Boat Reviews

Absolute Sets New Bar with Windows on 56 Fly

By Peter Janssen on November 9, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Take a look at the rendering of the new Absolute 56, above, which seems to take the idea of large hull windows to an entirely new level. Absolute calls the 56 Fly The Absolute Charisma, with the idea that it’s a representation of state-of-the-art Italian charm. One reason for the super-sized windows forward is that Absolute has moved the owner’s suite all the way to the bow in this boat. In boats this size, the owner’s stateroom lately has been amidships. But in The Absolute Charisma, it’s full beam forward, with the panoramic windows. Absolute says the forward location gives…

New Dutch-Built Deep Water 50XLR Crosses Atlantic

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

There’s no doubt about the ocean-crossing bona fides of the new Deep Water Yachts Korvet50XLR on display at the recent Fort Lauderdale show. Indeed, the Dutch-built aluminum boat crossed the Atlantic on her own bottom to get there. Deep Water Yachts, an alliance of Dutch yachting companies based in The Hague, says the new 50XLR (extra long range) yacht is “the ultimate passage-maker.” The first leg of its transatlantic voyage took it from Rotterdam to the Azores, through some rough weather. On that leg, the Korvet50XLR averaged 9 knots. (You can see it cruising off Horta in the Azores in…

RS Making New 20-foot All-Electric RIB

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

RS Electric Boats will start making a new 20-foot all-electric RIB in January, with plans for at least 50 more next year. If the new RS Pulse 63 catches on, the UK-based company says it can make 100 or more in a year. The Pulse 63 is powered by a standard 400V, 47kW lithium-ion Hyperdrive power pack, and it tops out at 23 knots – for a short period of time. At 20 knots, the RIB can run for 90 minutes with a range of 30 nm. At 15 knots, it has a range of 45 nm, and at 10…

Cormorant Building 71-Foot Long-Range Cruiser

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

Cormorant Yachts, the new builder in Gdansk, Poland, is working on the COR710, a 71-foot cruising yacht with a nod to Down East lobster boat styling but with an oversized aft deck that would be totally at home in either the Med or the Bahamas. This new Cormorant joins a fleet stretching from 55 feet to 88 feet and is built for long-range cruising. With twin 1,361-hp MTU diesels, it has a top speed of about 30 knots, but if you dial back to 7 knots it will have a range of about 2,700 nm. The COR710 carries a low…

Walker Bay Launches Big New Revo 21 RIB

By Peter Janssen on November 2, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Walker Bay just introduced its new Revo 21, a fast, comfortable boat that the company says is the world’s first 21-foot luxury sport RIB. It is indeed versatile; you can use it for just about anything you want to do on the water – fishing, diving, picnics, water sports or just driving around the harbor or the next cove. With a beam of 9’ 5”, the Revo 21 is wider than most 21-foot RIBs, and that extra space has been put to good use. The boat can hold 12 people, including forward seating for seven with comfortable cushions and a…

Greenline Planning New 58 Fly Hybrid

By Peter Janssen on November 2, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Greenline just had the debut of its new 68 hybrid, the flagship of its Slovenian fleet, at the Fort Lauderdale show, and it announced that it’s working on a new 58 Fly, which will be its next largest yacht, for a launch next fall. Greenline says that the 68, which can operate for as long as two days on battery power alone, is the largest production hybrid in the world. The planned 58 Fly will have all the same eco-friendly advantages as the 68, including the ability to run under diesel or solar/electric power, but in a slightly smaller package,…

Nordhavn Launches New 80 at FLIBS

By Peter Janssen on October 27, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Nordhavn is having the world-wide debut of its new 80 at the Fort Lauderdale show, as well as displaying its new 41, the smallest cruiser in its legendary blue-water fleet. The new Nordhavn 80 is something of a departure for the company; it looks a bit more like a superyacht than like most previous Nordhavns. Jeff Leishman, Nordhavn’s design chief, drew the 80 with straighter lines, larger windows, thinner mullions, and generally more of a contemporary European influence than was visible in Nordhavns in the past. If you think this Nordhavn is different, consider the hot tub on the extended…

New Retro Reward 17: A Fun, Soft Ride

By Peter Janssen on October 25, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The third week of October is pushing the boating season in Connecticut, but there we were, heading out of Mystic Harbor at about 35 mph in hull number one of the head-turning Reward 17, grinning from ear to ear. Even though we were going into a 15-knot or so headwind, with 3-foot seas, the Reward 17, driven by a 170-hp Rotax engine and a waterjet, delivered a ride that was soft and easy. To show the boat’s maneuverability, Chris Ashley, who designed it and built it, turned the wheel and put us into a jet-drive turn; an immediate turn. But…

True North Launches New 34 Outboard Express

By Peter Janssen on October 19, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

True North, now owned by Catalina, just introduced its all-new 34 Outboard Express at the Annapolis show. The new 34 has a one-level open plan in the pilothouse and cockpit, with the galley up, and it’s driven by twin 300-hp outboards. With its Downeast lines, dating to an earlier lobster boat heritage, the True North 34 is a versatile cruiser with a spacious cockpit and a single cabin and head below. Its looks go back to the original True North, a 38, launched by the Pearson Marine Group, in 2001. The original True Norths were called the SUVs of the…

Axopar Shows New 25 With a Cuddy Cabin

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

Axopar just had a pre-production showing of its new 25 Cross Bow boat at the Cannes Yachting Festival. It has a hardtop and a cuddy cabin with a toilet below, and Axopar’s slippery deep-V hull with twin steps. The beam is just 7’ 4”, so it can be trailered in the U.S. An innovative Finnish company, Axopar launched its first boat, a 28, in 2014, and then moved up to a 37 and 32 that became popular in the American market. Owners loved to drive them, they’re fun, and their signature low-profile, narrow-beam design created a lot of attention. Last…

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