Boat Reviews

New Neptunus 650E: Luxury Blue-Water Cruiser

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

Made in Canada, just over the border from Niagara Falls, the new Neptunus 650E is a sleek, solid cruiser with some big-yacht touches and blue-water capabilities. The Neptunus 650E is a three-cabin, three-head cruiser that comes with a CE Category A Ocean Certified pedigree, meaning it’s built to handle winds over 40 knots and wave heights over 13 feet. It’s powered by twin 1136-hp CAT C18 diesels, giving it a top speed of 32 knots. At a cruising speed of 26 knots, it has a range of 282 nm. Dial back to 10 knots, and the range jumps to 713…

New 41-Knot, 65-foot Innovative Dutch Cruiser

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

The Van der Valk yard in The Netherlands is making a new 65-foot, 41-knot, luxury cruiser with an exceptional aluminum hull and the ability to navigate the shallow waters of the Bahamas and cut through rough water offshore. With a low profile, an aft-set flybridge, a massive 111-square-foot aft deck when the terraces are deployed, post-modern European lines and an Art-Deco styled interior, the new EDGE 65 will turn heads on both sides of the Atlantic. And that’s before you get to its performance. Van der Valk worked with Cor D. Rover, the Dutch superyacht designer, and Studio Delta Naval…

New 64-Foot Cat with Hydrogen Power

By Peter Janssen on April 5, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Swiss Sustainable Yachts AG in Zurich has sold the first hull of its solar/electric/hydrogen-powered 64-foot catamaran, AQUON One. The new luxury catamaran can hold up to 10 passengers and theoretically can have an unlimited range by combining all of its renewable emissions- and noise-free power sources. The AQUON One has 64 square meters of photovoltaic solar panels on its roof to charge its lithium-ion batteries. From there on, the cat’s green-power solution seems fairly elegant. For the short term, the batteries provide power for twin electric motors, one in each hull, for propulsion, and to run the yacht’s systems. But…

StellarPM Planning New Line of Explorer Cats

By Peter Janssen on April 3, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The worldwide fleet of large power catamarans just keeps growing. Indeed, StellarPM, the Vietnamese builder, just introduced a new line of luxury explorer power cats that are designed to be as much as home in the fjords of Norway as they are cruising around Sardinia and Corsica. StellarPM now joins the ranks of builders in Europe, Turkey, Australia and other parts of the world who have been launching big, luxurious power catamarans lately. And expedition or explorer yachts are a growing subspecies in that category. There are two yachts in the new StellarEXP fleet, a 32-Meter (about 105 feet), and…

Fairline Launching Sporty New Targa 40

By Peter Janssen on April 3, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Fairline, the large British builder, just announced that it will launch a sporty new Targa 40, the entry to the Targa line, this summer. The new 40 replaces the Targa 38, which was first launched in 2006; it was one of Fairline’ most popular boats, with more than 300 sold in ten years. The Targa lineup now will have six boats, from the new 40 up to a 65. “This brand-new 40 takes everything we loved about the 38 and elevates it for the 21st century,” said Christian Gott, Fairline’s lead designer. Standard power for the 40 will be twin…

New Dyna 63 Displayed at Palm Beach

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

Dyna Yachts just displayed its new 63 motoryacht at the Palm Beach show last week. Made in Taiwan, Dynas are popular in Europe and are starting to make inroads in the U.S. The Dyna 63 is a three-stateroom, two-head cruiser that also has a two-berth crew cabin aft, accessible via doors in the transom, with its own head, fridge and microwave. If you don’t have crew, I think a lot of teenagers or an extra guest would be very happy back there. The new Dyna is powered by twin 1,000-hp CATs, reaching a top speed of 26 knots. At its…

New Protector Targa 380 with 1,800-hp Outboards

By Peter Janssen on March 29, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Protector just launched the latest version of its popular Targa 380, offering a bit more room and considerably more power to the tough-as-nails recreational RIB. The New Zealand builder says that the new Protector is the ultimate high-performance RIB, designed for “tough luxury” in any sea conditions. The performance certainly will be enhanced by the new Targa’s power capability; it can be driven by two or three outboards, up to a total of 1,800-hp. Many new owners certainly will opt for three 600-hp V12 outboards, boosting the top speed to more than 50 knots. Over the years, Protectors have become…

ALVA Making Ocean-Crossing Solar Cat

By Peter Janssen on March 28, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

ALVA Yachts, the fairly new German builder, just introduced its new 78-foot solar/electric cat with transatlantic range. The new ALVA is called the Ocean Eco 78, and it’s a luxury cat with a wide stance; indeed, the beam is a full 39’ 3”, or half the boat’s length, providing a lot of space throughout the yacht. For more, a bulwark “terrace” folds out of each side of the main deck. The solar/electric power starts with an array of solar cells on the rooftop that provide up to 26kWp (Kilowatt peak), feeding a battery bank that holds up to 490kWh. All…

Fountaine Pajot 67: Trans-Atlantic Power Cat

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

Everything about the new Fountaine Pajot Power 67 is impressive – its size, its elegance, and its performance. This latest power cat from the longtime French builder has a beam of more than 32 feet, adding sheer volume to the interior and exterior of the boat (the full-beam foredeck, for example, is simply vast, and is large enough for an optional Jacuzzi). At the other end of the boat, the teak swim platform and lounging areas aft just don’t seem to end. The lines on the new 67, the flagship of the Fountaine Pajot fleet, are modern and elegant, announcing…

Stephens Waring Designs 40-foot SUV

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

Stephens Waring, the classic yacht design firm in Belfast, Maine, just announced plans for Paradigm, a 40-foot sport utility vessel that they say is meant for modern living on the water. The new boat, appropriate for two couples or a family, features an almost plumb bow, a raised foredeck, and an open SUV-type platform aft for easy access to watersports or a dinghy. It has a modified-V hull laid up with cored composite construction and laminate technology. Standard power comes from a single 370-hp Yanmar diesel, with a fuel-efficient top speed of 20 knots. Twin diesels could boost that to…

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