Category Archives: Boat Reviews
Boat Review of the Week
Pacific Seacraft 61: Catari People who build boats—particularly those who create custom boats for special clients—are in the business of making dreams come true. It’s not always easy, but put together a collaborative client who knows what he wants, a … Continue reading
Boat Review: Catalina 445
Catalina listens to what cruisers and customers want—the innovative 445 is the latest result. At first sight you know there is something different about the new Catalina 445. The design’s topsides appear lower than her sister ships and the cabin … Continue reading
Boat Review: Rustler 44
British designers and builders have a well-earned reputation for creating cruising boats that can stand up to the rigors of offshore and even high latitude sailing. There’s a good reason for that. Britain is pretty far north and swept by … Continue reading
Boat Review: Grand Soleil 545
The Grand Soleil 545 packs eye-catching Euro styling in a 54-footer that sails like the wind. In our efforts to sail trial the new Grand Soleil 545, Simon and I ended up spending a night and two days aboard the boat … Continue reading
Boat Review: Beneteau Sense 55
Is the new Sense from Beneteau the ultimate single-hulled “mono-maran”? At the very least, it’s a mold-breaking new monohull built for luxurious family cruising. On the Saturday afternoon of the Strictly Sail Miami show, Beneteau USA’s president Wayne Burdick and … Continue reading
Boat Review: Seaward 46RK by Hake
By Captain Jeff Grossman and Captain Jean Levine, AMS It was a beautiful Florida winter day on Biscayne Bay just after the Miami Boat Show. Sunny skies and a warm, light, easterly wind set the stage for our test sail … Continue reading
Boat Review: Norstar 40
The Robert Perry-designed Norstar 40 began life as the classic Nordic 40 and is still one of the best mid-size cruisers ever built. Gary and Steve Nordvedt are second generation boat builders in the Pacific Northwest who have seen designs … Continue reading
Boat Review: Pacific Seacraft 40
While attending the annual Pacific Seacraft open house at the builder’s new facility in Washington, N.C., I had the opportunity to sail a Pacific Seacraft 40 on the Pamlico River for a few hours one afternoon. Although I have been … Continue reading
Boat Review: Discovery 50
The Discovery 50 cruising catamaran offers luxurious accomodations in highly advanced cruising hulls powered by a rig fit for girdling the globe. On a Sunday morning in June, we set off from the little Massachusetts island of Cuttyhunk for the … Continue reading
Boat Review: Tartan 40
The Tartan 400 is an American-designed, American-built performance cruiser with a great pedigree and a bright future. Forty feet is one of the sweet spots in cruising boat design. There are more famous production boats at 40 than at just … Continue reading
Boat Review: Oyster 46
Last summer I had the good luck to be invited to join the Oyster Rendezvous in Newport, Rhode Island, where I would sail in daily races aboard owners’ yachts. On the first day’s run from Newport to Cuttyhunk Island, I … Continue reading
Boat Review of the Week: Catalina 355
After last October’s Annapolis Sailboat Show, I had the chance to spend the better part of a lovely fall afternoon sailing the new Catalina 355 with her designer Gerry Douglas, who is in charge of production for the company. The … Continue reading
Boat Review: Moody 45
Moody DS 45 Magic • The Bill Dixon-designed pilothouse cruiser combines elegantindoor-outdoor living with fine sailing and cruising capabilities. We sailed the Moody DS 45 in Newport, RI on one of those clear, warm fall days that make me realize … Continue reading
Boat Review: Hylas 56
The Hylas 54 proved to be one of the most successful 50-foot plus cruising boats ever built and continues to set a standard for a couple’s ultimate cruising boat. Yet, the design is now a decade old, and both design … Continue reading
Boat Review: Antares 44i
BWS Publisher George Day reviews the Antares 44i in October 2010. It was a crystal clear August day when we set out from Gloucester, MA to give Bob and Jan Crandall’s new Antares 44i Sea Spray a test sail. We … Continue reading
Boat Review: Bruckmann 50 MKII
It was a lovely summer afternoon when we set off from Falmouth, Massachusetts in the company of three Bruckmann 50s to see if we could get some photos of the big motorsailers engaged in “synchronized sailing” on Nantucket Sound. The … Continue reading
Boat Review: Sabre 456
The Sabre 456 was launched late last in 2010 and has drawn a lot of attention from both Sabre owners and would-be Sabre owners. The Jim Taylor design is an upgrade of the Sabre 452 that was introduced several years … Continue reading
Hanse 495
This boat review is from the June issue of BWS, on newsstands next week. Be sure to check it out for more great cruising info, including your guide to cruising in Maine. Hanse Yachts of Germany has been exporting their … Continue reading
Boat Review: Dufour 405 Grand Large
The Dufour 405 Grand Large combines a sweet performance hull and rig with a classic yacht-style interior. The old adage says that whenever you have two boats sailing in the same direction, you have a race. While casual cruisers may … Continue reading
Boat Review: Island Packet 360
This new mid-size bluewater cruiser will make a fine and sensible couple’s cruising boat The Island Packet 360 debuted at last fall’s Annapolis sailboat show and caused a nice stir among the boatbuilder’s many fans. The new boat shows some … Continue reading
