Boat Reviews

New Holterman 54: Heading for the U.S.

By Peter Janssen on April 24, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The Great Loop anyone? The new Holterman Commander 54 is currently in its yard in The Netherlands, but Holterman is opening an office in the U.S. soon. And the Commander 54, with two cabins, two heads, a low bridge clearance and a range of 500 nm at 8.5 knots would certainly seem to be good candidate for cruising the Loop, the ICW, or many other spots in the United States. For his part, Julian van Santen, Holterman’s sales director, said the new Commander 54 “is perfectly suited to the U.S. market and U.S. boating preferences.” The Holterman Shipyard was founded…

True North Building 39 Outboard Express

By Peter Janssen on April 24, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

True North Yachts just announced that its building a new 39 Outboard Express that will be launched this summer. The new 39 is being built in the Catalina factory in Largo, Florida. Catalina has built more than 80,000 sailboats over the past half century. It bought True North five years ago, and is now focused on expanding its market. True North already has a 34-foot outboard boat. The 39 has some of the Down East lines that date to the original True North 38, launched by the Pearson Marine Group in 2001 in Warren, Rhode Island. The first True Norths…

Sessa Launches F48 Flybridge Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on April 23, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Sessa is expanding production of its F48 flybridge cruiser that was recently introduced in the United States. The standard Sessa F48 is a three-cabin, two-head upscale yacht with some Italian flair and a large flybridge meant for entertaining. Power comes from twin 550-hp Volvo Penta IPS700 pod drives, delivering a cruising speed of 26 knots and a range of 290-nm. Top speed: 35 knots. The Italian version of the F48 has the galley and pantry area amidships, but for the U.S. market it is located aft, so it can be more integrated into the aft deck and the social and…

Karnic S37X: Room for Everyone

By Peter Janssen on April 22, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

You’re probably not going to buy the new Karnic S37X cruiser, or even see one at a boat show in the United States. But it’s interesting because of everything it manages to pack inside, including three separate double cabins below. Karnic Boats has been making vessels on Cyprus for the past 30 years. It’s a well-regarded builder, popular in Europe, and the new 37 is the flagship of its fleet. Powered by twin 300-hp Mercury outboards, the Karnic S37X has a top speed of 41 knots, according to the builder. It carries just 211 gallons of fuel, so you’re not…

Hudson Launches Two New Power Cats

By Peter Janssen on April 22, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The large Hudson Yacht Group in China is building a new line of power catamarans, starting with a 63 and a 48. The new Hudson Powercats have lightweight wave-piercing asymmetrical hulls for performance and long range. The 63 (pictured (without a flybridge) is powered by two 1,000-hp CAT diesels and has a retractable foiling system. It has a top speed of 35 knots and a range of more than 1,000 nm at 27 knots. An optional model made with carbon fiber and powered by water jets will top out at 40 knots, according to the company. It has a full-beam…

Fast & Sleek New Infiniti 60 Power Cat

By Peter Janssen on April 18, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Infiniti Yachts, a Gibraltar company with a history of building racing sailboats, just unveiled its first powerboat, a sleek, fast and lightweight 60-foot catamaran powered by two 600-hp Mercury V8 outboards. Equipped with retractable foils, the Infiniti 60 cruises at 28 knots and tops out at 40 knots, according to the company. Electric propulsion is an option. With its large, raked windshield, a flybridge set far aft and covered by a carbon-fiber hardtop with an opening sunroof, reverse bows for extra waterline length, an enormous sun pad covering most of the foredeck, and an open aft deck with terraces folding…

Safehaven’s Sea Trial in a Storm

By Peter Janssen on April 17, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Don’t try this at home. But Frank Kowalski, the head of Safehaven Marine, wanted to give his new Voyager T-2000 70-foot explorer yacht a good sea trial, so he took it straight out of Cork Harbour in Ireland in a storm with 70-mph winds and 13-foot waves (see the video below). The Voyager, and Kowalski, escaped unscathed, and returned safely to the factory. The idea was to give the Voyager, a recreational vessel, the same real-world testing that Safehaven gives its commercial, military and search-and-rescue craft. Founded in 1998, Safehaven has made more than 160 vessels so far. The Voyager…

Maserati Unveils New All-Electric Tridente

By Peter Janssen on April 17, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Maserati, the Italian luxury car builder, just announced that it’s making a new 34-foot, electric-powered day boat with low, elegant lines and a matte rose-gold paint job. Maserati introduced the new boat, called Tridente, at a company event in Rimini, on the Adriatic, where it also unveiled a new electric convertible, the GranCabro Folgore, with a matching color scheme. For the Tridente, Maserati teamed up with Vita Power in England for a state-of-the-art electric drivetrain. The Tridente was built by Hodgdon Yachts in East Boothbay, Maine. Hodgdon, a 200-year-old family company, worked with Vita last year to make its revolutionary…

New Galeon 450 HTC Family Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on April 16, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The new Galeon 450 HTC (Hard Top Cruiser) is a comfortable family cruiser with a full-length glass roof and a “beach mode” aft with large terraces that fold out of the bulwarks. Powered by twin 480-hp Volvo diesels with straight shafts, the Galeon tops out at 28 knots. It’s easy for a couple, or even a solo captain, to handle, and a door next to the helm opens to the starboard side deck so the captain can help with docking. The railings open on both sides for easy boarding from a dock. The Galeon’s salon has panoramic windows that are…

Sunseeker Building New Predator 55

By Peter Janssen on April 16, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Sunseeker, the major British builder, just unveiled a new Predator 55 with a low-profile and aggressively sloping hardtop that tops out at 36 knots. Meanwhile. Bloomberg reports that the same Miami holding company that bought Cigarette three years ago is now in the process of buying Sunseeker. Sunseeker says the new Predator 55 is a blend of luxury and performance. It certainly has all the latest bells and whistles, including Garmin’s high-tech Surround View that has six cameras built into the hull to provide 360-degree views and computerized assistance in docking. And an optional gyro stabilizer will keep everyone on…

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