Author Peter Janssen

Boat Reviews
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True North 38: Still the Downeast SUV of the Water

The original SUV of the water, the True North 38 made by USWatercraft in Warren, RI, combines its signature Downeast looks with 25-knot performance and a unique use of space. The True North’s sharp plumb bow parts the waves, its tumblehome suggests a lobster-boat heritage, and its long sheer line mirrors the classic appeal of Alerion sailboats that USWatercraft also makes. What further sets the True North apart is the spacious cockpit and transom doors that open so you can slide in a dinghy, a small sailboat or simply enjoy diving and watersports. With the transom doors open, it’s one…

Boat Reviews
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Sabre 42: Maine-Built Beauty

With its classic Downeast looks, state-of-the-art performance and luxurious touches, the Sabre 42 is a popular built-in-Maine cruising boat. Living on board is easy, with light all around from large side and aft windows, and the American cherry wood provides a traditional nautical theme throughout. The Zeus pod drives with joystick controls make docking fingertip easy, while the 425-hp Cummins diesels power the boat into the low 30-knot range. One outstanding feature, attesting to Sabre’s quest for quality, is the sound level – only 77 dB(A) at top speed – which is exceptionally low, particularly for a large cruiser. Visibility…

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Reliant 40: A Classic Downeast Newcomer with a Rich Heritage

The Reliant 40 is the first boat launched by two familiar faces in Newport and two of the most respected names in the business: David MacFarlane, the former president and CEO of Alden, plus Cal, Ranger and Rampage, and Jim Ewing, the former executive VP of Alden and president of Trumpy. Their new Reliant Yachts company is based in Newport, although the boats are made by Su Marine in Turkey. They know that things have changed in their 40 or so years in business, but MacFarlane says that “What hasn’t changed is the boating public’s passion for a beautiful boat.”…

Boat Reviews
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Ranger Tugs 31 CB: A Trailerable Cruising Flagship

The flagship of the Ranger Tugs fleet, starting at 21 feet, the new Ranger R-31 CB (for Command Bridge) is trailerable, meaning you could cruise one part of the Great Loop, say, this summer, bring the boat back home and start off where you left off next year. And you probably won’t have to worry too much about highway bridges. The flybridge folds down to reduce air draft on a trailer to 13’2”; you just unlock the canvas cowling, drop the inner supports and fold it flat. Ranger Tugs are run by the father-son team of David and John Livingston…

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Palm Beach 65: Stunning Looks – and Performance

The Newport show will be the U.S. debut of the Palm Beach 65, which is made in the joint Palm Beach/Grand Banks factory in Malaysia. A luxurious – and beautiful – three-stateroom, three-head boat designed by world champion sailor Mark Richards, the Palm Beach 65 can be ordered with Volvo IPS pod drives or with straight shafts. This particular boat is powered by Volvo D-13 900-hp diesels with shaft drives; bow and stern thrusters make maneuvering easy. I tested this boat recently on Long Island Sound and it topped out at 30.2 knots; the ride was remarkable with the bow…

Boat Reviews
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Nordic Tugs 40: Prize-Winning Cruiser

The new Nordic Tugs 40 just won the People’s Choice Award at the Newport International Boat Show. The award, voted on by people attending the show, said the boat has a “combination of comfort, luxury and performance, featuring direct access to the flybridge from the pilot house, a starboard-side boarding door in the cockpit, a large pilot house with seating for six, a spacious salon layout and a mid-stateroom boasting two large bunks with a lower double.” The Nordic Tugs 40 is an updated version of the popular Nordic Tugs 39, with some improvements from stem to stern to make…

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MJM 50Z: Fast, Seaworthy and Creative

The “Z” in the elegant, low-profile MJM 50Z stands for Zurn, as in Doug Zurn, the creative Marblehead, Mass., yacht designer, who teamed up with Bob Johnstone, who started MJM Yachts in 2002. This flagship MJM is fast (I drove it at 38.7 knots in Long Island Sound), safe (with an ISO Category A offshore rating) and comfortable (with a standard Seakeeper gyrostabilizer). With a 15-foot beam, it’s also slender, meaning it moves through the water easily and efficiently. Inside, the master stateroom forward has a large berth but also a desk and lounge chair; it’s a social area as…

Boat Reviews
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Hunt 32 Surfhunter: New Power on a Timeless Hull

More and more boat owners are turning to outboard power, as the engines become more powerful, more fuel-efficient and so quiet that you often have to look at the tach to see if they’re running. In its new Surfhunter 32, Hunt has embraced that trend by hanging two 250-hp Yamahas off an Armstrong bracket on the transom, producing a top speed of 44 knots and opening up the cockpit with more space for fishing or relaxing. The new Hunt 32, of course, has the iconic deep-V hull that was started by C. Raymond Hunt on the original Bertram 31 in…

Boat Reviews
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Grand Banks 44 Eastbay SX: A Modern Classic

The beautiful new 44 Eastbay is the first Grand Banks built since the company hired Mark Richards, the world-champion sailor and founder of Palm Beach, the luxury Australian builder, to run the two companies. With its low profile, long sheer, Downeast-style tumblehome and soft lines, the new Eastbay is a more modern vision of a traditional Grand Banks. It also has twin Volvo IPS 600 pod drives to boost its performance to a 30-knot top speed. The boat has a large teak swim platform and an L-shaped settee and aft-facing bench seat in the cockpit. The aft and side windows…

Electronics
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AIS: Helpful When a Fast Tow Is Approaching from Your Stern

There’s a debate on the America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association website about the value of AIS, particularly whether cruising boats need a transponder as well as a receiver. Several cruisers say they’ve had trouble with some AIS apps, particularly in rural or remote areas where cell service is sketchy, or nonexistent. But here’s a posting from Joe Pica, a veteran cruiser from Gulf Breeze, Florida, who recently found the full AIS system on his 37-foot trawler was a great advantage in New York’s crowded harbor. His posting: “Yesterday, we left Great Kills to run up the Hudson River to hide…

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