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BOAT REVIEWS
Discover New Zealand’s best boats with expert reviews, specs, and local insights—sailboats, powerboats, and yachts covered.
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Elan E5
Elan’s E5 is a sharp looker and a smart mover – and perhaps a worthy contender to fill the vacuum le...
Length Over All (M):
11.96
Displacement (M):
7300
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
Hull foam core with GRP laminate; deck foam core, vinylester
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
Boat Review
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
Boat Review
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
Whittley FF2100
A hardcore angler embraces his softer side with the new Whittley FF2100 – an Aussie “crossover” boat...
Length Over All (M):
6.13
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
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
Boat Review
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
Boat Review
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
E-40 Powercat
The E-40 PowerCat is the latest in a long line of engineering and boating innovations by John McGett...
Length Over All (M):
12
Displacement (M):
3600
Construction:
Composite
CONSTRUCTION:
Core composite foam with carbon fibre inserts
Boat Review
Bavaria C45
Beautiful weather doesn’t always equal the best weather for going sailing, but sometimes you just ha...
Length Over All (M):
13.98
Displacement (M):
11935
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
12.87
Boat Review
Beneteau Oceanis 40.1 First Line
If you’re a retired airline pilot with a bit of a need for speed, you’re probably looking for perfor...
Length Over All (M):
12.87
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
11.99
Boat Review
Bavaria C42
Getting back out on the water after an extended period in lockdown felt so good — especially with ...
Length Over All (M):
12.9
Displacement (M):
9678
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
11.27
Boat Review
Jeanneau Sunfast 3300
Jeanneau’s Sunfast 3300 joins its well-established siblings, the 3200 and later 3600, which have mad...
Length Over All (M):
10.11
Displacement (M):
3500
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Swift Trawler 41 Fly
French boat manufacturer Beneteau is one of the oldest and largest boatbuilders in existence, still ...
Length Over All (M):
13.43
Displacement (M):
11040
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
12.52
Boat Review
Dehler 30OD
Looking a little like a miniature Volvo boat, the black-hulled Dehler 30od (one design) delivers the...
Length Over All (M):
10.3
Displacement (M):
2800
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
8.97
CONSTRUCTION:
Sandwich PVC hull
Purekraft 800HT
Purekraft designs and builds custom aluminium boats – but its extraordinary flexibility was particul...
Horsepower (HP):
400
Length Over All (M):
8.0
Construction:
Aluminium
Boat Review
Dickey Boats Semifly 45
It was like a scene from Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Thanks to some COVID rescheduling, Dickey ...
Length Over All (M):
14.20
Displacement (M):
12950
Construction:
Aluminium
Length Over All (M):
12.6
CONSTRUCTION:
5083 marine grade aluminium
Boat Review
Elliott 1350
The Elliott 1350 Tourer will be a familiar design to many, with boats such as Fiction, Flyer and des...
Length Over All (M):
13.50
Displacement (M):
8200
Construction:
Composite
McLay 741 Raptor
A boat that can operate on land as well as on water is obviously attractive: amphibious vessels and...
Horsepower (HP):
250
Length Over All (M):
7.4
Construction:
Aluminium
Marco 750 Sou’wester
If you plan to spend your fishing hours in the turbulent waters of the deep South, you’d better mak...
Length Over All (M):
8.10
Displacement (M):
2300
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
6mm hull plates and transom, 4mm sides and decks
Image Prestige 10.75m
In boatbuilding, as with business, the best clients are the ones that return. You don’t have to con...
Horsepower (HP):
700
Length Over All (M):
10.75
Construction:
Aluminium
Boat Review
Bavaria C50
It used to be that cruising in a yacht – compared to a launch – meant making compromises in terms o...
Length Over All (M):
15.39
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
14.75