Boat Reviews

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,…

Hermes Speedster: Porsche Looks, Electric Power

By Peter Janssen on December 8, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

You don’t want to take this retro-looking gentleman’s runabout on the Great Loop, but it sure would be fun to cruise around your local harbor. The Hermes Speedster, made in Greece by the UK-based Seven Seas Yachts, is a state-of-the-art version of a classic 1930s runabout but with lines drawn to resemble the iconic Porsche 356 Speedster from the 1950s. When it was first made, four years ago, the boat was powered by a Rotax engine. Now, in our eco-conscious age, it’s driven by a 100kW electric motor with a 30kWh battery pack. With the Rotax engine, the Hermes topped…

StellarCAT Building New Tri-Deck 82

By Peter Janssen on December 8, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

There’s a new player in the luxury cruising power catamaran market. StellarPM, a Fort-Lauderdale-based specialist in yacht project management and construction, just announced that it’s building a new three-deck, 82-foot, all-aluminum StellarCAT with simply enormous living and entertaining spaces. Designed for serious ocean-crossing cruising, the StellarCAT AL25-3 has an enclosed upper deck, a skylounge aft of the wheelhouse that can be opened or closed, a master suite on the upper deck with its own veranda, and as many as six staterooms for guests and two for crew. Working with shipyards around the world, StellarPM has already designed a 68-foot power…

Sunseeker To Launch New Predator 65

By Peter Janssen on December 7, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Sunseeker plans to launch its new Predator 65 at the big Düsseldorf show in January. The sleek, low-profile Predator 65 has the same layout and hull as the Predator 65 Sport Yacht, but it does not have the Sport Yacht’s flybridge. Sunseeker expects to sell about equal numbers of both versions. The new Predator is distinguished by an aggressive, raked front windshield and large carbon fiber and glass sunroof that slides back to reveal a sizable opening over the helm and salon. The result is a bright, airy salon, with an aft galley that can also serve the aft deck.…

Beneteau Making New Swift Trawler 48

By Peter Janssen on November 30, 2021 Boat Reviews, On Watch with Peter Janssen

Beneteau just announced that it’s launching a new Swift Trawler 48. Hull number one, with twin 380-hp Cummins diesels, will have its world premiere at the Düsseldorf show in January; hull number two, with twin 425-hp Cummins, will make its U.S. debut at the Miami show in February. The 48 is the flagship of Beneteau’s Swift Trawler line, which starts at 35 feet. Beneteau also makes a Grand Trawler 62, but it has a displacement hull for long-range voyages. The new 48 is a three-stateroom, two head cruiser; top speed is 23 knots with the 380-hp engines, and 26 knots…

Lyman-Morse To Build Electric, Foiling, Navier 27

By Peter Janssen on November 30, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Navier Boat is a Silicon Valley startup; it has lots of dreams, but it hasn’t built a boat yet. Lyman-Morse, in Camden and Thomaston, Maine, has lots of dreams too, and it’s been building Down East and high-tech sail and power boats since 1978. Now, Navier and Lyman-Morse have formed a partnership. Lyman-Morse will build Navier’s first boat, a 27-foot, carbon-fiber, electric-powered, foiling power boat to be unveiled at the Fort Lauderdale show next October. Production models will be ready at the start of 2023. Powered by two 50kW electric motors, the Navier 27 will foil, or fly, three or…

Vanquish Building New, Fast, Composite 55

By Peter Janssen on November 29, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Vanquish Yachts, the high-end Dutch builder, is starting work on a new 55-foot performance yacht made with composites, instead of the company’s traditional aluminum. The new VQ55, powered by up to five Mercury V-12, 600-hp outboards for the U.S. market, is expected to top out at 70 knots. Vanquish unveiled its new Sports Line of fiberglass composite boats at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September. It started with a composite 40-footer last year. The reception was positive, and many buyers said they were interested in a larger yacht. The new 55 will have much more interior space than the 40,…

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