Boat Reviews

New Pearl 62: Family Cruiser with IPS Power

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

The highly styled, contemporary Pearl 62 is a family-oriented, owner-operator cruiser with four staterooms and three heads. With optional 900-hp Volvo IPS1200 pod drives, it tops out at 33 knots; dialed back to 10 knots, it has a range of 600 nm. The 62 is the U.K. company’s entry-level yacht, joining the Pearl 80 and Pearl 95. With a luxury-level fit and finish, it was created by Bill Dixon, the British naval architect, and Kelly Hoppen, MBE, the interior designer. It is built by the Xiaman Hansheng yard in China The super-sized slanted windshield gives the Pearl 62 a sporty…

XO Boats Launches New 29-foot DFNDR

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

XO Boats in Finland is making a new 29-foot DFNDR 9 all-weather, multi-purpose boat that extends the company’s lineup of aluminum-hull vessels. Powered by twin 225-hp Mercury V6 outboards, the XO DFNDR 9 will have a top speed of 50 knots, while its deep-V hull (22 degree deadrise at the transom) is built for offshore performance. The DFNDR 9 joins XO Boats’ lineup of DSCVR and EXPLR boats, all named to evoke the company’s adventuresome spirit. “The unique design concept makes DFNDR 9 an excellent choice for adventures and watersports alike,” said Erkki Talvela, the CEO of XO Boats. “At…

Sunreef Finishing New 100 Power Cat

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

Sunreef is finishing its first 100 Power Catamaran in its factory in Gdansk, Poland, developed on the success of the widely acclaimed Sunreef 80 power cat. The 100 meant to be luxurious and vast, inside and out, and it makes use of its more than 44-foot beam to accommodate ten guests in five staterooms (plus a crew of three) in a total of 5,380 square feet of living space. The main deck on the new 100 just seems to go on forever. The middle 40 percent or so is occupied by the salon, filled with light from panoramic windows. It…

Beneteau Sea Trialing New Grand Trawler 62

By Peter Janssen on June 22, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Beneteau has just started sea trials on its new Grand Trawler 62 displacement long-range cruiser in the Adriatic off the factory in Monfalcone, Italy, north of Venice. The company calls the new GT 62 “the ultimate voyaging yacht.” With a pair of 730-hp MAN diesels and straight shafts, the GT 62 tops out at about 20 knots, but it’s meant to run at lower speeds for maximum efficiency, comfort and range. Indeed, at 9 knots, the 62 has a range of 900 nm. Amadeo Migali, the naval architect who drew the boat, says the aim “is not to achieve 25…

Sealegs Rolling Out 12′ 5″ Amphib, Smallest Yet

By Peter Janssen on June 22, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life, Gear

Sealegs, the New Zealand amphibious boat maker, just announced that they are developing a new 3.8m (12’ 5”) Tender, their smallest yet. Sealegs says it is taking orders for the new amphib now and will roll out the first production models in 2022. We don’t have a price yet. The 3.8 Tender, created to fit on larger cruising boats, takes exploration by tender to a new level. With a standard 40-hp Yamaha outboard, the 3.8m has a top speed of 34 knots on the water. But when you roll up to a beach or want to explore a new shoreline,…

Nimbus 40: Much More Than a Fast Commuter

By Peter Janssen on June 16, 2021 Boat Reviews, On Watch with Peter Janssen

More than 20 years ago, I often commuted to work in midtown New York from Norwalk Cove Marina in Connecticut on a variety of boats, depending on which one my magazine was testing for the summer. I remember a Sea Ray, a Formula, a Fountain, a Donzi, a Phoenix and a Pursuit at different times. (There was no way I could commute back and forth in the same day on my own Grand Banks with its 8-knot top speed.) But those commutes, morning and evening, going down Long Island Sound, the East River past the U.N., around the tip of…

Beneteau Building New GT 45 Express Cruiser

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

Beneteau just announced that it’s building a new GT 45, the newest in its popular line of express cruisers. With larger windows and more sophisticated systems, the new 45 replaces the 46 in Beneteau’s GT model line. The new 45, to be launched in September, has sporty lines, a swept-back windshield and cabin top, and windows all around for visibility and natural light. It has two cabins, with an optional third, and two heads on the lower accommodation deck, which also has much-larger-than-usual windows in the hull sides. Standard power comes from twin 380-hp Volvo diesels, while twin 440-hp IPS600…

Fjord 40: A Less-Is-More Success Story

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

About half a dozen years ago, I cruised on a then-new Fjord 40 from Key West to Miami. There were four of us on board, and we stopped along the way at the over-the-top Little Palm Island Resort, where the dockmaster was more than happy to have us stay for a while because the boat was so stunning. The Fjord, with its post-modern, straight-line, minimalist Bauhaus-on-the-water design, was just about the polar opposite from my own much-beloved Grand Banks 36. But I guess opposites attract, because I also loved the Fjord. It performed, it had style, it was unique. With…

New Palm Beach GT60: Sleek and Fast Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on June 1, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The latest Palm Beach GT60 just made its debut at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show below Brisbane in Australia. The sleek, sexy, low-slung sedan with a classic tumblehome and long sheerline drew the crowds and admirers the brand is known for. The standard GT60 comes with two large staterooms with double beds and generous en suite heads and showers. It also has a modern gourmet galley and both indoor and outdoor dining and social areas. Beyond its head-turning looks, the GT60 performs. The boat has a low center of gravity, and its warped-V hull slices through the waves (instead…

Arksen Building 3 New Explorer Yachts

By Peter Janssen on May 30, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Arksen, the innovative British builder, just announced that it’s planning three new explorer-type yachts, the Arksen 45, 65, and 85. The 45, pictured above, will be launched later this year. The 85 is scheduled for next spring, and the 65 will be launched sometime after that. The 45 is designed as a go-anywhere, off-the-grid cruiser that can function as an explorer, a chase boat, a dive boat, whatever. It is being built in the UK, with a composite hull with foam-filled D-tube fendering all around in partnership with Ring Powercraft, which specializes in RIBs and fast sport boats. The Arksen…

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