Boat Reviews

Silent-Yachts Sells First 100-Foot Solar Flagship

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

Silent-Yachts just sold the first Silent 100 Explorer catamaran, a 101-foot luxury yacht capable of crossing oceans under solar power. An Austrian company, Silent-Yachts says its new flagship, with a beam of 44’ 7”, has the living space equivalent to that found in a monohull half again its size. Hull number one will be launched in 2023. Solar cells on the top of the four-deck Silent 100 Explorer provide up to 40kWp and feed a battery bank with a capacity of 800kWh. The yacht also has twin 340kW electric motors. It has an economical cruising speed of 6 to 8…

Sweden’s Windy SR44 Luxury Cruiser Now in U.S.

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

Built in Sweden, the Windy SR44 is being introduced to the United States at the Fort Lauderdale boat show by Nautical Ventures, its distributor here. The Windy SR44 is already a success in Europe. Indeed, it was nominated for a European Boat of the Year Award last year. It’s easy to see why the Windy, a super-modern, high-performance, luxury sports yacht, is a standout that will turn heads on both sides of the Atlantic. With its precision handling, super-sized sun lounges and accommodations for four below, it is just as appealing for a weekend cruise in the Bahamas as it…

Cruisers Will Launch New 34 GLS at Lauderdale

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

Cruisers Yachts will introduce its new 34 GLS at the Fort Lauderdale show, starting Oct. 27. The twin-outboard family boat is the first that Cruisers has made since MarineMax bought the 68-year-old Wisconsin company in May. Cruisers now has 16 models, from 33 to 60 feet. The GLS series is its entertainment-centered line. The new 34 joins a GLS 42 and GLS 38. The 34 GLS certainly has a social theme. There’s seating for eight in the bow, plus more in the cockpit (with Swiss Army knife-like seats that flip back and forth) and more in the helm deck. And…

New Greenline 68: Largest Production Hybrid Yet

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

The Greenline 68 Oceanclass Hybrid, the largest production hybrid yacht ever built, will make its debut at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, starting Oct. 27. The new Greenline, the flagship of the Slovenian company’s fleet, can run on diesel or solar/electric power, giving an owner the option of operating a silent, emissions-free vessel for up to 1,000 nm at 5 knots. The luxury yacht gets its green power from a 320kWh lithium battery bank paired to integrated solar panels on the hardtop over the flybridge. It can operate for as long as two days just on the batteries alone.…

Beneteau Launches GT 45 Express Cruiser Flagship

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

Beneteau just introduced the new Gran Turismo 45, the flagship of it express cruiser line, at the Cannes Yachting Festival, and the boat is already available in the U.S. Powered by twin 440-hp Volvo IPS600 pod drives, the sleek and sporty two-cabin, two-head cruiser tops out at 33 knots. Beneteau’s express cruiser line already has a 32, a 36, and more recently a 41. Now, the 45 extends the brand and makes it more attractive to families or owners who want to cruise with, or entertain, a larger group. Relaxing and entertaining are certainly easy on the GT 45. The…

MJM Building 46-foot Performance Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on October 10, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

MJM just announced that it is launching a new high-tech performance 46-foot yacht named the 4z, and it’s already building hull number one of the outboard version; an inboard version will be ready for the 2024 model year. The company, now based in Washington, North Carolina, says the 4z is an evolution of the day yacht, but it can serve just as well as liveaboard cruiser, built in the Carolina Downeast style. With two cabins and one yacht-sized head below, and a fully protected helm deck up top, the 4z is a combination of the company’s new 3z day boat…

Fountaine-Pajot Launches Upscale 67 Powercat

By Peter Janssen on October 4, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Fountaine-Pajot has launched its most luxurious powercat yet, a 67-foot flagship that even has a Jacuzzi on the foredeck. In keeping with the French builder’s reputation for creating comfortable, seaworthy and blue-water boats, the new 67 also has a cruising range of 1,700 nm powered by twin 435-hp straight-shaft Volvo diesels. Everything about the new Fountaine-Pajot is massive and impressive. The volume comes not only from the overall length but also the more than 32-foot beam that makes the salon seem like a living room in a seaside home and the foredeck and aft cockpit like spas and entertaining areas…

Back Cove 372 Debuts at Annapolis Show

By Peter Janssen on October 4, 2021 Boat Reviews, On Watch with Peter Janssen

Back Cove just launched its newly redesigned 372 family cruiser at the Annapolis powerboat show, running through Sunday, Oct. 10. The 372 is a new iteration of the original Back Cove 37 that was first launched in 2009; that turned out to be one of the Maine builder’s most popular models. More than 200 of them were sold, and the tooling was getting worn out. With a single diesel engine, a low profile and its Down East lines, the 37 was popular because it was a Goldilocks boat – not too big, not too small. A single person could handle…

We Test New Hinckley 35: Poetry in Motion

By George Day on September 29, 2021 Boat Reviews, On Watch with Peter Janssen

The brand-new Hinckley 35, with twin Mercury Verado 350-hp outboards, was sitting in a slip at the Hinckley boat yard in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. I met skipper David Salathe at the boat and he gave me a quick tour before departing. The engines were both idling, but they were so quiet you could barely hear them. The under body of the 35 was designed by Michael Peters, who has numerous trophies and naval architecture awards to his credit. The look of the 35 is Down East classic with that special Hinckley flair. The high bow and flared sections forward promise…

HMY To Import New Two Oceans 555 Cats

By Peter Janssen on September 26, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

HMY Yachts just announced that they will introduce the new luxurious Two Oceans 555 Power Catamaran, made in South Africa, to the American market next year. The new 555 has a four-cabin layout, with the master stateroom on the main deck with a door opening to a sunken lounge on the foredeck. Founded in 1989, Two Oceans specializes in blue-water, comfortable and safe power and sail cruising catamarans. The power cat range incudes a 75, 82 and 87. The new 555 models are the company’s entry-level cats. But there is nothing small about them. Designed by Du Toit Yacht Design…

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