Boat Reviews

Fountaine Pajot MY 44: Brand-New Large and Luxurious Power Cat

By Peter Janssen on February 11, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

You won’t be lonely on this new Fountaine Pajot MY 44 power catamaran. It comes with three staterooms, all with en suite heads, an absolutely enormous salon and flybridge, and lounges fore and aft. You can embark on some blue-water extended cruising with a lot of your friends, and you can do some serious entertaining with a larger crowd closer to home. The Fountaine Pajot MY 44 was just introduced at the Dusseldorf boat show in January. It is now undergoing sea trials off La Rochelle, France, and it’s scheduled to appear in the U.S. before the end of the…

New Sabre 45 Salon Express: Made in Maine, Delivered in March

By Peter Janssen on February 11, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

One of the reasons that Sabre Yachts has built, and maintained, a leadership position in the power cruising market is that the Maine-based company keeps introducing new models, in good times and bad. Now it has just delivered hull number one of the 45 Salon Express to its new owner in Florida. The 45, fitting between the company’s existing 42- and 48-foot models, is an all-new design with two staterooms, two full heads, and the built-in-Maine lines and craftsmanship that help define all Sabres. The master stateroom is forward, with an island bed and several lockers and drawers for storage…

New Kadey-Krogen 50 Open: A Major Change for an Iconic Bluewater Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on February 8, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Kadey-Krogen does one thing – it builds blue-water, full-displacement, passagemaker trawlers – and it does that very well. Indeed, Kadey-Krogen just delivered its 600th yacht. The company is not known for change for the sake of change. But now Kadey-Krogen has come up with a major change – the new Kadey-Krogen 50 Open, where the main deck is continuous from the cockpit to the salon and the galley and then just one step up to the pilothouse. Indeed, Larry Polster, a Kadey-Krogen partner and vice president, says, “The Krogen 50 Open is revolutionary for our brand. She’s a model all…

Jeanneau NC 895: A Pocket Cruiser with French Flair – and Outboard Power

By Peter Janssen on February 5, 2017 Boat Reviews

This new coastal cruiser from the prestigious French builder combines two major trends: the growing popularity of pocket cruisers, and the growing popularity of outboard power. It also packs a lot of comfort, innovation and living space into a 29-foot boat. For all-weather comfort, the helm deck is enclosed with a hardtop and surrounded by large picture windows. The hardtop itself has two separate opening hatches to let in more air. And the sliding door next to the helm on the starboard side gives immediate access to the side deck, which is a great advantage in docking or going through…

Lagoon 630: A Large, Luxurious, Long-Legged Cat

By Peter Janssen on February 4, 2017 Boat Reviews

A large power catamaran from a highly regarded French builder, the new Lagoon 630 offers a combination of blue-water performance and luxurious living on board. Hull number one of the new 630 cruised on her own bottom from France to Florida, evidence of her sea-going qualities. And the cat’s twin hulls, with 32-foot-plus beam, provide stability at sea plus opening up enormous amounts of space for entertaining and relaxing underway or at anchor. Part of the Beneteau Group, Lagoon has made more than 3,000 large sailing catamarans over the years. The new power 630 is built on the successful Lagoon…

Sirena Yachts 64: First of a New Brand of German-Frers Designed Cruisers

By Peter Janssen on February 1, 2017 Boat Reviews

Just introduced at the large Dusseldorf boat show, the new Sirena Yachts 64 offers a world-class design pedigree and the promise of comfortable long-range cruising on a three-stateroom, three-head thoroughly modern yacht. The new Sirena 64 is designed by German Frers, one of the best names in naval architecture, with an interior by Spadolini Design Studio. It is built in Turkey, the first hull produced by Sirena Yachts, the powerboat arm of Sirena Marine. Founded in 2008, Sirena Marine has built some 250 powerboats so far, including the Magellano brand for Azimut. The new 64 has been an immediate hit.…

Sunreef 60: A New Power Cat with a Luxurious Master Stateroom

By Peter Janssen on January 31, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

One of the larger and more luxurious power catamarans, the new 60 Sunreef Power Ocean’s 11 comes with a seaworthy hull, spacious public and private areas (inside and out) offering panoramic views, and a cruising range of some 3,000 nm. Sunreef was started in 2003 by Francis Lapp, who was then running a catamaran charter company; he wanted to build his own large custom cats to supply his fleet using the historic shipyard in Gdansk, Poland. Today, more than 90 large Sunreef cats, power and sail, are cruising in waters around the world. But the new 60 Sunreef Power Ocean’s…

New, Retro Huckins 36: Coming Full Circle

By Peter Janssen on January 25, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Some boat designs are meant to last, to have the same appeal many years – or generations – down the road as they did the day they were first launched. That certainly is the case with the new Huckins 36 Sportsman, which the legendary company is calling the 36-36 Sportsman because the original Sportsman 36 was created by Frank Pembroke Huckins, the company’s founder, back in 1936. Today the Jacksonville builder is run by Huckins’ granddaughter, Cindy Purcell, and her husband, Buddy. They say that with the new 36 that Huckins isn’t jumping on the retro bandwagon – since they…

New Doug Zurn-Designed Duffield 58: Quiet, Elegant, Fuel-Efficient

By Peter Janssen on January 18, 2017 Boat Reviews

It’s not a surprise that when Marshall “Duffy” Duffield wanted a new cruising boat for himself that fuel efficiency and quiet operation were top priorities. After all, Duffield owns the Duffy Electric Boat Company, and electric boats are nothing if not quiet and fuel efficient. To design his new trawler, which Duffy will run himself, he turned to Doug Zurn, the Marblehead, Mass., designer who’s already drawn fuel-efficient, quiet – and beautiful – boats for MJM Yachts, Marlow, Vanquish and Samoset, plus the Shelter Island Runabout and Vendetta for Billy Joel. “I wanted a traditional-looking boat that was proportionally correct…

New Cutwater 30: Easy Cruising with Twin Yamaha 300s

By Peter Janssen on December 14, 2016 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The trend toward outboard power keeps getting stronger and stronger. Now Cutwater Boats is introducing a new 30-footer with twin Yamaha 300-hp outboards because, says Cutwater President John Livingston, “We’ve had customers asking us to build a boat like this for a while now.” Livingston also says the new boat is “our biggest, fastest and most exciting Cutwater to date. The boat absolutely screams across the water.” I haven’t tried the new 30 yet, but two summers ago I drove a Cutwater 28, with a single 260-hp Volvo diesel, from New York Harbor to Quebec City, and it cruised easily…

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