The TomCat 9.7 was a splendid surprise at the Annapolis boat show. Walking through, I checked off my key points for a 32-foot cruising cat. Marina-friendly beamcheck; twin four-stroke outboardscheck; open interior spacecheck; shoal draftcheck; neat constructioncheck. During my test sail, I found that the solutions Ted Strain has implemented to maximize interior space and sailing
As first impressions go, J/100 hull number two stood out in fine company moored off the New York Yacht Club’s Harbour Court facility in Newport, Rhode Island. From shore I sized up the boat lying still at her mooringplumb bow, clean and simple deck, wide-open cockpit, narrow blue hull, and rakish lines. But how would this new daysailer go? The boat’s prime harbor
Slovenia-based Elan Marine has established a presence with its line of Rob Humphreysdesigned 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
Ever since Dufour Yachts was purchased by Cantiere del Padro several years ago, older Dufour designs have been systematically replaced with newer, more stylish models. Italian designer Umberto Felci first drew new 34-, 40-, and 44-foot performance cruisers, and now he’s turned his eye to a new 38-footer that is the first in Dufour’s revamped cruising line. The
Since its founding by Roger Hewson more than 20 years ago, Sabre Yachts has excelled at building boats under 40 feet. The old Sabre 28 is certainly one of the best pocket cruisers ever marketed, and Hewson himself often asserted that the company’s core boats were its 36-footers. I personally have always favored the Sabre 38, both the Mark I and Mark II models, built
Colorado may not be the first place you’d look for a builder offering a new trailerable sportboat, but Watershed Sailboats is indeed in Colorado. The Dibley 23 is a trailerable sportboat Watershed is building with New Zealandbased designer Kevin Dibley of Dibley Marine. Dibley worked closely with Watershed founder Tim Reiter to develop a trailer-friendly design
With active fleets of M, C, A, and other scows racing on the Great Lakes, why are the folks up in Zenda, Wisconsin, at Melges Performance Sailboats introducing a new scow class? “We’re presently losing a lot of our young sailors once they graduate out of the X-Boat, Laser, and 420,” says Melges VP Andy Burdick. “The Melges 17 will bring new excitement to scow
Who says cruising catamarans must be over 40 feet long to have accommodations? The FastCat 305 Vector-K is one of several new cruising catamarans that are now being imported by African Cats US. It’s only 30 feet long, but its 18-foot beam frees up sufficient interior space to house three cabins and a comfortable six-seater saloon with wrap-around exterior views. Freeboard is
Many boats are compromises between conflicting desires to race and to cruise, but not this one. The Island Packet 370 has a single mission: cruising. It’s now the smallest member of the Island Packet family, attracting both experienced owners moving up from smaller boats and newcomers with the means to make this their first boat.On DeckA few years ago designer Bob Johnson
California-based designer Tom Wylie is known for his long, slender sleds with freestanding masts, so the configuration of the new Wylie 43 should come as no surprise. It’s billed as an “ultralight downwind flyer” and is aimed at the section of the market that’s looking for performance in a more-affordable 43-foot package. The hull is made of a cored carbon-fiber laminate; the 4,800-pound keel
G/flex is a toughened epoxy that makes permanent, waterproof structural bonds. Known for tenaciously adhering to plastics, this formulation is also excellent for bonding metal, glass, masonry, wood and fiberglass. It is even effective on typically hard-to-bond substrates including dense, oily or damp wood varieties. Perfect to keep on hand for small repair jobs on-the-go.
These days, when boats are selling like hotcakes, it may be tempting to sit back and ease up on the innovation process. After all, why
VETUS, a pioneer of electric propulsion, offers two compact, all-in-one electric-propulsion solutions: the E-LINE and E-POD. These plug-and-play motors free up valuable engine-room space and feature a unique liquid cooling solution, giving you maximum power and range, plus proprietary Active Electric Braking.
From classic to contemporary, there is a VETUS ventilator to suit every taste. Silicone ventilators are flexible and will not discolor in UV light. Alternatively,
The RC series incorporates Maxwell’s latest stylish innovation in automatic rope/chain windlass technology. Following in the footsteps of the highly successful Freedom series, these windlasses represent the next generation of windlass evolution in every respect and feature Maxwell’s revolutionary and patented Wave Design™ chainwheel.
Perseverance and an embrace of adventure have always been prerequisites for sailors who earn the Cruising Club of America’s Blue Water Medal, but like everything
In 2015, our friends Lee & Rachel Cumberland were onboard their Tayana 37, Satori, tied to a mooring buoy in a Bahamian anchorage when a
Following a change of control and reorganization in 2018, Bavaria Yachts, one of Europe’s biggest builders, tapped a new design team and started updating its
During the three months my little ship lay in Belfast, Maine, I had three friends. The first was a schooner bum I’d met sailing in
