Cruising Life

Wellcraft Adds New 435 Fast Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on January 24, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Wellcraft just announced that it’s building a second boat in its new Performance Cruiser line, a Wellcraft 435 that’s designed for “a new breed of boaters.” The 435 follows the start of Wellcraft’s new Performance Cruiser series last May with a 355. That announcement was well received, and was a sign that Wellcraft meant to return to its heyday as a world leader in performance boats in the 1980s when Don Johnson was driving a Wellcraft Scarab 38 on Miami Vice. The Beneteau Group bought Wellcraft in 2014; it’s now making boats from 20 to 44 feet. Wellcraft says “the…

Yamaha Makes New 450-hp Outboard

By Peter Janssen on January 23, 2023 Cruising Life, Engine Room

Yamaha just launched its most powerful outboard yet, a 450-hp, V8 four-stroke with more torque, faster acceleration and a higher top speed than ever before. It’s called a 450 XTO, which stands for Xtreme Thrust Output. It’s a larger version of Yamaha’s 425 XTO, and it’s naturally aspirated with a 5.7L displacement. The new Yamaha is designed for larger, and heavier, boats, and it comes with Yamaha’s updated Helm Master EX controls that are built to handle up to three of the new 450s on a single transom. The new 450 has several important improvements, including a high-out alternator system…

Volvo, Beneteau Developing Hybrid Electric Systems

By Peter Janssen on January 23, 2023 Cruising Life, Engine Room

Volvo Penta and Groupe Beneteau just announced that they’ve formed a partnership to involve customers and dealers in developing their new hybrid-electric power systems for recreational boating. The two companies say they want immediate feedback so they can develop new technology that provides a quiet and sustainable power for boating in the future. Volvo already has run a successful commercial hybrid-electric system on a tour boat for Hurtigruten Svalbard in the past year. Now it’s turning to the recreational market. The new demo boat will be one of Beneteau’s Jeanneau NC 37 models (see rendering above). It will be at…

New Cheoy Lee 72 Heading for U.S.

By Peter Janssen on January 18, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Cheoy Lee just finished sea trials on its latest CLB 72 family cruiser in Hong Kong. It’s now on a ship heading for the U.S. The 72 is one of CL’s most successful yachts. A spinoff of the historic Cheoy Lee Shipyards, CL Yachts introduced its first boats at the Miami show in 2019. The new CLB 72 is hull #49. It’s a four-stateroom, four-head cruiser with a two-berth crew cabin and head aft. Hull #49 heading this way has new sliding windows in the galley, up/down windows in the salon, and opening portlights in the four staterooms on the…

Wooden Boats

New Tender Adds to La Dolce Vita

By Peter Janssen on January 18, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Now here’s a way to arrive in style. No more pulling up to the dock in your aging RIB or your well-used dink, the one with the scuff marks on the hull. Instead, consider the still-being-built limousine tender by Wooden Boats in its yard in Viareggio, Italy. In this case, style is king. Indeed, Marco Arnaboldi, the Wooden Boats founder and designer, says he was inspired by Fellini’s iconic 1960-era film, La Dolce Vita, as well as by “the timeless design of the runabouts of the time.” The film, he said, celebrates Italian style and beauty. The boat, named Limo…

Avikus’ AI Nav System Wins Award

By Peter Janssen on January 18, 2023 Cruising Life, Electronics

Hyundai’s Avikus autonomous navigation system just won an Innovation Award at the big Consumer Electronics Show, a recognition that will surely give a boost to the use of artificial intelligence in recreational boating, The award was in the Vehicle Tech and Advanced Mobility category, and it was for Avikus’ NeuBoat, already in its second phase of autonomous navigation. NeuBoat uses a Navigation Assistant System and a Docking Assistant System to navigate and dock in real time without human intervention. It also works with an Augmented Reality screen that indicates risk levels with different color boxes. Humans can control the systems…

Oceans Warmer Than Ever Before: Report

By Peter Janssen on January 17, 2023 Cruising Life

Last year was the warmest ever for the world’s oceans, according to a new study by scientists from 16 institutes around the world. It actually was the fourth year in a row to set records for high ocean temperatures. To make matters worse, the speed at which oceans are getting warmer is faster and faster, raising concerns about more powerful storms in the near future, as well as melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica and rising sea levels around the world. The new study was published last week in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences. It examined the temperature…

Ferretti Holds Debut for Sporty New 580

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

The Ferretti Group is holding the world premiere of its new Ferretti 580 at the big Düsseldorf show that runs from January 21 through 29. The new 580 has more sporty and sculpted lines than many previous Ferrettis, with a nod to its Italian roots, particularly in the interior décor. The exterior is by Filippo Salvetti, who now has designed six yachts for Ferretti, and the interior is by Ideaeitalia, the Italian design firm that’s also worked on other Ferrettis. The yacht manages to achieve a clean, forward-looking profile, with the flybridge set well aft and its hard top so…

Coast Guard Rescues 7 from Disabled Tug

By Peter Janssen on January 16, 2023 Cruising Life

Coast Guard helicopters rescued all seven crew from a disabled tug boat about 30 miles off Ocean City, Maryland, early Saturday morning, after its lines snapped and got tangled in both props. About 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, a crew from the 103-foot-long tug Legacy called the Coast Guard, saying the tug was disabled and the crew was preparing to abandon ship. The Legacy had been towing a 290-foot foot barge from New Jersey to Guyana, when a 1,000-foot-long line snapped and got tangled in its starboard prop. The tug continued underway, running on one engine, until another tow line snapped…

How To Navigate Under Bridges

By Peter Janssen on January 16, 2023 Cruising Life

You probably already know all this, but a fast refresher never hurts. Here’s some great advice from America’s Boating Compass, formerly the U.S. Power Squadrons, about how to make your way safely under bridges, a particular issue if you’re cruising in Florida or along the Great Loop. I just want to add that you definitely need to know how to maneuver your boat in close quarters; you’ll often find yourself waiting, with several other boats, for a bridge to open, perhaps while dealing with a current, and you have to stay out of each other’s way. Approach bridges slowly and…

Browsing: Cruising Life