Boat Reviews

Sabre’s Latest: Dirigo 66 Flybridge, Now Heading for Florida

By Peter Janssen on April 6, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Sabre has just completed the first flybridge version of its 66 Dirigo, and the Maine-built boat is on its way to its new owners in Florida. The company launched the very first 66 (pictured above) more than a year ago and I was fortunate enough to be on the final leg of its delivery, also in Florida. My conclusion: That Downeast beauty is one of my favorite boats, both for its overall cruising performance and comfort, and for its classic good looks, inside and out. I wrote at the time that the first Dirigo was ready for superlatives, since…

New Manchester 29 Built on Iconic Blackfin Hull

By Peter Janssen on April 5, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Take a good look. Have you seen this boat before? Well, yes, at least a lot of it. Think of a Blackfin Combi, circa 1991, one of the best-riding sea boats ever. Back then Blackfin and its major competitor Bertram were building rock- solid boats with deep-V hulls that earned reputations for taming oceans. But that was then and this is now. Now, this great-looking inboard cruiser, introduced in February at the New England Boat Show in Boston, is a brand-new Manchester 29, built by Crocker’s Boat Yard in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts. And everything about the boat is new – except…

New Vicem Classic 46IPS, A Company First in Fiberglass and Epoxy, Launched at Palm Beach Show. Plus Video.

By Peter Janssen on March 29, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Vicem Yachts, the Turkish builder that’s been specializing in using marine mahogany in the cold-molded construction process since 1991, just introduced its first fiberglass/epoxy model, the Vicem Classic 46IPS, at the Palm Beach International Boat Show. And, no surprise, it’s a beauty, both outside and in. The joinerwork is simply elegant. Designed by Vicem’s in-house team, the boat carries classic Downeast lines that just as easily could have been drawn in Southwest Harbor, Maine. The Classic 46IPS is powered by two 435-hp Volvo IPS 600s, offering joystick control and pod drives for easy maneuvering around the docks and greater fuel…

Minorca 34: A Totally New, Bright, Prize-Winning Cruiser from Spain

By Peter Janssen on March 28, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Just introduced at the Palm Beach show, the Minorca 34 is an entirely new entry, a light-filled, well-built Spanish cruiser being represented in the U.S. by SYS Yacht Sales of Jupiter and Sarasota, Florida. The two-cabin, one-head Minorca, made in the Balearic island of the same name, has an exceptional design on the outside, with gentle curves almost everywhere,while the interior is bright and open in a contemporary style that just as easily could be at home in Scandanavia as in the coast of Spain. Although new to the U.S., the Minorca 34 has already been displayed in Europe, winning…

New Fitzgerald Marine F-28: A Land Rover for the Great Loop, and Beyond

By Peter Janssen on March 20, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Here’s a preview of the new custom F-28, designed and built by Mark Fitzgerald of Thomaston, Maine, that’s now being finished with a teak deck and Awlgrip at French & Webb in Belfast, Maine. It will be ready for launching in mid-May. Fitzgerald, of Fitzgerald Marine Architecture, Inc., designed the F-28 for an experienced client who wants to do the Great Loop. Originally, the client wanted a boat similar to a center console, since he expected to spend nights in hotels along the way. When he learned that there are stretches of the Loop, particularly along the Mississippi, where it’s…

Brand New Sabre 45 Just Launched in Florida; Tops Out at 32 Knots

By Peter Janssen on March 19, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The new Sabre 45 Salon Express was just launched in Florida (above) and had its first sea trials off Jupiter Inlet, where the Sabre engineers said the waves were stacked, as is often the case there. But the new Sabre came through with flying colors, running 27.5 knots at a continuous cruise speed, burning just 35 gph. It topped out at 32 knots, burning 44 gph. Like many of its predecessors, this new Sabre is a quiet boat, registering just 72 dB(A) at cruise and 75 dB(A) at wide open throttle. The 45, fitting between the company’s existing 42- and…

Almost Here: Elegant, Fast, Fuel-Efficient MJM 35z with Outboards

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

MJM’s latest yacht, the 35z, is nearing completion at Boston BoatWorks in Charlestown, Mass., and is scheduled to be launched in June. The latest in the collaboration between Doug Zurn, the designer, and Bob Johnstone, the founder of MJM Yachts, the new 35z will be powered by two outboards, giving it both speed and power, while keeping the fuel-efficiency for which the brand is famous. It’s no surprise that the new boat has all the classic Down East lines of earlier MJMs, with its low profile, gentle tumblehome and long sheerline. Or that it’s a serious offshore boat, with a…

New Vicem Classic 46IPS: A Company First in Fiberglass and Epoxy

By Peter Janssen on March 2, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Now here’s a change. Vicem Yacht, the Turkish builder that’s been specializing in using marine mahogany in the cold-molded construction process since 1991, is now going to introduce its first fiberglass/epoxy model, the Vicem Classic 46IPS, at the Palm Beach International Boat Show starting March 23. And, no surprise, it’s a beauty. Designed by Vicem’s in-house team, the boat carries classic Downeast lines that just as easily could have been drawn in Southwest Harbor, Maine. We don’t have a lot of details yet, but we know the Classic 46IPS will be powered by two 435-hp Volvo IPS 600s, offering joystick…

New Reliant X40: A Striking New Take on a Classic

By Peter Janssen on February 27, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

You certainly can’t say that Reliant Yachts, the brainchild of industry veterans Jim Ewing and David MacFarlane, is stuck in a rut. The first boat they produced, the Commuter 40, was about as traditional a classic Downeast boat as you could get, with its beautiful tumblehome, wide teak decks, low profile and long sheerline. Although it was made in Turkey, its heart and soul clearly were in New England. The next two boats were different iterations of the first. Now the company has announced the contract for a fourth boat, the Reliant X40, that redefines the genre. The X40, says…

Bavaria Yachts Virtess 420 Fly: An Award-Winning Cruising Machine. Plus Video

By Peter Janssen on February 22, 2017 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The Bavaria Yachts booth at the Miami International Boat Show was always busy, it seemed, and the star of the show there was the Bavaria Virtess 420 Fly, now in the U.S. after having been named European Boat of the Year a while ago. And, with its combination of German engineering and Italian interior design, it was easy to see why. Powered by two 435-hp Volvo diesels with Volvo’s IPS fingertip joystick control, the Bavaria 420 tops out at about 33 knots, and its 18-degrees of deadrise at the transom mean she can perform even in heavy seas. Overall, the…

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