Cruising Life

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…

Horizon PC68 Making Palm Beach Debut

By Peter Janssen on March 20, 2023 Boat Reviews, Cruising Life

The Horizon PC68, with a creative Portuguese bridge and expansive living and entertaining areas on all three decks, is making its debut at the Palm Beach show this week. Up top, you can order the bridge to be open or as an enclosed sky lounge. Either way, it comes with a day head and shower, a grill, freezer, and a bar with a fridge and an icemaker. It also has the upper helm, of course, and enough seating areas to hold a dozen or so of your friends. The boat deck aft is large enough to carry a 17-foot RIB.…

Hawaii Dept. Land and Natural Resources

$2 Million Suit in Hawaii Yacht Grounding

By Peter Janssen on March 19, 2023 Cruising Life

It didn’t take long, but now the other shoe has dropped. Last week, we reported on the 94-foot Sunseeker that was rescued and then scuttled after drifting onto a reef and leaking diesel oil off Maui, Hawaii. Now the owner and the captain of the 2004 yacht, named Nakoa, are being sued for $2 million by the people who sold it to him last year. Kevin and Kimberly Albert, trustees of the Albert Revocable Trust in New Mexico, filed suit in U.S. District Court in Honolulu. They are seeking at least $1.45 million in damages for the yacht from Jim…

Boating 101: How To Throw a Line

By Peter Janssen on March 19, 2023 Cruising Life

You certainly already know this, but does your crew, or the guest you just invited on board for the first time who wants to help out with docking? Here’s some great advice about the best way to throw a line from BoatUS.: Based on the number of failed attempts we all see on any given day at the marina docks, it seems there has to be some sort of mystical trick to throwing a line. Not really! It’s all in practice, and a few simple techniques. Make a few practice throws to verify the technique below and you’ll have a…

NOAA

5,000-Mile-Long Blob Heading for Florida

By Peter Janssen on March 19, 2023 Cruising Life

A 5,000-mile-long blob of sargassum algae is floating in the Atlantic, heading from Africa to Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, fouling propellers, clogging sea strainers, and entangling fishing lines along the way. Then, when it washes up on beaches, it can pile up several feet high, releasing a noxious odor and derailing the tourist trade everywhere from Caribbean islands to Miami. Scientists have been studying and measuring the Great Sargassum Belt since 2011. The floating brown blob has been getting bigger and bigger every year, and it doubles in size every month from November to January. When they measured…

Azimut Unveils New Hybrid Seadeck Series

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

Azimut just announced that it’s starting a new line of luxury hybrid cruising yachts that will cut emissions by 40 percent. Azimut said the new line, called Seadeck, will be built with lightweight carbon exteriors and planing hulls for efficiency. The new Seadecks, starting with the Seadeck 6, a 56’ 7” motoryacht, will be fitted out with recycled and recyclable materials. The yachts will have solar panels on the roof tops, and a battery pack that’s strong enough to power the boat’s systems for four to eight hours at anchor. They also will have energy recovery systems to create hot…

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