Cruising Life

Sunreef 80 Power Cat To Debut at FLIBS

By Peter Janssen on October 10, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The extra-large and luxurious 80 Sunreef Power will make its U.S. debut at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, starting Oct. 26. The hull of the new 80 was completely designed from scratch, with the idea that the massive catamaran would serve as an all-around motor yacht that could cruise long distances in safety and comfort. Powered by twin 1,200-hp MAN diesels, the Sunreef 80 has a top speed of about 24 knots and a range of 3,500 nm. Sunreef Yachts have been made in Gdansk, Poland, since 2003. With a massive beam of more than 39 feet (about half…

SamBoat, the Rental Giant, Expands to U.S.

By Peter Janssen on October 10, 2022 Charter, Cruising Life

SamBoat, the online company that’s leading the European boat rental market, is expanding to the United States. Indeed, it has started a rental fleet in Florida, in a partnership with Dream yacht Charter, and it plans to have a fleet of 2,000 rental boats across the U.S. by the end of 2023. So far, SamBoat has 50,000 boats in the water for rent at 1,400 destinations around the world. It basically is an online boat rental platform that connects boat owners and renters; it works much the same as Airbnb. The idea is that people who don’t own a boat,…

Hyundai To Debut Self-Docking System at FLIBS

By Peter Janssen on October 5, 2022 Cruising Life

Avikus, a subsidiary of Hyundai, the South Korean manufacturing giant, will debut its new autonomous boating and docking system at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, starting Oct. 26. At the show, Avikus will introduce its Neuboat, an autonomous system using artificial intelligence for the recreational boating market. It uses the Avikus Navigation Assistant System and the Avikus Docking Assistant System. Those systems let the boat recognize and assess water situations in real time through deep learning and sensor fusion algorithms, without any human interaction. For cruising, the system creates and maintains an optimal route for safe autonomous navigation. An…

New Pardo 50: Head-Turning Walkaround

By Peter Janssen on October 4, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Walking around the Norwalk show last week, I passed the Pardo docks and then did a double-take. So did a lot of other people. The new Pardo 50 Walkaround tied up stern-to there had a simply immense aft deck, wide and inviting, with sun pads and sofas and an al fresco dining table that would make it a show-stopper wherever it went. The new Pardo had the company’s signature post-modern European minimalist look; no frills, just straight lines, with a slightly reverse bow and an open foredeck that almost rivaled the aft deck in size and sunning abilities. The large…

Riviera Launches New 645 SUV in Lauderdale

By Peter Janssen on October 4, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Riviera, the large Australian builder, just launched its new 645 SUV, the flagship of it’s all-purpose SUV fleet, and it will make its U.S. debut at the Fort Lauderdale show, starting Oct. 26. With its low profile, enormous foredeck and imaginative mezzanine deck connecting to the salon and the cockpit, this latest Riviera seems ready for some serious – and fun – cruising days ahead. Over the past 40 years, Riviera has built 5,700 yachts of various sizes and shapes. More than 170 of them have been in its SUV line, designed to be versatile, all-purpose vessels, similar to their…

Vicem To Unveil New 55 Flybridge at Lauderdale

By Peter Janssen on October 3, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Vicem, the highly regarded Turkish builder, will launch its all-new Vicem 55 Classic Flybridge at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, starting Oct. 26. The new 55 flybridge is constructed with cold-molded mahogany and West System epoxy, giving it a semi-custom look. It’s part of Vicem’s Custom series, with boats from 46 to 80 feet; they all feature classic Downeast styling and the company says they’re designed with Maine lobster boats in mind – at least for their seakeeping abilities. But the new 55 does carry Downeast lines, even down to the touch of tumblehome aft. The 55 Classic sedan…

Aspen Launches New, Unique, Tenders

By Peter Janssen on October 2, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

Aspen Power Catamarans just launched their new Carbon Cat, a series of innovative rigid tenders with a lightweight hybrid hull for stability and efficiency. The hull form, with a patent in process, has a deep, single entry forefoot and then gently widens aft and resembles a modified catamaran for stability and lift. The boats are built with a lot of carbon fiber construction (therefore their name). And they’re strong; there’s nothing to puncture. The company says you can step on the gunnels while boarding, or sit there underway. The boat is surrounded by a thick foam bumper made from SeaDek…

U-Boat Worx Unveils 123-foot Superyacht Sub

By Peter Janssen on October 1, 2022 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

If you want to channel your inner Jules Verne, take a look at the new 123-foot Nautilus superyacht from U-Boat Worx that cruises on the surface at 9 knots and underwater at 4 knots. U-Boat Worx, a creative Dutch builder, just unveiled plans for the Nautilus at the Monaco yacht show. It’s a unique diesel-electric vessel that functions both as a traditional luxurious superyacht and as an equally luxurious submarine. When it’s on the surface, the Nautilus has a massive sundeck with a freshwater pool, a bar and an al fresco dining area. The deck that all this resting on…

Deadly Storm Slams Florida, Heads Up Atlantic Coast

By Peter Janssen on September 29, 2022 Cruising Life

Hurricane Ian slammed into southwest Florida on Wednesday afternoon, with sustained winds up to 155 mph and a life-threatening storm surge as high as 12 feet. It left as many as hundreds of possible casualties as homes floated away, roads turned into rivers and more than 2.5 million people lost electricity. The storm was worst in the Naples, Fort Myers and Port Charlotte areas. Tampa, a bit north, where the last hurricane was in 1921, was spared the worst of Ian. But parts of Tampa Bay emptied out before the storm hit, with the lost water returning as a wind-driven…

Historic Annapolis Show Starts Oct. 6

By Peter Janssen on September 28, 2022 Annapolis Boat Show, Cruising Life

The United States Powerboat Show will start Thursday, Oct. 6, and run through Sunday, Oct. 9, in Annapolis, the heart of cruising in the Chesapeake and one of the premiere cruising destinations in the world. The Annapolis show is always popular, for a whole lot of reasons. It’s easy to get to (less than an hour’s drive from Washington, D.C., or Baltimore); it’s easy to see a lot of new boats and gear displayed there, and it’s in Annapolis, with boatyards, marinas, waterfront restaurants and watering holes all around. And then there’s the U.S. Naval Academy with grounds next to…

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