Boat Reviews

MJM Building New 42 Couples Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on May 31, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

MJM just announced that it’s making a new 42, an all-weather, all-conditions 48-knot cruiser with what the company calls a “Carolina Downeast” design and more than a touch of class. The company, now based in Washington, North Carolina, says the 42 is the evolution of a couple’s liveaboard performance cruiser. They developed it with Michael Peters, the Sarasota designer who’s done everything from Hinckleys and superyachts to speedboats, and input from the owners of MJM 40s, one of the builder’s most popular cruisers. The 42’s helm deck is enclosed for total climate control and comfort, but it can be opened…

Lyman-Morse Tests New LM Hood 35

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

Lyman-Morse has float tested hull number one of its new Hood 35 LM series, and the graceful new express cruiser with classic Down East lines is getting ready for its owner soon. Lyman-Morse, in Thomaston, Maine, is collaborating with C.W. Hood, in Marblehead, Massachusetts, on the new boat, incorporating quite a few innovations. The boat will be the first recreational in the U.S., for example, to use the new Hamilton HJX29 water jets. Its powerful, military-grade controls are paired to twin 480-hp Yanmars, producing a top speed of 40 knots. The new Hood 35 LM, named Shadow, also will use…

New ZEN 50 Powercat: No Fossil Fuel At All

By Peter Janssen on May 25, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The new ZEN 50, currently being built in Spain, is truly a different boat. It is basically a solar-powered electric power catamaran, although you can order one with an innovative wing sail. And it is totally fossil-fuel free. It has no back-up generator or diesel or gas engine at all. It doesn’t even carry fossil fuel. The tender is powered by a battery that can be recharged from the mothership. The ZEN company, based in Malta, says the ZEN 50 is “a game changer,” certainly an overused term. But in this case, it appears to be true. The ZEN 50…

New Hylas M49 Cruiser Coming to U.S.

By Peter Janssen on May 23, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The new Hylas M49, a two-cabin, two-head upscale cruising boat, will make its U.S. debut this summer. The M49 basically is a larger version of the popular M44 that was introduced a few years ago. Both boats are designed by Dean Salthouse, whose family has been designing boats in New Zealand for 65 years. The M49 is powered by twin 370-hp Yanmar diesels, providing a top speed of 31 knots. Hylas Yachts are built at the Queen Long yard in Taiwan, and they have a reputation for their seakeeping ability, offshore performance and versatility. One fan of the brand is…

Foiling Candela C-8 To Make Venice Debut

By Peter Janssen on May 22, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The revolutionary all-electric Candela C-8 hydrofoil boat has already been tested in its home waters in Sweden, but it will make its public debut May 27 at the Venice boat show. It also will enter the show’s grand finale E Regatta, an endurance test for the electric boats there. Gustav Hasselskog, Candela’s founder and CEO, says he’s looking forward to the Venice outing. “The floating city, which is dependent on motorboats but also suffers from their impact, is the perfect place to show off how Candela’s craft can contribute to a better world, while offering new levels of performance,” he…

New 59-Knot, 7,800-hp AB Superfast 100

By Peter Janssen on May 18, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

It’s probably a bit overpowered for the Great Loop, but if you want to cruise from, say, Greenwich to Newport for lunch, or Miami to Bimini in an hour or so, riding in style and comfort, then the luxurious new AB Superfast 100 may be a good bet. The just-launched hull number one of the AB Superfast is powered by three 2,600-hp MTUs (for a total of 7,800-hp), delivering a top speed of 59 knots and a cruising speed of 50 knots. Standard power is three 1,900-hp MANs, (only 5,700 hp) but the first owner wanted some extra juice. The…

Doggersbank Explorer Cruisers Make a Comeback

By Peter Janssen on May 16, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Doggersbank, the Dutch builder of rugged, offshore yachts, is making a comeback of sorts, taking advantage of the trend toward experiential cruising. Dick Boon, the founder of Vripack, the Dutch design firm, started work on the first Doggersbank in 1968. Over the years, more than 750 Doggersbanks were built, and they were soon headed all around the world – to the Arctic, the Antarctic, and most points in between. There were several circumnavigations. But times changed, and no new Doggersbanks were built for a while. The company built a new 66 last summer, and is finishing a slightly stretched version, an…

Cape Island Launches 38 Blue-Water Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on May 16, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Cape Island Cruisers, a new builder in Nova Scotia, has launched hull number one of its Cape Sable 38 line, a no-frills, fuel-efficient, ocean-going vessel based on the area’s commercial workboat heritage. The company says the Cape Sable 38 is “an ocean-friendly motorboat for cruising couples.” It certainly seems to live up to that billing, but it also could serve well as a liveaboard or a platform to take on the Great Loop or almost any other voyage. The first boat, named Stanley, is powered by a fuel-efficient 110-hp, four-cylinder turbocharged and intercooled Yanmar common rail diesel. The company says…

Wally Launching Revamped 58 Power

By Peter Janssen on May 15, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Wally is introducing its revamped power lineup with the new cutting-edge Wallypower 58. The long, low, slender Wallypower 58 will have its world debut at the Venice show, starting May 28. Wally was founded in Monaco in 1994 by Luca Bassani, who launched an iconic line of sail and power boats that won worldwide acclaim for their looks and performance. Indeed, Wally is the only yacht builder to win the ADI Compasso d’Oro Award (twice) for quality and design. The worldwide Ferretti Group bought Wally in 2019. The new Wallypower 58 is the first yacht in a reimagined lineup for…

Arksen Building Long-Range 65 Explorer

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

Arksen, the innovative British builder, just announced that it’s working on a new 65 world cruiser with a 3,000 nm range. The Arksen 65 is the third in the company’s explorer line, with an outboard-powered 45 built last year, followed by an 85. The new 65 is designed for an owner-operator to go anywhere in the world. “This vessel is designed to stand out from the crowd, as well as being built for worldwide exploration,” said Dominic Bryne, Arksen’s director of sales and marketing. “We want owners to really make the most of their adventure, wherever they choose to have…

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