Cruising Life

New Dyna 63 Displayed at Palm Beach

By Peter Janssen on March 30, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Dyna Yachts just displayed its new 63 motoryacht at the Palm Beach show last week. Made in Taiwan, Dynas are popular in Europe and are starting to make inroads in the U.S. The Dyna 63 is a three-stateroom, two-head cruiser that also has a two-berth crew cabin aft, accessible via doors in the transom, with its own head, fridge and microwave. If you don’t have crew, I think a lot of teenagers or an extra guest would be very happy back there. The new Dyna is powered by twin 1,000-hp CATs, reaching a top speed of 26 knots. At its…

New Protector Targa 380 with 1,800-hp Outboards

By Peter Janssen on March 29, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Protector just launched the latest version of its popular Targa 380, offering a bit more room and considerably more power to the tough-as-nails recreational RIB. The New Zealand builder says that the new Protector is the ultimate high-performance RIB, designed for “tough luxury” in any sea conditions. The performance certainly will be enhanced by the new Targa’s power capability; it can be driven by two or three outboards, up to a total of 1,800-hp. Many new owners certainly will opt for three 600-hp V12 outboards, boosting the top speed to more than 50 knots. Over the years, Protectors have become…

ALVA Making Ocean-Crossing Solar Cat

By Peter Janssen on March 28, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

ALVA Yachts, the fairly new German builder, just introduced its new 78-foot solar/electric cat with transatlantic range. The new ALVA is called the Ocean Eco 78, and it’s a luxury cat with a wide stance; indeed, the beam is a full 39’ 3”, or half the boat’s length, providing a lot of space throughout the yacht. For more, a bulwark “terrace” folds out of each side of the main deck. The solar/electric power starts with an array of solar cells on the rooftop that provide up to 26kWp (Kilowatt peak), feeding a battery bank that holds up to 490kWh. All…

NFT Breakthrough at Palm Beach Show

By Peter Janssen on March 28, 2023 Cruising Life

Cloud Yachts of Miami says it made a breakthrough of sorts when it launched what it says is the world’s first “tokenized super yacht” at the Palm Beach show last week. What that means is that you can buy an NFT token for a cruise on Cloud’s 2003 Sunseeker 94 that’s docked near the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach. The token costs $500 in real money. Cloud also has the Sunseeker, named So What Who Cares, for sale for $1.9 million. It has a beam of 21’ 5”, a draft of 5’ 5″, and it’s powered by twin 1,801-hp MTUs.…

How To Run An Inlet

By co_admin on March 27, 2023 Cruising Life

This is Boating 101, but it never hurts to have a refresher. Here’s some good basic advice about how to run an inlet from America’s Boating Club: Navigating an inlet can be tricky and dangerous, so you should know how to safely run an inlet before you encounter one. Prepare for the approach. Before you make an approach, study the wind and tide, and eyeball the chart. Go out to the sea buoy before shooting the inlet. The buoys’ locations were calculated to assist a direct approach. Call the pros. If there’s a U.S. Coast Guard unit or commercial tower…

Fountaine Pajot 67: Trans-Atlantic Power Cat

By Peter Janssen on March 27, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Everything about the new Fountaine Pajot Power 67 is impressive – its size, its elegance, and its performance. This latest power cat from the longtime French builder has a beam of more than 32 feet, adding sheer volume to the interior and exterior of the boat (the full-beam foredeck, for example, is simply vast, and is large enough for an optional Jacuzzi). At the other end of the boat, the teak swim platform and lounging areas aft just don’t seem to end. The lines on the new 67, the flagship of the Fountaine Pajot fleet, are modern and elegant, announcing…

JetCar: 56-Knot Combo PWC and Corvette

By Peter Janssen on March 27, 2023 Cruising Life

If you’re looking for a different experience on the water, see the new JetCar, an off-the-wall combination of a PWC and a Corvette C8. The 15-foot vessel is not legal on land, but the Florida-based manufacturer says it’s approved by the U.S. Coast Guard for the water. JetCar USA offers a variety of power options, starting with a 4-cylinder, 4-stroke Yamaha Marine engine. Other options include both Yamahas and Sea-Doo engines, up to supercharged 300-hp models. The price ranges from $25,000 for the bare hull, where you can install your own engine, up to about $55,000 for the big supercharged…

Stephens Waring Designs 40-foot SUV

By Peter Janssen on March 27, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Stephens Waring, the classic yacht design firm in Belfast, Maine, just announced plans for Paradigm, a 40-foot sport utility vessel that they say is meant for modern living on the water. The new boat, appropriate for two couples or a family, features an almost plumb bow, a raised foredeck, and an open SUV-type platform aft for easy access to watersports or a dinghy. It has a modified-V hull laid up with cored composite construction and laminate technology. Standard power comes from a single 370-hp Yanmar diesel, with a fuel-efficient top speed of 20 knots. Twin diesels could boost that to…

New Jet Shark: Fun On and Under the Water

By Peter Janssen on March 21, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

If you’re looking for something new and want to ramp up your fun factor, take a look at the Jet Shark, a 20-foot prototype that can hit 45 mph on the surface and dive 5 feet under the water. The Jet Shark is the brainchild of Rob Innes, who’s been working with semi-submersibles for the past decade, or more. He previously designed the Seabreacher, which was smaller and slower. Jet Sharks are being built in Redding, California. The Jet Shark prototype holds four passengers; the production version will have six. It’s powered by a 420-hp Kodiak Marine engine, which is…

Ray Hunt Designs Alaska Pilot Boat

By Peter Janssen on March 21, 2023 Cruising Life

There’s been a lot of interest in expedition yachts lately, go-anywhere, anytime vessels of all sizes and shapes, ready to tackle rough waters all around the world. That’s all well and good. We all need dreams, and sometimes they come true. But here’s the real thing. Take a good look at the Emerald Island, an aluminum pilot boat designed by Ray Hunt Design of New Bedford, Massachusetts. It runs up and down Prince William Sound, all year, in any kind of weather, delivering pilots to tankers serving Valdez, Alaska. At 75 feet, the Emerald Island is large enough to deal…

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