The good news is that the Fort Lauderdale show starting next week is bigger than ever before, with more than 1,300 new boats on display at seven different locations. The bad news is that the show is bigger than ever before, with more than 1,300 boats at seven locations. If you’re one of the 100,000 people going to the show, it helps to make a list in advance; just wandering around, hoping to see the stumble across boat of your dreams, will probably just leave you tired and confused.
To make life easier, we’ve put together a list of some of the best cruising boats at the show: Take a look:
BACK COVE 372: A couple’s cruiser, the classic Back Cove 372 with its made-in-Maine, Down East lines, seems to beckon for a weekend away, a snowbird’s voyage down the ICW, a year’s exploration of the Great Loop. The Back Cove 372 has the efficiency of a single-diesel cruiser, producing comfortable speeds of 25 knots for more than 300 nm. With a standard 600-hp Cummins, top speed is 28.9 knots, and at a displacement speed of 7.3 knots the range goes up to 1,257 nm. The 372 is an updated version of the original Back Cove 37 that was one of the company’s most popular models after it was introduced in 2009; more than 200 were sold. The aft cockpit is an inviting social area, and the galley is up in the salon, opposite the helm. The master cabin has a queen-sized bed in the bow, and there’s a second cabin, with a two-person bed, tucked under the helm. If you’re interested in more speed, the Back Cove 390 comes with three 400-hp Mercury Verado outboards; it tops out at 44 knots. http://backcoveyachts.com
CLB65: The smallest CL yacht to date, the CLB65 is designed as the company’s entry-level family cruiser, a smaller sister to the CLB72. CL is the new luxury brand from Cheoy Lee. Designed by naval architect Howard Apollonio with the interior by Carmen, the CLB 65 has a basic layout of three staterooms and three heads. Standard power is twin 800-hp Volvo IPS1050 pod drives, with a top speed of 27 knots. The yacht has a resin-infused, composite hull with electric fin stabilizers and a sophisticated C Zone monitoring system that oversees all boat functions. The CLB65 has a large flybridge, with a U-shaped lounge and integrated electric grill and fridge. The foredeck has a three-person settee under the windshield and a large sun pad forward. Aft, the cockpit has a four-person settee with a large table. The galley is aft in the salon; there’s lots of seating forward, with a door opening to the starboard side deck. Three cabins are below, with the master full-beam amidships; it has a centered king-sized bed, small desk, walk-in closet and head with a double vanity and large shower. The VIP cabin is forward, and the third cabin is on the port side with twin beds. http://clyachts.com
FLEMING 65: When Fleming introduced its 65 long-range cruiser in 2005, it represented a step up from the company’s first boat, the iconic Fleming 55. It had the same lines as the 55, just stretched a bit; it also was about 70 percent larger on displacement, providing much more room for cruising couples and owner-operators. The 65 has been a hit; so far, Fleming has made 68 of them. And Fleming made a star of hull number one, named Venture, which Tony Fleming, the company’s founder, has used as his personal boat and a floating lab to continually make improvements in the line. Venture is a comfortable cruiser (I’ve spent time on board) and Tony has put more than 60,000 miles under its hull, cruising from Alaska to the Galapagos and Nova Scotia and the St. Lawrence, producing his much-watched videos along the way. The Fleming 65 is a three-stateroom, three-head cruiser, with a large salon with a galley forward, a classic pilothouse, a Portuguese bridge, and a flybridge up top. The standard layout has the master in the bow (you can also order it amidships) with the other two cabins along the companionway. The pilothouse is the heart of the boat underway, with wraparound windows, a corner settee behind a chart table, steps up to the flybridge, and doors opening to the Portuguese bridge on both sides. Protected by a hardtop, the flybridge has the upper helm, a built-in barbeque, fridge, sink and settee and dining table. Standard power comes from twin 800-hp MANs, with a top speed of more than 16 knots. At 9.4 knots, range is 1,600 nm. http://flemingyachts.com
GRAND BANKS 60 SKYLOUNGE: Available with either an open flybridge or fully enclosed skylounge, the Grand Banks 60 is an elegant blue-water cruiser with a full complement of Grand Banks’ signature style and craftsmanship. In the Skylounge version there is no lower helm, so the galley is moved forward, creating a large living space on the main deck with separate lounging and dining areas. The boat is a three-stateroom, two-head, high-tech cruiser, the initial result of Mark Richards’ revamping of the company when he took over in 2014. It uses state-of-the-art lightweight materials for a low center of gravity, and the deck and flybridge are fully carbon infused. The bulkheads and furniture are bonded to the hull for extra strength. The warped hull starts with a fine entry and almost flat, lift-producing sections aft. Deadrise at the transom is only 8 degrees. The highly efficient hull provides a soft ride and leaves almost no wake behind. http://gbmarinegroup.com
HINCKLEY PICNIC BOAT 40 S Ever since it was first launched in 1995, the Hinckley Picnic Boat, with its drop-dead gorgeous Down East lines, has become a worldwide icon. Hinckley has made more than 1,000 of them so far; other companies have made countless more lookalikes. But Hinckley is not resting on its history. It recently introduced a new electric-diesel hybrid SilentJet technology on the Picnic Boat 40 S so the boat can run without any fumes or noise under electric power, or transition seamlessly into a traditional diesel mode. Hinckley developed SilentJet with Twin Disc to integrate the new technology with Hinckley’s trademarked JetStick control. The SilentJet system uses two 90 kW electric motors and twin 550-hp Cummins diesels, plus an 80 kWh battery that can be recharged under diesel power or in eight to ten hours on shorepower. With SilentJet you can cruise under electric power at 7 knots for an hour; drop down to 5.5 knots and the range jumps to 90 minutes. Under diesel power, the Hinckley tops out at 35 knots. http://hinckleyyachts.com
MJM 4: For fast acceleration, take a ride on the 46-foot MJM 4, powered by twin 600-hp V12 Mercury Verado outboards. It’s fun, really fun. The new MJM tops out at about 60 knots, and it provides a smooth and solid ride throughout the speed range. The MJM 4 is a luxury family day boat, made in North Carolina in what the company now calls a modern Carolina Down East style. It has seating for at least four adults in the open bow, and it’s also a capable weekend (or longer) cruiser, with a V-berth below for two and another cabin a bit aft for two more; there’s also a head with a large enclosed shower. The 4 has MJM’s first galley-up layout, running along the port side. The helm station on the starboard side has two luxurious seats (MJM calls them “business class” with good reason) facing an elegant, exceptionally clean and user-friendly helm. All told, the MJM has a lot going for it; indeed, it was named Best New Powerboat at last year’s Newport show. http://mjmyachts.com
NORDHAVN 41: The new 41 is Nordhavn’s entry-level passagemaker, the long-awaited successor to its world-circling 40. The smallest boat in the Nordhavn fleet, the 41 is the only one made in Turkey. Powered by twin 75-hp Beta diesels, the 41 has a range of more than 3,000 nm and a cruising speed of about 7 knots. Nordhavn worked with Vripack, the highly regarded Dutch design firm, to create a new hull form for the 41. Like all Nordhavns, it’s designed to cruise anywhere in the world; it has a CE rating of Category A, the highest level of safety. The twin engines are protected by along keel. Twins are a change for smaller Nordhavns, which usually have a single. Nordhavn says each engine can drive the 41 to its cruising speed. Inside, the boat has a large mater cabin in the bow. A second cabin can be tucked under the helm, and two more people can sleep on the convertible sofa in the salon. The galley is up. Read more: http://nordhavn.com
OUTER REEF 740 DELUXBRIDGE: Equiessence, an Outer Reef 740 Classic Deluxbridge, is the second Outer Reef yacht for an active owner who wanted a larger bluewater cruiser than her previous 610 Classic. The owner enjoys entertaining, cruising with her family, and water sports. She, like many experienced cruisers, enjoys the luxury and comfort of a protected, fully enclosed and climate-controlled skylounge. It serves as a major relaxing and entertaining area; it also can do double duty as an office or study for long-range cruising or living onboard. Outer Reefs can be highly customized for individual owners. For this boat, the owner ordered an outsized swim platform so guests can enjoy fishing, diving, swimming, paddle-boarding and water activities. There’s even a custom cabinet to hold eight dive tanks. A sliding door from the aft deck opens to the salon, with a built-in L-shaped settee and a teak coffee table, and an entertainment center. The large galley is forward with a center island and a settee and table. It has teak cabinets and home-style appliances. A day head is on the starboard side. A curved stairway leads down to the accommodations deck. The full-beam maser is amidships with a king-sized bed, walk-in closet and desk/vanity. The VIP is forward with a tapered queen bed. The guest cabin is on the port side with a double bed. All the cabins have their own heads. The Outer Reef 40 is powered by twin 500-hp John Deere diesels or two 476-hp CATs, producing a top speed from 13.5 to 19 knots. http://outerreefyachts.com
SABRE 45 SALON EXPRESS: When it was first introduced five years ago, the Sabre 45 SE was an instant hit. It won the People’s Choice Award at the Newport show that year, and then was named a Top Product by Boating Industry magazine. This Maine-built cruiser with clean and classic Down East lines has only been getting better ever since. It’s now powered by twin 480-hp Volvo IPS650 pod drives, producing a top speed of 33 knots. But as testimony to Sabre’s quality, the 45 SE is a quiet boat, registering only 63 dB(A) at a fast cruising speed of 28 knots, where its range is 314 nm. The 45 SE is a two-cabin, two-head boat with a salon that flows down two steps to a bright half-up (or half-down) galley. And it has a unique utility space between the engine room and the guest stateroom that can used for everything from washer/dryers, freezers, wine chillers, whatever. This working space means that all other storage areas in the boat have been preserved, so the overall accommodations feel like those in a larger vessel. http://sabreyachts.com
SIRENA 78: The Turkish builder’s first enclosed-flybridge cruiser, the upscale Sirena 78 comes with an impressive pedigree. Germán Frers, the famed Argentine, designed the exterior, while Cor D. Rover, with his award-winning studio in The Netherlands, did the interior. With twin 1,550-hp MANs and V-drives, the elegant new 78 tops out at more than 25 knots; dial back to just under 10 knots and it has a range of 1,100 nm. The Sirena 78 looks like a little ship, with a slender profile, deep bulwarks, covered side decks and rows of large windows along the hull sides. The salon is laid out in an open plan, with freestanding furniture for versatility. A central island galley and long dining table are forward; a staircase leads up to the flybridge, with the yacht’s only helm station. The flybridge is protected by a hardtop with an opening sunroof. Owners can choose an open flybridge, a semi-enclosed one, or a fully enclosed design. Below, four en suite staterooms are built along a companionway. The master is full-beam amidships; the VIP is forward with a double bed, and two guest cabins with two berths each are on either side. http://sirenayachts.com
SOLARA S-310 SPORTS COUPE: The new Solara S-310 Sports Coupe, the latest brand from Fluid Motion, the makers of Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats, is already making a big splash. At the Newport show last month the new Solara won the prize as the Best New Powerboat 30 Feet and Over, awarded by a panel of judges, and it won the People’s Choice Award, voted on by people attending the show on opening day. The Solara 310 Sport Coupe has an open floorplan that’s versatile and comfortable. The seats in the cockpit fold away to make that area larger for fishing, or fold down to create more social space. The cabin has a private forward stateroom that’s climate controlled, and it has an enclosed head with shower. The boat’s ten-foot beam provides a lot of stability at rest, and enough volume for a comfortable interior. It also means the new Solara can be trailered. Power comes from two Yamaha F300 outboards. The boat has a double-stepped hull for performance and laminar flow interrupters for a smooth ride and cornering. It also has digital electric steering, trim tabs, and a bow thruster standard. http://solaraboats.com
SUMMIT 54: The new performance cruiser brand from Kadey-Krogen, the Summit 54 Motoryacht was designed by Michael Peters of Sarasota, and has a cruising speed of 21 knots and a top speed of 25 knots. It also has the quality, comfort and attention to detail that have defined Kadey-Krogen blue-water displacement yachts for almost 50 years. It’s available with either straight shafts or Volvo’s IPS pod drives, and it’s designed as a comfortable floating home-like retreat for active cruising owners. It’s filled with light from wraparound windows in the pilothouse and super-sized windows in the salon. It has a clean, contemporary look with a spacious layout, including three cabins, two heads, a pilothouse, flybridge, protected aft deck, and a ready-for-sunbathing foredeck. The side decks are wide and protected to make docking and line-handling safe and easy, and they have boarding gates. The galley is home-like in its space and appliances, and it serves a breakfast nook with a settee and teak table. The pilothouse has a two-person helm seat, a teak wheel, and a door that opens to the side deck. A large, elevated dining area is to port with U-shaped seating and a high-low table on a stainless pedestal. http://summitmotoryachts.com
