Cruising Life

Polish Builder Cobra to Introduce New Campione 41 at BOOT

By George Day on January 9, 2025 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

It should be no surprise that Poland has become a leading yacht builder. It was at the Gdansk Shipyard in 1980 that shipbuilder Lech Walesa founded the Solidarity Union, which led the way a decade later to independence from the dying Soviet Union. Today, more than a dozen Polish yacht yards build hundreds of new boats ever year, many for brands based in Scandinavia and Europe. But one of its home-grown brands, Cobra Yachts, has an expanding reputation for delivering interesting family cruising boats from 37 to 48 feet, that combine modern Italian-yacht design with the great value to be…

Eight Bells for Azimut-Benetti Chairman Paolo Vitelli

By George Day on January 9, 2025 Cruising Life

Paolo Vitelli, Chairman of the Italian yacht building firm Azimut-Benetti passed away on December 31 after an accident in his home. He was 77. Azimut-Benetti reigns as one of the luxury yacht market’s leaders and remains one of the most innovative. And, Vitelli remained until his death a towering figure in yacht building. The Azimut-Benetti Group is regarded as the world’s leading mega-yacht builder, a position it has held for the last 24 years. The company is run by Vitelli’s daughter Giovanna Vitelli who joined her father in 2000 and ascended to the chairmanship in 2023. Over the last four…

Absolute Comes Out with New Navetta 53 Family Cruiser

By George Day on January 9, 2025 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The Italian builder Absolute offers three models, the Navetta line, the Flybridge line and the Coupe line and while all are successful and interesting, the Navetta designs are the ones getting the most attention recently. This year Absolute is launching two new Navetta models at BOOT Dusseldorf next week, the 53 and 64, and both show numerous tweaks and improvements to the otherwise established design theme of the past. We’ll look at the 53 here and then come back to the 64 down the road. The 53 has an expanded foredeck lounging area and higher bulwarks, with an attractive cut…

Is 2025 the Year Electric Powerboats Go Mainstream?

By George Day on January 9, 2025 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life, On Watch with Peter Janssen, On Watch With Peter Janssen

Last fall, when the successful Finnish builder Axopar celebrated its 10th Anniversary at the Cannes boat show, it did so by introducing two new electric-powered runabouts. This is no small statement for a company that made its bones building incredibly fast and muscular outboard boats with an attitude. Now, they’re building boats that purr. The electronic wave is definitely upon us. Battery technology and thus range improves every year to the point that new brand Sialia boasts their new day-cruiser can run at 25 knots for up to 70 miles. That was unthinkable five years ago. Advanced batteries in combination…

Zipwake Dynamic Trim Tabs Dampen Pitch and Roll

By George Day on December 20, 2024 Advertise, Annapolis Boat Show, Cruising Life, Electronics, Ft Lauderdale Boat Show, Miami Boat Show, Newport Boat Show, Palm Beach Boat Show

Most of the modern fast cruisers that run at planing speeds have trim tabs that are adjusted manually to level the boat off and make it run more comfortably and efficiently. Adjusting trim tabs takes practice and skill and affects trim slowly, not dynamically. Swedish inventor Niclas Olofsson, who has a PhD in hydrodynamics had a better idea. In 1994, while on a business trip to Fremantle, Australia, the boat builder he was calling on had a problem. The Chinese company that had ordered several small fast ferry boats had rejected the products because the ferries could not reach the…

A Pure Passagemaker, the Hardy 50DS Is Expedition Ready

By George Day on December 19, 2024 Advertise, Annapolis Boat Show, Boat Reviews, Cruising Life, Ft Lauderdale Boat Show, Miami Boat Show, Newport Boat Show, On Watch With Peter Janssen, Palm Beach Boat Show

The British-built Hardy 50DS is a businesslike offshore cruiser that is built to take on anything the ocean throws at it. The Hardy brand has long been associated with seakindly expedition yachts that have a good turn of speed and a huge range. But the yachts were more workboat than yacht finished. In 2020, the Hardy brand and assets were acquired by Cockwells in Falmouth, England. This builder of fine bespoke motor yachts and super-yacht tenders is known for the extremely high quality of their finish work. The marriage between Hardy and Cockwells has resulted in expedition yachts that a…

Introducing the Innovative, New Makai 37 Power Cat

By George Day on December 19, 2024 Advertise, Annapolis Boat Show, Cruising Life, Ft Lauderdale Boat Show, Maintenance, Miami Boat Show, Newport Boat Show, On Watch With Peter Janssen, On Watch with Peter Janssen, Palm Beach Boat Show, Video of the Week

Power cats are intriguing for many reasons. They offer excellent stability, fine bow entries for a smooth ride, plenty of living space for a given length and high average cruising speeds with efficient fuel consumption. If that sound like a winning formula, the designers behind the new Makai 37, the ERYD Design Group, heard you. The 37, designed in Italy and built in Croatia, has the look of a modern sports car and the handling of a thoroughbred performance cruiser with all the benefits of catamaran design. The hulls developed for the 37 have what the designers call the Air-Glide…

Aquador Celebrates 30 Years, Introduces New 400HT

By George Day on December 12, 2024 Advertise, Annapolis Boat Show, Boat Reviews, Cruising Life, Ft Lauderdale Boat Show, Miami Boat Show, Newport Boat Show, Palm Beach Boat Show

Finland has become a prolific builder of sport boats and express cruisers. You may have heard of Saxdor and Axopar, which have made a splash in the US as well as around the world. But you may not have head of Aquador, even though it has been building Scandinavian-style express cruisers for 30 years. To celebrate this milestone, the team at Aquador are launching an all-new 40-foot 400HT at BOOT Dusseldorf in January. The 400HT is the largest boat Aquador has ever built and is a proper family cruiser with three double cabins, a large head and plenty of storage…

Sialia 45 Wins Prestigious Award for All-Electric Boats

By George Day on December 12, 2024 Advertise, Annapolis Boat Show, Boat Reviews, Cruising Life, Ft Lauderdale Boat Show, Miami Boat Show, Newport Boat Show, Palm Beach Boat Show

The Sialia 45, introduced earlier this year, has won the Gustav Trouve award for excellence in electric boats as the top vote-getter in the over 8 meter/26-foot class. This year more than 150 electric-powered boats were entered in the contest that were voted on by 6,000 electric–boat enthusiast around the world. The International Panel of judges, comprised of 32 electric boat experts, contributed votes weighted at a ratio of 3:1 in the final tally. The Sialia 45 emerged as the top choice in its category, receiving the highest number of votes from the judges. This recognition underscores the builder’s achievement…

New Xquisite Sixty Solar an Ultimate Cruising Cat with Hybrid Propulsion

By George Day on December 12, 2024 Advertise, Annapolis Boat Show, Boat Reviews, Cruising Life, Ft Lauderdale Boat Show, Miami Boat Show, Newport Boat Show, Palm Beach Boat Show

Tamas Hamor, the inspiration and driving force behind the Xquisite multihull brand, never does anything by halves. When he commits to a project, he’s in 110% and the results have been truly impressive. The success of his unique Xquisite sailing cats is a testimony to his tenacity and inventiveness. So, it is no surprise to see the launch of the new Solar Sixty Power Cat that recently went into production. Hull number one should be in the water in 2025. The solar designation for the boat comes from the builder’s desire to make the boat as self-sufficient as possible without…

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