Boat Reviews

XO Boats Unveils Rugged New DFNDR 8

By Peter Janssen on June 28, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

XO Boats, the relatively new builder in Finland, just announced that it’s starting work on a 26-foot DFNDR 8 go-anywhere, all-purpose boat that will top out at 50 knots with twin outboards. The new DFNDR 8, like other XO boats, has a rugged aluminum deep-V hull with a 23-degree deadrise at the transom. XO says it uses military-grade aluminum because it’s sturdy, sustainable, and easy to maintain. The DFNDR 8 is designed for owners who want to be able to go out in less-than-ideal conditions, and it will be fun to drive. Indeed, Erkki Talvela, the CEO of XO Boats,…

Wayne Gretzky Builds 34-Foot Mahogany Boat

By Peter Janssen on June 27, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Wayne Gretzky, probably the greatest hockey player of all time, and his wife, Janet, are now cruising on Lake Coeur d’Alene in Idaho on their new 340 HT Steinway mahogany boat from Coeur Custom there. The Gretzkys actually took delivery of the boat last September, but then used it for just two days before closing their vacation house in Coeur d’Alene and heading south. This summer they’ll enter it at the Coeur d’Alene Antique and Classic Boat Festival, starting August 13. The boat took 12 months to build, and it’s made of Sapele wood with 16 coats of varnish, white…

Rosborough 246: A No-Frills Pocket Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on June 27, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The Rosborough 246, a no-frills pocket cruiser built by Eastern Boats in Milton, New Hampshire, almost cries out, “Great Loop.” With its protected cabin, V-berth for two, enclosed head and single-outboard power, the Rosborough is fully capable of tackling the Great Loop, or almost any other coastal cruising destination. Indeed, John Hauck, an 82-year-old retired Special Forces major, has completed the Great Loop twice on his 2003 Rosborough 246. Rosboroughs were originally made as commercial fishing boats in Nova Scotia, where they earned a reputation as salty and reliable performers. Rosborough sold the molds to the 246 to Eastern Boats…

Leopard Building New 40 Power Cat

By Peter Janssen on June 21, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Leopard is building an all-new 40 powercat in its factory in Cape Town, South Africa. It will launch the cat there at the end of the year, and then hold a world premiere at the Miami show in February. The new 40 is the smallest entry in the Leopard powercat fleet, which now has a 46 and a 53. The company says the 40 will have all the comfort and seaworthiness of its larger siblings, but in a smaller package. The company says the flybridge on the 40 is the largest in its size range. It has an upper helm…

Altena 53: Sturdy, Steel, Blue-Water Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on June 14, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

With the current trend for long-range cruising and expedition yachts, you might want to take a look at the Dutch-built Altena 53 Blue Water Trawler, a sturdy, safe, steel-hulled cruiser. Altena has been building custom canal and blue-water explorer yachts since 1969. The 53 is one of five models in the 48- to 58-foot size range of blue-water cruisers. You can order it with one or two engines, but the standard 215-hp Cat 3306 diesel produces a top speed of 9 knots. At 5 knots, the boat has a range of 5,000 nm. If you order the single engine, you…

Vicem Building New Cold-Molded 93

By Peter Janssen on June 13, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Vicem, the high-end Turkish builder, just announced that it’s building an all-new, cold-molded Vicem 93, the start of a new series, for an Australian couple. The new Vicem, scheduled for delivery next spring, will have four staterooms on the accommodations deck, and quarters for three crew aft. With a semi-displacement hull, the 93 will cruise at 14 knots and to out at 18 knots. The 93 is a bit of a departure for Vicem, which has concentrated in the 46- to 65-foot range in the past few years. Signifying the move to larger yachts, it delivered hull number one of…

Sunseeker Launches Manhattan 68 Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on June 6, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Sunseeker has launched its new Manhattan 68, a luxurious cruiser with a 300-nm range, an open salon, and large areas of space on the aft deck, the beach club, and up on the flybridge. The new 68 is the latest entry in Sunseeker’s prize-winning Manhattan lineup, and it has the contemporary European lines that make the company’s boats so popular. It’s a four-stateroom, three-head cruiser, with relaxing and entertaining spaces throughout, inside and out. There are sunbathing areas on the foredeck and in the cockpit, for example, as well as on the flybridge, which is protected by an integrated hardtop.…

Cormorant Building 780 Long-Range Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on June 5, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Cormorant Yachts is a relatively new player in the long-distance cruiser market, but they’ve already launched a 55 and a 69. Now they’re building the Cormorant 780, and they say it will have a range of 6,550 nm at 7.2 knots. Built in Gdansk, Poland, Cormorants are reliable modern-day displacement trawlers with advanced engineering and highly skilled workmanship. The idea is that their boats are built to spend weeks at sea while providing all the comforts of home. The new 780 can be built with two configurations. One has a closed galley, open bar area, and smaller pilothouse; this one…

Sunreef Unveils New 100 Power Supercat

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

Sunreef Yachts just announced that it will build a stunning 100 Power Eco Supercat, combining superyacht comfort and luxury with cutting-edge green technology. The new 100 Power will use solar panels to provide ultra-silent propulsion and cruising efficiency, and Sunreef said it would use eco-responsible materials throughout. We don’t have many details yet, but the renderings are spectacular. Sunreef has been making large cats in Gdansk, Poland, since 2003. The Power Eco range now has a 60, 70, and 80. The 100 will be the brand’s new flagship. The cat’s beam of more than 44 feet provides room inside and…

Nordhavn Building New 71 for Owner-Operators

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

Nordhavn is now building hull number one of its totally new 71-foot passagemaker designed for owner-operators to be able to cross oceans or go just about anywhere else they have in mind. It’s been about two years since Nordhavn started thinking about the 71, and the company has been talking to its owners and working on the design and engineering with its in-house Computational Fluid Dynamics program. The idea was to fill a hole in the Nordhavn lineup at the upper end of the mid-size range, for owners who want to move up in size but still run the boat…

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