Boat Reviews

Gunboat 34

by Sail Staff, Posted August 23, 2004
Flush with the success of the aggressive Gunboat 62, Peter Johnstone and multihull designers Morelli & Melvin have brought the same go-fast and go-comfortable approach to the new Gunboat 34. It's designed to be easy to singlehand and to easily log double-digit speeds under sail. All lines lead to the helm station, which is located in the center of the open bridgedeck under a hardtop. Living

Kanter 65

by Sail Staff, Posted January 16, 2006
This 65-foot aluminum pilothouse sloop was launched at the end of May and then transited down the St. Lawrence to start an extended cruise to its home port on the west coast of Florida. The basic theme comes from Chuck Paine’s Bermuda series of designs, but there’s an emphasis on increasing interior space aboard this yacht. The key is a large pilothouse that extends over both

Hallberg-Rassy 54

by Sail Staff, Posted January 16, 2006
Construction has begun on this new 54-foot center-cockpit design from German Frers, and the first yacht in the series is expected at the end of August. There’s an owner’s cabin aft and two guest cabins forward. Construction is glass with PVC core except in the keel area, which is solid-glass laminate. Spars and rod rigging are by Seldn, and the auxiliary is a 110-horsepower Volvo diesel. A

Dufour 455

by James Jermain, Posted September 23, 2005
Forty years ago Michel Dufour dragged boatbuilding into the industrial age by being one of the first to design boats specifically for production building methods. The company came out of some recent financial troubles and launched a “new era” in 2003. Since then two parallel but carefully matched lines of cruising boats have been introduced.One is a group of performance

Pittman 90

by Craig Davis, Posted January 23, 2006
Over the last decade or so, the America’s Cup and Maxi-yacht classes have benefited from most of the research money going into sailing. Today’s Maxi owners aren’t shy about pushing design far beyond what is permitted in the America’s Cup. Maxis are larger than the Cup yachts and increasingly use canting keels and water ballast to improve performance. Reichel/Pugh, German Frers,

Friendship 40

by Sail Staff, Posted July 19, 2004
Who says daysailers have to be small and wet? One of the newest launches from the Fontaine Design Group is neither small nor wet, but it is a daysailer. The Friendship 40 is a low-freeboard throwback to the days of graceful sheer and elegant lines. She's big enough to be comfortable in a stiff breeze, yet can be easily handled by one or two people on an afternoon daysail. The accommodations below

Hallberg-Rassy 48

by Sail Staff, Posted June 2, 2005
Although based on the same concept as the German Frers–designed 46-foot bluewater cruiser that this Swedish builder has produced for many years, the HR 48 has an entirely new hull and layout. Interior space has been expanded with a longer waterline and has been brightened with larger side windows. The aft cabin is wider and is available with either two bunks on each side or

Maggie B

by Sail Staff, Posted January 18, 2006
Nigel Irens, designer of Ellen MacArthur’s record-setting trimaran, B&Q, also enjoys drawing monohulls like this fast gaff-rigged centerboard schooner now being built for an experienced American sailor. “Although the yacht may appear to have been inspired by traditional designs,” says Irens, “the objective has been to create an efficient and easily maintained vessel for world cruising.”The

Najad 440

by Sail Staff, Posted July 12, 2005
Following a number of successful collaborations with the Judel/Vrolijk design team, Najad has improved the windward performance of this new 44-footer by giving it a narrow V-shaped entry forward. For solid downwind performance, the aft sections have a more pronounced U shape and slightly more beam. The keel is also deeper and narrower than on previous models, and the spade rudder is well balanced

Etap 24i

by Tom Dove, Posted July 11, 2005
Belgian builder Etap is no stranger to innovations, and the new Etap 24i is filled with them. This little cruiser has most of the clever features of its bigger siblings, including the ability to sail even when filled with water; it has an optional shoal-draft tandem keel to make trailering easy, toerails that double as cleats, and the best antiskid decks you’re likely to
  • facebook
  • twitter