Author Peter Janssen

Boat Reviews
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New Fast Vespro from New Italian Yard

Centouno Navi, a new Italian yard, just launched its first boat, a 56-knot luxury cruiser named Vespro, at the Cannes Yachting Festival. The new 54-foot Vespro, powered by two 1,200-hp MAN V8 diesels and jet drives, is more than fast; it’s also efficient, delivering a remarkable range of 350 nm at its top speed. Designed with an emphasis on Italian style and aesthetics, the new Vespro serves as a fast day boat or weekender. The yard says the name translates into “dusk” or ‘twilight” in English, giving the Vespro something of a romantic theme. The exterior is designed to connect…

Boat Reviews
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Brunswick Launches New NAVAN Line

Brunswick just unveiled a brand new line of NAVAN “luxury adventure” boats at the Cannes Yachting Festival. The NAVAN C30 (cabin) and NAVAN S30 (open bow and cuddy) will make their U.S. debuts at the Miami show in February. One of the giants in the worldwide boating marketplace, Brunswick already makes 18 different boat lines, including Sea Ray, Boston Whaler and Bayliner. But none of them look like the new NAVAN. If you think the NAVAN looks like an Axopar, Saxdor or Nimbus, you’re right. And that’s the point. Those Scandinavian models have become increasingly popular in the past few…

Boat Reviews
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New SeaPiper 35: Lots of Character

The new SeaPiper 35 is an honest boat. It’s not a floating condo; it doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles; it wouldn’t particularly feel at home at a luxury resort/marina. With the SeaPiper 35 what you see is what you get. It’s a straightforward, easy-to-use, easy-to-maintain, 7.5-knot workboat-look-alike that’s trailerable; it can carry you around the Great Loop, down the ICW or up to the San Juans and Canadian Gulf Islands safely and comfortably. It doesn’t look like every other boat in the harbor; it has character. The SeaPiper was originally designed by Ritzo Muntinga, an electronics engineer…

Boat Reviews
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Safehaven Building “Extreme Explorer” Yacht

Safehaven Marine in Cork, Ireland, just announced that they’re building a new “extreme explorer” high-speed catamaran with a hydrofoil and ocean-crossing range. Safehaven says the new T-2000 Voyager is its most extreme recreational boat ever, and is designed to be the ultimate explorer yacht. Powered by twin 1,550-hp MAN V12 engines, the T-2000 Voyager will have a top speed of more than 50 knots. The 65’ 7” boat carries 2,900 gallons of fuel, giving it a range of 1,700  nm at 16 knots, and 3,000 nm at 9-10 knots, according to the builder, all with a safe reserve of fuel.…

Electronics
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New Revolve Emergency VHF Antenna

The new Revolve emergency VHF antenna, a major safety device for serious cruising people, just won an Honorable Mention award at the Newport show. It previously  had been nominated for a DAME design award at the big METSTRADE show in Amsterdam. The Revolve antenna is designed to provide you with the ability to communicate on VHF Channel 16 even if your regular antenna is down, or inoperable for any reason. The Revolve also comes with AIS compatibility, so that other boats with AIS (an ever-growing number) can find you quickly. It operates on 156-162MGz, is lightweight, and maintenance free. Based…

Cruising Life
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Solara, Hyfoil, Big Winners in Newport

The just-launched Solara S-310 Sport Coupe, the latest model from Fluid Motion, and the Hyfoil 28, an innovative foiling catamaran RIB, just won top prizes at the Newport boat show. The Solara S-310 SC won the prize as the Best New Powerboat 30 Feet and Over, awarded by a panel of judges; it also won the People’s Choice Award, voted on by people attending the show on its opening day. The Hyfoil 28 won the prize as the Best New Powerboat Under 30 Feet, as well as the award for Best Overall New Powerboat and the show’s Green Boat Award.…

Charter
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Cruise Through France on Kir Royale

European Waterways just announced that it will start six-night tours of the Champagne region of France next May on its new hotel barge, fittingly called the Kir Royale. The luxury barge will have four staterooms, holding eight passengers, and five crew on its six-night excursions through some of the most beautiful regions in France. It also will stop along the way so that guests can visit some of the area’s most famous Champagne houses. The Kir Royale comes with a history. It served as a beach landing craft in the Second World War, then it was sunk and ultimately refloated…

Cruising Life
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Garmin Unveils New, Faster, Chartplotters

 Garmin just introduced its new flagship GPSMAP 9000 chartplotter series, with 4K resolution, edge-to-edge clarity and a processor that’s seven times faster than previous versions. The new touchscreen chartplotters come in 19-, 22-, 24-, and 27-inch displays, representing the largest size in recreational boating. Prices start at $9,999. They will be available next month. The new GPSMAP 9000 MFDs work with Garmin’s BlueNet gigabit network to provide comprehensive connectivity throughout the boat, connecting multiple chartplotters, radars, cameras and sonars. They also provide multimedia streaming and video, so users can play and hear the same video and audio over multiple screens…

On Watch
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Big Power Cats Rule in Cannes

Two big new power catamarans are getting a lot of attention at the Cannes Yachting Festival, for quite different reasons. One, the Sunreef Power Eco 80, is taking eco-conscious cruising to an entirely new level; its hull sides virtually bristle with built-in solar panels. The other, the VisionF 80, is taking attention-getting to a new level; it’s painted pink. The Sunreef Eco 80 is the Polish yard’s newest power cat, and you can order it in both all-electric and hybrid versions. The all-electric one is at Cannes, and its solar panels produce a massive 36kWp in sunshine, although that’s a…

Boat Reviews
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Latest CLB72 Makes Newport Debut

CL Yachts is showing its latest CLB72 cruiser at the Newport Show. With twin 1,000-hp Volvo IPS1350 pod drives, the four-stateroom, three-head yacht tops out at 31 knots, a more-than-respectable speed for a luxury motoryacht. The CLB72 has smooth lines and a sophisticated interior; the idea is to convey simple elegance. There are many social areas inside and out, ranging from al fresco dining on the aft deck to relaxing on lounges on the foredeck. CL says the flybridge on the 72 is one of the largest in its class; it houses the upper helm, lots of seating and a…

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