Friday, March 29

Browsing: Boat Reviews

Fairline, the British luxury yacht builder, just introduced its Squadron 58 at the Düsseldorf show last month, and the innovative flybridge yacht with twin balconies and a creative beach club aft won the Best Motoryacht Up to 60 Feet Award given by Motorboat and Yachting. “The stern arrangement in the Squadron 58 is a true game-changer,” the award said. “It features a cockpit with a glazed transom, modular furniture, drop-down terraces and a foldout-bar with a pair of stools that can be relocated to the port side. Things are equally enticing on the inside. The playful integration of angles transforms…

Sirena Yachts, the upscale Turkish builder, just unveiled its new Sirena 48 hybrid coupe with silent electric power. The Sirena 48 actually made its world debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September. The entry-level yacht in Sirena’s fleet, which goes up to 164 feet, the original 48 had a flybridge configuration and traditional diesel engines for power. In the new version, Sirena has remodeled the superstructure to make it into a coupe layout, complete with solar panels integrated into the coach roof. It also has a hybrid power train for quiet and eco-friendly cruising. The core DNA of the…

If you liked the looks of classic Rivas, you’ll certainly love new Itama. Indeed, the Itama 62RS, making its U.S. debut at the Miami show from Feb. 14 through 18, takes more than a few design cues from the iconic wooden Rivas whose ownership ranged from Brigitte Bardot and Sophia Loren to the Aga Khan. In the U.S., the new Itama also touches the fast-driving, fast-living world of Miami Vice days but with a lot more room and amenities than Sonny Crocket ever dreamed of. The teak foredeck, for example, goes on forever, and has luxurious sun pads for lounging…

The new Lazzara LPC500 gives a whole new meaning to the idea of an open layout. On the lower deck of the 85-foot luxury power cat, both sides drop down from the owner’s massive, full-beam midships stateroom, so you can eat breakfast, lunch or dinner sitting out over the ocean, while enjoying the breeze from the other side. On the main deck, the port, starboard and aft glass walls slide open to provide a massive open area so you can enjoy the view, or the weather, in three directions. The cat’s 35-foot beam ensures a lot of fresh air moving…

WiLder, the new brand from Wider Yachts, just launched its first hull, a 60, in Italy. Wider says the new WiLder, a semi-custom cruiser, is designed “to appeal to the wilder side in us all.” Wider usually builds superyachts. The idea behind WiLder is to bring superyacht-quality fit and finish and construction to a wider market with a 60-foot yacht. In the new 60, the hull is all aluminum, and all the amenities are indeed what you’d usually find in much larger vessels. The new boat “represents a leap forward in what a 60-footer can offer and how it can…

Finland’s Nautor Swan, one of the most iconic names in luxury sailboats, just unveiled a new 76-foot Swan Arrow, their largest powerboat yet. Last fall, the 43-foot Swan Shadow made its U.S. debut at the Fort Lauderdale boat show. A dayboat powered by three 350-Mercury Verado outboards, it had a top speed of 55 knots. The new Arrow is a very large leap up, in size and function. With two or three cabins below and a salon that can be open or enclosed, it’s a highly styled cruiser powered by two or three 1,000-hp Volvo IPS1350 pod drives. With two,…

Sunreef just unveiled its new 77 Ultima luxurious power catamaran with a sleek hull, sporty lines, a Jacuzzi on the flybridge, a spectacular master cabin that stretches between the two hulls, and an aft deck that folds out with a Jet Ski garage that doubles as a giant sun pad. And it’s eco-friendly, with a solar skin to provide clean energy, custom batteries that Sunreef says are 30 percent lighter than others on the market, and hybrid electric/diesel power. The slim, aerodynamic hull is designed to reduce drag, and the new Sunreef can be fitted with computer-controlled hydrofoils to fly…

The new Azimut Fly 72, another Italian beauty, will make its U.S. debut at the Herald Plaza location of the Miami show, starting on Feb. 14. The new Azimut has four staterooms (plus one for crew under the cockpit), all with their own heads, plus a larger than usual social foredeck, a large flybridge, and a light-filled salon with lots of entertaining space and an extra dinette. Power comes from twin 1,400-hp MAN V12 diesels, paired to straight shafts and delivering a cruising speed of 26 knots and a top speed of 31 knots. The foredeck is made for lounging…

Here’s a boat with an attitude. The Brabus Shadow 1200 XC Black Ops Signature Edition was just unveiled at the big Düsseldorf show. The new, 45-foot 1200 XC is the biggest Brabus Shadow ever built, and it’s unique inside and out, with a mix of performance, comfort and luxurious ambiance. The company says the new boat “has absolutely everything, bringing next-level usability and versatility to the luxury boat segment.” The Shadow is the made by Brabus Marine, a partnership of Axopar, the innovative builder in Finland, and Brabus, a German company that specializes in transforming luxury cars (think Mercedes-AMG) into…

Pershing yachts are not for the modest. Indeed, the Ferretti Group, which owns Pershing, says the new Pershing GTX 80, with its striking looks, is “synonymous with fun, total control, and unchallenged supremacy.” It’s hard to live up to all that, but the Pershing GTX 80 certainly comes close. Its new design features Pershing’s signature lines, starting with an almost-vertical bow and including a slightly convex sheerline. The eye-catching bulwarks in the bow have been opened by a longitudinal slot; those in the stern incorporate winches for dock lines and also can swing down to provide space for sun lounging…

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