Boat Reviews

Island Spirit 40

by Sail Staff, Posted February 4, 2003

The Island Spirit 40, designed and built in South Africa, has many of the characteristics people look for in an offshore boat: solid construction, simple, robust, and accessible systems, safe and efficient sailhandling gear, a roomy interior, a manageable price, and good sailing performance.On deck we liked the mainsheet/traveler system and the good visibility over the coachroof from the

Maiden Hong Kong

by Sail Staff, Posted May 31, 2005

Mari-Cha IV currently rules the Atlantic, but there may be a new sheriff in town with the launching of Frank Pong's record chaser, Maiden Hong Kong. Designer Juan Kouyoumdjian's brief was for a 100-foot-plus monohull capable of breaking existing transoceanic records. Maiden's 115-foot carbon-composite hull is a stripped-out (pipe berths only) racer built by DK Yachts in

Baraka

by Sail Staff, Posted August 7, 2008

A happy combination, with everything rightIf you want a yacht that can give you the ride of your life during the day and provide hotel-style accommodations at anchor, Jean de Fontenay’s Reichel Pugh designed 62-foot sloop, Baraka, takes the brass ring in both categories. Fontenay, a sailor with impressive credentials, thrives on the challenges that come with sailing a

Renovatio: The Passport 615

by Tom Dove, Posted April 23, 2010

Passport Yachts has been building semi-custom voyaging sailboats for three decades. For the last 20 years these boats have been produced in a modern facility in China. Thom Wagner has been the force behind the company from the beginning, and he still is the man to see when you are ready to buy one. His latest project is the Passport Vista 615 Twin Cockpit, designed by Bill Dixon.

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

Corsair Sprint 750

by Bill Springer, Posted September 23, 2005

The new Corsair Sprint 750 represents a high-octane evolution of the successful Corsair 24. Its length and overall profile are similar to the 24’s, but over 100 pounds have been trimmed from the hull and the cockpit has been lengthened at the expense of some interior volume in the cuddy cabin. The cabin has a small double bunk and a place to put an optional porta-potty, but accommodations space

Herreshoff 65

by Charles Mason, Posted July 12, 2005

It’s late morning on a hot and nearly windless day off Miami Beach, Florida, and the late-February sun is beginning to make the irregular swells look larger than they really are. But the undulating water still retains some of the power from a weather system that has long since moved on. Around us, sailboats are heaving and rolling randomly in the calms, their sails powerless to steady

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

Tripp 76 Cafe Racer

by Sail Staff, Posted September 28, 2006

Baltic Yachts has started work on this lifting-keel sloop from the board of Tripp Design. Carbon construction and composite rigging will keep its weight down and allows for the installation of a luxurious Dick Young–designed interior.A caf racer is a cruising yacht whose sailing characteristics approach those of a racer, but whose modern aesthetics are a source of pride to an owner when

Oyster 53

by Tom Dove, Posted September 29, 2006

Carbon-based life evolves, silicon-based computers evolve, and so do fiberglass yachts. Oyster Marine understands this principle well and through steady improvements and innovations has established new standards for all its designs and systems without sacrificing the essential qualities that have been successful in earlier models. The Oyster 53 is a prime example. Since its introduction in