Boats

Beneteau 523

by Bill Springer, Posted August 23, 2006

Groupe Beneteau is the largest sailboat manufacturer in the world. It comprises four separate companies—Beneteau, Jeanneau, Lagoon, and CNB—that operate independently but share economies of scale. At first glance, Beneteau and Jeanneau may appear to be competing for the same buyers, but in reality each line is designed to fill wide (and separate) swaths in the marketplace. Jeanneau has had great

Esse 850

by Bill Springer, Posted August 22, 2006

The idea behind the new 28-foot Esse 850 is what many sportboat builders strive for: Build a fast, easy-to-handle, trailerable, one-design racer/daysailer that can be sailed shorthanded. And make sure it’s drop-dead gorgeous.After a successful launch in Europe, where the Umberto Felci design was named one of the European Yachts of the Year, it appears the 850 turns the

J/92

by Bill Springer, Posted August 22, 2006

Ever since Rod Johnstone built Ragtime, which ended up being the J/24 prototype in 1974, J Boats has produced boats that are fun to race as well as comfortable and manageable enough for family cruising. The new 30-foot J/92s fits that design brief perfectly. The J/92 has been very successful on racecourses in Europe and the U.S., and the J/92s is intended to be a more stable,

Nautitech 40

by Bill Springer, Posted August 22, 2006

At first glance the Nautitech 40 seems to have solved the conundrum all large cruising-cat designers face—how to draw a boat that’s spacious on the inside and sleek and sexy on the outside. Nautitech’s answer is to unify the topsides by seamlessly blending the coachroof into the hard cockpit roof. As with all designs, a compromise was required. Instead of having a single helm station on the back

Transit 380

by Bill Springer, Posted August 22, 2006

It’s easy to see why the Optimist is the boat of choice for the youngest sailors, but what’s not so clear is where those still-young sailors go when they’ve outgrown the Opti. Designer Jim Taylor and Precision Boatworks have addressed the need for a transition boat between the Opti and larger, more powerful boats like the Laser or the 420 with the new Transit 380. It’s a stable

Santa Cruz 53C

by Sail Staff, Posted June 6, 2006

Santa Cruz 53CDesigned for serious passagemakers, the new Santa Cruz 53C is a bluewater-cruising version of the company’s 52-foot racer/cruiser. While it maintains the original’s lightweight design, new cruising-friendly features include hull windows, self-tacking jib, carbon-fiber boom, optional shoal-draft keel, and a fiberglass dodger for more comfortable foul-weather sailing. The 53C boasts

Delphia 40

by Sail Staff, Posted June 6, 2006

Built as a sturdy passagemaker capable of withstanding the harshest of Baltic Sea conditions, this 40-foot Polish import carries 841 square feet of sail area, has a displacement of 18,000 pounds, and is available with a shoal or deep keel (5 feet, 6 inches/7 feet, 1 inch). The interior features 6-foot, 8-inch headroom in the saloon, mahogany joinerwork, and a choice of three- or four-cabin

Annapolis 30

by Dave Baldwin, Posted June 6, 2006

The first in Annapolis Performance Yachts’s new line, the sleek A30 is a trailerable one-design racer with a narrow beam and a light 3,800 pounds of displacement. Designed for quick acceleration and upwind stability, it features a fractional carbon-fiber rig, an asymmetric

Beneteau First 10R

by Sail Staff, Posted March 29, 2006

The 32-foot First 10R represents a new generation of Beneteau’s sleek one-design racers. Designed by Farr Yacht Design with speed as the top priority, the 10R features an aggressive sailplan, an iron blade/lead bulb combo keel, and an asymmetrical spinnaker. While it is the smallest in Beneteau’s First series, it also serves as a comfortable cruiser and is equipped with a separate head, nav

Catalina Morgan 440

by Kimball Livingston, Posted March 29, 2006

I made it a point to spend time below during my sail aboard the Catalina Morgan 440. With many brand-loyal Catalina owners getting beyond career age, the company’s first deck-saloon offering was conceived as a vacation home for some and a retirement home for others. The “house” really matters.The main cabin, with a galley convenient to the cockpit, is astonishingly big