Boat Reviews
Explore New Zealand’s top boat reviews! From sailboats to luxury yachts, get expert insights and detailed specs to find your perfect vessel. Discover the best models for local waters and make informed decisions with our trusted reviews.
BOAT REVIEW
Bavaria S36 HT Sports Cruiser
There comes a time in every yachtie’s life when he/she considers switching to a powerboat. For the ...
Displacement (M):
6800
Length Over All (M):
11.66
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Riviera 6000 SY
With every new model Australia’s Riviera Luxury Motor Yachts seems to up its game. That’s certainly ...
Displacement (M):
27800
Length Over All (M):
19.3
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
OC Tenders
The cruising yachtie’s tender is a hardworking, ill-treated and vital part of the cruising experienc...
Horsepower (HP):
15
Displacement (M):
54
Length Over All (M):
3.5
Construction:
Composite
BOAT REVIEW
Jeanneau 51
I don’t want to stand accused of having a fickle heart, but I have fallen for the younger, smaller s...
Displacement (M):
14400
Length Over All (M):
15.38
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Whittley CR 2600
Whittley’s new CR 2600 model – the second-largest in the company’s Cruiser range, is an ideal vessel...
Horsepower (HP):
300
Length Over All (M):
8.5
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Greenline 39 Hybrid
In hybrid cars, an internal-combustion engine is complemented by an electric motor. The same concept...
Displacement (M):
7000
Length Over All (M):
11.99
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Given T9 Powercat
The Bay of Islands on a crisp winter morning is a far cry from the balmy air of Tahiti, but this Giv...
Length Over All (M):
9.7
Construction:
Composite
BOAT REVIEW
Farrier F22
Good things take time they say, and good things are worth the wait. It’s the sort of advice you will...
Displacement (M):
1400
Length Over All (M):
7.0
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Assault Vesta 380 RIB
Launch
Exclusive to Family Boats in Auckland, Assault RIBs are manufactured in eastern Europe with GRP hull...
Horsepower (HP):
30
Length Over All (M):
3.8
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Assault 610 Adventure RIB
Launch
Exclusive to Family Boats in Auckland, Assault RIBs are manufactured in Eastern Europe with GRP hull...
Horsepower (HP):
130
Length Over All (M):
6.1
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Smuggler Strata 780 SuperSport
Smuggler Marine’s boats extend the boundaries of functionality and design. The latest iteration, the...
Horsepower (HP):
300
Length Over All (M):
7.8
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Herley Commander
Launch
It’s always a buzz to step aboard a new boat, in this case the first offering from a newcomer to the...
Length Over All (M):
7.0
Construction:
Aluminium
BOAT REVIEW
Everyman 840 CC
In a few short years Hamilton’s Everyman Boats has forged a reputation for producing high quality al...
Length Over All (M):
8.4
Construction:
Aluminium
BOAT REVIEW
Roger Hill 18.5m sailing cat
Her owner describes this 18.5m cat as a ‘fun’ boat. That she undoubtedly is, but she also represents...
Displacement (M):
15560
Length Over All (M):
18.53
Construction:
Carbon Fibre
BOAT REVIEW
Penguin 4m
It’s so simple, you wonder why no one’s done it before. But this Kiwi invention – a 4m amphibious in...
Displacement (M):
151
Length Over All (M):
4.0
Construction:
Inflatable
BOAT REVIEW
Rayglass 3500
Launch
Rayglass 3500
The new, much-anticipated Rayglass 3500 is a very important boat for Auckland-based m...
Displacement (M):
7500
Length Over All (M):
11.5
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Lazercraft GT 650 HT
Since coming under the same umbrella as Southern Boats, Lazercraft has enjoyed a burst of developmen...
Horsepower (HP):
200
Length Over All (M):
6.5
Construction:
Aluminium
BOAT REVIEW
Smuggler Strata 820 Cabin
Big pontoons, a legendary deep-vee, triple-straked fibreglass hull, twin engines and a hardtop cabin...
Horsepower (HP):
300
Length Over All (M):
8.2
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Dickey Custom 800 O/B
Displaying all the hallmarks of her builder’s precision approach, the Dickey Custom 800 is a quality...
Displacement (M):
2000
Length Over All (M):
8.7
Construction:
Aluminium
BOAT REVIEW
Takacat Inflatables/Honda Portable Outboards
Takacat’s new inflatable cats are light, stable and fun –and tough enough to handle whatever your re...
Displacement (M):
35
Length Over All (M):
3.4
Construction:
Inflatable
BOAT REVIEW
Sealegs 7.7m Sport D-Tube
Launch
Sealegs continues to forge ahead, providing amphibious enablement systems (AES) to local and interna...
Horsepower (HP):
200
Displacement (M):
1690
Length Over All (M):
7.8
Construction:
Aluminium
BOAT REVIEW
Open Ocean 46
The cartoon cat Garfield is a fat, feline couch spud, but his maritime namesake, launched recently a...
Displacement (M):
14000
Length Over All (M):
14
Construction:
Aluminium
BOAT REVIEW
Elan S3
A sunny day on the Hauraki Gulf might be half a world away from Dracula’s castle – but the dead trav...
Displacement (M):
3690
Length Over All (M):
9.25
Construction:
Composite
BOAT REVIEW
AMF 950 RIB
Replacing Coastguard North Shore’s 10-year-old Quick Response Vessel was a complex project, but a de...
Horsepower (HP):
500
Displacement (M):
3505
Length Over All (M):
9.6
Construction:
Aluminium
BOAT REVIEW
JP RIBS Custom 800
The words ‘luxury’ and ‘RIB’ are seldom used together, but innovative Kiwi boatbuilder JP RIBS is ma...
Horsepower (HP):
400
Length Over All (M):
8.0
Construction:
Inflatable
BOAT REVIEW
Jeanneau Leader 36
The comfort, performance and versatility of the Leader 36 are ably demonstrated in the pursuit of in...
Displacement (M):
6616
Length Over All (M):
11.47
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Pachoud 24m Power Cat
A Canadian electrical engineer and his botanist wife have taken delivery of Samara – their NZ-built,...
Displacement (M):
74000
Length Over All (M):
24.2
Construction:
Composite
BOAT REVIEW
Surtees Game Fisher 700
Launch
With each new edition of the Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show the gate prize seems to be even more i...
Horsepower (HP):
250
Length Over All (M):
7.0
Construction:
Aluminium
BOAT REVIEW
Grand Soleil 43
If you’re wanting a little performance with your cruising, this new Italian import could be just the...
Displacement (M):
9100
Length Over All (M):
13.25
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Hanse 455
Following its 2015 debut, Hanse’s mid-sized 455 cruiser (13.95m LOA) has quickly become one of the m...
Displacement (M):
11600
Length Over All (M):
13.95
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
2017 Yamaha PWCs
Trailer Boat
A little unfairly, society tends to view PWC owners as petrol-heads drowning in testosterone. As Yam...
Displacement (M):
349
Length Over All (M):
3.35
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Upfold Elite 13.5m Sports Sedan
NZ’s launch market might be import-heavy, but international designers don’t have the monopoly on cla...
Displacement (M):
10200
Length Over All (M):
13.5
Construction:
Composite
BOAT REVIEW
Bluefix BoatWorks NorthCape 40 Commercial
A rising star proves that with the right experience and attention to detail great challenges can lea...
Displacement (M):
14000
Length Over All (M):
12.2
Construction:
Composite
BOAT REVIEW
Riviera 52 Enclosed Flybridge
While the Riviera 52 Enclosed Flybridge debuted in Australia, this model – one of the stars of Octob...
Displacement (M):
24960
Length Over All (M):
17.26
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Navetta 58
The Navetta 58 might look unusual to Kiwi eyes, but it packs a lot of Italian flair into its generou...
Length Over All (M):
17.0
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Elite 15.5m Sportfisher
Bill Upfold’s Elite 15.5m ‘Humdinger’ is part game-fisher, part luxury family cruiser.
Length Over All (M):
15.5
Construction:
Composite
BOAT REVIEW
CQS
In the realm of modern maxi racers, ‘radical’ is almost the default description. The newly-launched ...
Displacement (M):
24500
Length Over All (M):
33.7
Construction:
Carbon Fibre
BOAT REVIEW
Integrity 380 Flybridge
The full-bodied Integrity 380 is a ringing endorsement of the old adage: forget the destination – th...
Displacement (M):
12000
Length Over All (M):
11.12
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Super Air Nautique G23
Sitting high and mighty on a custom Enduro trailer, the Super Air Nautique G23 exudes tow sport powe...
Horsepower (HP):
550
Displacement (M):
2676
Length Over All (M):
7.7
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)