Cruising Life

Big Changes at Kadey-Krogen, Summit Yachts

By Peter Janssen on April 14, 2021 Cruising Life

Some big changes are coming at the legendary Kadey-Krogen Yachts and Summit Yachts, its new brand. From its headquarters in Stuart, Florida, Kadey-Krogen just announced that it has secured equity capital to grow from an investor, and the company says the new infusion will fund a multi-year innovation and strategic plan that will be launched in August; the plan will include details about new models. Just two years ago, Kadey-Krogen introduced Summit Yachts, designed to appeal to younger owners, or those who just wanted to go faster than the 8-knot trawler speed of the full-displacement Kadey-Krogens. The Summit 54 (pictured…

Man Rescued from Runaway Dinghy. See Video

By co_admin on April 14, 2021 Cruising Life

Here’s a great story and video from Yahoo News about a man who was had been thrown from his dinghy in Miami; his “runaway” dinghy then ran in circles until the Coast Guard and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue got it under control. Click the link below to see the video: US Coast Guard officials in Miami, Florida, say the operator of a boat that spun out of control near Fisherman’s Channel on Monday, April 12, was lucky he only sustained minor injuries. Footage released by the Coast Guard shows crews from Coast Guard Station Miami Beach and the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue…

Garmin OnDeck: Stay Connected to Your Boat

By Peter Janssen on April 13, 2021 Cruising Life, Electronics

Garmin has launched a new remote OnDeck system that keeps you connected to your boat, no matter where you are. OnDeck lets you track, monitor and control (via up to five switches) what’s happening to your boat. “OnDeck is a comprehensive vessel monitoring and management tool designed to deliver important information about your boat directly to your fingertips, so you’ll always know that it’s safe, secure and ready for your next adventure,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin VP of global consumer sales. Is your bilge pump running, and running and running? You’d certainly want to know. Has your boat moved, and…

5 Tips for Earth Day from BoatUS

By co_admin on April 13, 2021 Cruising Life

Here’s some solid advice from BoatUS about how to observe Earth Day, April 22. Although a lot of these tips deal with smaller boats, the principles are the same, no matter how big, or how small, your personal vessel may be. The basic idea is that the Earth, and all the water on it, belong to us all. Read on: ANNAPOLIS, Md., April 13, 2021 – Back in 1970 on the first Earth Day, going out boating often meant tolerating polluted waterways. We’ve come a long way since then. Largely gone are the foul-smelling air and unswimmable waters, remnants of…

Yanmar Tests Its First Hydrogen-Powered Boat

By Peter Janssen on April 12, 2021 Cruising Life, Engine Room

Yanmar just completed the first sea trial of its new hydrogen-powered boat, developed with Toyota, off the coast of Oita in Southern Japan. Yanmar says the 40-foot boat is the first to comply with Japan’s safety guidelines for hydrogen fuel-cell vessels. The boat used a marine hydrogen fuel-cell system that incorporates modules from Toyota’s Mirai car, the first mass-produced hydrogen fuel-cell car in the world; these cells have been used in large trucks and Tokyo’s buses for the past five years. The Yanmar boat, weighing 7.9 tons, was driven by a 250kW powertrain using two modules of polymer electrolyte fuel cells…

Classic Huckins, Restored with IPS, Now for Sale

By Peter Janssen on April 12, 2021 Cruising Life

A first cousin to the iconic Second World War PT boats, a 1954, 45-foot Huckins Fairform Flyer, totally restored with 300-hp Volvo Penta IPS pod drives, is now for sale at Yachting Solutions in Rockport, Maine. Yachting Solutions specializes in restoring classic boats, as well as selling new ones. It completed the restoration of the Huckins, named Northern Spy, back in 2012. The boat was the first existing boat to have a factory-authorized repower with IPS drives. The original Huckins, made in the same yard in Jacksonville, Florida, that produced scores of PT boats just a decade earlier, was powered…

New Forecast: More Hurricanes This Season

By Peter Janssen on April 12, 2021 Cruising Life

You’ll have to watch the weather even more closely if you’re cruising on the Atlantic coast later this year. The Atlantic hurricane season will be worse than usual. At least that’s the prediction from the Colorado State University Tropical Meteorology Project, which is considered an expert on these things. The project predicts 17 named storms, eight hurricanes and four major hurricanes (with winds more than 115 mph) this year. All those are above the 30-year average. “We anticipate that the 2021 Atlantic basic hurricane season will have above-normal activity,” said Dr. Phil Klotzbach, the head of the project. The official…

New Alva 90 Flagship: All-Electric Power Cat

By Peter Janssen on April 11, 2021 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Alva Yachts, the fairly new German builder, is making a 90-foot flagship all-electric power cat that has trans-Atlantic range and a cruising speed of 8 to 10 knots. The entire surface of the new Alva 90 is covered with solar body panels; the solar modules have been adapted to the shape of the yacht. They produce 40 kWp; the battery capacity is 240 kWh. The luxurious cat is powered by two 500kW electric drive motors and two 100 kVA generators. A hydrogen fuel cell and storage tank are an option. The yacht also comes in a hybrid diesel-electric option, with…

Tesla Unveils Self-Sustaining Electric Yacht

By Peter Janssen on April 7, 2021 Cruising Life

Tesla just unveiled the design for its self-sustaining, all-electric Model Y yacht, and it represents just about everything you’d expect from the extremely creative and game-changing company. After all, Tesla has already made head-turning inroads in the automotive market and in outer space, so it seems reasonable that it might venture into the marine sphere with something new as well. (See the video below.) Elon Musk started making Tesla electric cars in 2008. This week, Tesla’s market cap is $663.85 billion, equal to that of the nine largest car companies in the world – combined. He founded SpaceX in 2002;…

Torqeedo Making New 2-hp Electric Outboard

By Peter Janssen on April 6, 2021 Cruising Life, Engine Room

Torqeedo is now making a 2-hp electric motor designed to power dinks and tenders and some types of small sailboats and light fishing boats. The new Torqeedo, called the Travel 603, weighs only 34 pounds, including its 500Wh lithium-ion battery, and it costs just $1,999.99. The new outboard is the lightest in Torqeedo’s Travel line, but it has the standard outboard configuration with a tiller and throttle. “Our goal in introducing the Travel 603 is to make it easier for boaters to discover the unique benefits of clean, green propulsion for smaller craft,” said Dr. Ralf Plieninger, the company’s managing…

Browsing: Cruising Life