Boat Reviews

Bold is Beautiful

By Sandy Parks on October 13, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The Sirena 68 brings together all the qualities that experienced cruisers would seek in a new yacht—essentially an upgrade in comfort and confidence in all areas. The new 68 is built on a hull that marries efficiency and performance seamlessly—it’s a semidisplacement design with a keel in the central bottom and chines on the sides. The hull shape encapsulates a cavernous volume of space, allowing everyone onboard to spread out and get comfortable, but still be together. The interior is a special kind of intersection where craftsmanship meets utility, elevating every aspect of the space to make it feel welcoming,…

New Hope 40: A Power Cat with Foils

By Peter Janssen on October 12, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

At first glance, the Hope 40 looks like another Down East picnic boat, but with a slightly broken sheer line. But then take a look under the hull. It’s a state-of-the-art power catamaran with hydrofoil technology. The new Hope 40 is the brainchild of McCullough Yachts in Newport, Rhode Island, and it’s going to be built at Front Street Shipyard in Belfast, Maine. On its website, McCullough says, “For years customers have asked us why existing power catamarans look like futuristic alien spacecraft.” They say their reply is the Hope 40, “an attractive vessel that still utilizes the smooth riding…

New Hardy 65: A Serious Blue-Water Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on October 12, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The new Hardy 65 is a British-built, go-anywhere traditional blue-water cruiser with a blend of modern comforts and high-tech components. The 65 is the flagship of the Hardy fleet, which starts at 32 feet. They’re all built by Cockwells, in Falmouth, England. The company says the 65 is “a little ship with a big attitude.” Standard power is twin 800-hp MAN diesels, with a top speed of 25 knots on the 65’s semi-displacement hull. Optional 1,200-hp MANs produce a top speed of 30 knots. The Hardy 65 is a serious, seaworthy boat; there aren’t a lot of frills. The side…

New Evo 43 with Ever-Expanding Beach Club

By Peter Janssen on October 11, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The new Evo 43 R4XT, just displayed at the Cannes Yachting Festival, takes the idea of a transforming beach club to an entirely new level. Evo, based in Naples, hired Besenzoni to create a transformer-like, expandable stern platform for its new boat. Opening in a series of steps, the new stern extends the length of the boat by three feet, and the beam by six feet. And it drops 30 inches below the waterline when you want to launch tenders or toys or go for a swim. The aft bulwarks also fold out from the cockpit to open up the…

Sunreef 80 Power Cat To Debut at FLIBS

By Peter Janssen on October 10, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The extra-large and luxurious 80 Sunreef Power will make its U.S. debut at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, starting Oct. 26. The hull of the new 80 was completely designed from scratch, with the idea that the massive catamaran would serve as an all-around motor yacht that could cruise long distances in safety and comfort. Powered by twin 1,200-hp MAN diesels, the Sunreef 80 has a top speed of about 24 knots and a range of 3,500 nm. Sunreef Yachts have been made in Gdansk, Poland, since 2003. With a massive beam of more than 39 feet (about half…

New Electric Tiaga PWC: Fast, Fun, and Silent

By Peter Janssen on October 5, 2022 Boat Reviews

Tiaga, the Canadian manufacturer of electric ski mobiles, just introduced the first all-electric PWC in the North American market. The new Tiaga Orca Carbon hits 65 mph, is totally silent, and has a two-hour range before it needs recharging. The Orca Carbon has a carbon-fiber composite hull and weighs just 738 pounds. It’s 9’ 6” long with a beam of 3’ 9” and it’s powered by a 120kW, 160-hp motor and a lithium-ion battery system. You can recharge it at a dock or an outlet in your garage, or with a universal Level 2 connector that’s used for electric cars.…

New Pardo 50: Head-Turning Walkaround

By Peter Janssen on October 4, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Walking around the Norwalk show last week, I passed the Pardo docks and then did a double-take. So did a lot of other people. The new Pardo 50 Walkaround tied up stern-to there had a simply immense aft deck, wide and inviting, with sun pads and sofas and an al fresco dining table that would make it a show-stopper wherever it went. The new Pardo had the company’s signature post-modern European minimalist look; no frills, just straight lines, with a slightly reverse bow and an open foredeck that almost rivaled the aft deck in size and sunning abilities. The large…

Riviera Launches New 645 SUV in Lauderdale

By Peter Janssen on October 4, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Riviera, the large Australian builder, just launched its new 645 SUV, the flagship of it’s all-purpose SUV fleet, and it will make its U.S. debut at the Fort Lauderdale show, starting Oct. 26. With its low profile, enormous foredeck and imaginative mezzanine deck connecting to the salon and the cockpit, this latest Riviera seems ready for some serious – and fun – cruising days ahead. Over the past 40 years, Riviera has built 5,700 yachts of various sizes and shapes. More than 170 of them have been in its SUV line, designed to be versatile, all-purpose vessels, similar to their…

Vicem To Unveil New 55 Flybridge at Lauderdale

By Peter Janssen on October 3, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Vicem, the highly regarded Turkish builder, will launch its all-new Vicem 55 Classic Flybridge at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, starting Oct. 26. The new 55 flybridge is constructed with cold-molded mahogany and West System epoxy, giving it a semi-custom look. It’s part of Vicem’s Custom series, with boats from 46 to 80 feet; they all feature classic Downeast styling and the company says they’re designed with Maine lobster boats in mind – at least for their seakeeping abilities. But the new 55 does carry Downeast lines, even down to the touch of tumblehome aft. The 55 Classic sedan…

Aspen Launches New, Unique, Tenders

By Peter Janssen on October 2, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Aspen Power Catamarans just launched their new Carbon Cat, a series of innovative rigid tenders with a lightweight hybrid hull for stability and efficiency. The hull form, with a patent in process, has a deep, single entry forefoot and then gently widens aft and resembles a modified catamaran for stability and lift. The boats are built with a lot of carbon fiber construction (therefore their name). And they’re strong; there’s nothing to puncture. The company says you can step on the gunnels while boarding, or sit there underway. The boat is surrounded by a thick foam bumper made from SeaDek…

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