On Watch with Peter Janssen

Bertram Continues Its Comeback with a Beautiful New 50 Express

By Peter Janssen on December 13, 2018 Boat Reviews, On Watch with Peter Janssen

By Peter A. Janssen It looks like Bertram has hit a home run with renderings of a beautiful new 50 Express, scheduled to be launched next spring. The 50, the company’s first express in many years, comes as Bertram is enjoying a remarkable turnaround under new leadership and a new plant. Indeed, the 50 will come on the heels of the successful launch of a new 61 in 2017 and the introduction of a new 35, meant to be a modern interpretation of the iconic Bertram 31, in 2016. Bertram once was one of the most celebrated brands in offshore…

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By Peter Janssen on December 6, 2018 On Watch with Peter Janssen

12 Great New Boating Holiday Gifts from $80 to $6,911 By Peter A. Janssen The holidays are rapidly approaching, as is the age-old quandary of what to give to your boat-owning family or friends. Here are some ideas, from big to small, that may help. IRocker All-Around SUP Here’s an inflatable standup paddleboard that fits into a backpack but is stable enough to support 435 pounds (that should be enough for two of you). The board itself weighs just 27 pounds, but when you put it into its big blue backpack with its paddle, pump and fin, the entire package…

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By Peter Janssen on November 28, 2018 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Whatever Happened to Situational Awareness? By Peter A. Janssen Is anybody paying attention out there? A few alarming, and tragic, events recently make that question all too relevant. The most recent, and glaring, accident involved the collision of the 332-foot megayacht Attessa IV, one of the largest private yachts in the world, with a 65-foot wooden charter boat named Prowler, in the Pacific south of San Diego. The Coast Guard airlifted a seriously injured passenger off Prowler (see the picture above), but he died four hours later in a San Diego hospital. The Coast Guard is investigating the accident, but the…

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By Peter Janssen on November 20, 2018 Boat Reviews, On Watch with Peter Janssen

Sabre Moves Up. Here’s Much More About Its Big New 58 Salon Express, a 31-Knot Downeast Cruiser with State-of-the-Art Systems By Peter A. Janssen Sabre just started production of its newest model, the 58 Salon Express, a three-cabin, 31-knot cruiser that keeps the Maine builder’s traditional Downeast lines while adding state-of-the-art power and ship-control systems. The 58, which fits between Sabre’s 48 and flagship Dirigo 66, is scheduled to be launched late next year. The new Sabre has all the salty lines that have made the brand so popular in recent years: a clean, long sheerline, low profile and near-to-perfect…

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By Peter Janssen on November 15, 2018 Boat Reviews, On Watch with Peter Janssen

Beneteau Launches New Swift Trawler 47, Plans Major Expansion in U.S. By Peter A. Janssen Beneteau just launched its new Swift Trawler 47, a three-cabin, 25-knot, user-friendly family cruiser at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, where the French company also announced a major expansion in the U.S. market. It plans to build more outboard-powered pocket cruisers, as well as more of its Jeanneau cruisers, in its Michigan factory. But it was the new Swift Trawler that caught my eye, particularly since I had spent a week on board a Swift Trawler 34 a few years ago as part of…

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By Peter Janssen on November 8, 2018 On Watch with Peter Janssen

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By Peter Janssen on November 1, 2018 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Fort Lauderdale Report: First Day at FLIBS By Peter A. Janssen Walking down the Beneteau dock at the opening day of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show was like running into a new, improved version of an old friend. I could almost hear the new Beneteau 47 Swift Trawler, which was making its U.S. debut at the show, calling my name. After all, I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for Beneteau’s Swift Trawler line ever since I took one around part of the Great Loop a few years ago. But that was a two-cabin, single-diesel 34. The new…

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By Peter Janssen on October 25, 2018 On Watch with Peter Janssen

What To Look for at FLIBS: New Boats, New Trends, New Dreams By Peter A. Janssen Take a good look the yacht above, one of the 1,500 new boats you can see at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show that starts next Wednesday, Oct. 31, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 4. It’s the Utopia IV from the Rossinavi yard in Italy, and it’s 207 feet long. It’s powered by four 2,600-hp MTU diesels and it tops out at 33 knots. If you want to get some exercise, or just get wet, it has three swimming pools, plus a “beach club” aft,…

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By Peter Janssen on October 17, 2018 On Watch with Peter Janssen

Fort Lauderdale ’18: A New Look, New Entrance, New Food & Drink and 1,500 New Boats. Plus: Our Reviews of 40 New Cruising Boats There By Peter A. Janssen The ever-growing Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show will run from Wednesday, Oct. 31, through Sunday, Nov. 4, with a lot of improvements from its new owners – and a lot more boats, displayed at seven locations linked by a network of water taxis and shuttle buses. The first thing you’ll find is a new, redesigned entrance on Seabreeze Blvd. a few hundred yards north of the Bahia Mar Hotel and Marina,…

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By Peter Janssen on October 10, 2018 On Watch with Peter Janssen

New UN Report on Global Warming: “Quite a Shock.” If Temperatures Keep Rising, Say Goodbye to Coral Reefs, the Maldives By Peter A. Janssen The United Nations just released a major report on global warming, painting a darker picture of the consequences of rising temperatures than scientists had previously thought. The report, by hundreds of scientists around the world and endorsed by 180 nations, “is quite a shock,” said Bill Hare, the author of earlier Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports and a physicist. The consequence are particularly dire for coral reefs, which are vital to supporting ocean life. Warmer…

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