Cruising Life

10 Winners of Miami Innovation Awards

By Peter Janssen on February 19, 2023 Cruising Life

The National Marine Manufacturers Association and Boating Writers International just announced the ten winners of their annual innovation awards at the start of the Miami show. The awards are designed to recognize manufacturers and suppliers who bring new and innovative products to the recreational marine marketplace. The winners (and three honorable mentions) are: Center Console/Walkaround Fishing Boats: Viking Yachts, Valhalla Boatworks, V-55 Center Console (pictured) Honorable Mention: Boston Whaler 280 Dauntless Consumer Electronics, Mobile Applications and Software: Navico Group, Lowrance HDS PRO with Active Imaging HD and Active Target 2 Honorable Mention: Maretron WSO200 Wind and Weather Station Consumer Safety…

Hylas M49 Makes Miami Debut

By Peter Janssen on February 16, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Hylas Yachts just introduced its new M49 cruiser at the Miami show, a debut that had been delayed by the Covid pandemic. The hull of the 49 was developed from the Hylas 44, which was launched in 2018 and was well received as a rugged blue-water boat with some classic lines and a nod to Down East looks. Both the 44 and the 49 are designed by Dean Salthouse, whose family has been designing boats in New Zealand for 65 years. Hylas makes its boats at the Queen Long yard in Taiwan, and it planned to have the M49 ready…

New wallypower58 Debuts in Miami

By Peter Janssen on February 15, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The elegant, minimalist new wallypower58 is making its U.S. debut at the Miami show this week, bringing a bit of glamour from the Med to Biscayne Bay. The new 58 is marked by its clean lines and Wally’s wraparound glazing on the sweep of the windshield that envelops the salon. Although it probably will be used mostly as a day boat, it does have room to sleep four for overnights. Wally was founded in Monaco in 1994 by Luca Bassani, who launched an iconic and award-winning line of sail and power boats. Wally is the only yacht builder to win…

Illegal Charter Skipper Fined $98,364

By Peter Janssen on February 15, 2023 Cruising Life

In case you’ve ever thought about making some money on the side by chartering out your boat, here’s a cautionary tale from the Coast Guard. It helps to follow the rules: NEW ORLEANS — The Coast Guard imposed a civil penalty, Feb. 6, 2023, to a mariner found operating a charter vessel in violation of federal laws near Destin, Florida. Coast Guard Station Destin boarding team members, Sector Mobile Marine Investigators and Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office officers conducted multiple boardings of the involved pontoon vessel over the past year after receiving tips from concerned members of the public. Following an extensive investigation led by Coast Guard Sector…

New All-Electric 20-Knot Quadrofoil

By Peter Janssen on February 14, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Here’s a fun, new, all-electric foiling craft that looks something like a cross between a jet ski and a waterborne sports car. Indeed, the Quadrofoil Q2S from Slovenia can foil, or “fly,” at about 6 knots, and it can cruise for about two hours at its top speed of 20 knots. You drive it with a steering wheel that feels like an Audi, and the cockpit features high-end ergonomics inspired by the European auto industry. The Quadrofoil Q2S is driven by a 5.5kW electric motor that’s powered by two 5.2kWh lithium-ion batteries. You can charge it from a standard 110V…

New Azimut 50: Entry-Level Flybridge

By Peter Janssen on February 14, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The new Azimut 50 Fly, the entry-level yacht in the Italian builder’s flybridge series, is a family-friendly cruiser with lots of light, style and social areas inside and out. The 50 is designed for an owner-operator, with three cabins and two heads below, plus (primarily for the European market) a crew cabin with its own head under the large sun pad on the aft deck. Most U.S. buyers (the boat is sold by MarineMax here) will probably opt to use this space as a very large lazarette. Power comes from twin 670-hp Volvo diesels, with a top speed of 32…

Scout Unveils 3,000-hp 67 LX

By Peter Janssen on February 14, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Scout Boats just unveiled its new 67 LX, a long, lean, $5 million, 3,000-hp speed machine. There’s a model of the boat at Scout’s display at the Miami show; the real thing won’t be launched until the spring of 2024. The Scout 67 LX is large enough so you won’t have to leave any friends behind, and its five 600-hp Mercury V12 Verado outboards mean you’ll be able to give them an adrenaline rush underway. Top speed is projected at 52 knots, with a range of about 435 nm at 35 knots. The new Scout flagship (its largest so far…

Nordhavn Launches First New 625

By Peter Janssen on February 14, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Hull number one of the new Nordhavn 625 series was launched and successfully sea-trialed near the South Coast yard in Taiwan in December. It’s now on its way to the Nordhavn headquarters in Dana Point, California, where it will be commissioned soon and delivered to its owners, a couple from Nevada. The new 625 fits right in with the Nordhavn fleet of long-range cruisers that has only been growing in number and reputation since the company’s 40-footer cruised around the world in 2001 and 2002. Its hull is based on the Nordhavn 60, with a nod to the 55 and…

Leen 72 Crosses Atlantic: Owner’s Report

By Peter Janssen on February 8, 2023 Cruising Life

Ellee, hull number one of the new LEEN 72 trimaran series built in La Rochelle, France, just crossed the Atlantic, cruising from Portimao, Portugal, to Bermuda, via Ponta Delgada in the Azores. Here’s the owner’s report: “Our crossing took place in January, 2023, from Portimao in Portugal, where we prepared the boat, to Bermuda, before reaching soon the East Coast of the United States. “January is not the best time to sail in these latitudes. So we had to extend our route to get around some of the low pressure systems that circulate in these latitudes during this period. “We…

All-Electric Voltari 260 Cruises to Bimini

By Peter Janssen on February 8, 2023 Cruising Life

A 26-foot, carbon-fiber, all-electric boat just set a record of sorts by cruising 91 miles from Key Largo in Florida to Bimini in the Bahamas on one charge. Although the Voltari 260 is a high-performance vessel with a top speed of 60 mph, it crept along at less than 5 mph on the Bimini trip so it would not run out of juice. The trip took about 20 hours. Built in Canada, the Voltari 260 is made with aerospace-grade carbon fiber for maximum strength and efficiency. It weighs just 7,000 pounds and is powered by a 142kWh Lithium-ion battery pack…

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