Boat Reviews

Rosborough 246: Outboard-Powered Pocket Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on October 18, 2016 Boat Reviews

A true pocket cruiser, the sturdy, economical Rosborough 246 reflects its salty Nova Scotia heritage while offering user-friendly cruising for a couple or small family. It has all the amenities to make cruising comfortable, considering its small size, and it also opens up distant cruising grounds because it’s fully trailerable. Its narrow 8’6” beam eliminates the need for special permits. Originally made as commercial fishing boats in Nova Scotia, Rosboroughs are now built in New Hampshire, and the outboard-powered 246 has been one of the company’s most popular models. The new boat has an upgraded pilothouse, with 6’6” headroom, and…

Outer Reef 580: An Elegant Long-Range Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on October 18, 2016 Boat Reviews

The new Outer Reef 580 has just about everything you need for long-range cruising or living aboard: three staterooms, two heads, a raised pilothouse, a flybridge, a Portuguese bridge, and enough teak everywhere to warm the heart of even the saltiest cruiser among us. There’s even simulated hull planking to add to the classic look. With large windows, the pilothouse provides great visibility; it also houses an L- shaped settee on a raised platform, a teak table on a stainless steel pedestal, and a Stidd helm chair. From the 580’s pilothouse, one teak stairway leads up to the flybridge, while…

North Pacific 49 Pilothouse: A Comfortable Coastal Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on October 18, 2016 Boat Reviews

For a user-friendly boat that’s easy on the outside and elegant on the inside, take a look at the North Pacific 49 Pilothouse. There’s no wood on the outside, you just hose it down, while the inside has rich teak throughout, a large pilothouse for easy navigation, and an unusual full-beam salon for comfortable living. With a semi-displacement hull, the North Pacific 49 is a rugged, solid trawler meant for safe coastal cruising or living aboard. The pilothouse on the 49 is a true pilothouse, with twin adjustable helm chairs, a settee that converts to a berth, good visibility and…

Nordic Tugs 44: Iconic Salty Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on October 18, 2016 Boat Reviews

There’s no mistaking a Nordic Tug. The iconic salty tugboat lines, even down to the faux smokestack, have identified the brand ever since the first one, a 26-footer, was introduced at the Seattle boat show in 1980. The new Nordic Tugs 44, which replaces the popular 42, has all the personality, performance and solid sea-keep abilities of its predecessors. Nordic Tugs are built in Burlington, Washington, for serious cruisers, people who will go up the Inside Passage to Alaska or from Maine to Miami and the Bahamas as a matter of course. The 44 has a two-stateroom, two head layout…

Nordhavn 63: Proven World-Wide Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on October 18, 2016 Boat Reviews

If you want to go around the world, take a look at the new Nordhavn 63 – or just about any other Nordhavn, for that matter. Nordhavns have been proven blue-water performers ever since a Nordhavn 40 went around the world in 2002, and the Nordhavn Atlantic Rally two years later when 18 boats cruised from Fort Lauderdale to Gibraltar. The 63 is built to the same standards. What’s striking about the new 63 is the pilothouse, situated pretty far aft for protection during world-wide voyages. It has an L-shaped settee so guests can enjoy the view, and a full…

Moorings 433PC: Newest Mid-Sized Charter Cat

By Peter Janssen on October 18, 2016 Boat Reviews

The newest power cat from the worldwide charter giant, The Moorings 433PC, with three staterooms and two heads, is designed as a mid-sized cruising boat for families or groups of up to eight guests. A well-mannered cat built by Robertson & Caine in South Africa (and also sold under the Leopard brand), The Moorings 433PC offers a comfortable, safe, relaxed cruising vacation with more than enough room, inside and out, for everyone onboard. The large, air-conditioned salon has windows for visibility all around, a galley forward, a convertible settee that can sleep two, and big glass doors that open to…

Leader 46: A New Flagship from Jeanneau

By Peter Janssen on October 18, 2016 Boat Reviews

The flagship of the Leader fleet, the new 46 has lots of innovative touches, French lines, and Volvo performance (either with sterndrives or IPS), which all combine to make it an appealing contemporary cruiser. No wonder the Leader 46 by Jeanneau has been nominated for the European Boat of the Year award. When I was on the boat, I particularly liked the cockpit galley with the grill opening aft; you stand on the wide teak swim platform, facing your guests, and fire up the barbeque. (There’s also a traditional galley below.) Another appealing touch: The forward-facing mate’s bench seat to…

Horizon Power Cat 52: Easy Living and Long-Range Cruising

By Peter Janssen on October 18, 2016 Boat Reviews

With its wide beam, low draft, long range and room for most of your family and a lot of your friends, the new Horizon Power Cat 52 is designed for both long-distance cruising and easy living and entertaining on board. One of the major advantages of a cat, of course, is the amount of space that can be packed between the hulls, and in the Horizon 52 that is put to good use. The salon with galley is simply huge and bright, with two large sofas and 360-degree views all around, plus an extra office area for a desk and…

Fleming 55: An Updated Classic Cruising Boat

By Peter Janssen on October 18, 2016 Boat Reviews

The quintessential serious cruising boat, the Fleming 55 has become a classic since it was first launched in 1986. Some 235 Fleming 55s have been built since then, reflecting hundreds of refinements and tweaks to reflect changing technologies and lessons learned on the water. Most of these refinements, of course, come from Tony Fleming himself, the founder of the company who cruises around the world on his Fleming 65 Venture, which he uses as a test bed to make sure the boats are constantly updated. A pilothouse motoryacht, the Fleming 55 has three staterooms and two heads, a large, 130-square-feet…

Endeavour TrawlerCat 42: Tons of Space and Outboard Power

By Peter Janssen on October 18, 2016 Boat Reviews

Many smaller cruising boats, monohulls and cats, are moving to outboard power, and the Endeavour TrawlerCat 42 is a larger example of that trend. Using the same hull and layout as the Endeavour 40, the new 42 is powered by twin 300-hp Suzuki outboards that produce a top speed of 21.3 mph, while making the boat even more user-friendly in skinny water spots of the Chesapeake and the Bahamas with its 3-foot draft. You could even trim the outboards up if you need to. The appeal of the new Endeavour, in addition to its outboard power, is the tremendous amount…

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