The Outback 50, designed by Michael Peters, has been on the scene for five years and still, in our estimation, occupies a unique niche among performance cruisers. It is a truly a boat that embraces the outdoor lifestyle. The concept begins with what Outback calls the “Infinity deck” or the expansive after deck that is open on the sides but covered with a hard-top extension of the salon’s cabin top. The sheer line has a step down as it runs aft and the cabin top, enclosing the flybridge and upper lounge, has a pleasant curve, so the straight hardtop aft…

And now for something a little different, a family cruiser that intentionally goes slow. The Polish builder, Delphia, now owned by Groupe Beneteau, has been building lake and coastal cruisers for 30 years and they continue to embrace the notion that cruising should be serene, quiet and, yes, slow. Their 32-foot Delphia 10 has a displacement trawler-style hull that provides a lot of interior volume for living and sleeping spaces. The boat comes with a number of power packages, including an all-electric system, and with the beefiest diesel, a 110-horesepower Yanmar, it tops out a nine knots.  It’s most efficient…

This summer, Greenline Yachts announced the introduction of the new design for a 58 Coupe, based on the hull and accommodations of the successful 58 Fly.  The new boat has an air draft of 12 feet so it is ideal for inland cruising and exploring America’s Great Loop. Like all Greenline models, the 58 Coupe has three power options: twin diesels, twin electric hybrid engines and twin electric only motors. The boats are all equipped with large solar arrays and huge lithium battery banks. The new 58 Coupe takes the solar component to a new level by providing 120 kW/hs…

The Turkish builder Numarine, which is celebrating its 22nd year in business, will mark the occasion this summer with the launch of the new 30XP Expedition Yacht.  In keeping with the times, the 30XP is the first boat made by the builder with optional diesel-electric hybrid propulsion. Known for their angular and voluminous yachts, Numarine has carved out a nice as a leader in long range cruising in self-sufficient boats. The 30XP, designed by Can Yalman, may be the most exotically angular of all his designs. Note the almost vertical bow that is high enough to meet the top of…

Wider Yachts, based near Venice, Italy, builds super yachts for owners who can and do drive super cars like Ferraris and Lamborghinis. So, when an owner asked them to build a 60-foot motorboat along the lines of a super car, Wider knew what to do. The WiLder 60 is the result, with the capital L added for emphasis. This all aluminum, sleek and distinctive yacht evokes the futuristic designs of super cars and combines that with the luxurious accommodation and appointments of  Wider’s super yachts. To be used primarily as a sporty day boat, the 60 has large lounging planforms…

The America’s Cup, the oldest continuous sporting event in the world, has always fostered development-class yacht design and racing. This year the teams from six nations will be competing in 75-foot foiling catamarans that regularly sail at 50 knots or more. So, what kind of support boat could keep up with the sailing monsters and do so with zero-carbon emissions? For the answer the team American Magic, representing the New York Yacht Club, turned to the Italian boat builder Bluegame who came up with an innovative design for a foiling power cat driven by a hydrogen fueled engine. The foiling…

The launch of the Absolute 52 Fly , following the introduction of her sisterships the 56 and 60 Fly, enlarges the builder’s Flybridge line to six models. All of the Fly range share the same snub bows, complex hull forms, voluminous interiors and distinctive hull glazing. Built in Podenzano, Italy the new 52 Fly is a Mediterranean family cruiser designed for indoor-outdoor living and relaxing vacations. Connecting cruising families and friends to the natural world and seascapes around them, especially during the Med’s hot summers, is a popular design trend in Europe that Absolute embraces. The main outdoor living spaces…

Focus Yachts has carved out a special niche in the express-cruiser and day-boat market in Europe and now has a distributor in the U.S.A. The new 38-foot 3x, just launched this summer, combines exceptional performance with luxury and style that you might equate with a Maserati or Aston-Martin motorcar. One could easily imagine James Bond and a special Bond girl chasing villains in one of these. But, we digress. The new 3x is the latest design to be introduced by this family-run boat building business based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. It joins four sister ships from 37 to 50 feet…