Boat Reviews

Piper Unveils New Steel-Hulled Hybrid Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on November 27, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The brand new Piper 12C steel cruiser with optional hybrid electric power is the new kid on the block, offering a no-nonsense, one- or two-stateroom alternative to more established displacement cruisers made around the world. The new Piper Cruiser, just introduced at the Southampton show, is made by Piper Boats, a well-established British yard that has been building Dutch-style liveaboard barges for the canals and waterways in England and the continent. (The new Piper would certainly be a candidate for the Great Loop if it were available in the U.S.) The 12C is Piper’s first recreational boat, a 39-footer with…

Azimut Grande 36M: High-Style Winner

By Peter Janssen on November 14, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The Azimut Grande 36M was introduced to the United States market at the recent Fort Lauderdale show, and it wasted no time in making itself known. Indeed, the sleek 116-foot super yacht was named Best of the Show by a panel of independent judges. For the award, Azimut faced some heavy competition, including the Benetti 4M Oasis, Princess Y95, wallywhy150, and Sunreef 80 Eco, among others. But the Azimut stood out for both its innovative design and its creative hull shape, a coupling that was hard to beat. The new Azimut was launched in Viareggio last August, and it caused…

Vicem 55 Classic: A Down-East Favorite

By Peter Janssen on November 13, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Over the years, the elegant Vicem 55 Classic with its eye-pleasing Down-East lines has been one of the Turkish builder’s most popular boats. Indeed, the company has built more than 150 of them in the past 20 years. Until recently, the 55, like most other Vicems, was built with a cold-molded process, involving layers of mahogany at different angles that are saturated with epoxy over a computer-designed mold. The idea was that the combination of wood and resins produced a hull that was lighter, stronger and quieter than most fiberglass hulls. The problem was that cold-molding takes time, and many…

Hunt Delivers New Ocean 63 Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on November 7, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Hunt Yachts has delivered its latest Ocean 63 series to its new owner, with a custom galley since the owner represents the third generation of chefs. The Hunt 63 is a popular boat. The latest, named Lady B, is hull number three, and four more are under construction. They all share the same basic Hunt envelope and propulsion, but otherwise they are custom built to suit each owner. In this case, cooking is a family affair, and Lady B is the first 63 to have the galley up in the deckhouse. It runs the full length of the deckhouse on…

New Targa 46: All-Weather Flagship

By Peter Janssen on November 7, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The new Targa 46 flagship is the largest and most powerful Targa yet. A solid blue-water performer, the 46 has a top speed of more than 40 knots with its standard 480-hp Volvo IPS650 pod drives. But the Targa 46 is about much more than speed. Targa has been building boats in Finland for 40 years, earning a reputation for creating tough, safe and comfortable cruisers that will go anywhere in all kinds of weather. If you want to make sure you can cruise Down East even in sloppy weather, or reach your island destination in the Pacific Northwest all-year-round,…

New Gussie Awards for Best Electric Boats

By Peter Janssen on November 6, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The winners of the fourth annual Gussie Awards, recognizing the best new electric boats, were just announced. The awards were started four years ago by Plugboats to recognize advances in electric boating, as an alternative to boats powered by fossil fuel. They have grown in importance, reflecting the rapid growth of electric boats around the world. This year, 160 boats were nominated for the awards, coming from 25 countries and every continent except Antarctica. The winners were selected by a panel of 25 international electric-boat experts plus votes from more than 5,000 electric boat enthusiasts. Here are some of the…

Hinckley Unveils High-Tech Talaria 43

By Peter Janssen on November 6, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Hinckley just introduced its new Talaria 43 Mark 11 cruiser, the latest iteration of its popular motor yacht with a lot of state-of-the-art, user-friendly features combined with its made-in-Maine craftsmanship and seaworthiness. Hinckley has been making yachts in Southwest Harbor, Maine, for the past 90 years, earning a worldwide reputation for creating strong, elegant and beautiful vessels. But Hinckley also has been in the forefront of embracing new technologies, and that tradition continues in the updated Talaria 43. Carbon fiber is now often replacing fiberglass, and Hinckley uses a single-bond, vacuum-infusion process that chemically bonds carbon and epoxy from bow…

CL Yachts Unveils New CLB80

By Peter Janssen on November 1, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

CL Yachts just announced that they’re building a luxurious new CLB80 cruiser with a contemporary look and lots of choices for new owners. The interior and exterior of the new CLB80 were designed by Jozeph Forakis, a multi-talented, award-winning designer with offices in Milan and New York, who’s done other CL Yachts, as well as everything from high-tech watches to modular office partitions. His charge for the CLB80 was to preserve the brand’s DNA while creating a more streamlined and sporty look. The idea was to enhance onboard comfort, rather than raw performance. In announcing the new yacht at the…

Helmsman Building New 38 Sedan

By Peter Janssen on November 1, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Helmsman Trawlers are building a new 38 Sedan, a semi-displacement cruiser with a traditional trawler look, as an alternative to its popular 38 Pilothouse boat. The 38 Pilothouse has been one of Helmsman’s most popular models, winning the People’s Choice Award at the Seattle Trawlerfest in 2019. But the company found that many prospective buyers wanted a boat with walkaround decks for easier line handling, and a more traditional trawler design. The new 38 Sedan has wide side decks that are protected by the overhang from the flybridge. A door next to the helm station on the starboard side provides…

Long-Range Electric R30 Launching Soon

By Peter Janssen on October 31, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The Blue Innovations Group, founded by a former Tesla top executive, just announced that it will launch its innovative R30 electric boat in December. The R30 is 30 feet long with a 10-foot beam, making it one of the largest all-electric boats on the market. It’s powered by a “dual motor powertrain” producing 400-hp each, and it uses Lithium ion Phosphate batteries instead of the more standard Lithium ion in a 221-kWh battery pack for 600 kW of power. The batteries are stored in banks that are built into the framework of the boat. The new boat is projected to…

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