March 1, 2016
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…
March 1, 2016
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…
February 25, 2016
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…
February 25, 2016
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…
February 18, 2016
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…
February 16, 2016
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.
February 12, 2016
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.
February 11, 2016
Kelt 7.6
The Kelt 7.6 is a very French boat (reborn as a North American performance cruiser. Its Canadian builders surveyed the market, identified a need, and then developed the boat to fill it. Introducing the Svelte Kelt. On the French boating scene, the Kelt 7.6 has the reputation of an inexpensive but rugged boat-cheap and serviceable…
February 10, 2016
Goman 20
Best of both in a 20 footer. Sailing that narrow line between day-racer and full sized cruiser, Goman’s 20 succeeds. Since the time I saw the drawings in early June of last year, I had looked forward to sailing the Goman 20. Almost five months later, on a pleasant Indian summer day in October, I got my chance. Would it be, I wondered, one of those good ideas on paper that can never quite be realized as a boat – the sort of thing that looks like an affordable, if modest, compromise on the boat show floor and turns out to be an impractical proposition on the water? At 20 feet, with a cabin and a full keel, the Goman is in that dangerous area between daysailer and yacht where the unyielding demands of human scale can defeat the best practical and stylistic intentions of a designer.
December 21, 2015
Jeanneau 54
This elegant new cruiser shows where the future of production yacht design is headed. In fact, it’s already there. Some boats just “feel” right, and we had a very good “feeling” about the strikingly new Jeanneau 54 before we even stepped aboard. But we were not surprised. Recent designs this French-based builder have launched—especially the superyacht sexy Jeanneau 64—have raised the bar on what a production boat builder is capable of. So the only real question was: could this 54-footer live up to the high standards of style, space, and performance set by its attention-grabbing big sister? We had our answer even before we left the dock.
November 26, 2015
Viking 28
the object of any boat association is to foster and encourage its class as a club racer, and/or a one design racer and/or an affordable, family cruiser. The Viking 28 association was saved from extinction in1989 by Dave Smith of Crown Royal and four other owners who each chipped in to help and donate $20. Each year since then ,it has grown a little, hosted a formal AGM or two and held a few regattas. All owners, crew or interested would-bes are very welcome. The Viking 28 is a great racer/cruiser as long as the lack of standing headroom is not an issue.
August 31, 2015
Dufour 500 Grand Large
Dufour in partnership with Felci Yacht Design wants nothing less than to optimize the sailing experience through design, performance and comfort. The Dufour 500 Grand Large provides space and amenities with style, efficiency and performance. This yacht is an embodiment of that objective. Contemporary, sleek design is combined with innovative features using modern construction techniques, materials and components. The 500GL has a low profile and wide side decks. The plumb bow and full beam, carried well aft with a visible hard chine, are design features found on current racing profiles. The expansive drop transom is a feature shared with many modern cruisers along with twin wheels and a foldout sunbed in the cockpit. It’s the design innovations in the interior that sets the Dufour 500 Grand Large apart.
March 16, 2015
Bavaria Cruiser 37
Bavaria Yachts pride themselves in their German traditions of craftsmanship, efficiency, and excellence in quality, engineering and performance. Like many German manufacturers they strive to continuously improve. Efficiency and precision are enhanced at Bavaria through the use robotic automation in the manufacturing process. The company was a pioneer in using assembly line techniques in yacht production. In conjunction with Farr Yacht Design, the Bavaria design team create laminate and reinforcement plans for each design based on individual yacht load profiles. The result is a structural bulkhead which gets fitted into the hull to very precise tolerances. You can see pieces of this structure in storage compartments.
March 6, 2015
Hanse 575
As a semi-recent transplant to the Pacific Northwest from New England’s historic waters, I was thrilled to learn that the boating season here in Seattle is much longer than it is back East, provided, of course, that your boat is up to the task. While our summer months here at 48 degrees north are characterized by massive high-pressure systems that park-up over the Olympic Peninsula and Vancouver Island, delivering bluebird days that are void of any real breeze, our fall, winter and spring months offer plenty of pressure, usually combined with some lively seas, especially when the wind angle disagrees with the tide. This combination of distinctive seasonal weather, paired with the Pacific Northwest’s (in)famous rain and grey, rewards cruising boats that offer some on-deck protection from the elements, as well as a comfortable saloon and galley for après sailing, once the sails have been furled and the cabin heater has been switched on.
March 6, 2015
Marlow-Hunter 37
It is early September, a gray day with the impending threat of rain. It’s a great day. The wind is blowing 12 knots offshore with some gusts and shifts. The near shore chop is only a couple of feet. I also have the good fortune to be test sailing a brand new Marlow-Hunter 37. This boat has just been commissioned and put in the water. What a beautiful boat it is. A spacious inviting cockpit with teak seats and sole welcome you on onboard. The 4 foot folding transom / swim platform, and two stern pulpit teak seats enlarge the area even more. The transom up provides helm seating. An integrated telescopic boarding ladder can be deployed with the platform up or down.
March 5, 2015
Jeanneau 64
The new Jeanneau 64, flagship of the Jeanneau yacht line takes things to yet another level. This is truly a yacht with a size and sail plan that would seem intimidating at first but the design innovation here is the electric furling main with self-tailing jib and an electric winch for the main…
March 5, 2015
Lagoon 450
Talking about design changes, we think that the day of the catamaran has really arrived. For its size and cost a catamaran design can provide remarkable accommodations and a stunning example of this is the new Lagoon 450. Lagoon is part of the Beneteau Group, probably the world’s biggest builder of cruising catamarans. Designed by VPLP (Van Petegham Lauriot, Prevost Signature) naval architects. Catamaran designs can offer an expanse of flat decking and living areas both on deck and below, that monohull boats cannot match in the same length.
March 5, 2015
Jeanneau Sun Fast 3600
Another new design trend is expressed in the Jeanneau Sun fast 3600 designed by Daniel Andrieu. The Sun Fast 3600 benefits from the latest advances in vacuum-bagged resin infusion to ensure exceptional strength and rigidity while drastically reducing weight. The lightweight, powerful hull with its hard chine, twin rudders and lead keel contributes to this new Sun Fast’s speed, balance and stability on all tacks. Perfectly adapted to solo, doublehanded, and crewed regattas, the Sun Fast 3600 is designed to compete in both inshore and offshore races.??Available with twin, composite tillers or wheel steering and choices in mainsheet management, the deck layout ensures easy handling through well thought-out ergonomics and optimized sailing functions.
March 5, 2015
Beneteau Oceanis 35
Another interesting aspect of today’s changing lifestyles is the desire to be able to have what you want, not necessarily what a designer thinks you ought to have. To best tailor their latest design to the individual buyer, Beneteau has just introduced their Oceanis 35 model which is available in three different configurations; Day Sailor, Weekender or Cruiser. Buyers can choose the layout that best suits them. Almost everything is an option and they can modify the number of cabins, their partition or openness, the galley space and even details like the inclusion of a separate shower or helm seat.
February 26, 2015
Delphia 31
After a week of overcast skies and no wind, I was pleasantly surprised and relieved to see the clouds lift, the sun come out, and the breeze come up for a beautiful sail off the shores of northern Lake Ontario on the functional, solid, and very reliable Delphia 31, showcased at North Lakes Yachting, Inc. in Mississauga, Ontario. Owner and president, Slavek Kroliklewicz joined me, along with photographer, Penny McLaren for stunning sail in lovely 8-10 knot breeze. Slavek is passionate about these boats because of their exquisite workmanship and attention to every detail, down to the stainless steel rather than plastic holding tanks, and use of finished marine plywood in their craftsmanship. Two brothers, Piotr and Wojciech Kot launched their idea of building a boat in their garage.
February 18, 2015
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 349
I felt like I’d gone back in time to the War of 1812 when I arrived in the lovely village of Sacket’s Harbor, NY to review the new Jeanneau 349 with Navy Point Yacht Sales President, Steve McPherson. Unlike that fateful time when the British “sneak attack” on the Americans was bamboozled by the lack of wind, we had a beautiful sunny day with a nice southwest breeze. Winning the 2014 Customer Choice award for the Best Monohull over 30’ at the Miami Boat Show (determined by the attendees) has certainly helped to set the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 349 up for success! With over 70 boats already sold and two in production every day, Jeanneau certainly thinks so too. This modern, high performance hull with its large, light interior, easy handling, and attractive price makes it a winner in my books too for this entry-level family cruiser.
July 11, 2014
CATALINA C275 SPORT
Bernie Luttmer of Swan’s Yacht Sales, has finally had his brainchild come to life, and he tells me that he was just about ready to retire when the boat of his dreams came into production – the Catalina C275 Sport designed by Gerry Douglas! He wanted to promote a family friendly, affordable boat that was simple and easy for two people or a family to sail, race, or cruise for the weekend. With an 8’5” beam and displacement of 5,000 pounds, this fractional rig boat is fully trailerable and easy to store.
May 22, 2014
Dufour Grand’Large 410
Modern graceful elegance is what Dufour’s Umberto Felci was trying to achieve when he designed the Grand’Large 410. The boat was a new design in 2012, and has been nominated for European Cruising Boat of the Year for 2013. The hull has a plumb bow, a broad beam and a hard chine which carries from the beam to the broad transom. The transom is lowered on a pulley to form an open transom for easy access to the dock or as a platform with a
February 25, 2014
Bavaria Vision 42
Embodying the Cruising Sailor’s Wish List.The Bavaria Vision 42 is the product of collaboration between Farr Yacht Design USA as the naval architect, and Design Unlimited responsible for design and layout. Bavaria wanted a yacht for the owner / cruiser. The 42 Vision incorporates elegance, technology and attention to detail in its design. Comfortable cruising is the objective of this boat.
January 3, 2014
Beneteau Oceanis 38
The Beneteau Oceanis 38 claims more flexibility than seen before on this size of boat and a new way of looking at below decks, giving the boat an airy loft than a traditional cabin arrangement.
January 3, 2014
Marlow Hunter 37
From the first glance the wide open decks large cockpit and overall look and feel of this boat are pleasing. It’s well laid out and from the helm its great visibility and ease of moving forward on deck are well done.
November 8, 2013
Lagoon 39
It is no wonder that almost all the charter companies have a fleet of multi hulls. For the length of this boat, and considering the price, the Lagoon 39’s catamaran design delivers remarkable space.More than that, much of the space is nicely divided into two sections, one in the starboard hull, the other in the port hull so two couples can enjoy real privacy of a sort that even much larger mono hull boats have trouble delivering.
October 10, 2013
Blue Jacket 40
Canadian Yachting Magazine was invited to be one of the first publications to test sail the Blue Jacket 40, the first in a new series of performance cruising sailboats designed by Tim Jackett in collaboration with Bob Johnson, CEO and Chief Designer at Island Packet Yachts. On a stunning April afternoon, we sailed down the Manatee River out into Tampa Bay in a 12-14 knot breeze with a full main and a Quantum “screacher” maintaining 6.5 to 7 knots in what might be called a fairly close tack.
August 20, 2013
Catalina 385
Catalina’s Gerry Douglas has spent a considerable time listening and bucking many trends. His boats have stood the test of time and his brand following is the envy of many builders globally. His latest boat, the Catalina 385 takes off from his 445 launched in 2009, and the 355 introduced last year which both enjoy a nice balance of classic looks with a sense of being functional and innovative; that makes the Catalina brand so solid. Clearly the increasing demand Catalina anticipates will be in the mid-size cruiser market (under 40 feet) and we sense they are right.
August 20, 2013
Hunter 33
If the continued growth of sailing as a pastime depends on user-friendly boats and shallower learning curves, then an entry-level cruiser like Hunter’s newest 33 is well positioned to meet the requirements of those new to the sport. This writer belonged to one of the last generations of sailors who followed the long, steady course from childhood prams through racing dinghies to various cruising keelboats, honing skills and learning to short-hand boats that were really designed to be sailed by larger crews.
August 2, 2013
Hunter 50CC
Sell the cottage, heck, sell the house because you could easily live in this boat…it is a blue water cruising beauty! With current memories of spending a full week with five of my dearest friends on an older Westerly 45 cruising the western islands of Scotland, I was introduced to the newest Hunter, a 50’ center console. Talk about a time warp. First impressions were somewhat exaggerated but this boat has so much to give. I was immediately impressed by how the modern technologies – we use and rely on today to make boating enjoyable and fun – have been accelerating exponentially of late.
July 16, 2013
Beneteau Oceanis 55
The Beneteau Oceanis 55 was unveiled at the Paris Boat Show in December 2012. We had the pleasure of sailing the Oceanis 55 immediately following the North American debut at Strictly Sail – the Miami Boat Show in February. Conceived by Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design with its interior by Nauta Design, this is an elegant vessel, with modern clean lines. It is bright, spacious and comfortable. At 55 feet LOA , 1431 square feet of main and jib and 36800 lbs of displacement this is a lot of boat; a lot of boat that was designed to be sailed comfortably by cruisers.
May 30, 2013
Jeanneau – Sun Odyssey 469
Quality, beauty and performance are the criteria Jeanneau focuses on in the innovation and design of new boats. The 2013 Sun Odyssey 469 is the latest example of Philippe Briand / Jeanneau achievement of those criteria. The 469 comes from the pedigree of the 509, and shares many of the elements of that successful design. The 469 has moderate freeboard, a vertical bow, beam carried aft, a soft chine aft of the beam, and a drop transom. Long lines and a low rise in the coach roof give the 469 an elegant and sleek appearance. Flush hatches and recessed handrails maintain these clean lines.
April 5, 2013
Hanse 415
The Hanse 415 is like lots of new production cruising boats in the 40-foot range. It has generous beam carried well aft, a big, comfortable cockpit, dual helms, a walk-through stern, and plumb bows. And like many new cruising boats available today, it’s designed to be both fast and easy to sail—a “performance cruiser”. But as I found out during my test drive off Newport, Rhode Island, last Fall, not all 40-foot “performance cruisers” are created equal. One of the reasons I came to feel the 415 stands out in the crowded field of 40-foot performance cruisers is purely in the eye of the beholder.
March 11, 2013
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 41DS
Jeanneau’s newest deck saloon design takes “bright and airy” accommodations to a whole new level. The new Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 41DS is billed as a quick performer with bright, airy, uber-comfortable accommodations. I took a brand-new example for a test sail off Annapolis, Maryland last fall to see how it lived up to its advanced billing. As I’ve seen over the years, the term “deck saloon” can mean different things to different manufacturers.
January 7, 2013
Hunter 40
Hunter’s Evolution Continues. The Hunter 40 is the first product of newly-formed Marlow-Hunter Marine. The evolution of Hunter Marine as a business and on the design front continued with the launch of the new Hunter 40 at last fall’s US Sailboat Show in Annapolis. Clearly, the rallying cry “Life Begins at 40” to celebrate Hunter’s 40th anniversary in 2013 has traction throughout the Hunter organization under new owner David Marlow.