Boat Reviews

New Low, Fast, Pretty, 63-foot Lynx Commuter from Zurn Yacht Design

By Peter Janssen on July 10, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Doug Zurn has done it again: Another pretty boat, from Zurn Yacht Design. The new 63-foot Lynx Commuter has most of Zurn’s traditional design elements, many dating back to the Shelter Island 38 Runabout that was launched more than two decades ago. Hull number one of the Lynx Commuter, a modern version of the low, fast, commuter boats that carried the rich and famous from their Long Island mansions to work on Wall Street in the 1930s, was designed as a tender for a superyacht, but subsequent hulls can function as a day cruiser or weekender in their own right.…

Prestige Launches Luxurious 590, the Flagship of its Flybridge Fleet

By Peter Janssen on July 9, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Prestige, the high-end French builder, will launch its new 590, the flagship of its Flybridge line, at the Cannes Yachting Festival, starting Sept. 11, and then in the United States at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, starting Oct. 31. The low-profile Prestige 590 has fluid lines, a thoroughly modern, light-filled European interior, and a top speed of 29 knots. Started in 1989 as part of the powerhouse Beneteau Group, Prestige has been a worldwide success story. It has produced more than 4,000 boats, and says it is number two in registered powerboats from 50 to 60 feet in the…

New Beneteau Swift Trawler 47: The Fifth Model in its Popular Cruising Lineup

By Peter Janssen on July 2, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Beneteau will introduce its new Swift Trawler 47 at the Cannes Yachting Festival on Sept. 11, the fifth model in its popular Swift Trawler line. It has three staterooms, two heads, a light-filled salon and galley, a low profile even with its flybridge, and a contemporary French look that will appeal to cruisers around the world. Full disclosure: I have a soft spot for Beneteau’s Swift Trawlers. A few years ago, George Sass, Sr., the photojournalist, and I spent a week on a new Beneteau Swift Trawler 34, The Greatest Loop, cruising from the top of Lake Michigan down to St.…

Hinckley Launches New Picnic Boat 40, the Largest Yet, but with Same Iconic Lines and Appeal

By Peter Janssen on July 2, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Hinckley just launched its all-new Picnic Boat 40, the largest Picnic Boat yet, with sea trials off Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard on the weekend before the Fourth of July. With a hull designed by the highly acclaimed Michael Peters, the new Picnic Boat retains all the drop-dead iconic Down East looks and waterjet performance that have made the brand famous around the world. The new layout in the 40 offers a seamless flow from the transom to the helm, with large social areas, a wet bar, overhead protection from Sureshade and great visibility, whether you’re sitting at the helm or…

Burger Launches New Aluminum 48 Cruiser with Vripack Hull and Volvo IPS Performance

By Peter Janssen on June 25, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The Burger Boat Company, one of the most historic names in American boating, just launched hull number one of its new aluminum Burger 48 Cruiser line with a christening ceremony that included the Mayor of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, where Burgers are built. The Mayor gave a key to the city to Cyndy Stiehl, the boat’s owner, and said the project provided work for Burger’s 85 employees. For her part, Stiehl christened the boat Blue Boat Home (the hull is a custom blue color) and said she had wanted a Burger since she first saw one as a teenager. Founded in 1863,…

New Futuristic Foiler, with Top Speed of 40 Knots, Now on Display in French Riviera

By Peter Janssen on June 19, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

In case you missed the very James-Bond-looking Foiler when it was launched in Dubai in March, you now can catch it this summer on the French Riviera, where it will be on display in Monaco and Saint Tropez until the fall boat shows. It’s hard to miss, since it rides 5 feet over the water on its carbon fiber hydrofoils, cruising at up to 40 knots. Made by Enata, based in the UAE, Foiler claims to be the first production boat hydrofoil. The boat starts to foil at 12 knots and is totally out of the water at 17 knots.…

Lexus Will Launch Entirely New 65-Foot Cruiser in U.S. Next Year

By Peter Janssen on June 17, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

We don’t have many details yet, but the new Lexus yacht – the luxury car maker’s first foray into boating – will be a 65-foot “sport flybridge cruiser,” not the 42-foot sport boat it had announced last year. The company decided that the market was limited for the smaller boat, while the 65 “will definitely sell,” Shigeki Tomoyama, the head of Toyota Marine, said at a boat show in Yokohama. The new luxurious 65 will be built by the Marquis-Larson Boat Group in Wisconsin. The rendering above is a possible prototype. The first boat will be launched in the second…

Aspen Tests New 32-foot Outboard Prototype: Top Speed of 27.5 mph, Burning 21.1 gph

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

Here’s a first look at Aspen Power Catamaran’s prototype of their first outboard-powered cruising boat, a 32-footer with a 200-hp Yamaha on the starboard side and a 25-hp Yamaha on the port side. The outboard boat is built with the same asymmetrical proa hull as all other Aspens, where the port hull is significantly thinner and lighter than the starboard hull. In all of Aspen’s diesel-powered boats to date, all the machinery – the engine, gears, shaft and prop – is on the starboard side. In its first test, in calm conditions with two people on board and 85 gallons…

Zodiac Launches New 17’7″ RIB, the “SUV of the Sea”

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

Zodiac just launched its new Open 5.5 RIB, which it calls the SUV of the sea, at a big open house in Crouesty, France. The new Open is 17’ 7” long and can hold 12 passengers; it replaces Zodiac’s popular Pro Open 550 with a more modern design, a new V-shaped hull for cruising, and a T-top to provide protection from the weather. The new Open 5.5 has a high tow bar for watersports, a Fusion stereo, a rear platform for diving, a 14-gallon cooler, a swim ladder, and stern seats with removable back rests for easy access to the…

Argos Nautic Launches New 10-foot, Semi-Custom RIB with Lots of Flair

By Peter Janssen on June 11, 2018 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Here’s a new 10-foot RIB from Argos Nautic that will make you think you’re behind the wheel of an Alfa or a Ferrari on the water. The new semi-custom Argos Nautic 305 Yachting is indeed a combination of luxury (see the Isottta steering wheel, above) and all-out-fun performance, all in a center console RIB that seats four. On the new Argos Nautic, the console is offset to starboard, with a full-beam plush seat aft and another on the bow. The RIB was drawn by Facheris Design in Bradenton, Florida, and comes with premium upholstery, a Fusion sound system, teak deck…

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