Boat Reviews

Beneteau Swift Trawler 41: A 24-knot Family Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on September 9, 2020 Boat Reviews

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…

New Cape50: The Result of One Man’s Passion

By Peter Janssen on September 8, 2020 Boat Reviews

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 Launches New 35 Full-Cabin Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on September 6, 2020 Boat Reviews

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…

New Lazzara LSX 85: Extra Space Everywhere

By Peter Janssen on September 1, 2020 Boat Reviews

You’ve got to admit that the new Lazzara LSX 85 makes a creative use of space. It’s a big yacht to begin with – 84’ 6” LOA – but then the bulwarks fold out of the aft deck, the transom folds down into a beach club, a side door drops down from the galley for a private dining area, and gull wings (think Mercedes 300 SL) open out of the salon. Then there’s the performance. Lazzara has put three 1,000-hp Volvo IPS1350 pod drives in the new sport cruiser, giving it a top speed of 40 knots, not bad for…

Hylas Launches New 31-Knot, 49-Foot Power Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on August 31, 2020 Boat Reviews

Hylas Yachts has just launched its new M49, a two-cabin, two-head cruiser with a low profile, a seakindly hull, and a 31-knot top speed. The company said it built the 49 as the request of owners of its 44 who wanted a larger boat. The third cruiser in the Hylas power fleet is a 58. Hylas has a worldwide reputation for building high-quality sailing yachts. It turned to Dan Salthouse, the New Zealand designer, to build the new 49 power yacht based on his successful design of the 44. Hylas boats are built by Queen Long in Taiwan. The 49…

Beneteau Launches New Outboard-Powered Gran Turismo 36

By Peter Janssen on August 26, 2020 Boat Reviews

The latest express cruiser from Beneteau, the Gran Turismo 36 with twin outboards is designed for the U.S. market, and it combines French style with easy living and outboard performance. Built in response to the growing demand for outboard-powered cruising boats, the new Beneteau offers 35-knot performance with sporty looks and lots of social and entertaining spaces in a two-cabin boat. It has enough room on board for a family or two couples on a cruise, while there’s enough entertaining space for seven people just in the cockpit The foredeck, with two large sun lounges with backrests, offers another social…

New 59-foot Evo: Push a Button for More Room

By Peter Janssen on August 26, 2020 Boat Reviews

The new Evo R6 Open is a striking boat underway, bound to turn heads wherever it goes. But it really will get attention when it stops. (See the video below.) Push a button and the boats “XTension” bulwarks fold out to increase the deck space by 40 percent in just 30 seconds. And the aft swim platform has a Transformer platform that extends out and manages to rotate 270 degrees to help with boarding, or diving, or water sports. The 59-foot yacht, made in the Evo yard in Naples, is nothing if not versatile. It can hold 16 passengers out…

New 50-knot Platypus Swordfish with Submersible Pod

By Peter Janssen on August 24, 2020 Boat Reviews

Here’s something that you haven’t seen in, or under, your favorite cruising grounds yet: The new French-built 40-foot Platypus Swordfish, a 50-knot planing boat with a submersible pod that holds up to eight passengers. The new concept boat is a creation of Francois-Alexandre Bertrand, founder of Platypus Yachts, and L2 Concepts. It will be built at a subsidiary of L2 Concepts in Antibes, with construction scheduled to start early next year and the first hull in the water next summer. In its planing mode, the Platypus Swordfish functions as a stable trimaran with a 12-foot beam. In the submerged mode,…

New Hynova 40: First with Electric-Hydrogen Power

By Peter Janssen on August 18, 2020 Boat Reviews

The Hynova 40, which is billed as the first production electric-hydrogen powerboat, will make its debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival, starting Sept 8. Built by Hynova Yachts, a French startup, the boat can be used as a dayboat or a superyacht tender. The boat is powered by batteries and hydrogen fuel cell technology developed for the auto industry. Energy Observer Development created a hydrogen fuel cell module for boating, and it partnered with Hynova for the 40. The new boat can run on batteries or its hydrogen fuel cells. The advantages of an electric hydrogen boat are that there…

NorthCoast Boats Launches New 315HT Flagship Pocket Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on August 18, 2020 Boat Reviews

NorthCoast Boats in Bristol, Rhode Island, just launched its new flagship, the 315HT, a pocket cruiser that sleeps four, hits 55 mph with twin 300-hp Yamahas, and cuts through an offshore chop with a 23-degree deadrise at the transom. NorthCoast builds no-nonsense boats, with an emphasis on coastal and offshore functionality. Jose DaPonte, the owner of NorthCoast, a division of C&C Marine, says the new 315HT “defines the next generation of NorthCoast Boats, with more fishing and cruising performance, minus the over-the-top amenities boaters pay for but never seem to use.” The new 315 has a flared bow, high freeboard…

Browsing: Boat Reviews