Boat Reviews

X-Treme 25

by Adam Cort, Posted August 23, 2011

With its almost predatory lines, plumb bow and short fixed bowsprit, the X-Treme 25 is a sport boat that attracts a crowd just sitting on its trailer. The boat seems like a cutting-edge maxi in miniature—ICAP Leopard back in grade school.The resin-infused hull laminate, set in epoxy, is glass with a foam core. To increase stiffness, the boat has five structural bulkheads and a beefy

Impression 434

by Bill Springer, Posted February 28, 2005

Slovenia-based Elan Marine has established a presence with its line of Rob Humphreys–designed performance cruisers over the past several years, but the new Impression 434 by Elan is an entirely different animal. Unlike Elan's low-slung racer/cruisers, the 434 is aimed directly at the cruiser looking to reel off quick passage times while enjoying spacious

Lagoon 500

by Sail Staff, Posted July 12, 2005

Following up on their successful Lagoon 440 catamaran, the Peteghem-Prevost design team has created a 51-footer that will be available with several options—an owner's version with a three- or a four-cabin arrangement and a charter version with four or five cabins. The main saloon, located on the bridgedeck between the hulls, has a center table that is large enough to seat 10

Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 32

by Bill Springer, Posted June 3, 2004

Remember the days when anchorages were filled with cruising boats in the 20-to-30-foot range and 40-footers were considered big? The Philippe Briand–designed Sun Odyssey 32 may be considered entry-level compared to the multitude of new 40-foot cruising boats—it’s the smallest cruising boat Jeanneau sells here in the States—but I found during a test sail on

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

Najad 380

by Tom Dove, Posted September 5, 2006

I finally figured out what Swedes do on those dark northern-winter days. They have contests. Varnishing contests. Woodworking contests. Bolt-tightening contests. At least, that’s what I thought after a close examination of the new center-cockpit Najad 380 from Sweden. On deckThe in-mast furling mainsail was beautifully made by UK-Syverson. Thanks to its vertical battens, and

Berret Racoupeau

by Sail Staff, Posted September 29, 2006

Any notion that the demand for large sailing yachts is slackening should be put to rest by this latest project from the board of Jean Berret and Olivier Racoupeau. This 118-foot sloop has large picture windows that feature insulated liquid-crystal glass with variable opacity that can change the interior mood from full natural lighting to a cosy and intimate shaded effect.The cockpit is

Standfast 43

by Sail Staff, Posted October 5, 2006

Frans Maas has been designing and building boats for many years. He created this masthead sloop as a one-off, but he hopes it will serve as a prototype for a limited series of semi-custom yachts. The design is in the Maas tradition—an attractive, low-maintenance, and easily operated performance cruiser.Construction is carbon fiber set in vacuum-infused epoxy resin over a foam core.

Bavaria 34

by Bill Springer, Posted January 15, 2008

The German builder Bavaria was sold for 1.3 billion euros in 2007, so it should not come as a surprise that the new owners are announcing new models. What surprises me a little is that the first new boat is a 34-footer rather than a big-ticket 60-footer. But then again, the new owners may realize that sticking with Bavaria’s proven high-volume production formula is probably a

J/122

by David Schmidt, Posted August 8, 2008

The new J/122, a 40-foot cruiser/racer, was designed by Alan Johnstone of the legendary J/Boats family and is being built in France by J/Europe. Its sporty credentials include light-to-moderate displacement (14,900 pounds), minimal overhangs, and a slippery, flat-bottomed hull form. A swept-back double-spreader Hall Spars carbon-fiber rig and a retractable carbon-fiber bowsprit are standard; the