Browsing: Bob Johnstone

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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Bob Johnstone: “Time To Get Creative”

If it’s appropriate to apply a boating term to a human being (and in this case it is), Bob Johnstone is a one-off, a combination of a world-class sailor, prize-winning marketing genius, and sharp-minded entrepreneur (starting two boat companies, one sail, one power, plus a highly profitable graphic arts business). Now that he’s 89 years old, Johnstone is also a published author, with the new Maverick Marketer (398 pages, Palmetto Publishing) under his belt. The book is a pleasure to read, largely because it reflects Johnstone’s wide-ranging intellect, humor and collected first-hand wisdom from both the business and boating worlds.…

Cruising Life
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7 Great New Power Cruising Boats at the Newport Show

About 340 boats will be on display at the Newport International Boat Show, which runs from Thursday, Sept. 12, through Sunday, Sept. 15. But only a handful will be new cruising powerboats that are being shown in the U.S. for the first time. Here’s a look at some of them: Bruckmann Abaco 47 (pictured above):  Built on the success of the popular Bruckmann Abaco 40, the new 47, designed by Mark Ellis, is a classic Down East cruiser with a long sheer, low profile, sharp entry and raked windshield. Built for extended cruising, the innovative hull is designed to plane…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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We Test the New MJM 53z: Fast, Fun and Elegant

It’s one thing to read about a new boat. It’s quite another to actually drive it. I certainly had expected to enjoy the new long, low, elegant MJM 53z, with its four 400-hp Mercury Verado outboards. After all, I’d already driven its predecessor, the MJM 50z, with three 435-hp Volvo IPS600 pod drives, as well as every other MJM model. But once I got behind the wheel of the 53z I realized it was even better – and a lot more fun – than I had anticipated. One of the main reasons outboards have become so popular lately, even on…

Cruising Life
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MJM Introduces New 53Z with Four 350-hp Mercury Verados; Largest Outboard-Powered Express Cruiser Ever

MJM is doubling down on outboard power, even on its largest yacht to date. Indeed, Bob Johnstone, the company’s founder and CEO, just announced that they will launch a new 53Z, powered by four 350-hp Mercury Verados, in the summer of 2019. The company says it will be the largest outboard express cruiser ever, and it certainly will accelerate the growing trend to outboard power, even in the high-end cruising market. The new 53Z, designed by Doug Zurn, is an outgrowth of the MJM 50Z, which is powered by three 435-hp Volvo IPS600 pod drives. I drove the 50Z in…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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On Watch

We Test New MJM 35Z with Twin Outboards. WOW! By Peter A. Janssen It was a Chamber of Commerce summer morning when we headed out of Newport Shipyard on Zinnia, hull number one of the new MJM 35Z, with a beautiful light blue sky, the wind coming in from the ocean at an easy 15 knots or so, the waves on Narragansett Bay just about two feet with gentle, breaking, white foam on top. Leaving the dock, Bob Johnstone, the founder of MJM Yachts (and J/Boats before that), turned the teak joystick under his left hand and walked the boat…

Boat Reviews
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We Test the New MJM 35Z with Twin Outboards. WOW!

It was a Chamber of Commerce summer morning when we headed out of Newport Shipyard on Zinnia, hull number one of the new MJM 35Z, with a beautiful light blue sky, the wind coming in from the ocean at an easy 15 knots or so, the waves on Narragansett Bay just about two feet with gentle, breaking, white foam on top. Leaving the dock, Bob Johnstone, the founder of MJM Yachts (and J/Boats before that), turned the teak joystick under his left hand and walked the boat sideways, the twin 300-hp Mercury Verado outboards pushing the boat in any direction…

Boat Reviews
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On Heels of 35Z with Two Outboards, MJM Plans New 43Z, with Three Outboards

You can’t say the people at MJM Yachts aren’t thinking ahead. They just launched their new MJM 35Z, with two outboards, and now they’re announcing the development of a new 43Z, with three. MJM says it has created the 43Z in response to requests from owners, particularly in the Carolinas and Florida, who want outboard-powered cruising boats. Outboards have indeed become more popular in the past few years as they have become more technologically advanced, offering fuel-efficient, high-speed and low-noise-level performance. An outboard boat also has obvious advantages when running in shallow water, or in areas with lots of lobster…

Boat Reviews
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Almost Here: Elegant, Fast, Fuel-Efficient MJM 35z with Outboards

MJM’s latest yacht, the 35z, is nearing completion at Boston BoatWorks in Charlestown, Mass., and is scheduled to be launched in June. The latest in the collaboration between Doug Zurn, the designer, and Bob Johnstone, the founder of MJM Yachts, the new 35z will be powered by two outboards, giving it both speed and power, while keeping the fuel-efficiency for which the brand is famous. It’s no surprise that the new boat has all the classic Down East lines of earlier MJMs, with its low profile, gentle tumblehome and long sheerline. Or that it’s a serious offshore boat, with a…

Boat Reviews
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MJM 35Z: An Elegant, Fast, Outboard Cruiser

We first reported on plans for the new MJM 35Z back in September. Now we can flesh out the details of this latest collaboration between Douz Zurn, the designer, and Bob Johnstone, the founder of MJM, and so far the new outboard-powered 35Z is living up to our expectations. It’s no surprise that the new boat has all the classic Down East lines of earlier MJMs, with its low profile, gentle tumblehome and long sheerline. Or that it’s a serious offshore boat, with a 20-degree deadrise at the transom and the highest rating for stability and seaworthiness for any boat…

Boat Reviews
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Coming Soon: MJM 35Z

Watch for this – the new MJM 35Z, the latest collaboration of Doug Zurn, the famed designer, and Bob Johnstone, the famed builder. The 35Z will be an outboard version of an MJM, with either twin 300-hp Yamahas or twin 300-hp Mercury Verados; either brand should power the boat into the 44-knot range. Outboards themselves are becoming more popular, as they become ever more powerful, fuel-efficient and quiet. The new 35Z will have the low profile, gentle tumblehome and long sheer line of other MJMs, plus a large cockpit and a protected helm deck. Designed as a couple’s cruising boat,…