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Cruising Odyssey
Cruising Odyssey
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MJM 50Z: Fast, Seaworthy and Creative

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By on Boat Reviews

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…

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Hunt 32 Surfhunter: New Power on a Timeless Hull

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By on Boat Reviews

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…

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Grand Banks 44 Eastbay SX: A Modern Classic

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By on Boat Reviews

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…

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Krogen Express 52: A 22-Knot Classic

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By on Boat Reviews

Even with a flying bridge and raised pilothouse, the Krogen Express 52 manages to carry a classic low profile, enhanced by a long, flowing sheer line that emphasizes the boat’s distinctive profile. And the “Express” part of its name is not a misnomer: With twin 480-hp Yanmars the Krogen Express tops out at about 22 knots. Dial back to 8 knots and the boat has a range of 1,680 nm. With a semi-displacement hull, this express offers the best of a get-home-fast speed and a go-anywhere-without-refueling range. Inside, the Krogen Express exudes fine craftsmanship and cherry finishing everywhere. A raised…

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American Tugs 395: A Sturdy Cruiser

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By on Boat Reviews

Although American Tugs are made in LaConner, Washington, about half are now sold on the East Coast as owners recognize the boats’ many advantages, including a sturdy hull, raised-pilothouse design, and ease of living on board. The new American Tugs 395 offers all that (including a ten-year hull warranty) plus a two-stateroom, one-head layout, a large salon and a pilothouse that can seat four, in addition to the captain. The pilothouse also has six opening windows, visibility all around, and side doors that give immediate access to the side decks. The 395 has a cruising speed in the 15-knot range…

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Take Your Pick of 5 Great Cruising Boats

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By on Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

From 27 feet to 88 feet, here’s a good look at five popular cruising boats from major builders – the Ranger Tug 27, Beneteau 34 Swift Trawler (pictured here), Kadey-Krogen 48, Nordhavn 52, and Outer Reef 88. I’ve spent a good amount of time cruising on all of these boats (except the Outer Reef) and I can attest that they all offer comfortable and safe cruising over the waters for which they were designed. (The Nordhavn, for example, is a blue-water cruiser built to cross oceans, while the Ranger is a coastal cruiser appropriate for the ICW or the Inside…

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Nordic Tug 26: A Classic Pocket Cruiser

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By on Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

When it was first introduced at the Seattle boat show in 1980, the Nordic Tug 26 was an instant hit; at an introductory price of $29,995 (including a refundable $1,000 deposit), the company sold 37 at the show and 54 by the end of the month. A single-diesel cruiser with a 36-hp Volvo and a faux smokestack, the Nordic Tug 26 had a lot of character. Some 200 have been sold since then, to owners who want to do the Great Loop, the Inside Passage or just the next cove on a Saturday afternoon. The 26 now is powered by…

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Kadey-Krogen 58: All the Comforts of Home

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By on Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Here’s a great report from the new owner of a Kadey-Krogen 58 Extended Bridge, telling why she and her husband, a former Naval officer, bought the boat. Rose Shaheen, the owner, says they were looking for their retirement boat and were interested in three things: “safety, reliability and liability.” Turns out, livability was the deciding factor; Mrs. Shaheen says she loves all the room on the boat so that it really feels like home (this is in addition to the Kadey-Krogen’s first-class fit and finish, its seakeeping abilities and its perhaps best-in-class engine room. If you’re interesting in finding a…

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Back Cove 30 Video After Mid-Coast Maine Cruise

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By on Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

I just came across this old video by my friend Billy Black after we had taken a mid-coast Maine cruise six years ago on the then-new Back Cove 30, a great time. It’s particularly appropriate now since I’ll be taking a similar cruise next week on the brand-new Back Cove 32. I’ve go to say that the Maine-built Back Coves (and Sabres too – their big-brother brand) are among my favorite cruising boats. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GmS6_deOh8

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