Here is something a little different for Cruising Odyssey, a 60-knot, aluminum speedster with twin outboards and only basic accommodations. The builder, Viggo Yachts, is based in Oregrund Sweden where it builds only aluminum power boats, all of them designed and engineered for speed. The C10 that was introduced recently, has a narrow beam and a double chined hull under the water. This configuration allows the boat to get up onto a plane very quickly despite the hull’s 24 degrees of deadrise. The deep V hull, which is a sharper V than most hulls of this type, will provide those…
Browsing: Cruising Life
The new, one-off, electric-powered runabout built by Spirit Yachts in England started life as the brainchild of an existing owner of a Spirit sailboat. The brief that he passed along to the builder was for a modern, efficient runabout that evokes the look of rum runners from the 1920s. But then the project developed wings, or more accurately, foils. And it got an electric propulsion system. Partnering with BAR Technologies, a leader in the field of marine foiling systems, Spirit was able to create an entirely new type of motorboat. The finished product, the F35, is not only classically beautiful,…
Of all the natural phenomena that we run into out on the water, lightning may be the most worrisome. A direct strike can blow a thru-hull right off the boat creating a gaping hole, it can fry your electrical panel and battery bank and it can start a fire. Even near misses can create a mess inside marine electronics and the autopilot, or in the alternator and starter motor on your engine, or it can blow up an inverter-charger. Lightning works in mysterious ways so you can never predict where it will go and what damage it can do. That…
This month, Tiara Yachts of Holland, Michigan, announced the introduction of the all new 56 LS Luxury Sport cruiser with four 600-horsepower Mercury Verado V-12s on it transom. The new 56 will join the 43 and 48LS in the builder’s outboard sport line Weighing in at 39,000 pounds and with a dead rise of 21 degrees in the deep V hull, the new 56 will be both very quick and provide a truly soft ride through chop and larger waves. The addition of an optional SeaKeeper stabilizer will add to that sense of stability. The 56 is designed for indoor-outdoor…
Safehaven Marine, based in County Cork, Ireland, builds boats and small ships for just about every purpose in marine world. They build pilot boats, rescue craft, working boats for offshore oil rigs, naval vessels and yachts. Their motto is, “When you demand strength and seakeeping, turn to Safehaven.” The company’s crew also holds a world marine speed record in a boat of their own design and build. So, it is not surprising that Safehaven’s yachts are both robustly built and endowed with excellent seakeeping characteristics. The new 70-foot T 2000 Voyager has all of the company’s DNA in a narrow-hulled,…
The Bristol, Rhode Island builder NorthCoast is a family-run company that has a big reputation for their sea-kindly center console and pilot house designs that are offshore-capable and prized among sportfishermen. Their new 415HT is a dual-purpose boat that will be a capable sportfisherman and a couple’s fast cruising boat. With NorthCoast’s familiar Downeast styling and an enclosed salon, this design compliments the existing line but with a difference. The 415HT has the builder’s deep V hull design with a whopping 24 degrees of dead rise at the transom. This deep V-shape provides a soft ride in chop and a…
Now here is something different for adventurous travelers, a boutique-style charter on mini-cruise vessels in Indonesia. The outfit is called Rascal Voyages and they have two vessels Rascal and Rebel, each with five cabins, that will take you to the most pristine islands, reefs and beaches on the planet. Indonesia is a vast country made up of thousands of islands. It is also one of the world’s most populous countries but most of the people live on Java and very few live on the outer islands where there is no infrastructure, no airports and no bridges. The only way to…
Last spring, the American Bureau of Shipping convened their first sustainability conference for the yacht industry in Monaco in an effort to share knowledge of the industry’s ongoing efforts to promote sustainability in yachts. Experts in their respective fields discussed efforts to develop alternative fuels, how to create more efficient electrical systems, where the development of fuel-cell technology is leading and more. It was agreed that the yacht industry had to take a public stand on sustainability since yachts are leisure craft and yachting is often considered by the general public to be wasteful and a prime source of carbon…
The British designer and builder of water-jet powered tenders, Williams is marking it’s 20th year with the introduction of a new version of the SportJet 520 and a limited edition of their TurboJet 325. The new 520 delivers eye-watering speed and will accelerate in seconds to a top end of 56 knots. This latest version has many upgrades including new ergo-dynamic seating, a boarding step and a boarding handrail. The new limited-edition TurboJet 325 is a size that will fit into the dinghy garages on boats over 40 feet yet it still delivers high speed performance and the ability to…
The Newport International Boat Show is only three weeks away with the kick-off on Thursday September 12. There are many reasons for coming to Newport for the show. It is the largest in-the-water show in the Northeast and features a broad selection of both sail and powerboats. Plus, acres of tents house hundreds of marine vendors of all types, many of whom offer great show discounts on their products and services. If you are coming to the show, you are also coming to the City by the Sea that is considered the sailing capital of America and has a new…