Boat Reviews

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,

Sometimes a boat catches your imagination immediately. Sometimes you have to sail the boat to appreciate it. I didn’t find anything revolutionary during my dockside inspection of the new Elan 384. The open transom made it easy to board. The deck was user-friendly, with good walkways and cabintop access. The optional teak decks made a secure nonskid surface, and grabrails fell to hand easily when

Groupe Beneteau is the largest sailboat manufacturer in the world. It comprises four separate companies—Beneteau, Jeanneau, Lagoon, and CNB—that operate independently but share economies of scale. At first glance, Beneteau and Jeanneau may appear to be competing for the same buyers, but in reality each line is designed to fill wide (and separate) swaths in the marketplace. Jeanneau has had great

The idea behind the new 28-foot Esse 850 is what many sportboat builders strive for: Build a fast, easy-to-handle, trailerable, one-design racer/daysailer that can be sailed shorthanded. And make sure it’s drop-dead gorgeous.After a successful launch in Europe, where the Umberto Felci design was named one of the European Yachts of the Year, it appears the 850 turns the

Ever since Rod Johnstone built Ragtime, which ended up being the J/24 prototype in 1974, J Boats has produced boats that are fun to race as well as comfortable and manageable enough for family cruising. The new 30-foot J/92s fits that design brief perfectly. The J/92 has been very successful on racecourses in Europe and the U.S., and the J/92s is intended to be a more stable,