Boat Reviews

    Length (in Feet)
    Year

    Hanse 400

    It’s classic, comfortable well-designed and easy to sail. From the minute you step onto the deck of a Hanse you’re immediately struck by the fact that…

    Read More

    C&C Isle of Skye

    Desolate would be too friendly to describe the bleak grey sky sending sheets of wet snow, the kind of fuzzy rain that sticks to your coat until it’s soaked its way through…

    Read More

    Everglades 230 Center Console, Yamaha F300

    There are some good reasons why we’re seeing more and more center console saltwater fishing boats appearing on our inland bodies of water across Canada–versatility…

    Read More

    Jeanneau Leader 46

    Style, beauty and grace; these are all traits that both pageant queens and Jeanneau’s new Leader 46 have in common. With sleek lines, a chic cream and walnut interior…

    Read More

    Marlow-Hunter 31

    Impressive space and solid quality set Marlow-Hunter’s latest design apart. Over the past two decades the number of small cruising sailboats available…

    Read More

    Gozzard 36

    The style is unmistakable. As with our other review this month, the character of the boat has traveled with its designer from his ear­lier work.

    Read More

    Luna 24/SL

    The Luna 24/SL brochure emphasizes “cruising comfort for four” but it’s some high- performance cruising! The 24/SL is more conventional version of the high-tech Luna 24 that has been a convincing and North American Quarter-Ton Championships in the past few years. Although it has a pleasant and comfy interior for 24 footer, the 24/SL will still provide plenty of racing excitement…      

    Read More

    Quanta 28

    Ray Wall’s enviable track record of design achievements includes products for both Camper and Nicholson in England and CS Yachts in Ontario…      

    Read More

    Baltic 35

    No matter who designs Baltic’s boats, they all come out looking great and, amazingly enough, related to each other. Whether created by Doug Peterson or, in this case, the Judel -Vrolijk design team from Germany, that classy styling is always there.

    Read More

    Meridian

    A glance at the sail plan of Meridian tells you this boat is fun-and fast. It looks as though the builder carved the deck out of butter and then drove it down the highway on a hot day. A sort of smoothed out, nothing in the way of the wind profile.

    Read More

    Reliance 12 Meter

    Have you ever realized, while sipping drinks in the cockpit after a friendly Wednesday-night race, that the great expanse and expense of accommodation down below is never used? If you answered “yes,” you may be one of the many people to whom Reliance Sailcraft in Montreal has spoken.

    Read More

    CS 30

    The CS 30, the lat­est addition to the CS family of yachts, made its debut early this year and is fast making friends.

    Read More

    Century 300 Cortez Grande

    A stylish sport cruiser from a traditional company.

    Read More

    Beneteau Gran Turismo 40

    Beneteau Yachts and Naval Architects Nuvolari – Lenard, really have the new Gran Turismo 40 dialed in for fun in the sun…

    Read More

    Carver 28 Ac

    The Carver Riviera 28 Aft Cabin, featuring distinctive styling with a true international flavor, represents a totally new design concept.

    Read More

    C&C 27

    The first of the new C&C 27s was launched this April and we had the opportunity to take it out for a spin in mid-May.

    Read More

    Canoe Cove Tri-Cabin Coho 41

    Rick Richardson climbs out of the thigh-deep main hold of Canoe Cove’s Tri-cabin Coho 41…

    Read More

    Contessa 26

    I chose a downright Contessa day to sail the 26 for this review…

    Read More

    Canoe Cove 48 Tri-Cabin

    The Complete West Coast cruiser – big, rugged and luxurious. Twin turbo charged diesel give it spunk. It’s one of the larger quasi-custom craft built on the West Coast…      

    Read More

    C&C 115

    When it comes to designing a boat that covers all the bases, designer Tim Jacket has hit a home run with the C&C 115. While it seems that every marketer out there…      

    Read More

    Boston Whaler 11 w/ Volvo 90

    Powerboat yachtsmen and cruising sailors both use tenders. Boston Whaler is the worldwide, hands down favourite, and since Volvo seems very keen…      

    Read More

    Beneteau Swift Trawler 42

    Its elegance immediately elicits an admiring whistle. What a look! What style! Beneteau has not missed the mark with this entry into the trawler yacht category…      

    Read More

    Beneteau First 44.7

    Beneteau’s First series is the world leader in production-built, racer-cruisers. The current series of First boats are the product of the teamwork of Beneteau…      

    Read More

    Beneteau First 36.7

    So. You sail your first boat for 24 years, then you decide that it is time to change. What is it like taking delivery of your second new boat…      

    Read More

    Bayliner Victoria 2750

    In the realm of popular-sized cabin cruisers, the Bayliner Victoria Command Bridge 2750 is a standout. De-sign and construction features put it ahead of other…      

    Read More

    Bayliner 2650 Explorer

    The eight-foot beam and deep sheer give this boat the look of some of the classic offshore power yachts. In fact, it’s a…      

    Read More

    Bayliner 3870

    At 38 feet, two inches, the Bayliner 3870 boasts two private staterooms, two heads (one with a bathtub!), a walk in engine room and other features normally found…      

    Read More

    Bavaria 42

    Given our knowledge of the reputation of Bavaria boats, built by a company dedicated to providing boats efficiently and effectively and creating a high-quality product…      

    Read More

    Bavaria 37

    Great sailing. Great layout. Great value. The Bavaria 37 Cruiser is an excellent family performance cruiser entry into the mid 30-foot category…      

    Read More

    Back Cove 29

    Don’t let the traditional lines fool you into thinking that the Back Cove 29 is a lobster boat. It may have some of the styling cues…      

    Read More

    Azimut 50

    Only days before our editorial deadline we traveled to St. Jean south of Montreal to review the very first Azimut 50 motor yacht ever brought into Canada.      

    Read More

    Altima 60 Pilothouse

    My first view of the Altima 60 Pilothouse was in Fort Lauderdale, at New River Marina. Backed in with her stern against the pilings, the Altima looked like many…      

    Read More

    The Purpose-Built Albin 31 Tournament Express

    “I like a purpose-built boat,” says Charlie Tatham, the owner of this month’s test boat, an Albin 31′ Tournament Express. We couldn’t have put it any better ourselves.      

    Read More

    Albacore Passion

    Dinghy sailing is a passion for many and enjoying keen racing in Albacores is part of that passion. An Albacore is a 15 ft. vision of the boat’s designer…      

    Read More

    TES 678BT

    Relatively new, this European designed TES 678BT proves that good things still come in small packages! Relatively new to Canada–by way of Poland–the TES 678BT is an incredibly comfortable…    

    Read More

    Pacemaker 34

    After spending a great deal of time in the bilge with a bright light and an ice pick, I found the Pacemaker to be sound. It needed some hard work, tender care and tasteful decoration      

    Read More

    Hanse 371

    The purpose of a boat review is to present the boat is a fair light, without prejudice or bias so that a person thinking of buying or chartering this boat gets an insight into whether or not it fits their purpose. The review should reward effective innovation in design and manufacture and point out any pitfalls or perceived problems. The better we understand the purpose of doing something, the easier it is to stay on course and reach our goal. Honest. I wasn’t hot-dogging. But it did give us the opportunity to put the Hanse 371 through its paces. We had a two-hour window to complete the sailing portion of this review and to attempt to get a cover photo at the same time. Unable to secure a chase boat, we put CY photographer Bill McLeod ashore on the sea wall at the entrance of the Credit River. The winds were light with some gusting and it was the only place where there was open water to capture the shot you see on the cover of this issue.

    Read More

    Bavaria 36

    When Len Baronit of Yacht Sales West in Vancouver went to Europe to source a new sailboat to import, Bavaria Yachtbau wasn’t even on his list. After looking at a number of builders, Len went to see Bavaria. Being familiar with J& J Designs of Slovenia, Len was interested in how the German boat builder would stack up against some the better known competition. When he got back to his hotel, Len compared the specs of the Bavaria to the other boats on his shopping list; the Bavaria came up as a great value. Added to the attention to detail and quality construction, Len decided to go with the Bavaria and started importing the boat in 1997. He has just brought in the lOOth boat. Bavaria Yachtbau builds a cruising line from 32 to 49 feet and a new racing line available this spring – starting with the Match 38. In fact, few realize that it was a Bavaria 46 that Ashley Judd sailed in the movie Double Jeopardy which was shot in Vancouver. But I digress.

    Read More

    Atlantis 55

    The Italian yacht builders Azimut and Bennetti are a very large organization, well known for their Italian styling and modern designs. The Atlantis line is a “brand belonging to the Azimut and Benetti” organization…      

    Read More