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BOAT REVIEWS
Discover New Zealand’s best boats with expert reviews, specs, and local insights—sailboats, powerboats, and yachts covered.
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
Integrity 380 Flybridge
The full-bodied Integrity 380 is a ringing endorsement of the old adage: forget the destination – th...
Length Over All (M):
11.12
Displacement (M):
12000
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
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
Length Over All (M):
7.7
Displacement (M):
2676
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Elite mid-pilothouse 50
When an Auckland couple commissioned a new 15.2m Elite motoryacht, they held firm to what they wante...
Length Over All (M):
15.2
Displacement (M):
19200
Construction:
Composite
CONSTRUCTION:
Strip-plank cedar sheathed in e-glass
Lagoon 42 Catamaran
The new Lagoon 42 catamaran is a fun, spacious vessel designed for easy sail handling. She’s also ch...
Length Over All (M):
12.8
Displacement (M):
12000
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Takacat 260 Sport
If you’re in the market for a new tender, you might consider the new Takacat – a lightweight, robust...
Length Over All (M):
2.6
Displacement (M):
28
Construction:
Inflatable
CONSTRUCTION:
1000 denier PVC
Dickey Semifly 45
There are sport fishing boats and there are family cruisers, but there aren’t too many family sport ...
Length Over All (M):
14.3
Displacement (M):
12750
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
aluminium, 6mm hull, 6mm sides, 5mm superstructure
Sealine C330
When Carsten and Sabine Mueller went looking for a suitable family boat, they instantly knew they’d ...
Length Over All (M):
10.31
Displacement (M):
7100
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Southern XP726
Developed from the successful XP676, Southern’s latest model is longer with subtle hull tweaks for b...
Length Over All (M):
7.3
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium
Smuggler Strata 11.2m Coastguard RIB
Boaties on Northland’s east coast will feel safer following the recent launch of the Coastguard’s ne...
Length Over All (M):
11.2
Displacement (M):
4850
Construction:
Inflatable
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Jeanneau Merry Fisher 695
A trailerable launch, Jeanneau’s 695 Merry Fisher is billed as multi-use, family-oriented vessel. Th...
Length Over All (M):
6.55
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
White Pointer 1050 Custom
The new White Pointer 1050 Custom Oona is the first vessel Honda Marine New Zealand has fitted with ...
Horsepower (HP):
750
Length Over All (M):
10.5
Displacement (M):
7300
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium
Dufour 460
You can pull on another oilskin, sheet in the jib and grit your teeth – or you can ease back and sai...
Length Over All (M):
14.15
Displacement (M):
10760
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP, injected deck
Whittley CW 1600 Cuddy
Australia’s Whittley Boats is best known for its cruisers – family-sized cabin boats with sterndrive...
Length Over All (M):
5.0
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Senator RH770
Napier aluminium boatbuilder Senator Boats is happy to customise any model in its extensive range to...
Length Over All (M):
7.93
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium
Beneteau Oceanis 41.1
When it comes to creating cruising yachts, you’d expect Beneteau to know their stuff. The new 12.4-m...
Length Over All (M):
11.98
Displacement (M):
8777
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
Polyester hull, composite decks
Riviera 5400 Sport Yacht
Riviera’s latest Sport Yacht, the impressive 5400, takes the boating lifestyle very seriously.
Length Over All (M):
17.46
Displacement (M):
24725
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Tristram 701 Vanquish
The 701 is the latest model release from Hamilton-based Tristram Marine, available in a soft top con...
Horsepower (HP):
225
Length Over All (M):
7.1
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Caribbean 35 Mk III
Proving that there is always room for improvement, the new Caribbean 35 Mk III expands her fishing-f...
Length Over All (M):
12
Displacement (M):
850
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Jeanneau 54
Fortunate indeed is the boatbuilder who announces a proposed, new model and immediately sells out th...
Length Over All (M):
16.5
Displacement (M):
17164
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
14.25
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Mac 470 Sportfisher
The newest model from Mac Boats is a versatile family runabout that lends itself equally easily to f...
Horsepower (HP):
70
Length Over All (M):
4.7
Construction:
Other
CONSTRUCTION:
Roto-moulded PE
Southern XP896
Smart looking, nicely finished and boasting great performance and handling, the top of the range twi...
Horsepower (HP):
400
Length Over All (M):
9.43
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium with GRP hardtop
Stabicraft 2500 Ultracab XL
Just when you think Stabicraft’s design team has settled into a conventional frame-of-mind, along c...
Horsepower (HP):
300
Length Over All (M):
7.62
Displacement (M):
2500
Construction:
Aluminium
Length Over All (M):
7.62
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium
Smuggler Strata 750 RIB
With a tight deadline to review the new Smuggler Strata 750 Cabin, the weather wasn’t playing ball. ...
Horsepower (HP):
250
Length Over All (M):
7.5
Construction:
Inflatable
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP and Hypalon
White Pointer 970 Pro Sportsman
Boating New Zealand · Review
Boat Review / Aluminium Trailer Boats
Straight to the Poi...
Cora 48 Catamaran
Performance is modest, as expected for its power-to-weight ratio, but nearly 17 knots of speed was a...
Length Over All (M):
14.75
Displacement (M):
24000
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Buccaneer Five Seven Five HT
The spacious cockpit is uncluttered but has plenty of seating. The cockpit sole is covered in SeaDek...
Horsepower (HP):
150
Length Over All (M):
5.75
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
5.4
Beneteau First 44
Fifteen knots eased back to about 10 knots and the boat felt light on the helm, responding nicely to...
Length Over All (M):
14.15
Displacement (M):
10500
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
13.17
Haines Hunter SP635
The hardtop SP635 shares the same underpinnings as the popular SF 635 which was a completely new mod...
Horsepower (HP):
200
Length Over All (M):
6.76
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
6.35
Sealegs 12RC
‘Behemoth’ is a word which springs to mind or, perhaps more nautically, ‘leviathan’.
Length Over All (M):
12.3
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
Alloy RIB, amphibious
Rayglass 3000
There are two different powerplant configurations currently available: either twin outboards or sing...
Horsepower (HP):
600
Length Over All (M):
8
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Haines Hunter Overlander OP725
The Anura system is not only pleasingly quiet in operation (no noisy internal combustion engine in t...
Horsepower (HP):
300
Length Over All (M):
7.5
Displacement (M):
2400
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
7.25
CONSTRUCTION:
E-glass with carbon fibre reinforcement
Beneteau First 36
The First 36 has a pleasingly yacht-like cockpit: this is a boat that is meant to be sailed.
Length Over All (M):
11.98
Displacement (M):
4800
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
10.25
Elite 18m Mid Pilothouse
The loving care and attention that has gone into every detail is clearly evident.
Length Over All (M):
18
Displacement (M):
28000
Construction:
Composite
Length Over All (M):
15.8
CONSTRUCTION:
Epoxy glass over balsa and epoxy glass over ply and foam for the superstructure
Innovision 555
The boat had to be a ‘pure lure-fishing weapon’
Horsepower (HP):
150
Length Over All (M):
5.56
Construction:
Aluminium
Aluka 823 Walkaround
At rest, the boat was extremely comfortable, and certainly fits the family-friendly bill.
Horsepower (HP):
350
Length Over All (M):
8.23
Construction:
Aluminium