On Watch with Peter Janssen

New MJM 4: Fast, Quiet – and Fun

By Peter Janssen on September 28, 2022 On Watch with Peter Janssen

“Hang on,” warned Peter Johnstone, the chairman of MJM Boats, as he nailed the throttles all the way forward on his new 46-foot MJM 4 off Newport, Rhode Island. And WOW! The acceleration was fast, almost explosive, as the twin 600-hp V12 Mercury Verado outboards shot it forward. It not only was fast, but it also was smooth, seamless, and quiet. “The 4 is the fastest, and quietest, boat we’ve made,” Bob Johnstone, Peter’s father, told me a few days later at the Newport boat show, where the 4 was named Best New Powerboat. Bob Johnstone founded MJM in 2002…

Grand Banks Launches New Eastbay 60 in Newport

By Peter Janssen on September 19, 2022 On Watch with Peter Janssen

GB Marine Group just introduced its new Eastbay 60, an elegant, three-stateroom sedan with the company’s patented V-Warp hull and a top speed of 38 knots, at the Newport show. The new cruiser is the eighth model in the line since Eastbay launched its first boat, an Eastbay 38, in 1993. That boat had a C. Ray Hunt hull. Now all of the yachts in the GB Marine Group – Grand Banks, Palm Beach and Eastbay – have the V-Warp hull for comfort, range and speed. And they are all made at the rapidly expanding GB Marine Group yard in…

Mike Straub Completes Loop on Sea-Doo

By Peter Janssen on September 14, 2022 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Mike Straub, a very determined software developer from Omaha, Nebraska, just completed the Great Loop on his 12-foot Sea-Doo. Straub started on June 9 from Bellevue, just south of Omaha on the Missouri River, and put more than 6,000 miles under his hull until he crossed his wake on the Missouri earlier this week. Straub wrote on his Facebook page, Sea Doo Looper, that he’s now going up the Missouri and plans to arrive back in Omaha on Saturday. For Straub, the Loop was hardly a whim. He believes in living his passion. A few years ago, he drove across the…

Four Winns Launches New 36-foot Cat

By Peter Janssen on September 7, 2022 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Four Winns, now part of the massive Beneteau Group, just unveiled its totally new TH36 catamaran at the Cannes Yachting Festival. Based in Cadillac, Michigan, Four Winns says the TH36 is the first in a new line of power catamarans. The TH36 has two cabins, with two heads, below and can be powered by twin 300-hp or 350-hp outboards. The new cat is a truly international effort. Four Winns hired the Garroni Design studio in Italy to develop the lines for the TH catamaran series, and French naval architect Marc Lombard to create the stable and efficient hull shape. “At…

Big Newport Show Opens Sept. 15

By Peter Janssen on August 28, 2022 Newport Boat Show, On Watch with Peter Janssen

The Newport International Boat Show, marking the start of the big show season on the East Coast, starts on Thursday, Sept. 15, and runs through Sunday, Sept. 18. One of the largest and most important shows in the United States, the Newport show covers 14 acres in historic Newport, Rhode Island, centered around the Newport Yachting Center downtown. The Newport show has always been one of my favorites, because almost all of the news boats are there, and then, well, because it’s in Newport, one of the iconic boating destinations in the world. This year the show, the 51st annual,…

Lazzara Unveils New 67 Sport Express Yacht

By Peter Janssen on August 23, 2022 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Lazzara Yachts, based in Tampa, just unveiled a new Limited Edition LSX 67 that it calls the ultimate “sport express yacht.” Lazzara will launch the new 67 at the Miami show, starting next February 15. The new LSX 67 has some innovative features, particularly a full-beam master stateroom that has direct access to the aft deck entertainment area and a beach club, something that is usually only seen in superyachts. There’s even an uninterrupted view aft via a sliding glass door, plus views port and starboard through large windows. The beach club effect is enhanced with unusually large, wing-shaped terraces…

Norway Euthanizes Freya. Questions Follow

By Peter Janssen on August 16, 2022 On Watch with Peter Janssen

The Norwegian government euthanized Freya, the 1,300-pound walrus who became a beloved media celebrity by climbing on boats around Oslo, earlier this week. They said they acted because too many people insisted on getting too close Freya, including people swimming near her to take selfies and throw things at her. The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries said that euthanizing Freya was their only option when people did not heed the directorate’s warnings to leave the wild animal alone. “We have great regard for animal welfare,” said Frank Vakke-Jensen, the head of the directorate, “but human life and safety must take precedence.”…

Elling Launches New 65 Long-Range Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on August 9, 2022 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Elling Yachts in The Netherlands has launched its new flagship, a 65-foot, luxurious long-range cruiser. Powered by a single 900-hp Volvo, the new E6 has a range of 2,500 at 9 knots, and 1,000 nm at 15 knots. That’s enough, the company says, to cruise from Amsterdam to Iceland on one tank of fuel. Even if Iceland is not on your cruising plans, you can still go from New York to Miami, say, without bothering to stop at a fuel dock along the way. And, with Elling’s low-slung profile, you could even duck inside and go under some bridges on…

Seakeeper Launches New Boat Leveling System

By Peter Janssen on August 2, 2022 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Seakeeper just launched its new Ride, a boat-leveling system that eliminates up to 70 percent of a boat’s pitch and roll underway on boats up to 35 feet. Seekeeper is calling Ride a Vessel Attitude Control System; it uses two controllers that are mounted on the transom below the waterline and generate lift by intercepting the flow of water as it leaves the hull. They use proprietary sensing to measure how the boat is behaving and then deploy rotary blades to counteract the boat’s pitch, roll and yaw. They are different from trim tabs or vertical interceptors. The Seakeeper’s rotary…

Fluid Motion Launches New Solara Line

By Peter Janssen on July 27, 2022 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Fluid Motion, the Kent, Washington, company that makes Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats, just announced that it’s launching a new brand, called Solara, starting with four trailerable models with innovative and versatile layouts. “Solara is our new luxury adventure line of boats that are fast, fun, and ready for action,” says John Livingston, the president of Solara Boats (and Fluid Motion). “These new boats are turn-key, so owners can start having fun the moment their boat hits the water.” The first four boats are the Solara 250 Coupe (pictured below), Solara 250 Center Walkaround, Solara 250 Dual Console, and the…

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