Friday, March 29

Browsing: Boat Reviews

Jeanneau just launched its all-new Leader 12.5, a 40-foot, two-cabin, multi-purpose boat that the company says is designed for family fun, simplicity and efficiency. With three 300-hp Yamaha outboards and a deep-V hull designed by Michael Peters, the Leader 12.5 tops out at 50 mph and cruises in the 35-mph range. The company’s flagship, the Leader 12.5 is built with social spaces all around, inside and out, with lots of flexible seating and sleeping space. You can climb aboard via an entry door on the starboard side. Push a button and the port bulwark in the cockpit folds out to…

The new Wheeler 38, a recreation of Ernest Hemingway’s famous Pilar, was just launched at the Brooklin Boat Yard in Maine, and now is cruising down to Key West with a top speed of 34 knots.  The new boat is named Legend, and it was reverse engineered from the original Pilar by Bill Prince Yacht Design. It was built for the Wheeler Yacht Company at Brooklin with modern technology and creature comforts, including a Seakeeper gyro stabilizer. The original Pilar was built by the Wheeler Shipyard in Coney Island, New York, in 1933. Hemingway paid $7,495 for the boat and had…

Here’s a look at just some of the new cruising boats, 35 feet and under, that, in normal times, you’d probably see at the fall boat shows this year: RANGER TUGS R-27 It would be hard to find a more user-friendly pocket cruiser than the Ranger Tugs R-27. Its two-cabin, one-head layout is made for cruising with a small family or a few friends; its light-filled salon makes living enjoyable, and its 300-hp Yamaha outboard delivers a 42-mph top speed that gets you where you want to go in a hurry. Ranger Tugs are made by Fluid Motion, in Kent,…

Here’s a look at just some of the new cruising boats, 36 to 50 feet, that, in normal times, you’d probably see at the fall boat shows this year: BRABUS AXOPAR 37 If you thought the original Axopar 37 was cool, take a look at the new version, the BRABUS Shadow 900, and it’s a collaboration between BRABUS, a German company that transforms luxury cars (think Mercedes-AMG) into even higher-end luxury performance vehicles, and Axopar, the innovative builder from Finland. For the Shadow 900, BRABUS starts with the platform for the Axopar 37 and then customizes it. “BRABUS Marine products…

Here’s a look at just some of the new cruising boats, 51 feet and up, that, in normal times, you’d probably see at the fall boat shows this year: KROGEN EXPRESS 52 Even with a flying bridge and raised pilothouse, the Krogen Express 52 manages to carry a classic low profile, enhanced by a long, flowing sheer line that emphasizes the boat’s distinctive profile. And the “Express” part of its name is not a misnomer: With twin 480-hp Yanmars the Krogen Express tops out at about 22 knots. Dial back to 8 knots and the boat has a range of…

Aspen Power Catamarans just launched its all-new 35-foot C108 cruiser, powered by asymmetrical Yamaha outboards, and it hit a top speed of 25 knots and a fuel-efficient cruising speed of 19 knots, producing 2 nmpg. Larry Graf, Aspen’s founder and “chief adventurer,” designed the new proa-type cat so it could be trailered to new cruising grounds It has a beam of 10’ 8” and a combined boat and trailer weight of 12,500 pounds, so it could be towed by a ¾ ton pickup. Aspen owners are an adventuresome type, and some wanted a three-cabin boat that they could trailer easily…

In the past few years, Axopar has gained a large following by thinking outside the box, building its 28- and 37-foot models with their iconic looks and head-turning performance. Now, it seems, Axopar wants to become even more popular by thinking inside the box or, to put it more accurately, delivering its new 22-foot starter boat to you in its own box. That move alone would save several thousands of dollars over the usual shipping costs from the Axopar factory in Finland to the east coast of the U.S. In every other respect, the 22 carries on with the traditions…

Beneteau’s new Swift Trawler 41 is the Goldilocks of coastal cruisers: It’s large enough to hold a crowd, but it’s small enough to be handled easily by a couple. The Swift Trawler 41 does indeed have a lot of living and entertaining space, inside and out, but it’s also a seaworthy cruising boat, giving a stable and comfortable ride throughout the speed range. And it’s easy to handle around a dock, with bow and stern thrusters. Experienced cruisers also will appreciate the side door next to the helm that gives immediate access to the starboard side deck, for help with…

The all-new Cape50, the result of one man’s passion, will be launched in November in Australia, and the aggressive cruiser with a low profile, plumb bow, beautiful tumblehome and reverse transom is built to handle the often-rough seas Down Under. The Cape50 was conceived, designed and built by Steve Campbell and his company, Composites Construction, outside Melbourne. Campbell has been a master shipwright for the past 30 years; he’s sailed on America’s Cup boats, and he’s built racing sailboats. Since 2009, he’s also built 40 racing ski boats that top out at more than 100 mph. A few years ago…

Life Proof Boats just introduced a new 35-foot series, a Full Cabin and a GT Coupe, that are built to handle rough water and still provide a dry, safe ride at speeds up to 50 knots (see the video below). The boats are built with high-quality, commercial-grade 5086 aluminum with a stabilized buoyancy collar, shock mitigation, and self-bailing decks. Life Proof also makes boats for the military and government agencies, and they are designed to be indestructible and virtually unsinkable The boats have deep-V hulls for rough water performance, and a patented foam/air collar. Performance fins below the collars keep…

1 62 63 64 65 66 100