Boat Reviews

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,…

Highfield Launches 30-Foot Flagship RIB

By Peter Janssen on November 28, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Highfield Boats, the world’s largest maker of aluminum-hulled RIBs, just launched its largest boat yet, the almost-30-foot Sport 900 that can hold 15 passengers and hit a top speed of 60 mph. The all-new Sport 900 has an unusual 26-degree deadrise at the transom so the large RIB can cut through offshore waters. The company says it is designed for use as tender or a high-end day and picnic boat. It is the top of Highfield’s Sport series, which starts at 9’ 8.” The new Highfield represents the growing popularity of RIBs. Tom Watson, the general manager of Highfield Boats…

Hacker-Craft Adding New Evolution Series

By Peter Janssen on November 17, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Hacker-Craft, the iconic builder of mahogany boats on Lake George, New York, is starting a new line called the Evolution Collection, designed to represent growth and forward momentum. Erin Badcock, the company’s CEO, wrote me that “Hacker-Craft has been focusing on our brand, building on our legacy, while continuing to grow and innovate.” The new Evolution Collection, with three different models, represents that direction. Ever since 1908, Hacker-Craft has built boats with classic lines and meticulous craftsmanship. For almost 100 years, they have defined the Golden Age of yachting. Now the company wants the Evolution Collection to define a new…

New Okean 80: Space, Light, Innovation

By Peter Janssen on November 15, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The prize-winning, head-turning Okean 80 just made its U.S. debut at the Fort Lauderdale show. The flagship of the Okean fleet, the 80 was joined by a 50 Fly, the Brazilian builder’s first boat that was launched in 2017, and a 55. The 80, with an unusual and innovative open plan, where balconies expand from the salon and aft cockpit and a wall of glass surrounds the main deck, won the Revelation of the Year award at the World Yachts Trophies in Cannes last year. With an almost plumb bow, modern lines and luxurious fit and finish and furnishings, the…

New Monte Carlo 52: A Smart Luxury Cruiser

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

The all-new Beneteau Monte Carlo 52 is a luxury three-stateroom, two-head cruiser that’s made for easy living on board whether underway or on the hook. With a completely new design by Nuvolari & Lenard and Andreni Design, the yacht is filled with light, space and social areas all around. Power comes from twin 480-hp Volvo IPS650 pod drives. Top speed is 28 knots; at 8 knots, range is more than 500 nm. The Monte Carlo 52 is filled with nice touches: One is that there’s a third helm station on the starboard side of the cockpit, with controls for the…

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