Browsing: cruising boats

Boat Reviews
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MJM Building New 42 Couples Cruiser

MJM just announced that it’s making a new 42, an all-weather, all-conditions 48-knot cruiser with what the company calls a “Carolina Downeast” design and more than a touch of class. The company, now based in Washington, North Carolina, says the 42 is the evolution of a couple’s liveaboard performance cruiser. They developed it with Michael Peters, the Sarasota designer who’s done everything from Hinckleys and superyachts to speedboats, and input from the owners of MJM 40s, one of the builder’s most popular cruisers. The 42’s helm deck is enclosed for total climate control and comfort, but it can be opened…

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New Outback 50: A Cruising Boat For Active Owners

The new Outback 50, just unveiled at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, is designed for active boat owners, people who want to go places and do things. Its most noticeable feature is its open transom and “infinity deck” aft that can hold a small vessel, jet skis, or other toys. Many years in the making, the Outback 50 has a serious cruising pedigree, a collaboration between Michael Peters, the well-known designer, and Andrew Cilla, the owner of Luke Brown Yachts in Fort Lauderdale and a long-time cruiser. Over some drinks about ten years ago, Cilla asked Peters to design…

Cruising Life
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Popular Ranger Rendezvous in the San Juans

Here’s a great picture of the annual rendezvous of some 150 Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats at Roche Harbor in the San Juans, one of the biggest gatherings of boat owners in the United States at one of the best cruising destinations in the United States. To continue the superlatives, Fluid Motion, LLC, the parent company for Ranger and Cutwater, is one of the most successful boat companies in the United States – having started with a 21-Ranger Tug in 1999 and now producing hundreds of Rangers and Cutwaters in six factories throughout Washington State. (See our “Boat Reviews” section…

Boat Reviews
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Outer Reef 580: An Elegant Long-Range Cruiser

The new Outer Reef 580 has just about everything you need for long-range cruising or living aboard: three staterooms, two heads, a raised pilothouse, a flybridge, a Portuguese bridge, and enough teak everywhere to warm the heart of even the saltiest cruiser among us. There’s even simulated hull planking to add to the classic look. With large windows, the pilothouse provides great visibility; it also houses an L- shaped settee on a raised platform, a teak table on a stainless steel pedestal, and a Stidd helm chair. From the 580’s pilothouse, one teak stairway leads up to the flybridge, while…

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Fleming 55: An Updated Classic Cruising Boat

The quintessential serious cruising boat, the Fleming 55 has become a classic since it was first launched in 1986. Some 235 Fleming 55s have been built since then, reflecting hundreds of refinements and tweaks to reflect changing technologies and lessons learned on the water. Most of these refinements, of course, come from Tony Fleming himself, the founder of the company who cruises around the world on his Fleming 65 Venture, which he uses as a test bed to make sure the boats are constantly updated. A pilothouse motoryacht, the Fleming 55 has three staterooms and two heads, a large, 130-square-feet…

Boat Reviews
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Coastal Craft 45: Built for Serious Cruising

Coastal Craft, founded in 1996 by Jeff Rhodes in Gibsons, B.C., about 25 miles north of Vancouver, is something else in the recreational boating market. Originally catering to the fishing and work boat industry, Coastal Craft are all built with commercial-quality welded aluminum hulls, with an emphasis on reliability, safety and seaworthiness. Gibsons is about 25 miles north of Vancouver on Georgia Strait, where the waters can be unpredictable at best. The new Coastal Craft 45, the company’s flagship, is built with a planing hull (topping out at 32 knots), an upscale interior, two staterooms and two heads, and a…

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American Tugs 435: A Sturdy, No-Frills Cruiser

A sturdy cruiser, well-equipped to handle the coast of Maine, the Great Loop, or the Waterway down to the Keys or the Bahamas, the new American Tugs 435 has two staterooms, two heads, a raised pilothouse, a comfortable salon with forward galley and enough storage and living areas to keep a couple or family comfortable for a long time onboard. American Tugs are made in LaConner, Washington, but about half are now sold on the East Coast as more and more owners appreciate all the boats have to offer. The no-frills approach to cruising, with a single 500-hp Cummins diesel,…

Boat Reviews
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Back Cove 32: Best Under 35 Feet at Newport

The Back Cove 32 was just named Best Powerboat Under 35 Feet at the Newport International Boat Show, a major honor for the Maine-built classic couple’s cruiser. I’ve been a fan of Back Coves since I tested the very first one they made, a 26, ten years ago, and I’ve tested every model since then. The single-diesel, fuel-efficient, user-friendly themes of the brand, combined with their iconic Downeast lines, make them very appealing, and the new 32 lives up to the company’s reputation. You walk on the boat through a centerline door in the transom, and then the deck is…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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Popular Ranger Rendezvous in the San Juans

Here’s a great picture of the annual rendezvous of some 150 Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats at Roche Harbor in the San Juans, one of the biggest gatherings of boat owners in the United States at one of the best cruising destinations in the United States. To continue the superlatives, Fluid Motion, LLC, the parent company for Ranger and Cutwater, is one of the most successful boat companies in the United States – having started with a 21-Ranger Tug in 1999 and now producing hundreds of Rangers and Cutwaters in six factories throughout Washington State. (See our “Boat Reviews” section…

Boat Reviews
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Leader 46: An Innovative Flagship with French Flair

The flagship of the Leader fleet, the new 46 has lots of innovative touches, French lines, and Volvo performance (either with sterndrives or IPS), which all combine to make it an appealing contemporary cruiser. No wonder the Leader 46 by Jeanneau has been nominated for the European Boat of the Year award. When I was on the boat, I particularly liked the cockpit galley with the grill opening aft; you stand on the wide teak swim platform, facing your guests, and fire up the barbeque. (There’s also a traditional galley below.) Another appealing touch: The forward-facing mate’s bench seat to…

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