Boat News

Just Launched: Italian Flavor

by Peter Nielsen, Posted May 10, 2012

We here in the United States tend to think of European boatbuilding in terms of the big series production builders who export their boats here: Dufour, Hanse, Bavaria, Lagoon and Fountaine-Pajot come to mind, as do Jeanneau and Beneteau.

Whales Go Digital: New Whale Alert iPad App

by Hilary Sharp, Posted April 9, 2012

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is approaching the protection of endangered whales from a whole new perspective. Due to the rapidly decreasing numbers of the North Atlantic right whale, NOAA has developed an iPad app to help reduce the leading cause of right whale deaths: collisions with ships.

The J/70

by Adam Cort, Posted March 29, 2012

There’s nothing more disappointing than test sailing a high-octane sport boat in a drifter. But that wasn’t a problem with the new 22ft, 9in J/70. For our sail trial we had a steady 20-knot southerly, gusting over 25 knots and kicking up a sharp chop off Bristol, Rhode Island.

Just Launched: At the Dusseldorf Boat Show

by Peter Nielsen, Posted March 29, 2012

If you were looking for the ideal boat show venue, your first choice probably wouldn’t be a German city 110 miles from the sea. Yet the nautical extravaganza in Dusseldorf, on the banks of the mighty Rhine, has grown to be the world’s biggest boat and watersport show.

Just Launched: A True Babe

by Peter Nielsen, Posted March 13, 2012

Back in 1935, the young Olin Stephens designed a 30-foot sloop called Babe. It was design #97 from his prolific pen, crafted to the rules of the Miami-Nassau race. Stephens drew a hull with a fairly plumb bow and squared-off stern, not at all in keeping with the ‘30s fashion of long overhangs on a short waterline.

BoatUS: LightSquared Still Threatens GPS

by Adam Cort, Posted March 5, 2012

Two weeks after declaring victory in its battle to defend GPS, BoatUS is cautioning sailors and other GPS users that they’re not “out of the woods just yet,” following a Federal Communications Commission decision to extend the public comment period on the issue to March 16.

Gunboat Opens Boatyard in North Carolina

by Meredith Laitos, Posted February 1, 2012

Gunboat, manufacturer of high-end racing and cruising catamarans, announced the opening of its new boatyard in Wanchese, North Carolina. The company will employ 71 people at the new 30,000 square foot facility, from which it will be able to haul, launch, sea trial and service boats year round.

Just Launched: New Rackam Wing 26 Heats Up the Market

by Peter Nielsen, Posted February 1, 2012

Recently launched boats boast of high-performance, luxury and quality that sailing enthusiasts can't miss out on. Think high-performance sub-30-foot racer/ cruiser multihull and you think trimaran. But the imminent arrival in the United States of the Rackam Wing 26 Xtreme could quickly change that.

The Farr 400: A wolf in wolf's clothing

by Ralph Naranjo, Posted January 10, 2012

The new Farr 400 is all predator, a no-holds-barred one design that can ghost through 5-knot holes and still stand tall in 25-knot gusts. As the heir apparent to the Farr 40, this all-carbon lightweight speedster reveals an up-tick in commitment to performance and an upgrade in the commitment to technology.

2012 Best Boats Winners

by Sail Staff, Posted November 21, 2011

Among this year’s 2012 Best Boats Award winners are a cat with two cockpits, another cat with two tillers, a variable-displacement daysailer and a pair of red-hot raceboats. Clearly it takes more than a little bad economic news to keep the boatbuilding industry down!