Magnolia Yachts, a new Turkish yard, just announced that they’re building their first boat, a 78-foot mahogany trawler with some retro looks and what the company calls “megayacht ergonomics” throughout. The new yacht, called Magnolia One, has three cabins below for six guests plus two more for three crew. It’s powered by twin 600-hp Cummins diesels, producing a top speed of 14 knots, a cruising speed of 12 knots, and a range of 2,200 nm at 9 knots. Magnolia was started in 2019 by the fourth generation owners of the Yardimci Shipping Group, a commercial ship builder. With a yard…
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RescueME Wins DAME Design Award
The annual DAME Awards recognizing superior design were just announced at the opening of the big METSTRADE marine equipment exhibition in Amsterdam. The awards were started in 1991 to promote design in all fields and to recognize the best-designed products at the show. This year the DAME Design Award winner was the Ocean Signal RescueME PLB3 AIS Personal Locator Beacon (pictured at top). The jury said it is a “combination of an AIS man overboard device and GPS with a Cospas-Sarsat personal locator beacon.” It called the RescueMe “a standout product” because of “its harnessing of multiple technologies to save…
Outer Reef Updates Its Popular 650 Classic
Outer Reef is re-engineering its 650 Classic Motoryacht, a size range that’s popular with cruising owner-operators. The updates include many trends that American owners have desired on their yachts in recent years. Outer Reef has been making the 650 for more than a decade, and Jeff Druek, the builder’s president and CEO, said they considered feedback from existing and potential owners before re-engineering the 650. Many of the changes have already been incorporated in the Outer Reef 700 Classic, one of the company’s most popular models. But some owners prefer a slightly smaller yacht than the 700 for a variety…
Bluegame Unveils New Power Cat Lineup
Bluegame just announced that it’s building a new line of luxury multihull yachts, called BGM, that will start with a highly creative 75 and include Volvo’s hybrid diesel-electric powertrain. Bluegame, part of Italy’s Sanlorenzo Group, unveiled plans for the new BGM75 at the Cannes Yachting Festival; the boat is scheduled to be ready for the same event next September. It was designed by Philippe Briand, the London-based, performance-oriented naval architect. The idea was to create the space and efficiency of a multihull with the style of a monohull. The BGM75 has a relatively narrow beam for a 75-foot power cat,…
Longreach 44 Power Cat “Ticks All the Boxes”
Looking for a long-range, comfortable power catamaran, an experienced cruising couple from Las Vegas have just bought a Longreach 44 in Australia. They plan to take delivery next spring and keep the boat in Seattle in the summer and San Diego in the winter. The couple, Chad and Maren Schwartz, filmed a video with Longreach at the Sydney boat show. (A new company, Longreach is based just outside Sydney.) They said they originally wanted to cruise around the world, but had trouble finding the right boat. They decided they wanted a catamaran platform for its comfortable ride. About four years…
Orcas Sink Boat Off Portugal
A pod of seven orcas sank a 40-foot French sailboat off Portugal as few days ago by ripping a hole in the hull and swimming off with the rudder. The crew of four had to abandon ship in their life raft. They were rescued by a nearby boat and a Portuguese life-saving vessel. The men said the orcas attacked their boat for about 45 minutes before it sank. They said the orcas circled the boat, named Smousse, and at first just bumped it. They said the orcas then attacked so fiercely that they shook the boat until they heard a…
Top Ten Boat Names from BoatUS
SPRINGFIELD, Va., Nov. 8, 2022 — Now that recreational boating is coming to a close in much of the country, BoatUS takes a look back at the Top 10 boat names ordered this season through its online boat graphics service and provides some commentary. Andiamo: Meaning “let’s go / we go / come on” in Italian, Andiamo remains in the No. 1 spot from last year’s list. It’s also a happy refrain heard from the person behind the helm as they put the throttle down and head to open waters. Osprey: This year marked the premiere of Osprey, having never…
HMY and Two Oceans Launch Outboard Cruisers
HMY Yacht Sales and Two Oceans Marine just announced that they’re developing a new line of luxurious outboard-powered, express cruising boats, starting with a 50- and a 60-footer. HMY is one of the largest yacht brokers and dealers in the U.S., with offices in Florida and South Carolina. Two Oceans is a long-time builder of blue-water catamarans in Cape Town, South Africa. The two companies joined forces last year to introduce a line of power cats to the U.S. The new express cruisers are the ECLIPSE 505 (pictured at top and below) and ECLIPSE 605. They are designed by Michael…
New Pearl 72: Lots of Superyacht Touches
Pearl just unveiled its new 72 at the Fort Lauderdale show, with some creative touches inside and out. For the interior, the new Pearl has the equivalent of two master staterooms (so nobody feels like a second-class citizen), while the exterior, by Dixon Yacht Design, has Pearl’s supersized raked windshield, deep cut-outs in the bulwarks to open up the views from the salon, and one long piece of glass that replaces windows in the hull sides. It also has a large garage that is revealed when the transom lifts up. The garage is large enough to hold an 11’ 3”…
Cockwells Designs 40-Knot Foiling Electric Tender
The striking-looking Alte Volare 12M Hydrofoil Tender is the result of a technical study by the superyacht tender specialists at Cockwells in the UK. So far, the 40-knot, electric limousine tender exists only on paper, in a report presented at the Monaco show last month. But the Alte Volare shows what is possible in the high-performance, foiling sphere right now. Henry Wars, the Cockwells design director, says the new tender combines a “distinctive design with a fully electric drivetrain and retractable foiling technology to create a tender that is efficient and elegant, inside and out.” The forward foil contains the…
New TEMO 1000: Electric Outboard for Tenders
The TEMO 1000 is an innovative, lightweight, all-electric outboard that’s made to power tenders and RIBs and small sailboats. It also has a clear appeal. Since it’s powered by a 1,000-watt electric motor (the equivalent of a 3-hp gas outboard), you don’t need to carry a gas tank on board, and there are no noise, fumes or pollution either. The TEMO 1000 consists of a rudder-shaped shaft with the motor at the bottom and a long, thin battery that slides down into it. You don’t need to connect any wires or plug it in; it connects automatically. And its slim…
New Icom Sat Phone for Worldwide Connections
The new Icom IC-SAT100 provides worldwide real-time communication at the push of a button. Icom says it’s the world’s first satellite PTT (Press To Talk) mobile radio that uses the Iridium satellite communication network. The new radio provides communication between a group of people at any time, anywhere in the world, including both poles. It uses the 66 Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites of the Iridium network. The regular IC-SAT100 can be a fixed mount on a vessel, a vehicle, or in a building. The IC-SAT100M is a mobile device (pictured at top) that can work within 400 feet of…
New SiOnyx Nightwave Night-Vision Camera
SiOnyx just introduced its innovative Nightwave night vision camera at the recent Lauderdale show. The new Nightwave is an ultra-low-light camera that adds an extra level of safety and situational awareness if you’re navigating at night or in reduced visibility. The new Nightwave uses SiOnyx’s most advanced sensor, the Black Silicon CMOS. It sees well beyond the possibilities of human eyesight and can detect man-sized objects almost 500 feet away in low-light situations. It also has a 44-degree field of view, offering a fairly wide look at any obstacles ahead – another boat, for example, or a channel marker or…
Navico Fathom: Say Goodbye to Gensets
Brunswick’s recently formed Navico Group just launched what it calls “the world’s most advanced power system” that could replace generators on powerboats. Navico’s totally new Fathom e-Power System links lithium-ion batteries with the boat’s charging systems, power conversion, distribution, digital switching, and control and monitoring. It ties all the electrical components together, providing house power for communications, entertainment, lighting, audio, air conditioning, heating, gyro stabilizers and appliances. All that linkage means that the boat no longer needs a generator, which takes up space and requires fuel and maintenance. The Fathom system is silent (certainly an advantage in a mooring field…
Simrad Unveils Most Powerful Radar Yet
Simrad just introduced its most powerful radar yet, the HALO 2000 and HALO 3000, with longer ranges and more power and features than previous models. The HALO 2000 has 50 watts of power and 72 nm of visibility; it starts at $6,399. The HALO 3000 has 130 watts of power and 96 nm of visibility. It starts at $8,499. The new high-performance, open-array radars offer Simrad’s best clarity ever. And they access power instantly from standby mode, and in just seconds from a cold start. The features include a Bird+ Mode, a ZoneTrack and Dangerous Target Alerts, all designed to…
Beaufort, SC: Charm on the Waterway
To my mind, the Low Country, the winding, tidal flats and marshlands that run through the southern part of South Carolina, is the best part of the Intracoastal Waterway. You can’t be in a hurry; there are so many S-curves that you can think you’re cruising back on yourself. But that’s the point. Everything is virtually at sea level, with an absolutely golden hue at the beginning and end of the day, so it’s easy to relax and feel peaceful about the world. Dating to 1711, Beaufort is one of the most inviting spots there. You can choose from several…
Doggersbank Cruises to Robinson Crusoe Island
The captain of a Doggersbank 97 explorer yacht just wrote about his trip to Robinson Crusoe Island, yes, that Robinson Crusoe Island, the one that the fictional Robinson Crusoe was stranded on in Daniel Defoe’s 1719 book that became a classic. And, it turns out, Robinson Crusoe Island is a terrific place. The island is a bit remote, about 416 miles off the coast of Chile in the South Pacific. That’s why the 18th century mariner Alexander Selkirk was stranded there for four years before he was rescued (the real back story to Defoe’s book). It is the largest in…
Cooper Island: A Bit of Paradise in the BVI
Cooper Island, a small island in the British Virgin Islands, seems to have it all: Location, a boutique-like resort along a sloping white beach, a mooring field for visitors, snorkeling right off your boat, and a western view for fantastic sunsets. Cooper Island is close to Tortola, home of the larger charter fleets, and to Virgin Gorda, where The Baths are on almost everyone’s charter itinerary. If you don’t have a boat, you can get there on a water taxi from Tortola. The Cooper Island Beach Club is now fully restored from the hurricanes of 2017. It’s a family-owned, eco-resort…
Mississippi River Hits Record Lows
In normal times, Tower Rock (pictured above) serves as a landmark on the Mississippi River, about 90 miles below St. Louis. It’s 344 feet high, and it’s accessible only by boat. As of a few days ago, school children were walking out to the rock without getting their feet wet. These are not normal times. The Mississippi is running low; some 40 gauges are recording low water records all along the mighty river, according to NOAA. Barges carrying crops and cargo from America’s heartland are getting stuck and running aground in mud; the delays will cause disruption in supply chains…
New ACR PLB with More Built-in Safety
The Electronics Tent is always one of the most popular spots at the Fort Lauderdale show. And cruising boat owners usually crowd around the ACR exhibit. This year ACR is showing its new Return Link Service for its most popular ResQLink Personal Locator Beacon that gives cruising boat owners an additional level of safety. The Return Link Service (RLS) provides a clear message confirming that U.S. boaters are connected to the international Cospas-Sarsat satellite system. The confirmation means that the boater’s distress message and GPS location have reached the international network. The ResQLink View RLS ($449.95), pictured at top, confirms…
NMEA Makes Best Electronics Awards
The National Marine Manufacturers Association just named the winners of its annual excellence awards at its conference in Anaheim, California. The NMEA presented Products of Excellence Awards in 18 categories. In addition, it gave its Best New Product Award to the Maretron WSO200 Ultrasonic Weather Station, and its Technology Award to Airmar’s SmartBoat System. It also named Actisense as Manufacturer of the Year in the small company category, and Garmin as Manufacturer of the Year in the large company category. The Awards of Excellence were chosen by the NMEA membership, who voted on line before the conference. A panel of…
5 Top Multifunction Displays from NMEA
Every year, the people at nmeaboater.com (the National Marine Electronics Association) ask manufacturers to name one model in a boating electronics category that they think is their best. It’s not necessarily the most technically advanced or the one with the most bells and whistles, but it is the one that, for a variety of reasons, they put at the top of their line. Here’s the list for multifunction displays: Simrad NSX A new mid-range product in the Simrad line of MFDs, the NSX chartplotter/fishfinder redefines the easy-to-use touchscreen experience, while providing powerful new C-MAP charting and navigation with DISCOVER X and…
Beneteau Installs Garmin Assisted Docking
Beneteau has become the first boat builder to incorporate Garmin’s Surround View assisted docking technology on a production boat, its upscale Gran Turismo 45 cruiser. Surround View will be available on all of those models now, and will probably roll out to other Beneteau models as well. The Garmin system has six cameras on the Gran Turismo so the captain can have a view of all angles of the boat, as well as an overhead bird’s-eye view, all appearing on the boat’s MFD at the helm. Both Beneteau and Garmin say the system gives the captain more confidence while docking…
MarineMax Vacations Celebrates 10 Years in BVI
MarineMax Vacations is celebrating its tenth anniversary in the British Virgin Islands, and it has created a sweepstakes offering a free charter vacation there. You can enter the sweepstakes through the rest of this year. If you win, you’ll get a six-day/five-night charter on a MarineMax 443 power cat next year in the BVI. The MarineMax base is on Nanny Cay on Tortola, a central location to start a charter in the BVI, with some of the most beautiful cruising grounds in the world. The BVI also are a relatively easy place to cruise; most navigation is line-of-sight. The base…
Lagoon Starts Fractional Ownership with Sea Style
Lagoon Catamarans and Sea Style Partners just formed a joint venture to promote a fractional ownership program for Lagoon’s multihull power and sail yachts. The two companies announced their new partnership at the Cannes Yachting Festival, saying it will give owners access to Lagoon’s international network of yachts and Sea Style’s experience in fractional ownership, yacht management and crew services. Mathias Chouraki, the president of Sea Style, said the new partnership “shows that fractional ownership is not only trending, but also will become an important part of our industry in coming years.” The program offers owners a 25 percent or…
SamBoat, the Rental Giant, Expands to U.S.
SamBoat, the online company that’s leading the European boat rental market, is expanding to the United States. Indeed, it has started a rental fleet in Florida, in a partnership with Dream yacht Charter, and it plans to have a fleet of 2,000 rental boats across the U.S. by the end of 2023. So far, SamBoat has 50,000 boats in the water for rent at 1,400 destinations around the world. It basically is an online boat rental platform that connects boat owners and renters; it works much the same as Airbnb. The idea is that people who don’t own a boat,…
Four Seasons Building Luxury Yachts
Four Seasons, the luxury hotel brand, just announced that it’s expanding to the high seas. At a press briefing at the Monaco yacht show, Four Seasons said has formed a new venture, Four Seasons Yachts, starting with a “no expense spared” 679-foot long vessel with 96 luxury suites. The first of three Four Seasons Yachts, costing $1.16 billion, will be built at Fincantiere, the large Italian yard that specializes in superyachts and commercial vessels. It’s scheduled to be launched in 2025. “We’re known for creating exceptional experiences,” said Christian Clerc, the president of Four Seasons Resorts and Hotels. “We plan…