On Watch with Peter Janssen

Palm Beach Show Postponed: Grand Banks 54 To Debut Later

By Peter Janssen on March 9, 2020 Boat Reviews, On Watch with Peter Janssen

We just learned that the Palm Beach show, scheduled to start on March 26, has been postponed as a result of the coronavirus crisis. We will have details later, when we learn more. The new Grand Banks 54, with its classic lines and semi-displacement, warped-hull performance, was scheduled to make its worldwide debut there. Powered by twin 725-hp Volvos with straight shaft drives, this latest Grand Banks tops out at 31 knots, cruises at 26 knots, and has a range of about 1,000 nm at 10 knots. The new 54 has the same high-tech hull as the popular Grand Banks…

New Tiara 49 Coupe: Lots of Light, IPS Performance

By Peter Janssen on March 3, 2020 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Tiara’s new 36-knot, bright and open 49 Coupe will be on display at the Palm Beach show, starting March 26. The 49 Coupe features a salon filled with light from windows all around (and the large sunroof, when it’s open), and two staterooms with two heads below. Power comes from twin 600-hp Volvo IPS800 pod drives; they deliver a top speed of 36.1 knots and an optimal cruising speed of 26.2 knots with a range of 219 nm. Volvo is a long-time partner with Tiara (I tested the very first IPS on a Tiara in the Great Lakes more than…

Increasingly Popular Palm Beach Show Opens March 26

By Peter Janssen on February 27, 2020 On Watch with Peter Janssen, Palm Beach Boat Show

The Palm Beach International Boat Show, which has been growing in size and importance the past few years, starts on Thursday, March 26, and runs through Sunday, March 29. A handful of significant cruising powerboats will make their debuts there this year, while hundreds more will be on display. Now in its 35th year, the Palm Beach show has become increasingly popular because of its location and its manageable size. The show’s on Flagler Drive on West Palm Beach, where downtown meets the Intracoastal Waterway. It’s easy to get to, with lots of nearby parking, and it doesn’t have all…

Trends from Miami: More Power, More Hulls, More High-Tech

By Peter Janssen on February 20, 2020 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Now that the huge Miami boat shows have ended, it’s time to look at some trends that will determine the nature of cruising powerboats in the years ahead. After all, when you get 1,800 boats together (the combined total from the boat show and the yacht show), some dynamics have to emerge. The basic trends involve a growing number of power catamarans, the continued growth of outboards on cruising boats, the move to high technology on almost every aspect of boat building and performance (which includes solar/electric power), the inclusion of more social areas on boats (from “beach clubs” under…

New Sabre 58: A Big and Quiet Down East Cruiser

By Peter Janssen on February 19, 2020 On Watch with Peter Janssen

After following its launch and super-extended break-in cruise from Portland, Maine, down to Miami in time for the yacht show there, I had been looking forward to seeing the new Sabre 58 Salon Express in person. And once I climbed on board the boat at the show, it was more than worth the wait. I already knew the boat’s lines. It is a contemporary classic with a clean Down East look, fitting well into Sabre’s made-in-Maine heritage. But once I was on board, I realized how big this new cruiser really is; it has lots of usable room to make…

Cutwater 32 CB Wins in Miami Innovation Awards

By Peter Janssen on February 16, 2020 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Cutwater Boats just won a prestigious Innovation Award at the Miami International Boat Show for its new 32 Command Bridge. In announcing the awards, one of the judges said, “A lot of engineering went into making a trailerable 32-foot retractable flybridge boat with all the features included.” The annual Innovation Awards are a joint effort by the National Marine Manufacturers Association, which sponsors the boat show, and Boating Writers International. The jury is made up of seven boating writers. The awards recognize groundbreaking new consumer boating products. The Cutwater 32 CB (pictured above) is powered by two 300-hp Yamaha outboards.…

Miami Shows Open, Lots of Cruising Boat Debuts

By Peter Janssen on February 13, 2020 On Watch with Peter Janssen

The big Miami boat shows have just started, and I’ve already found my next boat, or rather my next half dozen boats. (In my dreams, of course.) And considering that there are 1,800 boats here, displayed at the yacht show downtown and the boat show on Virginia Key, I still have a way to go. I’ve been fortunate enough to have already climbed on half a dozen boats making their debuts here, just enough to whet my appetite for more, and to rekindle my taste for adventure. Standing at the helm of the brand-new, beautiful Sabre 58 Salon Express, which…

Cruising in Mexico: “What We’ve Learned So Far”

By Peter Janssen on February 4, 2020 On Watch with Peter Janssen

After cruising in Mexico since October on their 2005 Nordhavn 55 Red Rover, Kevin and Allison Jeffries took a break recently to fly home to Seattle for the big boat show there. The time away from the boat gave them the chance to reflect on their trip, and to put together some thoughts that might help other cruising people heading that way. The Jeffries (and their two shelter dogs, Zoe and Max) are hardly new to cruising. They’ve put more than 6,000 nm under their hull since they sold their house in Seattle and moved aboard Red Rover full time…

Big Miami Shows Coming Up: 1,800 Boats on Display

By Peter Janssen on January 30, 2020 Miami Boat Show, On Watch with Peter Janssen

The long Presidents’ Day weekend is coming up and so are the two large Miami boat shows, the Miami International Boat Show on Rickenbacker Causeway on Virginia Key, and the Miami Yacht Show downtown. Both shows run from Thursday, February 13, through Monday, February 17, and they’ll have a total of about 1,800 boats on display and expected crowds of 132,000 people. The larger, more established show at the Miami Marine Stadium Park and Basin on Virginia Key (pictured above), is produced by the National Marine Manufacturers Association, and this will be its 79th year. It will have more than…

Beneteau Launches New Project E – Big Luxury Cruisers

By Peter Janssen on January 22, 2020 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Beneteau has some big news: It’s starting Project E to launch two new luxurious cruising boats, a 62 and a 73, its largest boats yet, and they’ll have innovative displacement hulls for comfort, space and range. The “E” stands for “expedition,” among other things, and the company says the 62 (pictured above) will have a range of 900 nm at 8 knots, while the 73 (pictured at top) will have a range of 1,400 nm at 10 knots. Announcing the new boats at the Düsseldorf show, Beneteau says they are designed to build on the popularity of its Swift Trawler…

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