Boat Reviews

Leopard 40

by Sail Staff, Posted August 11, 2005

South African catamaran specialist Robertson and Caine has been known for building production boats that were distinctively South African, with bridgedeck clearances slightly lower than those seen on French or Canadian cruising cats and hull shapes a bit wider in the stern to provide more buoyancy aft. The thinking was that a lower bridgedeck reduces the boat’s center of

Oyster 46

by Sail Staff, Posted January 23, 2006

Designer Rob Humphreys’s latest project in his continuing update of the Oyster line has been to take a fresh look at the 45-foot center-cockpit deck-saloon model designed for Oyster many years ago by Holman & Pye. Many of the features that have made Oyster one of the world’s preeminent builders of custom and semi-custom yachts are present on this yacht. Now Humphreys has revisited the basic hull

Nauticat 515

by Sail Staff, Posted July 19, 2004

Nauticats have always been solid, stable, and comfortable, and the newest and biggest Nauticat is no different. There's nothing radical about the Nauticat 515. Its long overhangs are something of a rarity among new cruising designs, and its displacement of nearly 53,000 pounds will make it a stately offshore passagemaker. The hull is made of meticulously hand-laid fiberglass, and the fit and

Athena

by Sail Staff, Posted June 2, 2005

This 298-foot classic three-masted schooner designed by Gerard Dijkstra & Partners and built at Royal Huisman in Alustar aluminum for an American client was finally sailing at the end of September. The fore-, main-, and mizzenmasts were all built in aluminum by Rondal; the topsails can be furled in the mast while all the lowers furl into carbon booms. All deck hardware was

Etap 37s

by Tom Dove, Posted August 23, 2004

After sailing two or three hundred boats, I thought there would be no utterly novel features for me to discover aboard the next one. I was mistaken. Boat designers are a creative lot, and when they're engineers as well, the result can be a vessel loaded with innovative features. The Belgian-built Etap 37 is just such a package of pleasant surprises. Or maybe I shouldn't be surprised; after all, a

Briand 115

by Sail Staff, Posted January 23, 2006

Designed by Philippe Briand, with interior dcor by Andrew Winch, this 115-foot sloop is the largest composite yacht that has been built by the well-known French yard CNB. Launched in mid-May, the yacht has been built with carbon fiber and vinylester resins using a resin-infusion system. The yacht’s lifting keel has a 60,000-pound bulb that can be retracted from a maximum draft of 16 feet to a

Southerly 110

by Sail Staff, Posted November 9, 2005

Boats from Southerly Yachts may look like many other offshore cruising boats, but they have a trick up the trunk—the ability to combine the stability of moderate displacement and a heavy fixed keel with the versatility of a variable-draft swing keel. As anyone can attest who has dug a fixed keel into a shoal, or been on a boat that was too deep to get into a shallow gunkhole,

Swan 601

by Tim Jeffrey, Posted July 12, 2005

The 601 is the second of a string of new one-designs from the Finnish builderOf the 950 yachts racing at Skandia Cowes Week last summer, only one was referred to by her crew as "a bit of a weapon." This was fitting flattery, for Sir Peter Ogden’s Spirit of Jethou was exactly that, with her black hull, sleek coachroof, and carbon-fiber sails.Even so,

Hood 54-foot Motorsailer

by Sail Staff, Posted June 2, 2005

Legendary sailor and designer Ted Hood has created a larger version of his 48-foot motorsailer and is building it on a custom basis at the TeKad facility in Tuzla, Turkey. While many of the belowdecks features are similar to those of Hood’s well-known Little Harbor 54 and 60 designs, the waterline on this yacht is far longer, the freeboard is much higher, there is a flush deck, and, of course,

Cookson 50

by Sail Staff, Posted May 31, 2005

The Cookson 50 from New Zealand's Cookson Boats belongs to the new generation of high-performance boats sporting canting keels and blistering speed potential. Mick Cookson, who worked with Farr Yacht Design to develop the concept, didn't start out to build a canting-keeler. "This began as a fixed-keel boat with a trim tab," he said. But Cookson also wanted a lightning-fast boat that had enough