Boat Reviews

New Sea Ranger MMS 55: A Bulletproof Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on January 3, 2022 Boat Reviews, On Watch with Peter Janssen

Spoiler alert: Keep reading only if you’re interested in bulletproof expedition-type cruising boats made to tackle rough sea conditions anywhere in the world. The new Sea Ranger MMS 55, made by a commercial yard in northern England, isn’t meant to stay at the dock. I don’t know how many people it can hold for cocktails or a sunset cruise around the harbor. The Sea Ranger has a sturdy steel-plate hull; it weighs almost 60 tons. It comes with the looks and the performance of a North Sea trawler, with a high bow and decks lined with scuppers. Powered by twin…

Axopar Building New 45-Foot Flagship

By Peter Janssen on December 22, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Axopar, the highly successful and innovative builder from Finland, will introduce a new 45-foot flagship at the Düsseldorf show, starting Jan. 22. The new 45 shares the same DNA as earlier Axopars, with its angular lines, twin-stepped hull and fuel-efficient power-to-weight ratio. Powered by three 300-hp Mercury Verado outboards, the Axopar 45 will top out at more than 50 knots. It will have gullwing doors, similar to those on the Axopar 37, to make access to the salon easier, as well as side-opening platforms to extend the usable seating space. The forward cabin and its head and shower will have…

Windy Launches New Long-Range 60

By Peter Janssen on December 20, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Windy has just launched its new flagship, the SLR/SR 60, a chase boat or tender or luxury sport boat with long, low lines and a range of 850 nm at 25 knots. The new 60 was originally designed as a tender for a superyacht owner, and it has seats for 15 people. But Windy says the main deck can be configured so the boat also be used for fishing or diving or exploring far-flung coves and harbors on its own, far from the mothership. At 60 feet, the Windy SLR/SR is large enough to be used for just about anything…

All-Electric Q30 From Finland Coming to U.S.

By Peter Janssen on December 20, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The Q30 all-electric, minimalist and elegant day cruiser from Q Yachts in Finland will make its U.S. debut at the Palm Beach show in March. The Q30 is 30’ 7” long with a beam of 7’ 3” and it’s powered by twin Torqeedo 10kW sailpods and a Torqeedo 30-kWh lithium battery. It has a maximum range of 60 nm; at a cruising speed of 9 knots the range is 42 nm; at its top speed of 14 knots the range is 21 nm. An optional second battery can extend the range. The boat can be charged anywhere with a standard…

Pardo Launches New Endurance 60 Flagship

By Peter Janssen on December 18, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Pardo has lunched its Endurance 60, an aggressively styled, low-profile cruiser that’s the Italian builder’s new flagship. With its slightly reversed bow, highly raked windshield, tinted wrap-around salon windows, graceful but broken sheerline and a flybridge that’s barely visible, the Pardo 60 has staked out a distinctive position in the cruising universe. In just the past two years, Pardo has built about 100 other cruisers, from 38 to 50 feet. The 60 represents a major move up. But Pardo has solid roots. It’s owned by Grand Soleil, which has built more than 4,000 sailboats since it started in 1973. The…

Rosborough Comes Back with Wild Island 25

By Peter Janssen on December 14, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Over the years, the Rosborough 246 trawler earned a reputation as a reliable, salty, pocket cruiser, popular in the Northeast and even (when a buyer could find one on the brokerage market) on the Great Loop. The iconic 246 was made in Nova Scotia by Rosborough Boats, which was founded in 1955 and started out refurbishing commercial fishing schooners into pleasure boats. Built for the treacherous waters of the North Atlantic, Rosboroughs were basic, rugged and not terribly expensive. Rosborough sold the molds to the 246 to Eastern Boats in New Hampshire in 2012, and concentrated on making military and…

Platypus Swordfish: New Semi-Submersible Trimaran

By Peter Janssen on December 13, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Here’s something new from Platypus Craft, a French company: The Platypus Swordfish, a 40-knot, 29’ 5” boat that has a submersible pod so you and half a dozen others can enjoy underwater views anywhere in the world. The boat will be built by a subsidiary of L2 Concepts in Antibes that has worked on other submersible projects. It can be ordered with twin gas outboards, or eco-friendly all-electric power. The Swordfish looks like a trimaran; its central hull is connected to the two outer hulls by arms. But push a button, and the central hull drops 6’ 5” under the…

Aquila Starts New Line of Offshore Cats

By Peter Janssen on December 13, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Aquila Power Catamarans just announced that it’s starting a new line of offshore boats called the Aquila 28 Molokai Power Catamaran and the Aquila 28 Molokai Cuddy Power Catamaran. Aquila says the Molokai name was chosen because the new cats are designed to perform like the boats that cruise in the Pacific among the Hawaiian chain of islands. “Aquila enters the offshore segment with a modern twist on a proven Hawaiian layout by shifting the paradigm of innovative boats and designs,” said Lex Raas, the president of Aquila Catamarans. Until now, Aquila has made power cats from 28 to 70…

Fraser Building Hydrogen-Powered 64-Foot Cat

By Peter Janssen on December 12, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Fraser Yachts is making a new 64-foot luxury catamaran powered by eco-friendly hydrogen fuel cells for virtually unlimited range and sustainable cruising. The new cat, called Aquon, was designed by the Christian Grande studio in Italy, which works on everything from the new Invictus 32 to superyachts, and it will be built at the Latitude Yachts yard in Riva, Latvia, on the Baltic. It is scheduled to be launched in 2023. The cat, made to resemble a pocket superyacht, has almost 700 square feet of solar panels on the flybridge roof. The renewable solar supply will be used to create…

Maritimo Building M75 Offshore Cruising Flagship

By Peter Janssen on December 9, 2021 Boat Reviews, On Watch with Peter Janssen

Maritimo, the highly successful Australian builder of luxury offshore cruising yachts, just announced that it’s developing a new M75 Flybridge Motor Yacht flagship. The new Maritimo is a four-stateroom, three-head, blue-water cruiser with an enclosed flybridge, a creative and expansive aft deck, and a lower “adventure deck.” Low-angle, straight-shaft drives connect to twin 1150-hp Scania diesels and reduce the yacht’s draft to just 4’ 11” so it can explore more destinations around the world. It holds 2,641 gallons of fuel to ensure long-range cruising. Maritimo’s announcement Thursday evening underscored the company’s most successful year in its almost 20-year history. Indeed,…

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