For beginners, the safety and practicality of a rigid inflatable boat make perfect sense, not to mention the fact that when it comes to the tricky subject of berthing practice you can bounce around the marina in what is essentially an enormous fender.

The modern RIB, however, is a world away from its humble roots as a training vessel and knockabout workhorse favoured by the emergency services.

In this special guide you will see not only the incredible amount of choice in this sector but also the quality, style and searing performance on offer. From aluminium Sur Marine tenders to six-figure Scorpion superyacht chasers, this guide has them all.

13 of the best RIB boats on the market

Agapi 800

The Agapi 800 is one of the most versatile compact cruising RIBs in the world.

In addition to day space for ten, this beautifully arranged RIB can sleep two people in the forward cabin, plus a further two under canvas at the convertible dining station.

Other options include a carbon-fibre T-top, a mini galley beneath the helm, and a 300hp outboard for 50-knot performance.

Agapi 800 specification

LOA: 25ft 6in (7.8m)
Beam: 8ft 4in (2.55m)
Engine: 200-300hp outboard
Top speed: 50 knots

Read more about Agapi RIBs

Article continues below…

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Brig Eagle 8

The BRIG Eagle 8 won the 2020 Motor Boat Award for the Sportsboat & RIB category. What swung the jury was its well thought out design and classy detailing.

Opposing bench seats in the bow and stern as well as a removable table make this a really sociable boat at anchor while the spacious heads compartment under the console ensures lazy days on the water are more comfortable for everyone.

A single 300-350hp engine delivers fast, refined performance while the large diameter hypalon tubes guarantee a dry, stable ride. There’s even the option of a T-top for added protection.

But if possible we’d advise upgrading to the twin-prop Suzuki DF350 with Sea-Dek flooring, covers, Garmin navigation and Fusion stereo. As an all-round family cruising RIB, it’s hard to beat.

Brig Eagle 8 specifications

LOA: 26ft 2in (7.98m)
Beam: 9ft 6in (2.90m)
Engine: Single 225hp-350hp Suzuki
Top speed: 50 knots

Read more about Brig RIBs

Cobra Nautique 9.2m

The Nautique 9.2m is the perfect embodiment of what Cobra is capable of. With a variety of layout options, colour schemes and optional extras available there is licence to tailor the boat’s exact specification to your wishes, but the most extraordinary thing about it is its appetite for speed.

With the largest engine option of twin 300hp Mercury Verado outboards it will comfortably crack 60 knots, leaving you free to cruise anywhere from 20-50 knots.

This effortless cruising pace makes it a brilliantly capable point-to-point day boat but thanks to the intelligent deck layout and optional heads compartment in the console it’s a fantastic platform once the engines are off as well.

Cobra Nautique 9.2m specification

LOA: 30ft 2in (9.2m)
Beam: 8ft 4in (2.55m)
Engines: Twin 200-300hp outboards
Top speed: 60 knots

Read more about Cobra RIBs

Goldfish 30 Sport

Launched in 2021 with an all-new hull, the 30 Sport is the result of many hours of R&D.

An extra metre over the 29 Sport mkIII makes it feel more sure-footed, and slightly more beam makes the boat an all-day or even overnight cruiser.

The console offers great protection even without the optional hard top and it houses the heads and a double bunk. An inboard engine creates a useful aft deck and swim platform.

Goldfish 30 Sport

LOA: 32ft 6in (9.9m)
Beam: 9ft 7in (2.9m)
Engine: 350-565hp inboard
Top speed: 74 knots

Read more about Goldfish RIBs

Highfield Sport 800

The Highfield Sport 800 is the standout model in the range. Boasting a brand new stepped hull with a 26-degree deadrise angle by Norwegian performance boat designer Petter Martens, it is a real wave weapon.

These impressive offshore credentials are paired with a stylish and well thought out cockpit with sociable seating that converts to a sunbed and a classy helm console with a heads compartment.

Add the optional sink and fridge unit and the SP800 will be just as happy swinging at anchor in a picturesque bay as it is slicing through a swell at 40 knots.

Highfield Sport 800 specification

LOA: 26ft 7in (8.11m)
Beam: 9ft 8in (2.94m)
Engine: Single 250-300hp outboard
Top speed: 45 knots

Read more about Highfield RIBs

Ribeye PRIME NINE41

Designed, manufactured, and tested in Great Britain, the PRIME NINE41 is the pick of the range in our opinion.

At just over 30ft in length the proportions of the deck work exceptionally well with a sheltered dinette aft and a U-shaped convertible seating area in the bow.

Ribeye PRIME NINE41 specification

LOA: 30ft 9in (9.4m)
Beam: 9ft 2in (2.8m)
Engines: Twin outboards up to 800hp
Top speed: 60+ knots

Read more about Ribeye RIBs

Ring Powercraft 680 Sport

The 680 Sport delivers a snapshot of the classic Ring Powercraft experience. With its ventilated hull and tapered Hypalon collar, it combines stability under heavy load with great efficiency.

It has the deck space for fishing, the speed for racing and the pick-up for watersports. In addition to a range of seating, it also offers sterndrive and outboard options from 115hp to 250hp.

Ring Powercraft 680 Sport specification

LOA: 22ft 3in (6.8m)
Beam: 8ft 0in (2.45m)
Engine: 115 to 250hp outboards
Top speed: 40 knots

Read more about Ring Powercraft RIBs

Sacs Marine Strider 10

Though it sits toward the lower end of the Strider line in terms of size, the Sacs Strider 10 delivers some impressive recreational practicality.

In addition to the option of twin 300hp outboards for 54-knot performance, this is a RIB that can entertain up to 16 people at a time, while combining its elevated Italian aesthetic with Med-style open boating luxuries and plenty of traditional offshore ability.

To keep your guests content during long days on the water, the wraparound cockpit seating and foredeck sunbathing spaces are serviced by an easy-access wet bar and the elegantly raked helm console has plenty of space for an optional toilet.

Sacs Marine Strider 10 specification

LOA: 32ft 5in (9.92m)
Beam: 11ft 3in (3.44m)
Engine: Twin 300hp outboards
Top speed: 54 knots

Read more about Sacs Marine RIBs

Seakart 335 180hp Racing Standard

The Seakart 335 180hp Racing Standard with a few choice options ticked would be our choice.

It has that rampant performance on tap but thanks to L-mode, a limiter can be put in place to tune the engine down to 80hp if kids or novice boaters are at the helm.

Seakart 335 180hp Racing Standard specification

LOA: 9ft 8in (3.5m)
Beam: 6ft 6in (2m)
Engines: Single Yamaha 110hp/180hp
Top speed: 55 knots

Read more about Seakart RIBs

In all cases, a soft-riding hull, shock-absorbing seating, Yamaha’s ultra-smooth 200hp outboard and optional T-top make this refined eight-person model one of the most comfortable RIBs you can buy.

Sealegs 7.5m specification

LOA: 24ft 6in (7.5m)
Beam: 8ft 9in (2.71m)
Engine: Yamaha 200hp outboard
Top speed: 37 knots

Read more about Sealegs RIBs

With its dynamic excellence and ergonomic maturity, the best-selling ST 290 Classic is a fine exponent of what SUR Marine does so well.

The tough, lightweight construction and integrated flaps enable you to enjoy towed watersports with as little as 15hp and to cruise in comfort with four or five people on board.

The helm console comes with an armrest and adjustable steering wheel, plus a folding bench seat for easy access aft. And in addition to its 40cm ORCA Hypalon tubes and 4+1 carrying capacity, features include teak-lined decking and deck lights.

SUR Marine ST 290 Classic specification

LOA: 9ft 7in (2.95m)
Beam: 5ft 3in (1.63m)
Engine: 10 to 20hp outboard
Top speed: 20 knots

Read more about SUR Marine RIBs

The SportJet 520 is designed to fit on yachts of 30m and above, but at 17ft 1in (5.19m) in length, and with a seven-person carrying capacity, it can turn its hand just as naturally to playing fast, comfortable day boat.

Power is provided by a 200hp BHP Rotax petrol engine for a punchy top speed of 45 knots while back-to-back seating, an aft platform and integrated ski pole make it an excellent watersports companion.

Williams SportJet 520 specification

LOA: 17ft 1in (5.19m)
Beam: 6ft 7in (2.01m)
Engine: BRP Rotax 200hp
Top speed: 45 knots

Read more about Williams Jet Tenders

The fact that the beamy bow is framed inside rigid mouldings also means plenty of space for dining and sunbathing, plus excellent security for passengers and easy access to the toilet inside the console.

As well as seating for 14 people, a neat cockpit wet bar and a cleverly configurable aft lounging platform, the 300hp transom adds performance to practicality with an agile and responsive 48-knot top end.

ZAR 79SL specification

LOA: 25ft 9in (7.9m)
Beam: 9ft 4in (2.86m)
Engine: 200-300hp outboard
Top speed: 48 knots

Read more about ZAR RIBs

First published in the July 2021 issue of MBY

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This article Best RIB boats: Why rigid hulled inflatables make ideal starter boats appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

Galia is the sister brand of Galeon and this outboard-powered range of boats runs up to 7.7m. This Galia 700 is the 7m option and you can have it in a couple of different layouts. This is the Galia 700 Sundeck version, but you can also have it as a bow rider and there’s an extended cabin version as well.

Prices start from just over £60,000, but this boat here with a 200hp Suzuki turnkey package – which means it’s got a chartplotter, a bow thruster, a sea toilet and shore power – is £80,000 ready to go.

The Galia 700 Sundeck is a really usable little package. What’s nice is that this dinette here is sunken down, so you get a bit of protection from the windscreen, so if you’re bow on the wind when you’re at anchor for example, you have a bit of protection.

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Both of these seats swivel round so they can meet this dinette table, and this section here flips up so you have an aft-facing chaise longue.

Moving inside and the woodwork is not all that different to what you get in one of the bigger Galeon flybridge or sportscruiser ranges – you get a proper table and some really nice upholstery.

Enjoy the tour…

Galia 700 Sundeck specifications

LOA: 22ft 10in / 6.97m
Beam: 8ft 4in / 2.55m
Draft: 1ft 10in / 0.55m
Displacement (light): 1,800kgs / 3,968lbs
Fuel capacity: 300L / 80 US gal
Water capacity: 150L / 40 US gal
Engines: Outboard up to twin 175hp
RCD category: C for 8 people
Starting price: £60,000
Price as shown: £80,000

This article Galia 700 Sundeck yacht tour: Inside a £60,000 Polish starter boat appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

Few designers must feel a heavier weight of expectation as they put pen to paper than those in the team at Officina Italiana Design who have been drawing Rivas for the last 27 years. Imagine having that history, that reputation for innate beauty and that iconic name weighing down heavily on the tip of your pencil.

That’s one way of looking at it, the other is that Riva has come such a long way since those seductively varnished mahogany craft granted the brand its legendary status.

Yes, the name sets a certain standard but the design team also has carte blanche to create something special and not to worry (too much) about the cost. Practicality be damned, just make it beautiful.

In this regard it is mission accomplished as far as the Riva 68 Diable (French for “devil”) is concerned; it is absolutely gorgeous (and just shy of £3 million in base spec). Pretty enough to make you stop in your tracks and drink it in from elegant stem to seductively sloping stern.

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Perfect proportions

Forget your vertical bows and slab-sided topsides, this is a boat that looks right because it is designed to look good above anything else, and the interior can just fit into the space that’s left, rather than the other way around.

So achingly sweet are its proportions that it’s hard to believe that its LOA is just a couple of feet short of 70ft and it weighs in at nearly 40 tonnes.

You get drunk on the details, big and small. The carbon fibre roof is a standout piece of design, its forward mullions diving inboard of the fiercely raked windscreen appearing to hover over the deeply sunken cockpit seating.

It’s lovely the way the one-piece and gently curved windscreen peels into the hardtop, which then splits into a pair of slender struts that plunge down to deck level. It’s all just gorgeous and no expense has been spared to ensure that there isn’t a line out of place.

The Riva 66 Ribelle is a sportsbridge based on the same hull as the Riva 68 Diable

Our test boat was finished in ‘shark grey’ but within this avantgarde colour scheme there are nods to the boat’s predecessors, most notably the varnished mahogany spines that emerge from the boat’s hindquarters, as if an original Aquarama is hiding beneath the skin.

Get closer and the boat’s size becomes more apparent; the profile may be sleek but there is a generous freeboard and deep side decks with tall toe rails and subtly integrated guard rails from bow to stern.

You feel as though you are sitting in the foredeck seating rather than perching precariously on top of it and the combination of sun pad and sofa creates welcome outdoor living space on a 70-footer that doesn’t boast a flybridge (though there is an equally arresting sportsbridge version based on the same blueprint).

No expense has been spared to ensure there isn’t a line out of place

The main deck arrangement is relatively simple in its geometry but this only serves to highlight the focus on materials and fit and finish. The cockpit is a festival of polished stainless steel and mahogany so flawlessly glossy it still looks wet.

Two enormous L-shaped sofas dominate amidships with the option between them to have either a table to port and a moveable squab to use as a seat or coffee table or to have an identical table on the starboard side.

The standard arrangement feels like the better use of space and means guests don’t have to squeeze behind a table if they just want to sit down and relax.

There is the option to spec another dining table on the starboard side

Set into a unit aft of the navigator seat there is a 49in water-resistant, anti-glare TV that rises up at the press of a switch, nice if you want to watch a film on a balmy evening and don’t want to be on the lower deck.

Raise the roof

It’s this area that is best protected by the hard top, though there is a glass sunroof overhead that draws natural light into the space. It doesn’t slide but instead tilts open on a two-way pivot to allow the breeze to funnel in fore or aft.

In truth the main deck is so open it matters not how much ventilation the sunroof can provide. It’s a lovely mechanism, though.

Aft, there is a pair of wet bars with the usual sink/grill/fridge or ice maker combination and an aft bench connected to the four-person sun pad, which lifts to reveal a tender garage large enough for a Williams SportJet 345 and a couple of Seabobs. At the touch of a button a sunshade emerges from the hard top to offer some shelter over the aft sun pad.

The hydraulic bathing platform is something to behold. In what is now a familiar Ferretti Group trait, the platform slides down the angled transom revealing steps as it goes that are clad in thick teak and built into the hull, creating two well-protected stairways that lead into the water. Even this functional device carries out its duties with big dollops of panache.

Engine options have been kept quite simple on the Riva 68 Diable. There are just two and they both use twin 24-litre MAN V12 diesel blocks with either 1,550hp or 1,650hp. I don’t envisage many leaving Lake Iseo with the smaller ones.

“The steering feels fantastic, keeping it straight when cruising but coming alive if you throw it around”

I try not to arrive for a test with expectations lodged in my mind but I must admit that in driving my first Riva in 14 years of testing boats for MBY there was part of me that wanted the experience to live up to the hype.

It shares many major components with other boats in the sector from engines to gearboxes, throttles to electronics, how different could it possibly feel? It didn’t disappoint. Riva goes to great lengths to make sure that the parts of the boat you see and use regularly look and feel special, and the steering wheel is a particularly good example.

The design is simple but it looks fabulous and the soft leather and polished stainless steel are wonderfully tactile and weighty, setting the tone for the muscular performance that is to come.

There is good protection from the breeze thanks to the sleek windscreen

The helm seats (outrageously comfortable and adorned with faux straps and buckles, which makes them look oddly like posh luggage) are a little too far away from the dashboard so it feels natural to stand before the carbon fibre-clad helm.

The dash rises in tiers with throttles, thruster (bow and stern) sticks and Humphree trim controls closest to the wheel, twin Simrad MFDs at the top and a horizontal strip of beautifully rendered digital engine dials by Boning.

This screen isn’t interactive, that’s what the Simrads are for, but it’s a lovely way to ensure that engine information is always on display.

Fly-by-wire steering

In a world moving towards pod drives and away from all-out performance the Riva 68 Diable is a two-fingered salute in a silk glove. Power is enormous so even a gentle shove of the ZF throttles provokes a barrel-chested rumble as 3,300 horses draw the boat on to the plane and up to a laughably comfortable top speed of 38.7 knots.

It’s safe to say that 40 knots wouldn’t be out of reach in the right conditions and at a 30-knot cruise the Riva 68 Diable isn’t even trying. The steering is Ferretti Group’s hydraulic fly-by-wire system, which returns the wheel to centre in the same way a car’s steering does and adjusts the lock limit depending on boat speed.

It takes some getting used to but it feels fantastic at speed, keeping the boat comfortably on the straight and narrow when cruising but coming alive if you choose to throw it around a bit.

And the whole time you are acutely aware that you are driving something that looks so special (if you aren’t, the swivelling heads and Meerkat-like dance of smartphones will remind you).

You can’t possibly risk spooning something this glamorous into the quayside and shattering the illusion of cool but thankfully there are a slew of driver aids to make berthing easier.

Hydraulic bow and stern thrusters are a start but the Xenta joystick offers the precision of IPS by combining said thrusters and the engines. It even has a similar function that holds the boat in place using GPS if you’re busy elsewhere.

The sleek lower saloon drips with cool

Below decks the layout isn’t what you’d describe as revolutionary but the finish is exquisite. Yet more sumptuous woodwork and leather in a lower saloon that is crisp and clean with a simple L-shaped seating area opposite a well-designed galley that is so neatly integrated it’s almost invisible.

The VIP double is forward of the saloon with its own ensuite and there is a guest twin aft that has use of the day heads on the opposite side of the boat. The owner’s cabin is a suitably plush full-beam affair that has its ensuite arranged down the port side with a centrally positioned sink that is flanked by separate shower and toilet cubicles.

It’s an interior that isn’t garish or exuberant but is effortless in its execution and a wonderful place to be.

This article Riva 68 Diable review: Effortlessly beautiful yacht makes an instant impression appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

It is reassuring in these uncertain times to glance into the engineroom of the latest model from Pershing. There you’ll find five tonnes of Bavarian muscle, bulging with potential energy. Some things, thankfully, don’t change.

Surface drives, too: the new Pershing 7X may be nearly 70ft long and displace 42 tonnes in full cruising trim, but it’s still a no-nonsense speed machine that is reputedly capable of 50 knots.

Although similar in size and concept to 2014’s Pershing 70, the new 7X is a significantly different beast, most notably in its construction, which uses a lot more lightweight carbon fibre, along with lighter alloys, and even lighter materials in the fit-out.

It retains the clever disappearing glass bulkhead that the shipyard pioneered, which slides down into the floor to turn the saloon and cockpit into one spacious area. It also features a new cockpit layout, with a rear-facing bench seat – there is, after all, no point in creating a huge rooster tail unless your guests can admire it in comfort.

The saloon seating is now concentrated to port, leaving a clear walkway down the starboard side, and includes a sort of raised chaise longue across from the helm, to create headroom for the galley beneath. With its sensible steel rail it bears an unsettling resemblance to an A&E trolley.

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In another change over the Pershing 70, the optional third cabin down below is now on the starboard side, and can be replaced if you prefer by a roomy seating area with folding table, conveniently situated opposite the galley.

There is also a spacious full-beam owner’s cabin, complete with its own ensuite, and a VIP double in the bows. The single crew cabin amidships is inevitably small, and accessed via that aft-facing cockpit seat. It comes as standard.

The most visible change over the earlier model is a redesigned deck moulding, with its curvaceous bulge beneath those swooping ‘wings’ – which were first unveiled on the Pershing 5X and initially intended as merely a styling signature, until it was discovered that they did a useful job of funnelling the airflow aft and keeping spray out of the cockpit underway.

But what about that claimed top speed? The Pershing 70 we tested was a couple of tonnes heavier than the new model, with 350hp less in the engineroom. It managed just over 46 knots. So it might be close, but 50 knots for the Pershing 7X sounds realistic.

Pershing 7X specifications

LOA: 69ft 3in (21.11m)
Beam: 17ft 6in (5.33m)
Draft: 5ft 0in (1.52m)
Displacement (light): 35 tonnes (77,162lbs)
Fuel capacity: 3,600 litres (951 US gal)
Water capacity: 800 litres (211 US gal)
Engines: Twin 1,800hp MAN V12s
Top speed: 50 knots
RCD category: A for 16 people
Design: Ferretti Group / Fulvio De Simoni
Starting price: €2.72m / $3.2m (ex. VAT)

This article Pershing 7X yacht tour: This $3.2m sportscruiser can do 50 knots flat-out appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

The Princess F70 slots into a very competitive area of the market, going head-to-head with the Sunseeker Manhattan 68, the Fairline Squadron 68 and the Ferretti 670.

At the 2019 British Motor Yacht Show, we got the chance to tour a brand new Princess F70 fitted with a pair of 1400 horsepower MAN v12s engines, giving a top speed of around 35 knots.

Our tour starts at the transom with the Princess F70’s optional hydraulic bathing platform, which includes a fold-out bench, so it can double up as an aft-facing seating area, as well as tender storage.

Moving inside, the crew cabin is an impressive space with more than six feet of headroom and two decent sized berths, finished to the same standard as the rest of the interior.

Stepping into the cockpit, you begin to realise what a quality product the Princess F70 really is, from the winches to the cleats, the gauge of the stainless steel feels really high-end.

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Princess Yachts has done their utmost to ensure that the cockpit and the aft-galley saloon feel connected, with a flip-up window that means you can serve meals straight out onto the aft deck.

One of our favourite areas on the Princess F70 is the navigator’s bench alongside the lower helm, which provides commanding views out to sea when you’re going along at high speeds.

Enjoy the tour…

Princess F70 specifications

LOA: 69ft 9in (21.25m)
Beam: 17ft 8in (5.38m)
Draft: 5ft 2in (1.58m)
Displacement (approx): 37,500kg (82,673lbs)
Fuel capacity: 900 gal / 1,080 US gal / 4,100L
Water capacity: 200 gal / 240 US gal / 909L
Engines: Twin 1,400hp Twin MAN V12
Top speed: 35 knots
CE category: B
Price: £3.2m (inc. VAT)

This article Princess F70 yacht tour: This fabulous flybridge is a queen among Princesses appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

It’s not a brand new model, in fact they started building them back in 2005, but the Fleming 65 is a very interesting boat nonetheless.

Tony Fleming, the man behind these boats, has taken hull number one on a cruise of over 60,000 miles, which perfectly demonstrates exactly what these ocean bashers are all about.

In this video, Jack Haines takes us on a full yacht tour of a Fleming 65 that’s been equipped with a pair of 405hp Cummins diesel engines and a 1,700 gallon fuel tank, giving it a cruising range of more than 2,500nm.

Our tour starts in the cockpit where a pair of sliding doors grant access to the saloon, which sports a very traditional design and layout.

Practical features can be found throughout this boat, including an overhead rail that runs all the way forward until you meet the bannisters, so you’ve always got something to grab onto in a rough seaway.

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There are a couple of different saloon layouts available, but whatever you go for Fleming will also fit a hugely practical kitchen with a breakfast bar, twin sinks, a dishwasher, a four-burner induction hob and an American-style full-height fridge freezer.

Enjoy the tour…

Fleming 65 specifications

LOA: 70’10” (21.6 m)
Beam: 18’8” (5.7 m)
Draft: 5′ (1.52 m)
Displacement (light): 102,698 lbs (46,583 kg)
Fuel capacity: 1,700 US gals (6,435 l)
Water capacity: 400 US gals (1,514 l)
Engines: Twin 405hp Cummins
Top speed: 18 knots (with larger 800hp MAN engines)
Cruising range: 2,500nm @ 10 knots
Price: $4million (ex. VAT)

This article Fleming 65 yacht tour: 60,000nm at sea? No problem for this classy $4m trawler appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

142ft long, 28ft wide, displacing 250 tonnes with a fuel capacity of 30,000 litres and 10,400hp on tap – the Pershing 140 makes for a truly exceptional collection of numbers.

In this video, filmed back in 2020 Jack Haines takes us on board this remarkable Italian aluminium superyacht.

Our tour starts in the raised cockpit, which includes a huge sun pad behind the freestanding furniture, then the dinette table is sunk down by three steps to provide privacy from prying eyes on the quayside.

The saloon design is completely bespoke – Pershing will even work with exterior designers if you want – but in this instance, the owner chose to create a backlit wall feature from shards of aluminium that were shaved off during the construction of the hull.

The owner’s cabin is situated forward on the main deck and it’s a very impressive space with a walk-in wardrobe and a full-beam bathroom, complete with a circular spa pool.

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Four further guest cabins are situated on the lower deck, but it’s out on deck where the star features really start to stack up, from the foredeck hot tub with its clam shell-style covering, to the sprawling sundeck with its array of freestanding furniture. And that’s without even mentioning the beach club!

Enjoy the tour…

Pershing 140 specifications

LOA: 142ft / 42.28m
Beam: 28ft / 8.53m
Displacement: 250,000kgs / 551,155lbs
Engines: 4x 2,600hp MTU
Fuel capacity: 30,000 litres
Top speed: 38 knots / 44mph
Cruising range: 1,500nm @ 10 knots
Price: Available on application

This article Pershing 140 yacht tour: Inside a 10,400hp, 38-knot monster superyacht appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

With the 90 Ocean, Sunseeker has resoundingly confirmed where the latest boat design battleground is taking place. First it was the amidships owner’s cabin, in the middle of the boat stretching the full width of the boat’s beam and flanked by enormous water-level windows.

Then the fight moved to the foredeck. No longer would a solitary slab of sun pad be sufficient so now we see sun pads with movable backrests, sofas, tables, pop-up lights, fridges, speakers and canopies for a bit of shade when it gets too hot.

These days the focus is at the other end of the boat, however, in the battle of the beach clubs. Sunseeker has been ramping up this trend for some time on its smaller models with transom-mounted barbecues and benches, storage for Seabobs and dive tanks, lighting and overhead showers, stretching the beach club moniker within an inch of its life.

But the Sunseeker 90 Ocean takes things to an entirely different level with living space of such epic proportions and functionality you question why you would want to spend time in any other part of the boat, which is saying something given how pleasant the flybridge and foredeck are.

Article continues below…

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Firstly there is the sheer size of the aft deck. The Sunseeker 90 Ocean is over 2ft wider than the Sunseeker 88 Yacht and nowhere is that extra beam felt more acutely than when standing here in the midst of all that acreage.

There is a hydraulic platform integrated seamlessly into the deck but when lowered it leaves a narrow strip in place on the port side so there is always somewhere to stand at deck level even when the platform is in the water.

This is also how you launch and recover the tender. If you’re into your water toys then the Sunseeker 90 Ocean won’t disappoint because between the deck space, where you can stow tenders and jet-skis, and the two dedicated lockers for Seabobs with charging points, there’s plenty of fun to be had.

The Sunseeker 90 Ocean in all its beach club glory

Chuck in a mounting point for a parasol, shower connection and a barbecue grill that folds out from the starboard coaming and you have quite the entertaining space. But that is only the start.

The X-tend seating may be an eye-watering £117,000 option but buying this boat without it would be like going to Raffles and not ordering the Singapore Sling. The mechanism comprises a huge clamshell with a two-way hinge mounted on a pair of hydraulic rams.

Hit one of the myriad buttons in the panel on the aft deck and the entire lot rises up in similar fashion to a tender garage, only here it reveals the aforementioned storage and charging lockers set into the transom.

“The X-Tend system seating is without doubt one of the coolest features of any boat I’ve tested”

Once aligned with the cockpit, hit another button and the top section of the clamshell opens to become the backrest on an enormous pair of angled sunbeds that face into the cockpit stretching the full width of the terrace.

Another button returns the seats to their original position on the aft deck where the clam shell folds down, this time positioning the sun beds at beach club level overlooking the water. It is without doubt one of the coolest features of any boat I’ve tested and creates one of the finest living areas of any 90-footer on the market.

The beauty is that there is still the familiar raised cockpit with dinette and chairs just above the aft deck but thanks to the four-way split glazed transom doors you can open this area up to the beach club and create an Infinity pool effect overlooking those who are chilling out at water level. This is how a beach club should be done.

The seating raised up in cockpit mode

Club life

That said, if the beach club is a little too splashy and action packed for your taste there are a host of other outdoor spaces to enjoy. The 90’s wheelhouse sits quite a long way forward on the main deck so the foredeck isn’t enormous but the use of space is really good.

There isn’t room for a central table so Sunseeker has made a teak-topped bar area with cupholders and pop-up lights at the head of the sunbed instead. This and the cosy dinettes that flank it on either side create a beach club vibe all of their own.

The flybridge is vast and seemed especially spacious on our test boat because there was no furniture at its aft end. This area can be furnished in any way the customer desires, while amidships the dinette can be specified with either a fixed or hi-lo table.

The layout and decor of the saloon can be customised to suit

Having opted for a slatted sunroof for the 88 Yacht’s hard top, Sunseeker has reverted to a canvas version so huge that once open it feels as though the sky might fall into it.

Customisation is a key component here but a lot of it has been built into the package to ensure production isn’t hindered by outlandish personalisation requests. Wood finishes, colours and furniture styles are plentiful but the physical layout of the saloon is also up for grabs.

Hull number one, for example, which was at the 2021 Cannes Yachting Festival, had its dining table to port alongside the floor-to-ceiling window whereas the boat we tested in Poole had its table aft of the galley on the starboard side.

The galley can be open or enclosed with sliding panels

The owner of this particular boat wanted some more relaxed seating next to the vast window, somewhere to really soak in the views through the extraordinary glass area.

Flexible friend

The galley is well equipped for long stints on board thanks to its abundance of storage and domestic-style appliances but there is also the option to leave the space open to the saloon or enclose it with three sliding panels.

On crewed boats this will be particularly useful and means that crew can partition themselves off from guests when they’re dining in the saloon but thanks to a side door adjacent to the gallery can still get out onto the decks to serve the rest of the boat.

If the boat is owner-run, however, or the relationship with crew is less formal, the open galley layout opens the space up and makes it feel sociable.

The beamy hull design makes for a very spacious forward VIP cabin

The arrangement of the lower deck is clever. There are two access points to the accommodation deck with a central companionway forward that leads down to the VIP ensuite and another one adjacent to the galley that winds down to a lobby off which there are two further guest ensuites and the full-beam master.

The reason it works so well is because of its flexibility. If the owner has guests on board with kids then you can give them the master cabin and guest suites amidships and use the separate VIP as a private oasis or if the owner is on board with their family and a have a couple of guests on board they could do things the other way around and have the middle of the boat to themselves, giving guests a quiet space forward. This configuration also works well for charter.

The other benefit of this arrangement is how well insulated the master cabin is from the machinery space because between it and the engineroom bulkhead are the two guest suites and the crew space so it’s very unlikely that those in the master will be disturbed by the generator or stabilisers at night.

The full beam owner’s suite is well insulated from the machinery

The boat’s refinement comes to the fore out on the water, too. Charging along at the 28-knot top speed of our test boat we registered a noise reading of just 65dB(A) at the lower helm, pretty extraordinary given there is nearly 4,000hp churning away in the bowels of the hull. At the time of our test 18 out of the 20 Sunseeker 90 Oceans delivered were fitted with the same twin 1,900hp units as our test boat.

One had the 1,650hp motors (possibly a bit underpowered with a full cruising load) and the other had the upgrade to the 2,000hp blocks. The 1,900s suit the 90 down to the ground and with a colossal 13,000-litre fuel capacity provide incredibly flexible cruising capability.

If you’re chasing down the last berth in the port then you can whip along at 25 knots no problem at all but ease the revs back to 1,000rpm for a speed of 10 knots and the boat will comfortably cover 1,500nm with 20% in reserve.

There is near 30-knot performance from the twin MAN 1,900hp V12s

With Sunseeker there is always the shadow of heritage and reputation for performance and handling looming large over every model, even one as large as this. The 88 Yacht is a case in point, it’s a phenomenal boat to drive given its size but surely the Sunseeker 90 Ocean with its added beam, weight and gadgets can’t deliver the same surprise?

It isn’t quite as sharp as the 88 Yacht but it’s still ridiculously engaging for something of such epic dimensions. Both helm stations are set quite a long way forward so the boat appears to shrink around you, especially at the lower helm where you feel so close to the bow.

The lower helm has some of the most comfortable helm chairs I have ever sat in with soft leather, plush footrests and multiple adjustments at the touch of a button. The dash is handsomely designed with a charging dock for both a tablet and a smartphone, and because you sit a long way forward the view out is excellent.

These are some of the most comfortable helm seats you’ll ever sit in

However, the position of the galley makes it pretty much impossible to look aft without sticking your head out of the side door or asking a crew member to look for you when making a hard turn.

No such issues at the upper helm, though the chairs take a bit of a downgrade. It’s not that they’re uncomfortable, far from it in fact, it’s just that they could have been plucked from any model in the Sunseeker range and don’t quite possess the sense of occasion that should come with helming from the flybridge of £7million mini superyacht.

Sunseeker 90 Ocean: Our verdict

Really, these are miniscule flies in an exquisite pot of ointment. The 90’s beach club is its USP, without a doubt, but that doesn’t mean Sunseeker has let focus drift away from the rest of the boat.

The other deck spaces are just as impressive and the proportions and layout of the sleeping accommodation make this an incredibly versatile boat to cruise aboard, with or without crew and whether or not the owner intends to put it out to charter when they’re not using it.

Most pleasing of all is that despite all of the gizmos and the volume and the living space it still drives and performs as well as a Sunseeker ought to.

Update: The Sunseeker 90 Ocean is due to go on display at the 2022 Southampton Boat Show.

Sunseeker 90 Ocean specification

LOA: 88ft 11in (27.1m)
Beam: 23ft 6in (7.16m)
Draught: 6ft 1in (1.86m)
Displacement: 79.3 tonnes (half load)
Test engines: Twin 1,900hp MAN V12 diesel
Top speed on test: 28 knots
Cruising range: 412nm @ 20 knots / 1,576nm @ 10 knots
Fuel consumption: 505 lph @ 20 knots / 66lph @ 10 knots
Noise: 63 d(B)A @ 20 knots / 55 d(B)A @ 10 knots
Fuel capacity: 13,000 litres
Water capacity: 1,500 litres
RCD category: B for 24 people
Designer: Sunseeker
Starting price: £6,200,000 (ex. VAT)
Price as tested: £7,390,000 (ex. VAT)

This article Sunseeker 90 Ocean review: Brave new design is about more than just a beach club appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

There was one boat grabbing the headlines at the Palma show and that was the brand new Axopar flagship, the 45 XC.

It would be lazy to say that this is a stretched version of the Axopar 37 because it feels like so much more than that in the flesh.

The fully enclosed Cross-Cabin, which is likely to be the most popular if it follows the same trend as the smaller models, feels huge on the inside and suffers none of the pinch points that the Axopar 37’s cabin does.

Drop-down balconies come as standard on the Axopar 45 but, unlike the Saxdor 400 for example, they are amidships and set higher to create benches rather than the ubiquitous platforms at water level.

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There are five different deck layouts including the XC pictured here, a fully open Spyder and three different T-top variations, including the new Cross Top where the hard top is attached to the top of the windscreen.

There is the option to have a double aft cabin as well as the standard one forward, which boasts far more headroom than the 37 and a proper separate bathroom.

To read Jack’s full review of the Axopar 45, pick up the August issue of MBY, out July 7.

Axopar 45 specifications

LOA: 45ft 7in (13.9m)
Beam: 13ft 6in (4.11m)
Draught: 3ft 3in (1m)
Displacement: 7 tonnes (ex. engines)
Fuel capacity: 1,390 litres
Water capacity: 300 litres
Test engines: Triple 300hp Mercury V8 Verado outboards
Top speed on test: 43.5 knots
Range: 271 miles @ 20 knots / 309nm @ 9 knots
Fuel consumption: 82 lph @ 20 knots / 32.6 lph @ 9 knots
Noise: 70 d(B)A @ 20 knots / 59 d(B)A @ 9 knots
RCD category: B for 14 people
Design: Axopar
Starting price: €514,900 (ex. VAT)
Price as tested: €615,000 (ex. VAT)

This article Axopar 45 review: Full tour and test drive of the all-new €515k Axopar flagship appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

Jeanneau’s Cap Camarat line celebrates its 40th birthday in 2022 and what better way to start the party than by launching the biggest Cap Camarat ever, the Jeanneau CC12.5 WA (walkaround).

An incredible 36,000 Cap Camarats have hit the water since the range was launched at the 1982 Paris Boat Show, many of those a cheap and cheerful way for a family to find their feet out on the water. This new flagship is significantly different.

Not only is it nearly 40ft in length but with the option of twin or triple Yamaha outboards powering a hull designed by Michael Peters, it is a high performance machine with a 45-knot top speed and a price tag over €300,000 once you’ve added options and VAT.

This boat elevates the Cap Camarat range to a new level but does it have what it takes to go toe-to-toe with Axopar, Saxdor and a host of RIB brands that you could buy for similar money?

If you associate the Cap Camarat range with comparable 6-8m fare, then the 12.5 at 39ft 1in (11.9m) feels like a properly grown-up boat from within its deep and well designed cockpit.

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This area is packed with functionality, from the folding table with its built-in handrails and cup holders to the dinette backrest which pops up and lies flat to create a sunpad.

Then there’s the ubiquitous balcony, which is a refreshingly simple affair on the Jeanneau CC12.5 WA that lowers down on a couple of cords (much like the bathing platform of a Jeanneau sailing boat) to create a lovely vista from the starboard-biased dinette and another access point into the water with a slot-in boarding ladder.

Read Jack’s full review of the Jeanneau CC12.5 WA in the August issue of MBY, out July 7.

Jeanneau CC12.5 WA specifications

LOA: 39ft 1in (11.9m)
Beam: 11ft 9in (3.58m)
Draught: 2ft 8in (0.82m)
Displacement (ex. engines): 5.9 tonnes
Fuel capacity: 1,150L
Water capacity: 200L
RCD category: B for 11 people
Design: Sarrazin, Michael Peters and Jeanneau
Engines: Triple 300hp Yamaha V6 outboards
Top speed: 45 knots
Cruising range: 250nm @ 30 knots
Starting price: €197,810 (ex. VAT)
Price as filmed: €300,000 (ex. VAT)

This article Jeanneau CC12.5 WA yacht tour: Inside the €300k Cap Camarat flagship appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

The Axopar 25 is based on the hull of the Axopar 22, but the main difference with this Cross Top version is that it has got a cabin and a slightly different deck layout.

There are a few different formations that you can have in the cockpit: a bench across the back, U-shaped seating around a table, but the version on show at Palma had a really quite flexible seating layout.

You can sit back to back or you can move the backrest around so it’s running across the boat, creating a bench facing forward and a bench facing aft.

That’s probably the most flexible seating solution available on this boat and certainly if you’re going to use this as a tender, which some people will, then it’s a really good option.

Moving forward, you’ve got really nice tall topsides and there are good guardrails running all the way along, so even though it’s a small boat you feel safe and secure.

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There’s storage, a fridge and a sink underneath the seat sections, and Axopar has also given the deck a rubberised finish, which will stay nice and cool, as well as being really grippy and probably quite a lot easier to maintain than teak.

The clean, simple helm arrangement includes a Simrad MFD, a joystick for the bow thruster and trim tabs for the 250hp Mercury outboard engine.

Enjoy the tour…

Axopar 25 Cross Top specifications

LOA: 25ft / 8m
Beam: 7ft4in / 2.23m
Draft: 2ft9in / 0.85 m
Displacement (ex. engine): 1,750 kg / 3,858lbs
Fuel capacity: 230L
Engines: 200-250hp Mercury outboard
Top speed: 40 knots
RCD category: C for 8 people
Starting price: €43,900

This article Axopar 25 Cross Top yacht tour: A new €44k version of the entry-level Axopar appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

Her timeless lines are going to look as good in 50 years as they do now and, despite being the largest model in Vicem’s charming classic range, it’s still built with a keen eye on comfortable long-distance cruising and effortless sea keeping.

In stark contrast to the Vanquish VQ115, the Vicem 82 has a relatively modest pair of Volvo Penta D13 900s for a top speed of 18 knots and a fast cruise in the mid teens.

Drop back to 9 knots and thanks to a fuel capacity of 6,000 litres the cruising range soars to a very useful 1,100nm. The Vicem 82 is built to cover ground and the slender hull and rock solid cold-moulded mahogany epoxy construction should ensure robust sea keeping if conditions change.

The interior is a carpenter’s dream with acres of bookmatched mahogany vaneers and top drawer joinery, which create a deeply classy, if slightly dark, lower deck. The styling may be ageless but you don’t get the natural light below decks that you would on a more modern glass-filled design.

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The cabins are beautiful, though, the pick of the three being the full-beam owner’s cabin that sprawls across the boat’s 20ft beam amidships.

The bench seating wraps right the way round the open aft cockpit, though the stubby flybridge overhang provides little protection, and despite the current trend for flybridge hard tops Vicem has opted for a more aesthetically pleasing bimini to offer some shade over its spacious upper deck.

Long-distance cruising has rarely looked so good.

Vicem 82 specifications

LOA: 81ft (24.7m)
Beam: 20ft 4in (6.19m)
Engines: Twin Volvo Penta D13 900hp
Top speed: 18 knots
Price: $5.5 million (ex. VAT)

This article Vicem 82 first look: This timeless Turkish trawler is refreshingly traditional appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

This 115ft, 50-knot monster is set to be delivered to its North American home later this year and the Dutch yard claims that the Vanquish VQ115 will be the fastest diesel-powered aluminium superyacht over 30m.

Getting nearly 100 tonnes of superyacht to crack the 50-knot barrier is no mean feat so Vanquish recruited the services of Dutch firm Studio Delta to handle the naval architecture and create a fast, efficient hull in keeping with the razor-sharp exterior design of Guido de Groot.

Of course, employing an enormous amount of horsepower also helps and the triple MTUs churn out nearly 8,000hp in total, which is fed into the water by a trio of surface drives.

The idea of this thing charging along at 50 knots is a feat of physics bending that is hard to compute but exhilarating to imagine.

The combination of the relatively narrow beam (it’s 2ft slimmer than a Sunseeker 116 Yacht) and the customer’s focus on living space rather than beds means the Vanquish VQ115 only has three cabins comprising an owner’s cabin, VIP and guest twin, though the cinema room does have two Pullman berths for some extra ad hoc sleeping options.

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No, sleeping is not the focus here, it’s all about what you do when you’re awake, be that enjoy the hot tub on the foredeck, the Vanquish VQ16 tender and VQ11 water scooter tucked away in their own garages or the beach club with direct water access for stand-up paddleboarding and other watery pastimes.

Call it OTT, call it unnecessary, call it what you want but as a feat of engineering, the Vanquish VQ115 is absolutely mind-blowing.

Vanquish VQ115 specifications

LOA: 114ft 8in (35m)
Beam: 22ft (6.7m)
Engines: Triple MTU 2,650hp
Top speed: >50 knots
Price: Available on application

This article Vanquish VQ115: Dutch yard building world’s fastest 30m aluminium superyacht appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

The hull of this latest addition to the Windy SR range may have started life as a Draco 27, the Norwegian yard’s sister brand, but thanks to an all-new deck moulding it
looks and feels like a very different boat.

Out goes the offset helm position and bowrider layout and in comes a centre console with walkaround decks, a cuddy cabin, extended swim platforms and an optional T-Top.

The end result isn’t just a more practical boat, it’s also a sportier, more stylish-looking craft with an attractive swept-back windscreen and high-quality detailing to match the Windy’s premium brand and pricing.

Even the simple things such as the storage lockers feature expensive-looking flush-fitting handles, locking struts to hold them open and lift-out stainless steel baskets with black mesh lining to stop your ropes and boat fenders disappearing into the bilges.

It’s the same story with the heavy gauge stainless watersports arch and handholds, which have had all the weld marks polished out so that they feel as smooth and sturdy as a superyacht tenders.

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The cuddy cabin itself is pretty tight, with sitting room headroom only and a bed that narrows quite dramatically towards the bow, but it’s a major bonus to have somewhere dry to shelter or stow your kit as well as a separate heads compartment with a proper flushing toilet and a small basin.

There’s quite a lot of bare gelcoat on show but there’s just enough wood, colour, light and texture to give it a pleasingly minimalist Scandinavian vibe. The cockpit has a reversible transom bench and a pair of helm seats that turn to face the drop-in table, but the walkaround decks restrict the number of seats.

On the plus side there’s a second socialising area forward with a table that converts to a sunbed. The boat we looked at was fitted with one of Mercury’s 300hp Verado V8s, but in future they will have Yamaha outboards up to and including the whopping 425hp SXO for a top speed of around 46 knots.

As an upmarket alternative to an Axopar, it makes a compelling case.

This classy customer has the Axopar 28 in its sights

The Windy SR28 CC has been designed to go head-to-head with the likes of the Axopar 28 and Nimbus W9. In comparison to the modular deck spaces of the other two, the SR28’s layout appears relatively formulaic but it is executed with Windy’s typical eye for quality and attention to detail.

It’s a good looking boat, too, especially so in the vibrant blue hull colour of the open version photographed above. The walkaround design includes the typically Scandinavian addition of a walk-through pulpit.

Amidships, the double helm is set low and should be well protected by the tall windscreen; while the aft dinette has a two-way back rest on its aft bench for observing water-skiers.

The Windy SR28 CC may be under 28ft long but the interior looks to be well finished and equipped to sleep a couple for the odd night (or even weekend) afloat. Crucially, for what is going to be primarily used as a day boat, there is a decent separate bathroom.

There is a good selection of upholstery and hull colours on offer, so customers can spec the boat to their taste. At over £150,000 for a base boat it’s not cheap, but the standard spec includes goodies such as a Zipwake trim system, a 16in Raymarine MFD and a set of Helly Hansen covers.

Windy SR28 CC specification

LOA: 27ft 7in (8.43m)
Beam: 8ft 2in (2.49m)
Engines: Single 300hp outboard
Top speed: 40+ knots
Starting price: £154,418 (inc. VAT)

This article Windy SR28 CC yacht tour: Windy's classy new outboard powered sportsboat appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

In fact Solaris is adamant that its primary design priority is seaworthiness, and judging from our sea trials of both the larger Solar Power 44 and Solaris Power 48, they do seem to have an uncannily soft, dry ride for boats that look like they were designed for lazy days at anchor rather than pounding through the rough stuff.

The difference with this new model is that it runs on Volvo Penta sterndrives rather than IPS pods, which should make for an even more sporty, agile 41-knot driving experience – something we hope to be able confirm in a forthcoming sea trial.

What we can tell you from crawling all over it at the Palma Boat Show is that all the usual Solaris qualities are still here in abundance, despite the smaller dimensions and lower starting price.

It still has single-level walkaround decks with tall enough bulwarks not to need guardrails on top, the pop-up cleats and clip-in fender holders are just as neat as ever, and the elegant workings of the stainless thru-hull anchor mechanism could grace the insides of a Swiss clock.

Sunpads at both ends and moveable backrests on the dinette bench seats make the most of the available deck space while still leaving plenty of room for an exceptionally well equipped outdoor galley and three supportive triple helm seats.

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The layout below decks is largely open plan with a good sized double bed forwards and a pair of singles with limited headroom tucked under the cockpit, which Solaris claims is the longest in its sector. Judicious use of light woods, deck hatches and LEDs ensures it all looks and feels very airy.

The separate heads even has a proper walk-in shower compartment. The only obvious compromise is a rather cramped engineroom with access for daily checks through a surprisingly small deck hatch and restricted clearance over the engines once you get there, although there is a removable panel under the sunpad if you need better access.

There is also no tender garage but three large lockers beneath the aft sunpad can swallow plenty of gear. If you want even more storage space, you can remove the amidships cabin for that purpose.

This aside, the Solaris Power 40 appears to deliver form and function with typical Solaris panache.

There are copious T-top sportscruisers on the market but when it comes to styling, the Solaris range has them all licked. One rendering even shows a Solaris Power 40 without the optional T-top and it looks absolutely glorious – a true modern classic.

It’s not all about looks, however, because Solaris claims the boat has the longest cockpit in the sector, which includes a three-person helm station, wet bar and convertible dinette that transforms to double the amount of sunbathing space at the stern.

Solaris Power 40 Open specifications

LOA: 39ft 3in (11.97m)
Beam: 12ft 7in (3.85m)
Engines: Twin petrol/diesel sterndrives up to 880hp
Top speed: 41 knots
Starting price: €650,000 (ex. VAT)

This article Solaris Power 40 Open first look: Much more than just a pretty face appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

Effectively, VisionF provides the boat while Silent Yachts brings its expertise in solar/electric propulsion to the table. The interesting thing about this model is that unlike the original Silent Yachts range this VisionF 82 will be available with a diesel/electric hybrid system similar to that of a hybrid car.

Based around Volvo Penta’s IPS, the Hybrid model will use a parallel hybrid drivetrain with three driving modes: electric, hybrid and power.

In hybrid mode the system will automatically select the electric motors, diesel engine or both, depending on speed and battery charge while in power mode both will be combined to deliver maximum performance.

A vast array of solar panels across the hard top and wheelhouse feed power to the 160kWh battery bank, which in peak conditions will be able to run the boat’s many household appliances silently and without the need to run a generator.

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There will also be a fully electric version of the VisionF 82 available, using the same technology as the smaller all-electric models on the Silent Yachts range.

Let’s not forget about the boat though, because it’s vast. The side decks are like bowling alleys and being made from aluminium the layout is extremely flexible beyond the four-cabin standard arrangement.

Silent Yachts VisionF 82 specifications

LOA: 80ft 4in (24.5m)
Beam: 32ft 5in (9.99m)
Engines: Diesel/electric hybrid or full electric
Top speed: 20 knots
Starting price: €5.37million (ex. VAT)

This article Silent Yachts VisionF 82 first look: Catamaran collaboration is a real hybrid appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

Some boats just feel right from the moment you step on board. Whether it’s the choice of materials or the cohesiveness of the layout, there are times when after the first few paces around the bathing platform and cockpit you suspect that the boat you’re standing on is well sorted. The Sirena 68 is one of those boats.

It should be good. Not only does it share a hull with its excellent predecessor, the 64, but Sirena called upon the expertise of two powerhouses of the naval architecture world in Dutch studio Cor D. Rover and Argentinian Germán Frers.

Both have designed for the superyacht sector so maybe it should come as no surprise that the boat feels 10ft longer than it actually is.

The tone is set at the stern where there is a hydraulic bathing platform so large that you could mount a decent tender on it and still have plenty of space to move around, and a suitably tall door set into the transom that opens to reveal a crew space that will no doubt be the envy of crews living aboard almost every other 70-footer.

We often say that crew cabins on boats like this could qualify as guest cabins but here it truly is the case.

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£1754349

Headroom is excellent and with an attractive galley and mess area it’s so much more than just a couple of single berths and a cramped bathroom.

Crank open a watertight door to find the engineroom, which is immaculately engineered and laid out in such a way that access to daily service items on the Volvo Penta D13 blocks couldn’t be easier.

The Sirena 68 is a Category A semi-displacement cruiser with a fuel capacity of over 5,000 litres. It means business and you can tell as much from the quality of the engine installation.

Driving the Sirena 68

We caught up with the Sirena 68 during the Cannes Yachting Festival so, as is the way with these things, there was little time to appreciate the machinery before it was fired up and we were fighting our way out of the harbour with the throng of other craft on their last sea trials of the day.

Testing from Cannes always throws up unique circumstances, the most obvious of which is the number of people on board. The Sirena 68 is certified to safely carry the 14 people, including journos and crew, that we had on board but I would bet that it won’t host that many the majority of the time.

And this being a press sea trial most of those bodies were up on the flybridge, huddled around the helm in order to harvest the performance data pouring out of the MFDs.

The table in the small dinette drops to create another sun pad

Despite the extraordinary load the Sirena 68 had to deal with on its top deck it coped impressively well, even if the top speed was a little down on the yard’s quoted 28-knot maximum. No great surprise given the load, near-full fuel and water tanks and high water temperatures of the Med.

The overriding feeling from the helm of the Sirena 68 is one of unwavering solidity. The hull is a vinylester resin-infused sandwich construction with a manufacturer 5-year warranty against osmosis.

Frers’ semi-displacement hull design is an absolute peach, deftly blending sure-footed and planted straight-line cruising with a keenness to the handling that comes as a pleasant surprise on a boat of this type.

“It feels right from the moment you step on board, and just gets better and better”

The 3/4 length keel does a fine job of keeping the boat on course when you just want to sit back and cruise, but dial in some lock, and the well weighted fly-by-wire steering hooks the boat back on itself in a tidy arc.

The upper helm is a deeply pleasant place to sit, the plush helm seats alone are enough to coax out an “ahhh” as you relax into them. At first glance the twin 12in Garmin MFDs appear too far away and if they were just touch-screens they would be.

But there is a little pod that sprouts up from the deck next to the helm seat that is inset with a pair of cup holders and home to a remote control panel so you can flick between the screens without having to peel your back off of the sumptuous backrests.

The hulking hard top provides superb shelter across the top deck

Punchy performance

There are two Volvo Penta engine options that use the same block with either 900 or 1,000hp each. I would think pretty much every Sirena 68 will be built with the larger versions, which offer gutsy performance and impressive fuel economy throughout the rev range.

A good semi-displacement hull really can be all things to all people, as the 68 demonstrates with a top speed of 25 knots and fast cruising range of 320 miles (with 20% in reserve) at 21 knots. Drop that speed back to 9 knots, however, and the range jumps up to nearly 1,000nm with the same reserve in place.

The engines deliver punch when you want it and are particularly throaty around the marina as you nudge them in and out of gear, but settle down into single-figure cruising speeds and the Sirena 68 transforms into an excellent long distance companion.

The imposing helm looks the part and is intelligently designed

If hard yards – especially at night – are what you’re doing then in reality it’s the lower helm that will be seeing most of the action and sitting here is no chore either.

The imposing dashboard is great to look at, even if the lower dash is a bit of a melange of various control panels, and with the same super comfortable chair as upstairs, long stints in the saddle shouldn’t be an issue.

There is only one chair at the lower helm as standard but a clever forward-facing bench and table arrangement to starboard allow a couple of guests or crew to keep the skipper company on longer legs.

This nook adjacent to the helm is a great spot for passengers

Inside job

It is on deck where the Sirena 68 most defies its 70ft LOA. The flybridge in particular feels absolutely huge and is fitted with two dinettes and two bars yet still has space spare at its aft end for a couple of sun loungers or bean bags.

The hardtop is a hulking structure supported centrally by the distinctive radar mast, which incorporates an overhead shower, but in constructing it in part from carbon fibre there has at least been an attempt to keep the centre of gravity relatively low.

Aside from the foredeck seating’s generous proportions and clever arrangement with a dinette and two-way backrest on the sun pad it’s the quality of the execution that catches the eye.

The imposing bow gives way to a foredeck well equipped for lazy days at anchor

The bulwarks are topped with thick slabs of teak but so are the edges of the seating modules, which also have cupholders and pop-up lights neatly integrated in their surfaces. Up front, there is a chain and deck wash-down system and a large self-draining anchor locker large enough to swallow eight fenders.

Germán Frers has done work for Hallberg-Rassy and Nautor’s Swan in the past and that practical eye informs a lot of what makes the Sirena 68 such a usable cruising boat. It’s a similar story in the cockpit, which is flanked by meaty mooring gear and covered rope bins to tidy away lines.

It’s the sheer amount of room in the cockpit that is most noticeable and the generous amount of floor space between the table and sliding doors that feels so luxurious. A nice touch here is the use of glass in the supports that connect the bulwarks to the flybridge structure, so the view from the cockpit isn’t obscured.

The optional folding wing station is great for Med-style stern-to berthing

The aft galley arrangement is bolstered by a lowering glass section, which drops into the deck to create a bar area between the kitchen and cockpit. To starboard, the door slides across to reveal a central walkway into the saloon itself, which emanates the same feeling of quality that is so acutely felt across the outdoor spaces.

It may sound rudimentary, but just the fact that the flooring feels totally solid under foot and doesn’t squeak or groan as you walk across it suggests that the Sirena 68 has been engineered to a high level, as does the quality of the timber throughout.

The boat’s liveaboard intentions are enhanced by domestic-sized appliances in the galley, including a full-height fridge freezer, large dishwasher, four-burner induction hob and a domestic-sized oven.

An overwhelming feeling of space and quality in the saloon

There isn’t a huge amount of play in terms of layout – this is a production boat after all – but there is the option to replace the single guest cabin to starboard with a pair of bunks and to include a utility room.

As standard there is a neat lobby area that leads into the day heads on the port side of the lower deck, which contains the washer/dryer, an assortment of storage and even a pop-out ironing board.

Yet more evidence that the Sirena 68 is designed to be a home-from-home as much as a boat. The owner’s cabin amidships certainly has the space and luxury to qualify as a bedroom. There is well over 6ft of headroom throughout and a flat floor around the double berth, which is mounted facing-forward on the centreline.

Like most of the Sirena 68, the owner’s cabin feels as though it could be from a larger vessel

Aft of the bed you can either have a full width ensuite with two identical, separate toilets that share an enormous shower in the middle or have the bathroom to port, and a dog-legged walk-in wardrobe to starboard.

I am aware of sounding like a stuck record but the quality of the interior resonates once again, especially the interior doors which clunk shut with such satisfying engineered precision. Fit and finish has always been notably good with Sirena but the 68 feels like a level up from its predecessor.

Carving its own niche

For a relatively new brand Sirena’s progress is remarkable. Building the size of boats it does (the Sirena 68, a Sirena 58 and the flagship Sirena 88) there are plenty of well-established brands who can offer stiff competition.

The Turkish yard has been smart, though, and by employing heavyweights to handle design and naval architecture the Sirena 68 feels just as competent and capable as models from those names in the sector with greater brand recognition.

This article Sirena 68 review: Is this the best model yet from the fast-growing Turkish yard? appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

Looks really can be deceiving. It may not appear so from the outside but the Delphia 11 could be the most important boat launched in 2022, not because of what it is but because of what it stands for.

Candela, Vita and X Shore are all building cutting-edge electric boats for the top end of the market but the Delphia 11 is a commitment from the biggest boat builder in the world to mass produce electric boats.

The Polish brand, which was bought by Beneteau Group in 2018 will be electric only by 2024. Not only that but alongside their partner, Torqeedo, Delphia and Beneteau Group have committed to investing in the electric boats charging infrastructure in certain markets to boost confidence in its electric-only product.

The 11 is Delphia’s first foray into all-electric boating and to put it through its paces in a realistic environment, we were invited to the Netherlands to test the electric Delphia 11 Sedan alongside its diesel sibling and a diesel-powered flybridge version of the Delphia 11, dubbed the Flylounge.

Delphias of old were renowned for their bang-for-buck approach, with oodles of living space for a reasonable asking price and, although they were equipped to go offshore, most found homes on the rivers and lakes of mainland Europe.

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£353165

The modern Delphia product is entirely focussed on inland boating and was designed by Tony Castro from the keel up with electric propulsion in mind. The hull is a full displacement hard chine design with an upright stem and full bow sections in a bid to balance generous interior volume with stable, efficient, slow- speed cruising.

Even with the 150hp diesel version of the Delphia 11 you’re topping out at 8.5 knots so life in the slow lane really is the name of the game. From Delphia’s base in Makkum we would do a loop of the local waterways with a stint on the IJsselmeer, swapping between the three boats for an ideal back-to-back taste of the differences between cruising aboard identical diesel and electric boats.

Read Jack’s full review of the Delphia 11 in the July 2022 issue of MBY, out June 2.

Delphia 11 specifications

LOA: 35ft 4in (10.8m)
Beam: 12ft 8in (3.85m)
Draught: 2ft 7in (0.8m)
Displacement: 6.8 tonnes
Battery capacity: 80kWh
Water capacity: 380 litres
Engines: Single Torqeedo DBi 1400 50kW / Single 150hp Yanmar 4LV
Top speed: 7.6 knots (electric) / 8.4 knots (diesel)
Cruising speed: 4.3 knots
Range: 43.8 miles (electric) / 550nm (diesel)
Noise: 62 d(B)A
RCD category: B for 10 people
Design: Tony Castro / Delphia
Starting price: €264,900 (ex. VAT)
Price as tested: €418,795 (ex. VAT)

This article Delphia 11 review: The future of inland boating? Diesel & electric head to head test appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

The Bavaria SR36’s big sister, the SR41, scooped our Motor Boat Award for Sportcruisers up to 45ft this year, so this scaled down 40-footer has a strong base from which to take on the likes of Jeanneau and Galeon.

The layout is almost identical to the bigger boat with an eye-catching aft-facing dinette that has a hi-lo table with an infill cushion to quickly convert it to a decent sun pad.

The Bavaria SR36 is available with a hard top, soft top with a canvas roof or a version with a floating hard top that connects to the top of the windscreen. There is also the option to have sliding cockpit doors for a fully enclosed main deck saloon.

Considering the show boat on display at Palma was hull number one, the fit and finish was impressive and there’s clearly been a conscious effort to up the perceived quality with flashes of stainless steel where there would usually be GRP, plus the use of classy diamond-stitched upholstery.

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Inside, the Bavaria SR36 feels far more spacious than its 40ft LOA would suggest, with towering headroom and two large and nicely appointed cabins.

The wet bar on deck is a good size so there is just a small galley on the lower deck, opposite a dinky dinette that can convert into a chill out area via another hi-lo table and cushion.

The starting price looks incredibly tempting but it’s worth noting that this is for a boat with twin 350hp V8 petrols and you’ll pay another €40,000 for the twin Volvo Penta D4 300hp version.

The Bavaria SR36 is still a lot of boat for the money, though, and will suit families of four or a couple and their friends very well indeed.

Bavaria SR36 specifications

LOA: 40ft 3in (12.3m)
Beam: 12ft 6in (3.85m)
Engines: Twin petrol/diesel up to 710hp
Top speed: 35 knots
Cruising speed: 25 knots
Range: 250nm
Starting price: €249,000

This article Bavaria SR36 yacht tour: Another award-winning sportscruiser from Bavaria? appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

Back in the February 2022 edition of the magazine we tested – and were blown away by – this boat’s big sister, the Bluegame BG72, its amazing layout and long-legged cruising ability was enough to really shake up the 70ft sector.

If that boat was a breath of fresh air in that sector then the Bluegame BG54, by distilling that innovation into a 55-footer, is like heaving in a great lungful of the Swiss Alps’ finest.

There isn’t enough height to work with to have the aft deck leading into the interior, as is the case on the BG72, but the Bluegame BG54 still has the sprawling and totally flat beach club area that extends the living space right to the water’s edge.

Stow toys, lay down sun loungers or leave it empty, this is a brilliantly versatile space served by an almost full beam wet bar that is well stocked to keep everyone fed and watered all day long.

Steps up either side lead to the raised cockpit, which has a big dinette split by a walkway, and being in an elevated position is far more private than most cockpits when berthed stern to the quayside.

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Single-level walkaround decks lead from here all the way to the foredeck, which has a sofa below the steeply raked windscreen as well as a raised four-person sun pad.

The interior is well proportioned and boasts staggering headroom throughout with two double cabins as standard – the midships owner’s cabin being ensuite.

The latter can be specified as two separate doubles if you need more beds. It’s functional and well equipped for long stays on board but still sizzles with Italian style.

Like its big sister, fast cruising is the name of the game on the Bluegame BG54, so a cruising speed of 30 knots isn’t out of the question.

Bluegame BG54 specification

LOA: 54ft 4in (16.6m)
Beam: 16ft 4in (5.00m)
Draft (fully loaded): 4ft 5in (1.34m)
Displacement (dry): 20.25 tonnes / 44,640 lbs
Fuel capacity: 1,800L / 475 gals
Water capacity: 500L / 206 gals
Engines: Volvo Penta IPS800/950
Top speed: 35 knots
Cruising speed: 27 knots
CE category: B for 14 people
Starting price: €1.57 million (ex. VAT)

This article Bluegame BG54 yacht tour: Baby beach club yacht is a breath of fresh air appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

One of the standout boats at the 2022 Palma Boat Show was the Vision F80, an enormous all-black catamaran from Turkish yard Vision F, who are currently working in partnership with Silent Yachts.

The Vision F80 on display at Palma was fitted with Volvo Penta IPS, but future versions will feature hybrid and electric boat powertrain options.

Our tour starts at the transom with its split bathing platform and hydraulic tender launch platform in the middle.

Once you’re in the cockpit, you really get a sense of the true size of the Vision F80 – with a 30ft beam there’s plenty of room for huge side decks that look like they’ve been borrowed from a bowling alley.

Moving inside, the galley is accessed via its own separate staircase to port, leaving the entire main deck free for a sprawling saloon.

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Two more staircases towards the bow lead into the guest accommodation, with the owner’s cabin and a twin cabin to starboard, plus two further cabins to port.

Additional toy storage is offered on the foredeck – there is more than enough room for a Williams jet tender and a jetski, which can be launched via a deck crane.

But arguably, the star of the show is the vast flybridge, which boasts acres of entertaining space, more than enough to fit a hot tub should you require.

Enjoy the tour…

Vision F80 specifications

LOA: 78’1″ / 23.8m
Beam: 31’4″ / 9.56m
Draft: 2’7″ / 0.8m
Displacement (dry): 52 tonnes / 114,640lbs
Engines: Twin Volvo Penta IPS 800
Cruising speed: 12 knots
Fuel capacity: 7,650L / 1,682 gal
Water capacity: 3,800L / 836 gal
Starting price: €5 million (ex. VAT)

This article Vision F80 yacht tour: Inside a €5m powercat with an electric future appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

With a full displacement steel hull of just over 500 tonnes and an aluminium superstructure, the Bering 145 combines a fuel capacity of 95,600 litres with a parallel hybrid drive system for a range of 12,000nm at a cruising speed of 9 knots.

Under conventional diesel power the range is still a staggering 5,000nm at 8 knots; the maximum speed is 15 knots. The yacht’s hybrid system drives the propellers via electric motors that are powered by a bank of batteries that are recharged by variable speed generators.

There’s enough power on tap that this superyacht can enter or leave its berth in silence using electric-only mode. There is more to the Bering 145 than exploration though, as its deck spaces and beautiful interior make clear.

There are six staterooms with a master suite on the main deck that features a glass area measuring more than 9.5m². As well as the five guest cabins there is also accommodation for 10 crew.

The aft end of the lower deck boasts 40m² of outdoor living space sheltered by an overhang, while in the 40m² beach club there is enough storage for a pair of tenders and two jet-skis, offloaded by a deck crane.

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The top deck is part protected by a hard top and includes a deck galley and hot tub. An explorer yacht this may be but it is not lacking in luxurious touches.

“We are very proud to have this first hull in the model range to be launched on the water,” said Bering Yachts founder Alexei Mikhailov. “This will be the beginning of a new chapter for the Bering Yachts company.”

Update: The Bering 145 is due to go on display at the 2022 Cannes Yachting Festival.

Specification

LOA: 145ft 0in (44.2m)
Beam: 31ft 8in (9.7m)
Interior volume: 499GT
Fuel capacity: 95,600L / 21,029 gal
Engines: Twin 1,200hp Caterpillar C32 ACERT diesel-electric hybrid
Top speed: 15 knots
Cruising speed: 8-12 knots
Cruising range: >5,000nm
Starting price: Available on application

This article Bering 145 launched: Turkish yard's new flagship yacht is more than an explorer appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

There was an air of inevitably that Beneteau Group would soon add to the throng of big T-top sportsboats on the market but the question remained as to which brand it would use to target the sector.

Beneteau (the brand) has a range of sportscruisers in its own stable of course but the group is now in possession of Wellcraft and Scarab, two brands which could feasibly be moulded into an entity to take on the Fjords, Axopars and Pardos of this world.

Ultimately it was Jeanneau that got the nod and in reviving the DB moniker that adorned a range of sportscruisers in the 1980s, the brand has on its hands an all-new concept that we are promised will sprout larger and smaller models from the same blueprint.

Using the Jeanneau brand for this creation makes sense for a number of reasons. The current range is sporadic with everything from 6m Merry Fisher pêche promenades to the more sophisticated NC and Leader ranges but there is nothing like the DB43.

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The two men behind this project – designer Camillo Garroni and naval architect Michael Peters – both have experience working with Jeanneau and the wider Beneteau family and are tuned to the intricacies and challenges of what is achievable within the realms of a mass production environment.

What is clear from the outset is that with the might of the Beneteau Group R&D budget behind it and these two well established design names on board, the Jeanneau DB43 was unlikely to arrive at launch undercooked.

It is an intriguing design that really comes alive when you see it in the flesh, especially in the silver hull paint of our test boat (white gel is standard). With the cockpit terraces deployed it looks stubbier and taller than the initial 3D renders suggested it might be but it’s impossible to ignore the sheer breadth of the cockpit.

With the terraces down the usable living space is increased by a whopping 6ft, taking the overall beam to 18ft 5in (5.63m). The other element of the design that is immediately striking is how tall the topsides are and the generous freeboard, especially at the bow.

The reason for this will become clear as we delve deeper into the boat’s configuration.

Rad Jack’s full review of the Jeanneau DB43 in the June 2022 issue of MBY, out May 5.

Update: The Jeanneau DB43 is due to get its UK debut at the 2023 Southampton Boat Show.

Jeanneau DB43 specifications

LOA: 42ft 9in (13.03m)
Beam: 12ft 6in (3.82m)
Draught: 3ft 1in (0.94m)
Displacement: 9.8 tonnes
Fuel capacity: 800 litres
Water capacity: 250 litres
Test engines: Twin 380hp Volvo Penta D6
Top speed on test: 33 knots
Fuel consumption: 108lph @ 20 knots / 19lph @ 8 knots
Range: 119nm @ 20 knots / 276nm @ 8 knots
Noise: 80d(B)A @ 20 knots / 72d(B)A @ 8 knots
RCD category: B for 8 people
Designer: Garroni Design & Michael Peters
Starting price: €658,680 (ex. VAT)
Price as tested: €913,738 (ex. VAT)

This article Jeanneau DB43 test drive review: A new era for Jeanneau sportscrusiers appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

The clever thing about the Rand 25 Spirit is that its handsome shell can be propelled by three different propulsion systems: inboard petrol or diesel, petrol outboard or an electric motor.

The base boat comes with a 200hp Mercury outboard and inboard options include two petrol (250hp/300hp) and a 300hp diesel.

In this guise the Rand 25 Spirit looks to be a handsome and intelligently designed day boat with plenty of kerb appeal, but it’s the fully electric boat that really moves the dial.

You can have it with a 105kW motor and 47kWh battery pack or 180kW motor and 86kWh battery pack, the latter capable of 40 knots flat out and a fast cruising range of 28 miles.

That doesn’t sound like an enormous amount of range but if you think about the sort of distances a 25ft day boat would typically cover in a trip it will likely do the trick for most people and if you throttle back to single-figure speeds that range jumps to over 100 miles.

The key thing about the electric Rand 25 Spirit is that the rest of the boat is familiar, it’s not wacky or overtly futuristic; it’s a pretty day boat with a flexible cockpit and the option of electric power.

These less outlandish electric boats are going to be vital in the segue away from internal combustion, and Rand is at the forefront.

Rand 25 Spirit specification

LOA: 24ft 6in (7.5m)
Beam: 8ft 5in (2.6m)
Engine: 250-300hp petrol or 105-180kW electric
Top speed: 40 knots
Starting price: €99,000/€195,000 (ex. VAT), depending on propulsion

This article Rand 25 Spirit first look: Cutting-edge electric boat is reassuringly familiar appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

The Fairline Squadron 68 was launched back in 2019, however in 2022 Fairline have made some significant changes to their flagship flybridge.

These include a redesigned exterior and some big changes on the inside as well, as we recently found out with a full test drive of the 2022 Fairline Squadron.

The most significant change on the outside is the hardtop, which is now much better integrated into the flybridge moulding.

They’ve also changed the sunroof itself, replacing the slatted version with a canvas roof that fully retracts, so you get a much better aperture.

There are some tweaks to the window line, making the styling on the topsides is a little bit different, but one key feature they’ve added is a side door on the starboard side deck.

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This means that you can ventilate the helm really easily, but it also means that those at the helm can get out onto deck far more easily than having to walk out the back door and up onto the side deck.

Other key features include a high-low bathing platform with a 500kg capacity, so you can carry a Williams 345 as a tender.

Fairline Squadron 68 specifications

LOA: 69′ 3″ (21.12m)
Beam: 17′ 2″ (5.23m)
Draft: 5′ 1″ (1.57m)
Displacement (dry): 43 tonnes / 47.4 US tons (43,000kg)
Fuel capacity: 919 gallons / 1,103 US gallons (4,177 litres)
Water capacity: 237 gallons / 285 US gallons (1,080 litres)
Engines: Twin 1,150hp Caterpillar C18s
Top speed: 31 knots
Cruising speed: 22 knots
Range: 300nm @ 22 knots / 800nm @ 8 knots
CE category: B for 16 people
Price: £2.5million

Update: The updated version of the Fairline Squadron 68 is due to go on display at the 2022 Southampton Boat Show.

This article Fairline Squadron 68 test drive: £2.5m flagship flybridge updated for 2022 appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

There is no shortage of options if you are looking to upgrade from an open sportsboat or RIB to something more weather resistant with year-round usability, most of which hark
from Scandinavia.

Botnia, Nord-Star, Sargo, Nimbus, Axopar and XO – to name but a few – all build capable 25-30ft craft with fully enclosed wheelhouses, many with outboard propulsion. So why opt for a Swedish brand that the vast majority of boaters in the UK won’t be familiar with? One word: aluminium.

All of the brands listed above build in GRP (except XO who mate an ally hull to a glass-fibre deck) so if you’re in the market for something tough and resilient that won’t even raise an eyebrow at at the odd knock or scrape, then the Viggo C8 should be of interest.

Boats like this are ten a penny in the archipelagos of Scandinavia. As common as a Ford Mondeo on British roads, the Scandis use them to commute between islands all year around and in all states of weather.

They are part of the furniture in domestic markets but in the salubrious surroundings of Swanwick Marina with rows and rows of gleaming glass fibre cruisers on show the Viggo C8 cuts a dash, its shiny metal hull glinting in the bright winter sun.

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Its stance is menacing with an imposing furrowed wheelhouse and knifelike hull, which tapers to a pin-sharp 24° deadrise at the transom.

Creature comforts on deck are hard to find; there are some cushions that sit atop the storage bins in the forward cockpit and a small metal table that can be installed inside the wheelhouse or on the foredeck, but in essence it’s all pretty sparse with a focus on toughness, reliability and ease of maintenance.

That is the entire point of a boat like this, of course, it’s about shutting the doors, cranking up the heating and the throttle, and getting to your destination whatever the weather at any time of the year, not lazing about in the sun or spending hours on anchor.

Read Jack’s full review of the Viggo C8 in the May 2022 issue of MBY, out April 7.

Viggo C8 specifications

LOA: 26ft 9in (8.2m)
Beam: 7ft 5in (2.3m)
Draught: 1ft 9in (0.6m)
Displacement: 1.9 tonnes
Test engines: Single 300hp Mercury Verado outboard
Top speed on test: 48.1 knots
Fuel consumption: 34.4 lph @ 20 knots / 15.8 lph @ 7 knots
Range: 199nm @ 30 knots
Noise: 81 d(B)A @ 20 knots / 65 d(B)A @ 7 knots
Fuel capacity: 350 litres
Water capacity: N/A
RCD category: C for 6 people
Designer: Viggo Boats
Starting price: £123,437 (inc. VAT)
Price as tested: £145,000 (inc. VAT)

This article Viggo C8 test drive review: Is this the toughest 30ft leisure boat in the world? appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

During the development of its 2022 generation of new models, which so far comprises the Absolute 48 Coupe, Absolute 56 Fly and the Absolute 60 Fly tested here, Absolute’s main focus was on the living space at the stern of the boats.

The previous generation of Absolute flybridges set a high bar for internal volume and intelligent use of space within the interior, and the shipyard has set the standard in the sector for IPS integration for some time now.

These characteristics are on show aboard the Absolute 60 Fly but here the challenge was to blur the lines between the bathing platform and cockpit like so many of Absolute’s rivals are attempting to do on their own models.

The designers have stopped short of including a single-level aft deck with no distinction between cockpit and platform, but the open transom railings and modular furniture blend the two areas into one another while still allowing for a two-berth crew cabin with 6ft 1in (1.86m) of standing headroom, accessed via a door and deck hatch combination set into the transom.

By shifting the wheelhouse structure further forward on the deck, space on the platform and in the cockpit is split almost 50/50 with enough room on the 400kg capacity hi-lo swim platform to position a couple of sun loungers.

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A set of sun blinds roll down from all sides of the cockpit to provide shade in the biting heat of the day and a canopy extends from the aft end of the flybridge deck and connects to poles at the end of the bathing platform to provide protection here, too.

This makes for a flexible aft deck that can be adjusted to suit the conditions and, with all the shade blinds in place, has the relaxed air of a Mediterranean beach club.

Read Jack’s full review of the Absolute 60 Fly in the May 2022 issue of MBY, out April 7.

Absolute 60 Fly specifications

LOA: 61ft 3in (18.7m)
Beam: 16ft 2in (4.94m)
Draught: 4ft 7in (1.43m)
Displacement: 36.1 tonnes (loaded)
Test engines: Twin 725hp Volvo Penta IPS950
Top speed: 28.6 knots
Fuel consumption: 175 lph @ 20 knots / 29 lph @ 8 knots
Cruising range: 256 miles @ 20 knots / 641nm @ 8 knots
Noise: 67dB(A) @ 20 knots / 56dB(A) @ 8 knots
Fuel capacity: 2,800 litres
Water capacity: 730 litres
RCD category: B for 16 people
Designer: Absolute Yachts
Starting price: €1.52m (ex. VAT)
Price as tested: €2.19m (ex. VAT)

This article Absolute 60 Fly test drive review: The first in a new generation of Absolute flybridges appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

Back in 2020 Cantiere Del Pardo bought VanDutch, the Dutch outfit founded in 2008, and since then, production of the VanDutch range has moved to Pardo’s facility in Forli, Italy,

Given that Pardo produces its own range of glamorous T-top sportscruisers it may seem an odd move to market a brand that could be seen as competition, but VanDutch has always done things slightly differently and will likely appeal to a different type of customer.

Picture the world’s most glamorous boating hot spots and you can bet your bottom dollar there will be a VanDutch floating around somewhere.

There was an element of form over function to the early boats but Pardo knows a thing or two about building well engineered cruising machines.

One major change it has made on this new VD56 is to introduce IPS to a VanDutch model for the first time.

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Sitting between the 48 and spectacularly mad 75, the VanDutch VD56 is likely to be an owner-operated machine.

IPS offers that ease of control at slow speed mixed with strong performance and, of course, leaves plenty of space on the lower deck for an extremely flexible accommodation arrangement.

The two different layouts are ‘lounge’ and ‘sleep’, the latter featuring a two-cabin setup with a lower dinette and separate bathroom, whereas the former targets those who will rarely sleep on board with an open-plan lounging space and occasional berth amidships.

It says quite a lot about the way these boats are used that the lounge layout is even an option on a 55ft sportscruiser, but that is the VanDutch way.

There are more practical, less compromised alternatives to the Van Dutch VD56 but few that will turn heads in quite the same way.

VanDutch VD56 specifications

LOA: 55ft 1in (16.8m)
Beam: 14ft 8in (4.52)
Engines: Volvo Penta IPS800/950
Top speed: 40 knots
Starting price: Available on application

This article VanDutch VD56 first look: New model kicks off Pardo era with IPS power appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

Straight out of the box, it’s immediately apparent where that £1,600 is going because it feels immensely solid and is dripping with top-drawer components.

The front and rear brakes are Tektro hydraulics, it has a soft and very comfortable Velo Plush saddle, a Panasonic lithium ion removable battery with either a 400Wh or 630Wh capacity and a set of Shimano Acera eight-speed gears. There’s even an ABUS frame lock built into the rear wheel for added security.

The upshot is that with the sophisticated componentry and 20in wheels you’ll struggle to find a folding electric bike that is more comfortable to ride.

It doesn’t have the compromised on-road sensation that some folders suffer from and it feels like a bike that you could easily cover decent distances on.

The battery feeds a 250W Sprint Tech motor discreetly mounted within the rear wheel hub that will propel the bike to a top speed of 15.5mph with electrical assistance for an eye-catching range of 40 or 60 miles depending on the size of the battery.

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In reality, I tended to ride the bike with intermittent electrical assistance depending on the terrain, which conserves battery life.

Assistance is controlled via an easily read LCD screen mounted on the handlebars, with various levels that can be adjusted depending on the gradient.

The compromise for this sophistication is that the Volt Metro is both bulky and, at 22.7kg with the battery fitted, quite heavy to lug around.

Even on a larger boat it would be quite an effort to move and store the bike and it would become tiresome if you were using it regularly.

If you use your folding bike infrequently to cover larger distances then the Volt Metro is a great option, but for a regular jaunt around the marina, or to collect supplies, there are lighter and more compact options that would be more convenient.

Price: £1,599
MBY rating: 4/5
Value: 3/5

Buy it now at Voltbikes.co.uk

This article Volt Metro electric folding bike review: Premium model can eat up the miles appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

Not content with launching the brand new X80, Princess has replaced the ageing V50 with an all-new model that has a new hull and deck and boasts more powerful IPS engines than the previous version.

The Princess V50 is a core boat for the Plymouth yard and this latest version has had a going over from Princess’s own design team with input from Olesinski and Pininfarina to bring it bang up to date with the latest Princess Yachts design language.

The topsides are even cleaner than before with no cowlings on the aft haunches and one long knife-shaped hull window that is striking in profile but should also deliver nice dollops of natural light into the two-cabin interior.

The lower deck layout is quite traditional in the sense that there are two cabins with ensuite bathrooms and a galley and dinette between them.

Not fitting a third cabin as standard ensures that these areas feel spacious and well proportioned but if sleeping space is a priority the extra pair of bunks are a useful addition to the options list.

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On deck, sliding patio doors can fully enclose the forward end of the main deck so that this area can be climate controlled. A sliding glass sunroof adds flexibility and means that with aft doors open there is a nice flow of natural ventilation running through the main deck instead of relying on air-conditioning.

New to this model is an extended canopy over the aft cockpit, which provides shade so that this space can be used for lunch even with the heat of the midday day.

Twin IPS6560 engines are the only option on offer but with a total of 80hp more than its predecessor, the new Princess V50 should top out at more than 30 knots, with a comfortable cruising speed anywhere in the mid-20s.

Update: The 2022 Princess V50 is due to go on display at the 2022 Southampton Boat Show.

Princess V50 specification

LOA: 52ft 7in (16.1m)
Beam: 13ft 4in (4.1m)
Engines: Volvo Penta IPS650
Top speed: 32 knots
Starting price: $1.6million

This article Princess V50 yacht tour: Access-all-areas of Princess's classy 50ft sportscruiser appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.