Boat Reviews

New Sirena 58 Coupe: Made for America

By Peter Janssen on March 18, 2020 Boat Reviews

The new, low-profile Sirena 58 Coupe just made its debut at the Miami yacht show, and the boat was made for the American market. It is the little sister to Sirena’s 58 flybridge, the most successful yacht in the Turkish builder’s fleet, and it was designed for buyers who said they wanted an “express” type boat with lower air draft for coastal cruising in the U.S. or even for cruising on the Great Loop. “This yacht is for anyone looking for a sleeker exterior profile or for couples who prefer not to have a flybridge but do admire the build…

New Aviara 40: More Space Than Ever Before

By Peter Janssen on March 16, 2020 Boat Reviews

Aviara, the new brand from MasterCraft, just introduced its flagship Aviara 40 at the Miami show recently. MasterCraft, based in Venore, Tennesee, started the Aviara line last year, and already has a 32 and a 36; the 40 builds on their lines, but with more. And “more” is what it’s all about, as in more space and more seating than is the norm, even on a 40-footer. We usually deal with cruising boats here, but even they are building new ways to find more social space on their boats, particularly in the aft cockpit area. The new Aviara 40 is…

New Antares 11 Flagship with Twin Suzukis and a Balcony

By Peter Janssen on March 15, 2020 Boat Reviews

Beneteau just introduced its new Antares 11, the 36-foot flagship of its outboard lineup and the first with a balcony – part of the bulwark in the cockpit that folds out to create a larger social space there. The new Antares, a family weekend cruiser, is powered by twin 300-hp Suzukis, and speeds are expected to be over 30 knots. The Antares 11 is unusually open and filled with light, from large windows all around the salon and from a super-sized sunroof (which could be replaced with optional solar panels). Glass doors slide open aft to merge the salon and…

New Cold-Molded Vicem 67: A Blue-Water Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on March 11, 2020 Boat Reviews

The latest Vicem, a 67, was scheduled to make its worldwide debut at the Palm Beach show, which has now been cancelled. The new boat now will be unveiled in the U.S. at a later time. The new 25-knot, blue-water cruiser has all the timeless lines and old-world craftsmanship that have marked Vicems for the past 29 years. It also has the Turkish builder’s cold-molded mahogany construction that makes the yachts easy to customize for individual buyers, while adding strength to the hull. The 67 is built for cruising anywhere in the world, and it has earned a CE Design…

Palm Beach Show Postponed: Grand Banks 54 To Debut Later

By Peter Janssen on March 9, 2020 Boat Reviews, On Watch with Peter Janssen

We just learned that the Palm Beach show, scheduled to start on March 26, has been postponed as a result of the coronavirus crisis. We will have details later, when we learn more. The new Grand Banks 54, with its classic lines and semi-displacement, warped-hull performance, was scheduled to make its worldwide debut there. Powered by twin 725-hp Volvos with straight shaft drives, this latest Grand Banks tops out at 31 knots, cruises at 26 knots, and has a range of about 1,000 nm at 10 knots. The new 54 has the same high-tech hull as the popular Grand Banks…

New True North 34OE: Outboard Performance, Down East Lines

By Peter Janssen on March 8, 2020 Boat Reviews

The first True North 34 Outboard Express under the ownership of Catalina Yachts just made its debut at the Miami boat show, and it had a new hydraulic Porta Bracket to lift its 300-hp outboards up vertically on the transom. The idea is to let captains adjust the outboards for running in shallow water, and to lift the lower units completely out of the water when they’re not running, to help eliminate growth and corrosion. Catalina bought True North from US Watercraft in Rhode Island more than a year ago and moved the molds for the 34 and a 38…

New, Open, Bavaria SR41: Built for Fun

By Peter Janssen on March 4, 2020 Boat Reviews

The Bavaria SR41, just introduced at the Düsseldorf show in January, is another example of the low-profile, fairly-open weekend cruisers designed for maximum enjoyment on the water. The SR41, with two large cabins and two heads below, also has some creative touches. The cockpit, for example, does triple duty in the sociability department. In one configuration, it has as an aft-facing dinette, with a U-shaped settee just above the teak swim platform. You can rearrange this area to serve as a comfortable sun lounge, large enough for several adults. And you can rearrange it again by flipping a backrest and…

New Johnson 80: An “Entry-Level Superyacht”

By Peter Janssen on February 26, 2020 Boat Reviews

Johnson Yachts has just launched a four-stateroom, 27-knot, 80-foot cruising boat that it says is an entry-level superyacht. That’s because no two Johnson 80s will be the same. Each owner can enjoy a high level of customization in the interior, just as he or she would be able to choose on a much larger vessel. The new Johnson 80 is designed by Bill Dixon, of Dixon Yacht Design in Southampton, England, one of the world’s leading yacht designers. The interior is by Karen Lynn Interior Design of Fort Lauderdale. “The Johnson 80 combines our proven engineering with fashionable comforts of…

Canadian Electric Boat Company Launches New 29 Phoenix

By Peter Janssen on February 25, 2020 Boat Reviews

The rapidly growing world of electric-powered boats got a boost when the Canadian Electric Boat Company introduced its new 290 Phoenix at the recent Miami boat show. Built in Boisbriand, just north of Montreal, the 29 is the largest of the company’s fleet of all-electric boats. At open boat, the Phoenix can seat ten passengers, and it’s powered by twin Torqeedo Deep Blue 50R outboards. Each motor, Torqueedo’s most powerful, has the power equivalent of an 80-hp gas outboard. Electricity is supplied by 40kWh BMW i3 lithium batteries. Each battery has a nine-year warranty. Even after 3,000 charging cycles, it…

Fontaine Designs New Surfari 50 Rigid Hull Hybrid RIB

By Peter Janssen on February 19, 2020 Boat Reviews

Here’s a creative new boat that’s bound to turn some heads when it’s launched: The Surfari 50 Rigid Hull Hybrid Inflatable from the Friendship Yacht Company in Middletown, Rhode Island, an all-around coastal cruiser with an attitude. Ted Fontaine, president of the Fontaine Design Group and Friendship, designed the boat for a client who had a Protector 41 but wanted a larger boat that would carry him to his favorite beaches and surfing spots on Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard, and the eastern end of Long Island. He wanted a high-quality, aesthetically pleasing, multi-purpose exploration boat that he also could use…

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