Boat Reviews

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…

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,…

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