The late-morning fog had just lifted when I climbed on board Dasher, the just-launched hull number one of the Hinckley Picnic boat with Shep McKenney, the chairman of the company. A few lobster boats passed by the Hinckley dock in Southwest Harbor, Maine, as we cast off; he said their lines had inspired his idea for the boat. The Picnic Boat was a gamble for Hinckley. The company was suffering from the lasting effects of the 1990 luxury tax, which had decimated the recreational boating industry in the U.S. And the sailboat market, which had been Hinckley’s main business since…
There’s no doubt that an EPIRB could save your life if you have a problem while cruising offshore. But new ones are expensive. BoatUS now offers an affordable program where you can rent one for $65 a week, plus $25 for shipping. Read about it here: SPRINGFIELD, Va., March 25, 2024 – The majority of the nation’s nearly 12 million recreational boaters don’t often travel far offshore, beyond cellular or VHF range. But for those who only do on a rare occasion, having an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) is important, allowing you to summon rescuers if there’s a…
A German start-up is now starting sea trials on its new all-electric, high-performance 31-foot RIB that cruises at 30 knots and hits 50 knots at its top speed. The company is called eD-TEC, which stands for Electric Driven Technology. Based in Munich, the company was founded by Michael Jost, the former chief strategy officer for Volkswagen, and the new carbon-fiber monohull was developed by Sven Akermann, who’s been designing performance sail and power boats since 2007. The 31-footer is the first in a range of RIBS from 22 to 55 feet. It’s due to be delivered this summer, and it’s…
Lexus just unveiled its new 68-foot LY (for Luxury Yacht) 680, a new and slightly larger version of the LY 650 it launched in 2018. The new 68 will be built by the Horizon Group in Taiwan, which produces models from 52 to 150 feet. Lexus says that Horizon has “a reputation for its advanced technological capabilities, which have been honed through the construction of superyachts.” Standard power is twin 800-hp Volvo IPS1050 pod drives; twin 1,000-hp IPS1350s are upgrades. Lexus says the concept of the new 680 is “to feel like a hideout in the middle of the sea,…
Hull number one of Nordhavn’s new 51-foot blue-water cruiser just took a 600-nm shakedown run from Istanbul, near its factory in Turkey, to Rhodes in Greece, through some of the most beautiful cruising grounds in the world. Along the way, the new owners, Mark and Fiona Rammell, were able to try out their new boat on its first venture in what they plan as a multi-year exploration of the Med, the coast of England and then the U.S. before returning to their home waters in New Zealand. Rammell is a retired pilot for Air New Zealand, and he and Fiona…
It may have been the somewhat-orange color, or it may have been the idea of a helicopter landing on the top deck, but The Keys, a custom Valder Yachts 66-foot foiling catamaran, got a lot of attention at the Palm Beach show last week. Built in New Zealand, the brainchild of offshore racer Wayne Valder, The Keys is designed as a fast, comfortable offshore boat powered by twin 1,300-hp MAN turbo diesels, ZF gears and custom five-blade props. It has a foil about half way aft in the hull that lifts the boat up above the surface at 17.5 knots.…
Riviera has launched its new 58 Sports Motor Yacht, a versatile cruiser with room for a family or group of friends to spend a lot of time on board in a variety of settings. One appealing spot is a terrace that’s aft of the salon and just a few steps up from the lower cockpit. This al fresco deck is protected by the overhang from the flybridge up top, and by glass quarter panels on the sides. It has U-shaped seating around a high-gloss dining table and a settee, and a window opens to connect it directly to the galley…
North Pacific Yachts is making its new flagship, a 590 Pilothouse, designed for serious cruising couples or families who want to spend a long time on board. With offices in Surrey, British Columbia, just outside Vancouver, North Pacific makes five models from 44 to 59 feet. John Brice and his son, Trevor, started the company by showing their first boat, a 43, at the Seattle show in 2004. They’ve made more than 150 yachts since then, and Trevor runs the company. The boats are made near Shanghai, China. North Pacific prides itself on working directly with its owners. The first…
Johnson Yachts is showing its newest model, a 70-footer, at the Palm Beach show. Designed by Bill Dixon, the well-known British naval architect, the Johnson 70 is meant to provide the usable size of a superyacht in a manageable size. Johnson has been making yachts for the past 37 years in Taiwan; it’s built 350 of them so far, selling them all around the world, but with the United States as a major market. The new 70 is the smallest in the fleet, with five models now going up to 115 feet. The 70 takes advantage of its 18’ 3”…
A small Canadian company is building the prototype of a 30-foot, off-the-grid blend of a houseboat and a unique catamaran cruising boat. The main cabin is designed as a “Muskoka Room” to resemble a cabin in the north woods. The new NC9 is the creation of the North Channel CabinBoat Company and it’s being built of aluminum by Henley Boats on Manitoulin Island. It’s originally meant for the rugged North Channel, part of the Georgian Bay on Lake Huron, one of the most popular cruising grounds on the Great Lakes, and a favorite spot on the Great Loop. The semi-displacement…
Fairline, the big British builder, is showing its sporty new Targa GT 50 at the Palm Beach show. It’s a two-stateroom, two-head, 33-knot cruiser with some luxury touches and contemporary lines. Once you walk from the wide, submersible, teak swim platform into the cockpit, the Targa GT 50 is one large entertaining space, from the transom to the helm. There’s an L-shaped settee and a high-low table on the port side, and an outdoor wet bar with a grill, sink and entertainment system to starboard. You can open three-part glass doors to the salon, where the galley is aft on…
C-MAP just announced that it has updated its charts for North American with enhanced images and more detailed information. Founded in 1985, C-MAP has become a leader in digital marine cartography and cloud-based mapping. Its C-MAP App makes planning and navigating simple and easy. It’s made for your smart phone, tablet or personal computer, and you can personalize a chart with the layers you want and view it any time you want in the palm of your hand. You also can check the weather, create your own route, or rely on C-MAP’s Autorouting to do it for you. Now, the…
Quick, the Italian marine component company, just introduced its new Intercepta series of stabilizers at the Düsseldorf show. Designed for yachts from 50 to 130 feet, the new Intercepta X Series of stabilizers can be fully customized to fit any model and hull shape. They are part of Quick’s MC² brand that includes Viator fin stabilizers and Quick gyro stabilizers. Quick already offers a plug-and-play series of Intercepta stabilizers for boats as small as 20 feet. The new stabilizers come in four standard units, the X50, X65, X80 and X100, and the width can be customized to the centimeter. The…
ePropulsion, the major marine electric-propulsion company, just launched its new 500W eLite electric outboard motor at the Düsseldorf show. The new eLite is compact, less than three feet long, and lightweight, coming in at just 14.7 pounds, including the battery. It’s designed for the tender, RIB and smaller boating market, offering clean, quiet and eco-friendly propulsion. It has a direct-drive motor and an advanced propeller design, and it requires very little maintenance. Danny Tao, co-founder and CEO of ePropulsion, called the new eLite “a game-changer in marine propulsion. With its innovative features and commitment to sustainability, we believe the eLite…
Simrad just introduced its new NSX ULTRAWIDE MFD that it says is the world’s first ultramarine display with all the features. Simrad says the new display has all the benefits of dual screens in one place, and is 63 percent wider than previous models. The NSX ULTRAWIDE results in an elevated-dash look that offers easier, faster and more efficient installation for OEM or existing boat owners with fewer cables and less set up. It is available in 12-inch and 15-inch screen sizes. The ULTRAWIDE will make its first appearance at the Düsseldorf show, starting Jan. 20, and in the U.S.…
Here’s some good news for fans of the British Virgin Islands (and I think that’s just about all of us). The new and improved Peter Island Resort is scheduled to reopen officially on October 3, and will be up and running for the rest of the year and the holiday season. The original Peter Island Resort was destroyed by the hurricanes in 2017. The six-year rebuilding has resulted in a major transformation and upgrading of the resort and its facilities. Not that there was anything wrong with Peter Island to begin with. I first sailed there many, many years ago…
If you’re going to Palm Beach for the show on your boat later this month, or simply cruising in south Florida at any other time, take a look at the freshly renovated Town of Palm Beach Marina. You’ll be impressed. Most important is its location. It’s on the Intracoastal Waterway, just across Lake Worth Lagoon from the mainland and the show venue. In the other direction, it’s within walking distance of all the boutiques, galleries, restaurants and watering holes of Worth Avenue. The iconic Breakers hotel and resort is only eight-tenths of a mile away. It’s also just north of…
The State Department has issued travel advisories for the Bahamas and Jamaica, warning about crime and water safety in the islands. The advisory for the Bahamas was Level 2, meaning “exercise Increased caution.” The advisory for Jamaica ratcheted up to Level 3, meaning “reconsider travel.” The top level is 4, which basically means don‘t go there. The Bahamas advisory mentioned gang-on-gang violence, but said that “violent crime, such as burglaries, armed robberies and sexual assaults occurs in both tourist and non-tourist areas.” It said travelers should “be vigilant when staying at short-term vacation rental properties where private security companies do…
For years and years, Miami has been one of the most vibrant, lively and warm of all American cities, with people coming from all over the world for its culture, water, beaches and, in the middle of February, the boat show. But Miami is a great place to visit at any time. For cruising boat owners, it’s a destination in its own right or a waypoint on the Great Loop or the starting point of a cruise to the Bahamas, Caribbean or the Keys. Miami’s wide choice of restaurants will make you want to stay a while. For a waterfront…
The National Marine Electronics Association just named this year’s award winners at its annual conference in Orlando. The awards were chosen by NMEA members who voted online in 17 categories for Product of Excellence Awards, while a panel of judges named winners of the NMEA Technology Award and Best New Product Award. The Best New Product Award celebrates a new product that was introduced at the conference and that the judges thought was best in innovation, benefit to boaters, practicality and value. The winner: Furuno’s FCV800 fishfinder, which the judges said was “a real powerhouse of a standalone fishfinder.” The…
The new Revolve emergency VHF antenna, a major safety device for serious cruising people, just won an Honorable Mention award at the Newport show. It previously had been nominated for a DAME design award at the big METSTRADE show in Amsterdam. The Revolve antenna is designed to provide you with the ability to communicate on VHF Channel 16 even if your regular antenna is down, or inoperable for any reason. The Revolve also comes with AIS compatibility, so that other boats with AIS (an ever-growing number) can find you quickly. It operates on 156-162MGz, is lightweight, and maintenance free. Based…
Garmin just introduced its new flagship GPSMAP 9000 chartplotter series, with 4K resolution, edge-to-edge clarity and a processor that’s seven times faster than previous versions. The new touchscreen chartplotters come in 19-, 22-, 24-, and 27-inch displays, representing the largest size in recreational boating. Prices start at $9,999. They will be available next month. The new GPSMAP 9000 MFDs work with Garmin’s BlueNet gigabit network to provide comprehensive connectivity throughout the boat, connecting multiple chartplotters, radars, cameras and sonars. They also provide multimedia streaming and video, so users can play and hear the same video and audio over multiple screens…
Here’s some great advice from America’s Boating Club, formerly the U.S. Power Squadrons, about how to set up your MMSI (Maritime Mobile Service Identity), a major safety feature. Read on: If your boat has a dedicated marine radio, GPS or AIS, your boat systems are not complete until you also have a Maritime Mobile Service Identity, or MMSI. The nine-digit MMSI uniquely identifies your vessel, which is crucial in the event of an on-the-water emergency. “Each boat is unique. Beyond having a physical name that can be seen up close, each deserves to have its own MMSI that can be…
Arksen, the British adventure company, just announced a new 50-percent co-ownership program for its Project Ocean long-range explorer yachts starting this summer. Jasper Smith, the Arksen founder, says he hopes the co-ownership and charter opportunities spark a spirit of adventure, while offering members a practical second home that’s capable of cruising the world. The program enables members to have ownership of exceptional vessels and access to cruising itineraries with syndicates in Europe, Asia, the U.S. and elsewhere. Arksen the says the co-ownership program offers: Significantly lower costs, compared to sole ownership. Financial flexibility. You can trade in and out of…
The Moorings just announced that it will have power catamarans for charter at its base in Dubrovnik, Croatia, this season, including The Moorings 403PC, recently named as European Boat of the Year in its multihull category. That’s good news for power cruising enthusiasts, since the Adriatic coast off Dubrovnik offers some of the best cruising grounds in the world, with crystal-clear waters, secluded islands, white-sand beaches, and historic towns and villages that are all boater, and tourist, friendly. Dubrovnik itself dates to the 7th Century, and is often called the Pearl of the Adriatic. One of the largest tourist destinations…
Bering Yachts, the Turkish builder of long-range explorer yachts, is just starting a charter operation in the Bahamas. The Bering charters are a bit different, because you don’t have to rent the entire yacht; you can charter a cabin or a group of cabins if you are traveling as a couple or a family. If you have a large group, you can charter the entire yacht. The program is starting with the 92-foot Papillon (pictured) and the 145-foot Heeus. The itineraries are flexible, and cover Nassau, the Exumas and the Turks and Caicos. One new five-day cruise, for example, covers…
The Freedom Boat Clubs is a modern American success story – an idea whose time has come. Indeed, Freedom just announced that it delivered more than 600,000 boating trips to members last year in North America, Europe and Australia. The world’s largest boat club operator, Freedom is part of Brunswick, and is based in Venice, Florida. And it’s very pleased with the way things are going. “We are committed to providing a pathway for new entrants and all who seek to enjoy the on-water lifestyle through our subscription-based boating model,” said Cecil Cohn, president of the Freedom Boat Club network,…