entertainment system to starboard. You can open three-part glass doors to the salon, where the galley is aft on…

New Prestige 460 Fly at Palm Beach Show

By Peter Janssen on March 13, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Prestige, the prestigious French builder, will have the latest version of its popular 460 Flybridge yacht on display at the Palm Beach show, which starts on March 21. The two-stateroom, two-head, flybridge yacht, now powered by twin 440-hp Volvo IPS600 pod drives, is designed for easy living inside and out, while at the dock or underway. You can climb on the 460 via the supersized teak swim platform, and you then can raise or lower it hydraulically, making it easy to enjoy water sports. But then you’ll find a surprise, when a mini outdoor galley, complete with sink and grill,…

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