Boat Reviews

Revitalized Northern Marine Building New 57-Foot Pilothouse Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on August 16, 2020 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Northern Marine, the storied builder of high-end expedition yachts, is back, with a new owner, and it’s now finishing a 57 Raised Pilothouse cruiser in its yard in Anacortes, Washington. Northern Marine was started in 1995, at first building strong commercial vessels and then earning a reputation for its robust, world-circling cruising boats. It had a lineup of models from 57 to 100 feet. But then the 2008 recession hit, and a few years later the yard suffered a major blow when a new boat capsized in an accident during its launching, resulting in a video that went viral around…

Prestige Launches New 690S, 31-Knot Sports Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on August 16, 2020 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Prestige Yachts, the French luxury yacht builder, just launched its new 690S cruiser, with sporty looks, a swept-back bridge, and 31-knot Volvo IPS performance. The new 690S is a three-cabin, three-head yacht, with the appealing feature of a private staircase leading to the owner’s stateroom below. The 690S has a low, modern profile, with a raked front windshield; the bridge is situated fairly far aft. The electric sunroof and large windows all around the salon let in a lot of natural light, and long hull side windows on the accommodations deck let in even more light to the staterooms below.…

The New All-Electric Zin Z2R: The Next Tesla?

By Peter Janssen on August 12, 2020 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Is Zin going to be the Tesla of the water? Or, if you’re an early-adapter, will an all-electric runabout from a startup company in Seattle be your next boat? Zin Boats has launched its first vessel, the Z2R, a carbon-fiber 20-footer with head-snapping acceleration but no carbon footprint, fumes, noise or vibration. Piotr Zin, the company’s founder, says it’s perfect as a tender, a second boat, or a picnic boat that you can run up on a beach. Zin himself worked as an industrial designer at BMW and GM before he settled down and moved aboard a houseboat on Seattle’s…

New Dinghy Lift for Outboard-Powered Ranger 27, Cutwater 32

By Peter Janssen on August 11, 2020 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats have just come up with another good idea – a patent-pending Dinghy Lift. The new Dinghy Lift solves a problem that many people have when cruising on an outboard-powered boat: Where to put the dink? The new Dinghy Lift, created by the engineers at Fluid Motion, the parent company for Ranger and Cutwater, so far is in production and available on Ranger 27s, powered by a single 300-hp Yamaha outboard, and on Cutwater 32s, powered by two 300-Yamaha outboards. You can see it in action in the video below. The Dinghy Lift is made from…

Vicem Launching Elegant New 50 Classic Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on August 5, 2020 Boat Reviews

Vicem, the Turkish builder of upscale Downeast-style cruising boats, is making a new 50 Classic that’s scheduled to reach the U.S. in October. Vicem is known as a leading builder of cold-molded wooden yachts, but the new 50, a larger version of the company’s popular 46, will have a fiberglass hull and superstructure and a high-quality wood interior. Vicem is making the new 50 Classic out of fiberglass for faster delivery and for easier maintenance. Overall, the boat is a combination of ageless style, contemporary performance, and old-world craftsmanship. Hull number one will have a single-stateroom layout, suitable for a…

Azimut’s New Magellano 25 Metri: Luxurious Long-Range Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on August 4, 2020 Boat Reviews

Azimut just completed its new Magellano 25 Metri luxury long-range cruiser, an 82-footer with a 25-knot top speed and lots of high-tech touches. The latest Magellano makes extensive use of carbon fiber, it has an active air-sanitizing system based on a NASA patent, and it offers a Hotel Mode option for silent, zero-emissions power while at anchor. And that’s before you get to what the Italian builder calls “artistic fiberglass” in the hull, and brushed Verde Alpi marble, dark walnut wood, polished brass, lacquered wood and ribbed wood in the interior. If you’re looking for a no-frills, bare-bones cruising boat,…

New Entry-Level Ferretti 500: Just Like Home

By Peter Janssen on July 28, 2020 Boat Reviews

Ferretti is making its new entry-level 500, the first in a complete redesign of Ferretti Yachts, and it’s scheduled to debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival starting Sept. 8. The new 500 is the start of a new era the company says, adding “a domestic dimension” to life on board a traditional cruising yacht. The idea is to make living on board feel just like living at home – that is, if you’re living in luxurious home with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and extra social areas upstairs, downstairs, on the front porch and out back. Not to mention the swimming…

New Protector 410: Redesigned Inside and Out

By Peter Janssen on July 27, 2020 Boat Reviews

Protector has launched its new and improved 410 Targa flagship, with a fresh hull design for better performance and a new cabin for more creature comforts. With three 450-hp outboards, the new super-strong RIB tops out at about 70 mph, while maintaining Protector’s reputation for superb rough-water performance. For the new 410, the New Zealand company has widened the hull by 14 inches, using a winged flare to increase the interior space and improve the walk-through area. It extended the deep-V hull all the way aft for cutting through the rough stuff; it has an 18-degree deadrise at the transom.…

Mazu Launches New High-Tech 82 Flagship

By Peter Janssen on July 26, 2020 Boat Reviews

Mazu, the high-end Turkish builder, just launched its new low-profile 82 flagship with aggressive styling, a “bulletproof” windshield and a custom terrace out back. Powered by three 1,000-hp Volvo IPS1350 diesels and pod drives, the new 82 tops out at 40 knots. At its cruising speed of 33 knots, the 82 has a range of 400 nm. The new Mazu is nothing if not high tech. The hull is made from a light, carbon composite sandwich. The windshield is tempered and laminated. Custom glass windows surround the salon, providing almost 360-degree visibility; they also are cut into the hull sides…

Tiara Building New 43 LE, First in Luxury Express Series

By Peter Janssen on July 22, 2020 Boat Reviews

Tiara is building a new 43 LE, the first model in its Luxury Express series, with sports styling, upscale touches, and outboard power. The 43 LE is scheduled to be launched later this summer. The new boat has an innovative seating arrangement up top, and two staterooms and one head with shower below. The master stateroom is forward with an island queen berth, and the guest cabin is amidships with a double berth. The 43 LE is a sistership to the popular 43 LS that was launched at the Fort Lauderdale show in 2017 with a first-of-its-kind 360-degree rotating seating…

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