Last week we ran a preview of the new Grand Banks 62 design which the company announced at the beginning of July. The 62 is an evolution of the popular 60. But, the 62 is not a replacement model for the 60. In the design preview, we were able to show the plans and layouts but we did not have actual photos of the boat –they don’t exist yet– to show off the details that will make it a Grand Banks. So, we thought that this week we would offer a part two to the preview by providing you with…
Leave it to Larry Graff and his team at Aspen Catamarans to bring out a rigid dinghy that breaks the design mold for yacht tenders. That’s just what the new Aspen Carbon Cats do Graff and his family build Aspen Catamarans in Burllington, Washington in sizes from 28 to 40 feet. Aspen cats are not your average multihulls with symmetrical hulls and a bridge deck and cabin on top. No, Aspen cats are actually proas, with one hull being the main hull and the opposite being smaller and lighter. The fuel efficiency these designs provide proves to be seriously noteworthy.…
British physician Dr. Stephan Weatherly had a vision for a new type of four-season, cruising and expedition yacht that could be capable of crossing oceans while being as sustainable as possible. Working with the naval architects at Chartwell Marine, Weatherly first developed and built the Archipelago 47. An aluminum cat powered conventionally with twin diesel engines, the boat has proven to be a comfortable four-season family cruiser with a 3,000-mile range. But, diesel engines are not, by definition, sustainable. In Weatherly’s view, the only practical, 100-percent sustainable propulsion option for his proposed line of cats from 40 to 80 feet,…
Italia Yachts, based near Venice, Italy, recently launched their first powerboat. Known for their elegant and beautifully-built sailboats from 30 to 70 feet, the move to introduce a new powerboat stirred much anticipation in powerboat circles. The new 43 Veloce does not disappoint. A 43-foot express cruiser with a walk-around deck, the Veloce doubles as a stylish day boat that can be configured for weekend and longer cruises. The Italia Design Team collaborated with the Skyon Design Studio for the fairly radical and attractive lines of the hull and cabin. The bow was given a lot of height and thus…
Peter Janssen is absent from On Watch this week for the first time in almost eight years. He has retired at the venerable age of 88. As the co-founder and editor of the newsletter, he produced 400 editions and wrote more than four thousand articles. For a seasoned journalist, that is a lot. For a man already in his eighties when we founded Cruising Odyssey, the achievement is legendary. So, as I take the helm and steer Cruising Compass into its next chapter, I want to offer Peter my gratitude and appreciation for all he did and all he does.…
Numbus, the ever-growing Swedish builder, just launched its new 495 Flybridge flagship, a big move up from the 405 Flybridge that had been its largest boat. Nimbus says the 495 Flybridge is built for an owner-operator and it’s designed in the voyager or explorer style so a couple or a family can cruise comfortably along the coasts of Europe or the U.S. and spend long vacations on board. The company calls it “an island of its own.” Standard power comes from twin 480-hp Volvo IPS650 pod drives, with a top speed of 27 knots and a cruising speed of 20…
Pershing just launched its new GTX80, the latest luxury performance cruiser in its GTX sports yacht series. With three 1,000-hp Volvo IPS1350 pod drives, the new 80-foot Pershing tops out at 34 knots, cruises at 28 knots, and has a range of 300 nm at 26 knots. But the new GTX80, like all other Pershings, is about much more than numbers. Indeed, the brand, part of the Ferretti Group, is known for its flowing lines and head-turning style as much it is for its performance. On the outside, the long, low, dynamic hull profile is marked by an almost vertical…
CL Yachts just announced that it’s building a new flagship CLX99, a larger, updated and more versatile version of the 96 it introduced at the Fort Lauderdale show in 2022. Martin Lo, CL Yachts director, said the new CLX99 is built on the same hull as the 96, but it has more interior volume, more external space and many new design features. It also offers new choices in layout aimed at potential owners in Asia and Europe, as well as the secondary charter market. Like the 96, the CLX99 was designed by Jozeph Forakis, a multi-talented, award-winning designer with offices…
The new Bluephire 34 is a brand-new design, with an all-aluminum hull and an all-glass roof from one of Italy’s most experienced yards. It also introduces what the builder calls “several never-seen-before design features,” including a striking glass salon that opens at both ends, fore and aft. The 111-foot 34 is the first of a new Bluephire line created by Tureddi Yacht, with later models from 98 to 197 feet. Tureddi has built more than 60 yachts in the past 45 years in Viareggio and Livorno for some of the best names in the business, including Sanlorenzo, Benetti, Codecasa. But…
Sunreef, the major Polish builder of luxury catamarans, just keeps getting bigger and bigger. In fact, it just launched its new 100 Sunreef Power 2.0, with accommodations for 12 (plus crew) and an owner’s stateroom that runs full beam (44’ 3”) on the main deck with panoramic ocean views and its own private entrance to the terrace on the foredeck. The aft deck doesn’t lack for space, ether. It too is full beam and features a multi-level walkaround beach club with fold-out platforms and sun pads and lounges all around; it descends to the water in a series of terraces.…