Boats

The Hanse 445

by Adam Cort, Posted November 10, 2011

This is a boat that violates nearly every traditional aesthetic value you can imagine. Yet somehow, the Judel/Vrolijk design office has managed to blend these elements into a yacht that is powerful looking and uniquely elegant.

Nautor Swan 66 FD

by Charles J. Doane, Posted October 31, 2011

Back in 1998, when Finnish builder Nautor was acquired by Italian fashion magnate Leonardo Ferragamo, many Swan aficionados worried that the core values of this iconic breed of cruiser-racers would be lost in a blaze of Euro-finery. But the Italians have since done a superb job of injecting their own unique sense of style into the brand while also retaining Nautor’s strong

Draft Dodger

by Peter Nielsen, Posted October 31, 2011

Britain’s boatbuilding industry is a shadow of what it was back in the 1970s and 80s, but a handful of boutique yards still thrives around its shores. One such is Northshore Yachts, whose Southerly range has survived four decades of the boom-and-bust cycles that saw once-mighty production brands tumble.

Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 409

by Charles J. Doane, Posted October 31, 2011

Jeanneau’s Sun Odyssey 409 replaces the very successful Sun Odyssey 39i in the French builder’s fleet of performance cruising boats. With its angular styling and solid performance, the 409 won accolades as the 2011 European Yacht of the Year in the Family Cruisers category.

Occupy FLIBS

by Meghan Dente, Posted October 27, 2011

What better place to protest wealth distribution inequity than at a boat show featuring the likes of super-yachts and personal submarines weighing in at a cool $2.9 million? At least that’s how participants in the Occupy Ft. Lauderdale movement feel. Occupiers will join roughly 100,000 international boating enthusiasts at the 52nd Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS), which launches on

Hunter e36

by Adam Cort, Posted September 30, 2011

The Hunter e36 feels right from the moment you step aboard and is somehow more than the sum of its parts. In both appearance and functionality, it works well and is a pleasure to sail. Construction The hull and deck on the e36 are standard for Hunter, with balsa coring above the waterline and solid fiberglass below. The layup includes a modified

New Boats Debut at Fall Shows

by Peter Nielsen, Posted September 30, 2011

It’s fall, and boat show season is upon us. It kicked off on the East Coast with the Newport International Boat Show, in France with the Grand Pavois de La Rochelle, and in England with the Southampton Boat Show. A jetlagged Peter Nielsen visited all three in one week. Here’s what he saw…

Corsair Sprint 750 MK II

by Peter Nielsen, Posted September 14, 2011

This fast folding-wing trimaran is in its second incarnation, with a revised deck plan and rig and larger amas to improve sailing satisfaction and performance. Not changed: the adrenaline rush that comes with double-digit sailing speeds! corsairmarine.comSPECSLOA: 24ft 4inLWL: 23ft 1inBeam (folded)

The Bavaria Cruiser Line

by Sail Staff, Posted September 13, 2011

This past summer, SAIL magazine had the opportunity to test sail and video the better part of the new Bavaria Cruiser line—including the Bavaria 32, 36 40—at the Bavaria Yachts USA headquarters in Annapolis, Maryland. Earlier this year, executive editor Charles J. Doane also took the Bavaria 45 out for a heavy-air trial off

Bavaria Cruiser 45

by Charles J. Doane, Posted September 13, 2011

It wasn’t so long ago that German builder Bavaria Yachts was giving other mass-production sailboat builders a serious run for their money here in the United States.