Monday, May 11

Browsing: Boat Reviews

Two weeks ago, at the Connecticut Spring Boat Show in Essex, we  came across a new brand that seemed to fit in as though it had been created specifically for the New England Downeast audience. But, in fact, it is a British design and built by the famous bespoke builder in the west of England Cockwells Marine. Here’s our first look. The handsome 35-footer has a truly traditional, built-by-hand feel with a bright varnished transom, varnished rails all around, two varnished tables in the cockpit and you can even have the entire cabin finished in varnished teak. The boat at…

The Italina builder Bellini has been in business since the 1950s and was once a rival to Riva in the classic Lake Garda-style speedboat market. But, the company ceased building new boats in 1973 when the founder fell ill and had to retire. Fifty years later the founder’s son and nephew, who are running the Bellini boat yard, made the move to start building new boats again. Their first design, the Bellini Astor 36, came out in 2023. This is the first time a Bellini design has appeared in Cruising Odyssey since the company has kept production to a minimum.…

The highly respected American builder of quality power boats from 34 to 60 feet, Tiara Yachts of Holland Michigan announced this week that they are adding a new 35 LS to their Luxury Sport line of performance, outboard-driven day boats and weekenders. The 35 LS follows in the immediate wake of the new 46 LS that was introduced last month at the Palm Beach International Boat Show.  Not resting on their laurels, the company also introduced an all-new 39 LE, Express Cruiser, back in December. Three new models in five months shows impressive confidence in the market for premium, American-built…

The world’s leading builder of recreational power cats, Aquila has proven year after year that they hear their customers and can deliver just what they want. So is the case with the new 42 Coupe which provides a large, enclosed  salon instead of an indoor-outdoor space surrounded by canvas. With no side decks and almost 16 feet of beam, the 42 feels like a much bigger boat particularly when the doors between the salon and the cockpit are open creating one vast social space. The main space has a large C-shaped dinette with the inline galley across from it. The…

The Dutch builder Zeelander Yachts builds four models  of their unique and elegant designs, the 5, 6, 7 and the relatively new 8. Each boat is made on a semi-custom basis and in limited production. The 8, at 79 feet, represents the apex of the Zeelander line and is a highly refined motor yacht that combines the company’s unique curvaceous hull and cabin designs with the highest of high-tech engineering and onboard systems. As the builder likes to say, Zeelander yachts are not for everyone. The 8 is a three-season cruising boat with a large enclosed salon and inside steering.…

The Serbian builder Greenline has since inception been dedicated to designing and creating boats that are efficient and eco friendsly. Their work in electric and hybrid power systems has been state of the art and solor in playing an even larger role as panels get more efficient. The new Greenline 42, which was introduced at boot Dusseldorf in January is the latest iteration of all these components. First it is noticeably larger than the 40-footer it is replacing. The cockpit and solon feel more spacious and the master cabin below could be on a 50-footer. Greenline offers the 42 with…

Here’s a look at one of our favorite new boats at last week’s Palm Beach International Boat Show where we got a look at the first model to come to North America. The Norwegian boat builder Marex, which launched its new partnership MarexUSA at last year’s  Palm Beach show, introduced their new 39-footer. The new design is known as the Marex 390 and fits in the line between the 330 and 440 Gourmet Cruiser. While this two-cabin express cruiser bears the family resemblance of her sister ships, her lines are more futuristic and the salon windows and the hull glazing…

The Spanish builder De Antonio has carved out a special and innovative niche in the performance cruiser market. With futuristic styling, sumptuous living spaces and performance that blows your hair back, the range checks a lot of buyers’ boxes. The new 60 pushes the brands existing envelop right to the edge without sacrificing that special De Antonio DNA. The 60 comes standard with four Mercury Verado outboard that will deliver sped in the mid forties. But, you can opt for four 600-horsepower Verados –a whopping 2,400 horses—that will get you in the 50-knot range.  This a really going radical. The…

Lyman Morse, based in Thomaston and Camden, Maine, announced last week that they had begun building an all new Chris Hood-designed 46 LM. The new design expands the LM series and fits between the 35 LM and 57 LM. With classic downeast styling, the new 46 will be a classic combination of traditional Maine character, advanced composite construction and thoroughly modern engineering. Each LM yacht is a semi-custom project so owners have plenty of personal input in the final boat. The LM series models are built in series which means the builder can reduce delivery times while still focusing on…

The 125-foot Cangarda is the last of the sailing steam-powered yachts built in the U.S. during the gilded age of yachting. The yacht was built in 1091by the Delaware ship yard Pusy & Jones for the Michigan lumber baron Charles Canfield. Cangarda has had a storied life. She cruised widely under a series of owners and has entertained the powerful, royalty and world leaders. During World War II, the Canadian Navy used her as a training ship. She even spent 18 month under water when. In 1999 she sank in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts, and lay submerged until 2020. But there…

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