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BOAT REVIEWS
Discover New Zealand’s best boats with expert reviews, specs, and local insights—sailboats, powerboats, and yachts covered.
LSB Catalyst superyacht tender
After sea trials in Auckland, T/T Skorpios was shipped to Europe to join her mothership, the carbon...
Length Over All (M):
15.53
Construction:
Composite
Length Over All (M):
12.73
CONSTRUCTION:
E-glass with a foam core
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
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
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
Bavaria C42
Getting back out on the water after an extended period in lockdown felt so good — especially with th...
Length Over All (M):
12.9
Displacement (M):
9678
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
11.27
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
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
Refurbished Corsair Mk I: Masquerade
Some 45 years after she rolled off the Salthouse production line, Masquerade isn’t immediately recog...
Length Over All (M):
12
Displacement (M):
8000
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
Hand-laid fibreglass
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
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
Azimut Atlantis 45
A successor to the popular Atlantis 43, the very first Azimut Atlantis 45 in the southern hemispher...
Length Over All (M):
14.61
Displacement (M):
16000
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP hull, cored topsides and decks, carbon strengthening
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
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
DNA 570 XHT
Game On was a special project for Jake, the DNA 570 XHT’s Taupo-based owner, replacing a smaller DN...
Horsepower (HP):
140
Length Over All (M):
5.7
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium pontoon/chamber boat
Aquila 44
The new Aquila 44 power catamaran is a vessel tailor-made for partying in style.
Length Over All (M):
13.34
Displacement (M):
16240
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Elite AT43
Once upon a time, New Zealand had a thriving production boat industry. Now only a few diehards rema...
Length Over All (M):
13.2
Displacement (M):
10500
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Maritimo M51 Flybridge
Classic flybridge models like this glorious Maritimo M51 combine luxury with performance, a combina...
Length Over All (M):
13.19
Displacement (M):
21000
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
Fibreglass hull, balsa core topsides and superstructure
CSB Huntsman Centurion
The new CSB Huntsman Centurion Carbon Edition debuted at the Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show – and...
Horsepower (HP):
250
Length Over All (M):
6.5
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
Hand-laid fibreglass
Dickey Semifly 36
Dickey Boats’ new Semifly 36 is an expanded version of the Napier builder’s popular 32-foot model. ...
Length Over All (M):
11.2
Displacement (M):
6500
Construction:
Other
Grand Banks 60 Skylounge
Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too? The Grand Banks 60 Skylounge is made for enjoying...
Length Over All (M):
19.9
Displacement (M):
28000
Construction:
Composite
CONSTRUCTION:
E-glass and carbon fibre-Corecell laminates
Purekraft 700 HT
Purekraft is a relative newcomer among aluminium trailer boat brands, but the personnel behind it c...
Length Over All (M):
7.2
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
6mm bottom, 5mm sides, 4mm decks
Marco 950 Sou’wester
The award-winning Marco 950 Sou’wester Resolute is the Tauranga company’s third custom aluminium bui...
Length Over All (M):
10
Displacement (M):
4800
Construction:
Aluminium
Length Over All (M):
9.5
CONSTRUCTION:
8mm bottom plates
Roger Hill 18m Foil-assisted Power Cat
Every new design from catamaran guru Roger Hill contains fascinating innovations. His latest vessel ...
Length Over All (M):
18
Displacement (M):
29500
Construction:
Composite
CONSTRUCTION:
Epoxy composite
Corsair Euro 44E
Reviewing a boat on a rough day is a rare experience, but with the photography already in the bag an...
Length Over All (M):
13.5
Displacement (M):
10500
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Custom Protector 12.5m
This custom Protector 12.5m RIB only just squeaks into her berth at Orams Drystack, but negotiating ...
Length Over All (M):
12.5
Displacement (M):
6500
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
RIB
Welsford Navigator
The elegant simplicity of the Navigator design has struck a nerve in a society flooded with high str...
Length Over All (M):
4.5
Displacement (M):
140
Construction:
Wood
CONSTRUCTION:
Plywood planks on frames
Grand Banks 60
The marriage of two high-profile boat yards – Grand Banks and Palm Beach Motor Yachts – has delivere...
Length Over All (M):
19.9
Displacement (M):
29000
Construction:
Composite
Length Over All (M):
18.3
CONSTRUCTION:
coed GRP hull, infused carbon-fiber and composite decks and superstructure
CSB Huntsman Sotalia
CSB Huntsman’s handy 5.85m Sotalia is a conventional cabin-style trailer boat of a type that’s peren...
Horsepower (HP):
180
Length Over All (M):
5.85
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Bavaria S36 HT Sports Cruiser
There comes a time in every yachtie’s life when he/she considers switching to a powerboat. For the ...
Length Over All (M):
11.66
Displacement (M):
6800
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
Vacuum-infused GRP laminate
Bavaria E40 Sedan
Most readers associate Bavaria with performance-cruiser yachts, but the German manufacturer’s stable...
Length Over All (M):
12.29
Displacement (M):
10500
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
11.99
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Azimut Magellano 43
Aimed at the luxury end of the market, Azimut’s range encompasses 33 models across eight styles in l...
Length Over All (M):
12.96
Displacement (M):
17399
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
11.80
CONSTRUCTION:
Moulded fibreglass
2017 Yamaha PWCs
A little unfairly, society tends to view PWC owners as petrol-heads drowning in testosterone. As Yam...
Length Over All (M):
3.35
Displacement (M):
349
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
NanoXcel 2 composite
CSB Huntsman Xcalibur
Most of us can only afford one boat and if it is a family asset, the boat has to be multifunctional ...
Horsepower (HP):
300
Length Over All (M):
7.5
Displacement (M):
1650
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Bavaria 37 Cruiser
When you migrate to the Bay of Islands for six months of the year to escape the UK winter, having a ...
Length Over All (M):
11.3
Displacement (M):
7000
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
10.22
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP isopthalic resin
Image 7.08 Pontoon
The Image Pontoon 7.08 is the latest addition to the now 15-strong Image Boats range and marks a dis...
Horsepower (HP):
250
Length Over All (M):
7.36
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium