Boat Reviews

In the business world, planners often wonder whether a given model will “scale.” In the sailing world that’s not critical, but it’s interesting when it happens, and rarely has a design concept been carried as far as J Boats has gone with its new J/65. Two are in the water now, in the hands of experienced owners. While the interior spaces and systems were customized for each owner, the

As president of the New York Jets football team, Jay Cross puts in his share of long hours. When it’s time to decompress, chances are he’ll be found out on the water. That’s nothing new. As a young sailor, Cross competed in 470 dinghies at the Olympic level and also designed and raced International 14s; in the early ‘80s his Cross III design was a world standard for the class. But his subsequent

The Mal 40 is the latest gem from a highly regarded Swedish builder of cruising boats from 36 to 46 feet. Like all Mals, this one can be customized extensively, an appealing feature for the sailor who has been around enough to have strong opinions.It’s not a racing boat, but it is exactly the sort of vessel you’d want for extended coastal cruising or ocean voyaging. Not that it’s

You’ll find Opti-mists and 420s on many yacht-club docks, but hasn’t the time come for a more modern small-boat design? Designer Garry Hoyt thinks so. His new H-10 is designed to be a stable, fast, and fun dinghy that will fill the gap between the Opti and bigger boats like the Laser and 420. To keep the boat light and easy for a kid to handle alone, the 10-foot-long hull is

With the launch of the 42-foot M42, it appears Morris Yachts is hoping to corner the market on the “big luxury daysailer” category. And if the success of the 36-foot M36 is any indication, Morris may be on to something. Like the 36, the 42 has easy sailhanding features, a self-tacking jib, and a painted carbon-fiber rig. It also has an elegantly simple, open accommodations

Even a short look back in time shows how accustomed we have become to luxury in our boats. We expect beautiful wood joinery, smooth fiberglass work, large electrical systems, sophisticated nav gear, electric winches, effortless sail handling, spacious living areas, and galleys that rival our kitchens at home. The Lagoon 440 has all that, and as the TV ads say, “But

The new Dehler 44 is one of the first two of five new Simonis Voogd–designed Dehlers on the drawing board to be launched between 2006 and 2009. It’s designed to be a performance cruiser with the focus on performance. Production got under way this summer only after extensive computer modeling was used to determine the optimum shape of the hull and appendages. It appears that the designers gave the

A 49-foot cruiser with lots of bells and whistlesBy Bill SpringerHead designer Glenn Henderson has redesigned the entire Hunter line since he arrived in 1998, and now, starting with the new Hunter 49, he’s in the process of refining his redesigns. I jumped aboard hull #1 with Hunter’s chief tester, Steve Pettingill, on a 180-mile passage from St. Augustine,