Author Peter Janssen

Boat Reviews
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North Pacific Building 590 Pilothouse Flagship

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…

Cruising Life
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More Remains Revealed of Historic Shipwreck

The sands of time are finally taking their toll, revealing more of the remains of a historic shipwreck on a beach in Ipswich, Massachusetts, just above Cape Ann. Indeed, the shifting sands are now uncovering more pieces of the hull of the Ada K. Damon, an 84-foot Grand Banks schooner that ran aground on Crane Beach on Dec. 26, 1909. The Ada K. Damon was launched at Burnham Boat Building in Essex, Massachusetts, in 1875. A sturdy vessel, it had a 23-foot beam and an 8-foot draft. At first, it was used for fishing, and later for transporting sand. It …

Cruising Life
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George Bush’s Fidelity V Sold at Auction

Former President George H.W. Bush’s much beloved fast fishing boat, a 38-foot Fountain named Fidelity V, was just sold at an auction in Houston for $435,000. An anonymous buyer phoned in his winning bid at the auction conducted by the George and Barbara Bush Foundation. The auction, called the 2024 Presidential Salute, raised money for the Bush library and for the school of government at Texas A&M. President Bush died in 2018. Built in 2011, the Fountain 38CC carried the presidential insignia on the hull midships. It had Fountain’s twin-step hull, a beam of 10’ 6”, and was powered by…

Boat Reviews
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Johnson Launches Large New 70

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”…

Boat Reviews
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New Off-Grid Cat with “Muskoka Room”

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…

Charter
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Arksen Starts Co-Ownership for Exploration

Arksen, the British adventure company, just announced a new 50-percent co-ownership program for its Project Ocean long-range explorer yachts starting this summer. Jasper Smith, the Arksen founder, says he hopes the co-ownership and charter opportunities spark a spirit of adventure, while offering members a practical second home that’s capable of cruising the world. The program enables members to have ownership of exceptional vessels and access to cruising itineraries with syndicates in Europe, Asia, the U.S. and elsewhere. Arksen the says the co-ownership program offers: Significantly lower costs, compared to sole ownership. Financial flexibility. You can trade in and out of…

Boat Reviews
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New Fairline Targa GT 50 High-End Cruiser

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…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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Iconic Hinckley Picnic Boat Turns 30

The late-morning fog had just lifted when I climbed on board Dasher, the just-launched hull number one of the Hinckley Picnic boat with Shep McKenney, the chairman of the company. A few lobster boats passed by the Hinckley dock in Southwest Harbor, Maine, as we cast off; he said their lines had inspired his idea for the boat. The Picnic Boat was a gamble for Hinckley. The company was suffering from the lasting effects of the 1990 luxury tax, which had decimated the recreational boating industry in the U.S. And the sailboat market, which had been Hinckley’s main business since…

Boat Reviews
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New Prestige 460 Fly at Palm Beach Show

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,…

Boat Reviews
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Invictus Showing New 42 Outboard Model

Invictus Yacht will be showing its new, sporty and outboard-powered TT420S at the Palm Beach show, starting March 21. The new Invictus, with its distinctive lines and signature axe bow, is really an outboard version of the Italian builder’s most popular model. Powered by three 350-hp Yamaha outboards, it’s aimed specifically at the U.S. market. The original TT420 was introduced in Europe with inboard power from two 440-hp Volvos, but Invictus realized that outboards are growing in popularity here. The design, by Christian Grande, remains the same as the original, other than some tweaks aft for the outboards. The original…

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