Friday, December 13

Browsing: Boat Reviews

Take a look at this just-launched Palm Beach 42, with some of the most graceful lines, not to mention most gorgeous tumblehome, of any boat on the planet. It’s the first new model since Palm Beach Yachts, in Australia, was acquired by Grand Banks Yachts, in Malaysia, in 2014, and it’s heading for the fall boat shows in the U.S. I tested the first Palm Beach to be imported into the U.S. six years ago, and I was knocked out by the thoroughly modern but classic lines, the elegant fit and finish, and the world-class quality of the boat then.…

At first thought, this doesn’t seem like a logical partnership: Doug Zurn, who’s designed the sleek, fast MJM 50Z; the sleek, fast Shelter Island Runabout 38, and the sleek, fast 57-foot Vendetta for Billy Joel, has joined forces with John (Jock) Williams, who designs and builds the most traditional of all Maine lobster boats, originally for commercial fishermen and now for well-heeled owners who appreciate the “lobster yacht” aesthetic. But come together they did, with the new Williams 38 as the result – a classic-looking lobster boat above the waterline, with a state-of-the-art hull design below. The visible part of…

Here’s a first look at Nordhavn’s new 59 Coastal Pilot. a boat that makes cruising easy. This is from the company that took its 40-footer around the world, and then organized the Nordhavn Atlantic Rally in 2004 (when I joined company vice president Jim Leishman on his 57-footer from the Azores to Gibraltar, an all-time-winning trip). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZCahkD7hcE&feature=em-subs_digest

Sabre Yachts has just started sea trials on its new 66-foot flagship Dirigo on Penobscot Bay in Maine to test its twin Volvo 900-hp engines and all the yacht’s systems before heading south to deliver it to the owner in Palm Beach and then the Miami boat show. Dirigo, in case you’re wondering, means “I lead” in Latin; it’s also the motto for the state of Maine, where all Sabres are built. It’s particularly appropriate for the new 66-foot express-style yacht, since the largest Sabre so far is a 54-footer. The move up to 66 feet comes after owners told…

When Lyman-Morse launched the first 42-footer in its new Mohegan series, I tested it on the off Port Clyde, Maine, with Drew Lyman, the president of the company, and I was impressed not only by the Hunt-designed classic Downeast looks of this flybridge cruiser, but also by its overall handling and performance. Now Lyman-Morse has launched a commuter version of the boat, designed to carry a dozen or so guests to the owner’s island summer home on Lake Ontario, with the same classic lines, minus the flybridge, and with the same proven Hunt deep-V hull for outstanding blue-water performance. The…

Beneteau’s New Pocket-Sized Swift Trawler I’ve got to say right off the bat that I have a soft spot in my heart for Beneteau Swift Trawlers. That’s because I cruised on a Swift Trawler 34 from upper Lake Michigan down to St. Louis on the Mississippi River as part of Beneteau’s Great Loop expedition two summers ago, and my partner on board, the photojournalist George Sass Sr., and I both fell in love with the boat. So now I can’t wait to climb on the newest entry in the Swift Trawler line, a 30, after it’s introduced to the North…

Even More Room in a Blue-Water Kadey-Krogen As the old saying goes, nothing succeeds like success. For Kadey-Krogen, that means not straying far from its roots: Making full-displacement, world-circling yachts that still have all the comforts of home. Not to mention traditional pilothouse lines, the company’s iconic wineglass trans, and walk-around engine rooms. The newest Krogen, a 58 EB (for extended bridge), has all that and more. “We realized that people are spending a lot of time outside,” says Larry Polster, vice president of Kady-Krogen Yachts. “So we’re creating increased livability. We’re going for more of a patio layout.” The…

An Appealing Contemporary French Cat You really don’t appreciate how much room there is in the new Fountaine Pajot 37 power cat until you climb aboard. There’s space everywhere – in the clean, wide cockpit, the spacious flying bridge, the super-sized salon, the three cabins below and even more on the bow. Sitting in the salon during the boat’s U.S. debut at the Fort Lauderdale boat show, I looked around and counted nine other people there, with room to spare. Not bad for a 37-footer. But extra space is only one of the advantages of this latest entry from a…

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