Boat Reviews

On Watch

By Peter Janssen on November 15, 2018 Boat Reviews, On Watch with Peter Janssen

Beneteau Launches New Swift Trawler 47, Plans Major Expansion in U.S. By Peter A. Janssen Beneteau just launched its new Swift Trawler 47, a three-cabin, 25-knot, user-friendly family cruiser at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, where the French company also announced a major expansion in the U.S. market. It plans to build more outboard-powered pocket cruisers, as well as more of its Jeanneau cruisers, in its Michigan factory. But it was the new Swift Trawler that caught my eye, particularly since I had spent a week on board a Swift Trawler 34 a few years ago as part of…

Silent Yachts Introduces New 79-foot, Solar-Powered, Long-Range Catamaran

By Peter Janssen on November 14, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Silent Yachts is building its new ocean-going Silent 79 solar-powered catamaran, a long-range cruiser with unlimited range at 6 or 7 knots and a top speed of 20 knots. The luxurious cat with a minimalist design is Silent’s largest solar yacht yet, and is designed after the Silent 55, which made its debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival this past September. An Austrian company, Silent is building its first three 79s at an Italian yard in Marotta, near the major shipbuilding town of Ancona on the Adriatic. The first is scheduled to be launched in 2020. The standard Silent 79…

New German Frers-Designed Sirena 58 Makes U.S. Debut: A 25-Knot Comfortable Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on November 12, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Sirena just introduced its first 58 designed for the U.S. market at the recent Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, a German Frers-designed semi-displacement cruiser built for performance and easy living. The interior, by Tommaso Spadolini, is filled with natural light from large windows; the main deck is on one level to make moving around easy. Explaining the appeal of the Turkish-built yacht, Constantinos Constantinou, the head of Sirena’s North American operations, said, “We’ve seen that the priorities of U.S. yacht owners have changed in recent years. Build quality is considered a given, but yacht owners are now putting much more…

New Horizon 65 Power Cat: A Blend of Luxury, Space and Performance

By Peter Janssen on November 7, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

I thought I’d take a quick tour of the new Horizon 65 Power Catamaran during the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, where it was just launched. Then I realized there’s no such thing as a quick tour of this boat. It’s huge. It’s luxurious. It has beautiful woodwork – as in the curved railing on the stairs from the salon to the skylounge; it’s like a work of art. You don’t just glance at it and look away. You want to get up close and personal. I forgot about the quick tour and settled in to enjoy this new cat,…

Zeelander Building New Z72, a 40-knot Dutch Cruiser with a Down-East Touch

By Peter Janssen on November 6, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Zeelander, the Dutch company that builds boats reminiscent of the classic 1930’s commuter yachts on Long Island Sound, is working on a new 72 flagship that will be launched early next year. Leonardo van den Berg, Zeelander’s commercial director, says the new 72 carries “a sportier look” than the company’s existing 55- and 44-foot models. The bow is a bit more prominent than in previous boats, but the new 72 carries the company’s signature low profile, long sheerline, reverse transom and suggestive tumblehome that have marked the earlier models. Zeelanders have always looked a bit more Down East than Dutch.…

New Grand Banks 52: A Long-Range, Smooth-Running, High-Tech Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on November 5, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Grand Banks just announced that they are building a new 52, a long-range cruiser with a high-tech, slippery, 30-knot hull that will be launched at the Newport, Rhode Island, boat show next September. The GB 52 will be the latest in the newly reinvigorated Grand Banks lineup, coming after the Grand Banks 60 and Grand Banks 60 Skylounge. Mark Richards, the company’s president and CEO, made the announcement at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. “The 52 will combine weight reduction, strength and a low vertical center of gravity,” he said. “Of course, efficiency doesn’t matter without comfort, so we…

Huckins Starts New 38 Sportsman with Either Outboard or Hybrid Diesel-Electric Power

By Peter Janssen on October 27, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Huckins is starting work on its 38 Sportsman, and the 90-year-old company is offering its retro-styled cruiser with either outboard power or hybrid diesel-electric power, showing that it can still blend traditional styling with the most modern engines and technology. Whatever the power, the new 38 will have Huckins’ iconic Quadraconic hull that founder Frank Pembroke Huckins introduced generations ago. Huckins Yacht in Jacksonville, Florida, is now run by Huckins’ granddaughter, Cindy Purcell, and she is staying true to the company’s heritage. The 38 has Huckins’ traditional art deco styling, but the company wants to offer buyers either the increasingly…

Stephens Waring Designs New Custom Composite 57-Foot Cruiser for C.W. Hood

By Peter Janssen on October 27, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Here’s a first look at a new custom composite 57-foot Down East cruiser that Stephens Waring Yacht Design of Belfast, Maine, worked on for C. W. Hood Yachts of Marblehead, Massachusetts. Construction of major components is starting at Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding in Thomaston, Maine, and will be finished at the Hood yard. “The client originally came to us with a 26-foot repower and refit project,” says Chris Hood, the founder of C.W. Hood Yachts. “Inspired by the style and performance of our earlier designs, the conversation turned to a larger custom yacht. With a few guidelines and a fair amount of…

Outer Reef Starts New 550 Atlas Series Motoryacht, a Strong and Comfortable Long-Range Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on October 27, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Outer Reef has just announced a new line, the 550 Atlas Series Motoryacht, designed for long-range or coastal cruising with a pilothouse, Portuguese bridge and everything you’d need for a safe and comfortable long weekend or month or so on board. The company says it named the series after the Greek god who personified strength and endurance. Powered by twin 500-hp John Deere diesels, the new 550 Atlas is expected to cruise economically in the 10-knot range, and top out in the 17-knot range. The hull is made of hand-laid fiberglass with PVC core sandwich construction above the waterline and…

New 65-foot Elling E6: A Super-Safe, Long-Range Cruiser from the Netherlands

By Peter Janssen on October 21, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Elling Yachts in the Netherlands is introducing its 65-foot Elling E6, a solid, safe, long-range cruiser to North America at the Fort Lauderdale show, and comes with some fairly unique features, including its ability to right itself in a capsize and its second get-home engine in the event of a catastrophic failure to the main. Ellings are built by Neptune Marine, which has 40 years of experience, and are designed and engineered to be the safest cruisers in the world. With a range of 3,500 nm, the new E6 could cross the Atlantic, explore the fjords of Norway, or complete…

Browsing: Boat Reviews