Boat Reviews

New Reina 44 “Houseyacht” Heading for Miami

By Peter Janssen on August 9, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The first in a new line of what the company calls luxury houseyachts, the Reina 44 will arrive in Miami from the factory in Turkey next month and make its global debut at the Fort Lauderdale show in October. Reina says it has launched a new category of boat that combines the best of a yacht, a power catamaran, and a houseboat. The new Reinas are built to serve both as a yacht and as a luxury home on the water. The builder, Reina Boats, was founded by Hayri Dayi and Emin Günal, who saw the leap of interest in…

New Sunseeker Makes Global Debut in Newport

By Peter Janssen on August 8, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Sunseeker will hold the global debut of its new 88-foot luxury cruiser at the Newport International Boat Show, starting September 14. The upscale British builder will also display its new 65 Sport Yacht and a Manhattan 55 at the show, the start of the fall boat show season on the Atlantic coast. The new Sunseeker is called the Ocean 182, and it has a large, multi-purpose enclosed skylounge up top and five cabins, all with en suite heads, on its lower deck. There’s also a day head on the main deck, in the space separating the salon seating area from…

Dominator Launches New 35 Mini-Superyacht

By Peter Janssen on August 8, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Dominator Yachts just launched its new Midi Ilumin 35 luxury cruiser at a private event in Montenegro. The new 35 shares the lines – and a lot of the over-the-top superyacht touches – as its big sister, Dominator’s 92-foot Ilumen 28M. The head-turning 35 has the same no-nonsense reverse angle windshield and sweeping buttresses, glazed bulwarks and carbon-fiber hardtop as the 92-footer. It also has a hand-laid teak deck, polished stainless steel accents, bookmarked gray marble walls, and hand-stitched Nubuc leather in the cabin. On the lower deck, the head on the starboard side is separated by an electrochromic smart…

Eastern 27: User-Friendly Pocket Cruiser

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

The outboard-powered Eastern 27 Islander a user-friendly, no-frills, Down-East styled pocket cruiser. It’s also the top of Eastern’s fleet of 10 models from 20- to 27-feet. Easterns have been made in Milton, New Hampshire, since 1981.The company now also makes Rosborough Boats and Seaway Boats. The Eastern 27 Islander is designed as a couple’s cruiser, with a V-berth below plus an extra berth (or storage area) tucked under the helm deck. The V-berth can be converted to a settee with a table. There are also shelves, a hanging locker, and an enclosed head with shower. The helm deck can be…

Aegean Explorer 26M To Debut at Cannes

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

Denison Yachting will show the first hull of the Aegean Explorer 26M long-range cruiser series at the Cannes Yachting Festival starting Sept. 13. The second hull in the series is under construction at the Aegean yard in Bodrum, Turkey. The 85-foot Aegean 26M has a steel hull and aluminum superstructure for a combination of strength and light weight. It’s powered by twin 650-hp MAN diesels, with a top speed of 12.7 knots and a range of more than 3,500 at a slower speed. Explorer and adventure yachts have become a popular category in the past few years. The Aegean 26M…

New Leopard 40 Makes U.S. Debut

By Peter Janssen on July 30, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The all-new Leopard 40 power catamaran just made its debut in Fort Lauderdale, with a cruise along the ICW and a then a run over to Bimini. Leopards are made in Cape Town, South Africa, by Robertson and Caine. The company calls the new 40 a third-generation power cat, following the Leopard 46 and Leopard 53. The Leopard 40 is a three-cabin, three-head, stable and seaworthy cruiser The Leopard’s beam is 21’ 8”, slightly more than half its length, so it has vast amounts of usable space inside and out. The salon is full of light from large side windows,…

Nordhavn Launching New 71

By Peter Janssen on July 26, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Nordhavn just finished its first new 71, the company’s largest long-distance cruiser built for an owner-operator, and it’s scheduled to splash at its factory in Taiwan next week. (The 71 actually was set to splash this week, but a typhoon got in the way.) After that, the 71 will head for its new owners, a couple in Seattle who are fairly familiar with the brand. Indeed, they have already owned three Nordhavns in the past 20 years – a 50, 57, 68. They plan to cruise their new 71, named Luna, in the Pacific Northwest and up to Alaska. Nordhavn…

Solaris Building New 52 Open Flagship

By Peter Janssen on July 24, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Solaris just unveiled its 52 Open flagship powerboat that’s bound to get a lot of attention when it makes its debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival on September 12. The new Solaris Power 52 Open looks like a larger version of the Solaris 48 Open that won the European Powerboat of the Year Award three years ago and the 44 Open that was nominated for the same award two years ago. Solaris has been making sailboats in its Italian yard since 1974. It started a powerboat line in 2008 and now makes a Lobster Boat line and the Open line.…

Aquila 32 Sport: Versatile Power Cat

By Peter Janssen on July 24, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The new Aquila 32 Sport catamaran provides an easy and comfortable platform for enjoying day cruises, water sports, picnics, or just a fun and social time on the water. Standard power is two 225-hp Mercury Verado outboards. With optional twin 300-hp Verados, the Aquila 32 tops out at about 44 mph, with a range of 240 miles. The larger outboards come with joystick control for easy docking and maneuvering. The Aquila 32 has a cabin sleeping two people in the lower port hull, and a head and shower on the starboard side. Air conditioning is optional. Two more people could…

Beneteau Unveils New Antares 12 Flagship

By Peter Janssen on July 24, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Beneteau just unveiled the new Antares 12, the flagship of its outboard-powered Antares line. With two or three cabins and two heads, the new, 42′ 7″ Antares can be powered by three 300-hp V8 Mercury Verado outboards, or two 400-hp V10 Mercury outboards. The large teak swim platform has extensions on both sides that flank the outboards for easy boarding or access to water sports. You enter the cockpit via a gate on the starboard side. The bulwark on the starboard side drops down to provide even more social space or water access. An L-shaped lounge, facing a table, runs…

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