Boat Reviews & Insights Menu
BOAT REVIEWS
Discover New Zealand’s best boats with expert reviews, specs, and local insights—sailboats, powerboats, and yachts covered.
AMF Express 37
Aluminium Marine Fabricators (AMF) in Te Puke recently launched their first Express 37 for Wellingto...
Length Over All (M):
11.18
YEAR:
2006
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium
Breeze 4.9m Dory
The commercial and contracting sectors have embraced the Breeze dory because it is virtually indestr...
Horsepower (HP):
30-40 (max 50)
YEAR:
2005
Displacement (M):
280
Length Over All (M):
4.9
CONSTRUCTION:
Polyethylene
Ballistic 1950KC
Ballistic Boats has released the latest ski-boat to hit the market and Geoff Green thinks this Craig...
Horsepower (HP):
140-300
Length Over All (M):
5.9
Displacement (M):
660
Construction:
Composite
CONSTRUCTION:
Carbon and Kevlar with foam cores
Aqualite 601RV
Our staff writer had no intention of writing a boat review when he stepped aboard the Aqualite 601RV...
Horsepower (HP):
90-135
Length Over All (M):
6.03
YEAR:
1998
Construction:
Aluminium
Length Over All (M):
5.49
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium, hull 5mm, pontoons 3mm
AMF 580 V-Berth (2003)
Every AMF 580 V-Berth displays the builder's mission statement - Guaranteed Tough - across the trans...
Horsepower (HP):
115-150hp
Length Over All (M):
5.8
YEAR:
2003
Construction:
Aluminium
Length Over All (M):
5.33
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium
Rayglass 850 Legend (1998)
A Rayglass 850 Legend won the Overall Winner prize at the 2000 New Zealand Boat Show and the same bo...
Horsepower (HP):
260-500hp
YEAR:
1998
Construction:
Glass-reinforced plastic
CONSTRUCTION:
Glass-reinforced plastic
Hanse 371 (2003)
Voted 'Boat of the Show' at Europe's largest boat show in 2000, the Hanse 371 has become the German ...
Length Over All (M):
11.25
YEAR:
2003
Displacement (M):
5,950
Construction:
Fibreglass
Length Over All (M):
9.85
CONSTRUCTION:
Fibreglass
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 35 (Sun Fast 35)
Designed for comfortable family cruising and twilight club racing, the new Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 35 i...
Length Over All (M):
10.67
YEAR:
2003
Displacement (M):
5,200
Construction:
Fibreglass
Length Over All (M):
9.73
CONSTRUCTION:
Fibreglass
Seawind 1160
Following its launch at last year's Sydney Boat Show, Seawind Catamarans' 1160 looks to become the c...
Length Over All (M):
11.60
YEAR:
2004
Displacement (M):
7,000
Construction:
foam sad/vinylester
Length Over All (M):
11.30
CONSTRUCTION:
foam sad/vinylester
JBoats J160
In 2006, Steve Raea tracked down one of America's leading one-design yacht builders, J Boats, which ...
Horsepower (HP):
88
Length Over All (M):
16.06
YEAR:
1996-2000
Displacement (M):
14,152
Construction:
Fibreglass
Length Over All (M):
14.48
CONSTRUCTION:
Fibreglass
Mac Millennium 600
The release of the all-new Mac Millennium 600 has elevated rotationally moulded plastic boats to a n...
Horsepower (HP):
90-135hp
Construction:
polyethylene (PE) thermoplastic
CONSTRUCTION:
polyethylene (PE) thermoplastic
Hanse 341
German production yachtbuilder Hanse is making giant strides in Australia, but has yet to reach New ...
Horsepower (HP):
18
Length Over All (M):
10.35
Displacement (M):
5150 approx
Construction:
GRP/foam core topsides & deck
Length Over All (M):
8.90
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP/foam core topsides & deck
Dehler 41
There is no shortage of race yachts that will cruise comfortably, but is it really feasible to have ...
Horsepower (HP):
39 HP
Length Over All (M):
7.4
YEAR:
2010
Displacement (M):
8,195
Construction:
GRP/Fiberglass
Length Over All (M):
11.50
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP/Fiberglass
Buccaneer 550 Billfisher
The Buccaneer 550 Billfisher is the smallest in Buccaneer's walk-around range. Geoff Green took one ...
Horsepower (HP):
115-150hp
Length Over All (M):
5.91
Length Over All (M):
5.49
Sea Nymph Stargazer 2.8m
Hamilton's Seanymph Boats has enjoyed a resurgence in recent months and is prepared to look outside ...
Length Over All (M):
2.8
Pacific 38 Offshore Cruiser/Racer
So said an Australian boat reviewer in the seventies and it is hard to argue with him. Perception wa...
Length Over All (M):
11.6
Displacement (M):
7548
Construction:
Solid GRP (ply/grp decks)
Benny 53 Go (2006)
The epitome of design, the Benny 53 Go offers the same level of style and comfort as a Sydney pentho...
Hanse 400e
Race-winning performance is not generally associated with production-built yachts. Most production y...
Roger Hill Camp Cruiser
The Camp Cruiser concept reminds us that boats come in all shapes and sizes and that there are still...
Horsepower (HP):
60 (50hp design spec)
Length Over All (M):
6.54
YEAR:
2025
Displacement (M):
1800
Construction:
Timber or composite
Length Over All (M):
7.43
CONSTRUCTION:
Strip paulownia sheated in fibreglass
Elliott 1250 Tourer
This Aussie-built, Kiwi-designed deckhouse cruiser has the legs for fast passagemaking around the ba...
Beneteau First 36.7
In March 2006, the latest model in Beneteau's First cruiser/racer range looked set to follow the suc...
Beneteau Oceanis 411
Decades of chartering know-how have been synthesised in the Beneteau Oceanis 411's crisp lines, grea...
Waverunner FX140 (2006)
With the impressive Yamaha R1 engine powering the WaveRunner FX140, Mark Bracks in 2006 discovers th...
Smartwave 4800 Poly Boat
The biggest boat in the Smartwave lineup, the Smartwave 4800 has a softer, more rounded hull that ha...
Horsepower (HP):
50
Length Over All (M):
4.8
CONSTRUCTION:
Linear medium-density polyethylene with foam-filled voids
Smartwave 4200 Poly Boat
Our Smartwave 4200 centre-console came in a serious-looking but sensible battleship grey, but is ava...
Horsepower (HP):
40
Length Over All (M):
4.2
CONSTRUCTION:
Linear medium-density polyethylene with foam-filled voids
Smartwave 3500 Poly Boat
The Smartwave 3500 E-Fish model was fitted with a Tohatsu 30hp two stroke outboard motor, again with...
Horsepower (HP):
30
Length Over All (M):
3.5
Sargo 45
Stylistically, the 45 is very much part of the larger Sargo family.
Horsepower (HP):
1920
Length Over All (M):
14.6
YEAR:
2025
Displacement (M):
13,000 (dry)
Construction:
Vacuum infused
Length Over All (M):
13
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Innovision Explorer 707
Overall, this boat is another example of the high standard that Innovision holds itself to.
Horsepower (HP):
350
Length Over All (M):
11.15
YEAR:
2025
Construction:
6mm bottom, 4mm sides, deck
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium
Offshore 100 HTC
Outahere took approximately two years from concept to launch, with Mike and Offshore Boats having co...
Horsepower (HP):
700
Length Over All (M):
11
YEAR:
2025
Displacement (M):
7500 (dry)
Construction:
Aluminium planing powercat with foil assistance.
CONSTRUCTION:
Amuninium
Saxdor 400 GTO
This is a seriously fast boat intended for socialising and impressing friends.
Horsepower (HP):
800
Length Over All (M):
12.4
YEAR:
2025
Displacement (M):
10,000
Construction:
Boats
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
OceanPro 533 Cuddy Cabin
OceanPro is not really a name that springs to mind when thinking about New Zealand-built aluminium t...
Horsepower (HP):
70-100
Length Over All (M):
5.5
YEAR:
2025
Construction:
Pontoon-style aluminium monohull
Length Over All (M):
5.33
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium
XO Crossover DFNDR 9 Expedition
The DFNDR’s adventure-ready spirit is reflected in its layout.
Horsepower (HP):
450
Length Over All (M):
8.8
YEAR:
2025
Displacement (M):
2710kg, plus engines
Construction:
Amuminium hull, GRP decks, superstructure
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium/GRP
Smuggler Strata 800SS
New Zealand has led the world in the development of small amphibious recreational boats, and hundred...
Horsepower (HP):
300
Length Over All (M):
8
YEAR:
2024
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP hull and decks, Hypalon tubes
Riviera 4300 Sports Express
Building large, multimillion-dollar bluewater motoryachts for a global market is a serious business,...
Length Over All (M):
13.88
YEAR:
2025
Displacement (M):
15,500
CONSTRUCTION:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Viknes 10
Now headed to our shores, is this clever new family cruiser the ultimate all-rounder?
Very few bo...
Length Over All (M):
10.60
Displacement (M):
6,300
Construction:
Fibreglass (GPR)
Prestige M48
Showing your hand too early in poker, or indeed in any emerging market, is a gamble, so the Beneteau...
Length Over All (M):
14.79
Displacement (M):
17.5