Boat Reviews

Volvo Extreme 40

by Bill Springer, Posted November 9, 2005

The launch of the first Volvo Extreme 40 high-performance racing catamaran was, you could say, extreme. As soon as it hit the water, it was flying a hull with a gennaker and doing over 20 knots in 12 to 14 knots of wind. The project was conceived by Herbert Dercksen and top Olympic cat sailors who are looking to make the stopovers during the Volvo Ocean Race more exciting and

Sunreef 60

by Sail Staff, Posted January 18, 2006

After completing a 74-foot catamaran intended principally for luxury charters, designers Van Peteghem and Prevost were asked by Sunreef to design a smaller catamaran that would appeal to private owners. With four units—two in aluminum and two in composite laminates— already under construction at the builder’s yard in Gdansk, Poland, there is little doubt that this concept has struck a responsive

Hunter 41DS

by Bill Springer, Posted July 11, 2005

Since Hunter Marine is constantly devising new ways of increasing and maximizing interior volume, it seems only natural that the Hunter 41DS takes advantage of a deck-saloon layout to achieve a more open and airy accommodations plan. The DS has large elevated windows for panoramic views and a whopping 6-foot, 10-inch headroom in the saloon. The standard two-cabin version has a master stateroom

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

Hunter 33

by Sail Staff, Posted August 24, 2004

It appears that designer Glenn Henderson is systematically redesigning the entire Hunter line. He's already drawn 21-, 35-, 41-, and 44-footers and now he's turned his computer mouse and designer's eye on the 33-footer. As with Henderson's previous designs, the new Hunter 33 carries its beam well aft to provide for considerable interior volume. The boat has a large aft master

Bruckmann 50

by Sail Staff, Posted August 23, 2004

Mark Ellis drew the lines for the Bruckmann 50, a seamanlike motorsailer that was originally called the Bruckmann 480; overall length is actually a fraction over 51 feet. Two private cabins forward lead into a very full galley to port and a nav station and relaxation area to starboard. There are dual steering stations, one at the forward end of the pilothouse and a second at the aft end of the

Catalina 250 Centerboard

by Sail Staff, Posted September 23, 2004

The Catalina 250 Centerboard has some unusual features for a pocket cruiser—a built-in swim ladder and stern-pulpit seats. And it has the essentials: an easy-to-fill water-ballast system, a spacious cockpit and accommodation plan, a big kick-up rudder and a durable centerboard, and a stove, sink, and a bit of counter space in the galley. There is also a private head compartment. You'll be amazed

Telstar 28

by Bill Springer, Posted July 14, 2004

When a fire destroyed the molds for the Telstar trimarans in 1981, Performance Cruising founder and designer Tony Smith rebuilt his factory and started production of the Gemini catamarans. Gemini's success pushed the Telstars to the back of, but not completely off, the drawing board. After years spent redesigning, re-engineering, and rigorously testing five full-size prototypes, Smith has

True Wind 32

by Bill Springer, Posted September 22, 2004

The True Wind 32 presents an interesting amalgamation of features. It's a 32-foot cat with a rigid open bridgedeck and is built to sail faster than wind speed in the right conditions, to provide the amenities of a pocket cruiser, and to be capable of easily folding up onto a street-legal trailer.During my test on Florida's Biscayne Bay in 10 knots of breeze and flat water, we hit 8 knots on

Tripp 78

by Sail Staff, Posted January 16, 2006

Bill Tripp has designed this lifting-keel sloop to be as comfortable racing in the North Atlantic as it is cruising in the Mediterranean. A deep-ballast package creates high stability under sail even as the lifting feature allows access to harbors and shallow anchorages. On deck, the foredeck is flush with a low house aft. There’s a guest cockpit with flush dodgers just behind