Boat Reviews

Aquador Launches 250 HT Pocket Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on February 26, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Aquador has launched a new 250 HT (for hard top) pocket cruiser that offers almost all-weather protection for a couple or small family and is powered by a single 250-hp Mercury outboard. The 250 HT is the latest in the Finnish builder’s “next generation” of boats, following the successful reception of its 300 HT. A 380 HT is coming later in the year. The 250 has a relatively low profile and a wide internal helm deck that stretches out almost full beam. The Eco Teak side decks are fairly narrow as a result, but they have high stainless steel railings…

Riviera Unveiling New 46 Sports Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on February 26, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Riviera, the large Australian builder, will display its new 46 Sports Motor Yacht at the Palm Beach show, starting March 21. The 46 is a luxury family cruiser with three staterooms and two heads, a large aft galley in the salon and lots of room aft for relaxing on board and enjoying water sports. The new 46 is the entry level model in Riviera’s Sports Motor Yacht series, which already includes a 50, 68, and 72. Standard power comes from twin 600-hp Volvo IPS800 pod drives, with fingertip control from the joystick for easy maneuvering around a dock. Top speed…

Tyde Making 48-foot, e-Foiling Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on February 21, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Tyde, the German startup that works with BMW, just released images of its new Open, a 48-foot sports cruiser that it says is the world’s largest foiling electric recreational boat. The Open is the production version of the prototype Icon that Tyde revealed at the Cannes show last September. Tyde plans to start delivering the Open in the fall. Powered by two 100-kW Torqeedo Deep Blue electric motors, the Open starts to fly, or foil, at about 17 knots. It tops out at 30 knots, and has a range of 50 nm at 25 knots. Its zero-emissions drivetrain includes a…

Outer Reef Commissions First 830 Classic

By Peter Janssen on February 21, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Outer Reef just commissioned its first 830 Classic Motoryacht, a luxurious long-range cruiser, for its new, and repeat, owners in Fort Lauderdale. You can see this latest Outer Reef at the Palm Beach show that starts on March 21. The 830 is the latest addition to Outer Reef’s X Class fleet, designed for ocean-crossing capabilities. It’s a combination of timeless motoryacht lines with cutting-edge features and technology. Hull number one was made for owners of an Ocean Reef 700 Classic who wanted more space for entertaining and spending time on board. They already were familiar with Outer Reef’s craftsmanship and…

New Fiat 500 Offshore: Big Hit in Miami

By Peter Janssen on February 20, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The real hit of the Miami show last week wasn’t the 278-foot, $129 million superyacht Victorious. It was the 15-foot, $122,000 Fiat 500 Offshore, making its U.S. debut. Made in Italy by Car Off-Shore and Fiat, the new car-like tender was launched there last summer (pictured above). The idea was to replicate the look and lines of the iconic Fiat 500, one of the most-recognized European vehicles ever. Fiat described the boat as the “500 of the seas.” The boats were shown in Miami by 1 Ocean Yachts Group. The Fiat 500 Offshore is not mass produced like its land-based…

Sunseeker’s New Manhattan 68 Pacific

By Peter Janssen on February 20, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Sunseeker, the big British builder of luxury motoryachts, made a big splash in Miami last week. Indeed, Sunseeker had eight yachts there, including the Manhattan 68 Pacific specifically designed to appeal to a U.S. market. In the past few years, Sunseeker has been increasing its presence here, and the new Manhattan 68 Pacific should add to that growth. It’s basically a four-cabin, three head flybridge yacht with some appealing features. Extensive hull glazing provides light throughout the yacht, including the Grand Master stateroom below. It’s set full-beam amidships, and you get there via a private staircase from the port side…

Tiara Unveils New Updated 43 LE

By Peter Janssen on February 14, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Tiara just announced at the Miami show, where it’s celebrating its 50h anniversary, that it will launch an updated version of its 43 LE this year, with new interior and exterior designs and new outboard power. Tiara first launched the 43 LE (luxury express) in the summer of 2020, and it hit a popular spot as a well-designed, high-quality family cruiser with power from three 450-hp outboards. The LE fleet then expanded with a 48 flagship in the spring of 2023; it had a lot of new touches that the Holland, Michigan, builder now wants to incorporate in the updated…

Meet Victorious, the Largest Yacht in Miami

By Peter Janssen on February 14, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

If you’re in Miami, you may want to take a look at Victorious, at 278 feet and 11 inches long the largest boat in the boat show there. It’s over at the superyacht show on Watson Island, where tickets go for $135, but it takes up so much waterfront you can see it easily from Miami. If you have to ask, you can’t afford it, but Victorious is for sale for $129 million. (It’s been on the charter market for $950,000 a week.) Even as one of the world’s largest superyacht, Victorious is a bit over the top. It has…

Tohatsu Unveils New 6kW Electric Outboard

By Peter Janssen on February 14, 2024 Boat Reviews, Engine Room

Tohatsu, Japan’s oldest builder of outboard motors, just unveiled its first all-electric outboard at the big Miami show. The new outboard, developed in partnership with Ilmor Marine in Detroit, delivers 6kW (the equivalent of 8.2-hp), enough to power a small boat or RIB. The 6kW outboard is just the first in a new family of electric outboards, Tohatsu said. It has integrated tilt and trim, a touchscreen to run all its systems, and many options for shafts and props. It will be available in the U.S., Canada and Europe later this year. The Miami announcement is just the latest in…

New Prize-Winning Fairline Squadron 58

By Peter Janssen on February 14, 2024 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Fairline, the British luxury yacht builder, just introduced its Squadron 58 at the Düsseldorf show last month, and the innovative flybridge yacht with twin balconies and a creative beach club aft won the Best Motoryacht Up to 60 Feet Award given by Motorboat and Yachting. “The stern arrangement in the Squadron 58 is a true game-changer,” the award said. “It features a cockpit with a glazed transom, modular furniture, drop-down terraces and a foldout-bar with a pair of stools that can be relocated to the port side. Things are equally enticing on the inside. The playful integration of angles transforms…

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