Boat Reviews

New Jet Shark: Fun On and Under the Water

By Peter Janssen on March 21, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

If you’re looking for something new and want to ramp up your fun factor, take a look at the Jet Shark, a 20-foot prototype that can hit 45 mph on the surface and dive 5 feet under the water. The Jet Shark is the brainchild of Rob Innes, who’s been working with semi-submersibles for the past decade, or more. He previously designed the Seabreacher, which was smaller and slower. Jet Sharks are being built in Redding, California. The Jet Shark prototype holds four passengers; the production version will have six. It’s powered by a 420-hp Kodiak Marine engine, which is…

Horizon PC68 Making Palm Beach Debut

By Peter Janssen on March 20, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The Horizon PC68, with a creative Portuguese bridge and expansive living and entertaining areas on all three decks, is making its debut at the Palm Beach show this week. Up top, you can order the bridge to be open or as an enclosed sky lounge. Either way, it comes with a day head and shower, a grill, freezer, and a bar with a fridge and an icemaker. It also has the upper helm, of course, and enough seating areas to hold a dozen or so of your friends. The boat deck aft is large enough to carry a 17-foot RIB.…

Azimut Unveils New Hybrid Seadeck Series

By Peter Janssen on March 18, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Azimut just announced that it’s starting a new line of luxury hybrid cruising yachts that will cut emissions by 40 percent. Azimut said the new line, called Seadeck, will be built with lightweight carbon exteriors and planing hulls for efficiency. The new Seadecks, starting with the Seadeck 6, a 56’ 7” motoryacht, will be fitted out with recycled and recyclable materials. The yachts will have solar panels on the roof tops, and a battery pack that’s strong enough to power the boat’s systems for four to eight hours at anchor. They also will have energy recovery systems to create hot…

Sunreef Building New Line of Fast Ultima Cats

By Peter Janssen on March 17, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Sunreef, which has been making luxury catamarans in Poland for the past 20 years, just announced that it’s building a new Ultima line of fast, high-tech, hybrid cats, starting with a 45 and a 55. Francis Lapp, the yard’s founder and president, said the new cats will have “the ultimate hull shape for all those who are looking to enjoy quick getaways in speed, comfort, and style.” The new line, he said, is “all about fast cruises, vast living space, and energy efficiency.” The new cats have sleek, aerodynamic lines and bulwarks that fold down from the aft decks to…

New Electric Hovercraft Hits 50 mph

By Peter Janssen on March 16, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Michael Mercier built his first hovercraft when he was 13 years old, working with plans from Boy’s Life magazine. Mercier’s now 36, and after studying mechanical engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University and years of dreaming and tinkering, he’s launched his first personal hovercraft. It’s the VonMercier Arosa, an all-electric craft that can hover about six inches above the surface (ground, water, or a combination of the two) and cruises at 20 mph but can top out (briefly) at 50 mph. The Arosa is powered by three electric motors producing 240-hp. Potential owners can choose either an 18 kWh battery that will…

Numarine Building Explorer Yacht with a Pool

By Peter Janssen on March 15, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Numarine, the upscale Turkish builder, just announced that they’re building a new 40MXP global explorer yacht with transatlantic range. Standard power on the new 128-foot 40MXP is twin 800-hp MAN diesels, producing a range of 6,000 miles at 8 knots. Numarine says it has already sold the first two hulls of the yacht, and both clients, who are existing Numarine owners, have ordered the optional 900-hp MANs for a bit more power. Numarine specializes in high-performance, luxury explorer yachts. Umberto Tagliavini, the Italian naval architect who has worked on many of the company’s yachts, drew the hull for the 40MXP.…

Linssen Launches New 55, a True Convertible

By Peter Janssen on March 15, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Linssen has launched its new flagship, the 55SL Variotop, a long-range, steel-hulled cruiser with a creative convertible top. The 55, like some smaller Linssen, features a proprietary fully automatic convertible roof that opens or closes at the touch of a button. Linssen positions the 55 as an all-weather cruiser, or a live aboard, and the Variotop adds to that appeal. On a sunny day, open it and enjoy the breeze; if the weather turns, press the button to add overhead protection. The new Linssen has another standard feature that’s a bit unusual. The helm seat can be elevated above the…

Apollonian 52 To Make East Coast Debut

By Peter Janssen on March 15, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Apollonian Yachts, a new brand that’s already making headway in the Pacific Northwest, will make its East Coast debut with a new 52 at the Palm Beach show, starting March 23. Apollonian is the result of a collaboration between Howard Apollonian, the highly regarded naval architect, and Vic Parcells, a veteran yacht broker. Their yachts are affordable cruisers that are designed for an owner-operator. The Apollonian 52 is a three-cabin, three-head, raised pilothouse cruiser with comfortable living spaces for cruising (or living aboard) and an easy flow for entertaining or relaxing. It’s powered by twin Cummins QSB 6.7 diesels linked…

Arksen 28, 30, To Debut at Palm Beach

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

Arksen, the creative British builder, will show its new Adventure 28 and 30 for the first time in North America at the Palm Beach show, starting March 23. The boats then will head west, all the way to Arksen’s first U.S. dealer in Seattle. Arksen was started about two years ago and makes larger expedition and explorer yachts, up to 86 feet. It makes its Adventure boats in partnership with XO boats. They’re designed to be rugged, go-anywhere vessels and they’re made with military grade aluminum. Even if adventure boating isn’t your thing, the company says you still can use…

Kadey-Krogen Making Long-Range 60 Open

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

Kadey-Krogen is making a new Kadey 60 Open, the second in its line of Open blue-water, long-range cruisers. It introduced the 50 Open two years ago, with an interior that seamlessly blends the salon and galley areas with the pilothouse. The 50 Open will be on display at the Palm Beach show that starts on March 23, while the 60 is under construction at the same yard in Taiwan that’s made more than 600 Kadey-Krogens in the past 45 years. During that time, Kadey-Krogen has won a reputation for building full-displacement cruisers that combine easy living on board with excellent…

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