Northman is a brand from a Polish builder that has been making boats for the European market for a couple of decades but has not had a real presence in North America. They now have a dealer in Miami Beach, Florida, Performance Yachts, that will elevate the brand’s visibility. That’s a good thing since Northman builds high quality boats, both power and sail, that combine thoughtful designs with fine yacht construction. The new Northman 1300 is their latest trawler-style family cruise and has a lot going for it. At 42 feet overall the new design packs a ton of social…

The new Pioneer 60 solar-powered cruising cat is the brainchild of German engineer and entrepreneur Mike Frank. He founded Pioneer Yachts earlier this year and hull number one –Pioneer One—will be launched in July. The inspiration for the all-solar power cat came for what Frank calls “a gap in the market.” He was looking for a fully sustainable power cat for his personal use but could not find what he wanted and required from any of the existing builders. An engineer by training and a entrepreneur by vocation, he saw the opportunity to create a state of the art boat…

At only 37 feet, the new Parker Monaco 110 Fly from the huge Polish builder Parker Yachts, is only one of a handful of cruisers under 40 feet to sport a flybridge and it does so with grace and good looks. A twin outboard, two-cabin, one-head family cruiser, the Monaco Fly was designed in collaboration with the famed Tony Castro Design firm. The hull is Euro-modern in styling and has a sharp entry and a modified-V form underwater. The flybridge sits atop the salon fairly discreetly so the boat doesn’t look like a wedding cake. Instead of a hard top,…

When it came time for Groupe Beneteau to update and reinvent their Gran Tourismo line, they started afresh and went back to the essence of what a GT sport express cruiser has always been about, sleek simple lines, a low curvaceous cabin top and plenty of open space on deck. For naval architecture they turned to the Bill Dixon Design group which delivered a thoroughly modern planing, deep-V hull with plenty of volume but a simple and streamlined look. For styling they went with the Andreani Design team who created living spaces that are warm, spacious and modern. For guidance…

The German builder Fjord was one of the earliest adopters of the aggressively modern styling, the straight sheer, plumb bow and large hull glazing that is so popular today, particularly in Europe. And, while the brand has many competitors in the Sport Cruising market, they certainly have not lost their edge. The new 490 Sport underlines that fact with a big black Sharpie. Driven by three 600-horsepower Mercury Verado outboards, the new design rides on a hull with a stepped, deep-V design. It will have a top end speed of over 40 knots and its ride through the chop will…

Earlier this year, we published a video from Marex Yachts of Norway showing off their unique Marex 440 Gourmet Cruiser. A flagship in their line of express cruisers, the Gourmet Cruiser has an expanded galley designed to facilitate entertaining and cooking with and for friends. The video got so many views, we thought it was time to introduce the boat’s sister ship, the Marex 440 Scandinavia. The hull and deck are the same but the salon has been reconfigured with a smaller galley and a large sit-down dinette. All PostsThe dinette has several features that will appeal to cruising families.…

Steve and Linda Dashew have left an indelible mark on the cruising world, both power and sail They developed the Deerfoot line of blue water sailboats that changed the way many voyagers thought about offshore yacht design. They did the same to the power cruising world when they launched the FPB series. The concept behind the FBP designs from 64 to 97 feet focuses on long-haul, efficient and low-maintenance cruising. New Zealand boat builder Circa Marine, based in Whangerei, North Island, built all 17 of the FPB designs until the Dashews decided to end the project at it peak of…

When it comes to interesting and innovative boat design and performance, Larry Graff, founder and CEO of Aspen Power Catamarans may well be in a league of his own. He builds proa-style cruising cats in which one hull is narrower than the other, like Polynesian sailing proas. This unusual feature reduces drag and weight which in turn minimizes the power needed from the outboard motors for maximum efficiency and speed. He builds five models from 32 to 44 feet in Bellingham, Washington, of which the 38-foot C110 is the newest addition. The boat has a three-cabin, one-head (with shower) configuration…