Boat Reviews & Insights Menu
BOAT REVIEWS
Discover New Zealand’s best boats with expert reviews, specs, and local insights—sailboats, powerboats, and yachts covered.
Boat Review
Caribbean 27 Runabout
The world of technology and marine electronics has jumped ahead in leaps and bounds. The famous old ...
Horsepower (HP):
250 (each)
YEAR:
160lt
Length Over All (M):
8.23
CONSTRUCTION:
Fibreglass
Grand Banks 54 Heritage EU
The Grand Banks 54 Heritage EU may be based on a classic trawler design, but she was nonetheless far...
Length Over All (M):
18.56
Length Over All (M):
14.96
CONSTRUCTION:
Fibreglass
Nereyda 580 Regal
The Nereyda 580 Regal is an economical, all-purpose runaround boat.
Previously known as Sea Nymph...
Horsepower (HP):
90–130
Displacement (M):
1727cc
Length Over All (M):
5.8
CONSTRUCTION:
Fibreglass
Fi-Glass Warrior Outboard Hardtop
Winter getting you down? Longing to get away from it all? Been too long since you wet a line? This K...
Length Over All (M):
6.4
YEAR:
1998
Construction:
GRP
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Fi-Glass Warrior
The Fi-Glass Warrior has certainly stood the test of time, proving itself as quite the dependable tr...
Length Over All (M):
6.4
YEAR:
1998
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Fi-Glass Warrior
Christchurch’s biggest boatbuilder reveals its biggest model, the Fi-Glass 640 Warrior, and Trade-A-...
Length Over All (M):
6.4
YEAR:
1998
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Boat Review
Bavaria 40 (2008)
Bavaria's new 40 cruising yacht departs from previous models with a different exterior and hull shap...
Length Over All (M):
12.35
Displacement (M):
8500
CONSTRUCTION:
Bavaria Yachts
Boat Review
Rayglass Protector 12.5m
Rayglass' Protector rigid hull inflatables (6.5m to 18m) are designed to handle harsh conditions. Bu...
Fi-Glass Warrior
It was almost 50 years ago, in 1958, that Frank Simpson commenced building a GRP dinghy called the F...
Length Over All (M):
6.4
YEAR:
1998
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Keelow Craft Riverwild 560 XL
After a recent jet-boating expedition in Canada, Christchurch’s Ken Bowmar gained a new respect for ...
Length Over All (M):
5.6
Construction:
Marine grade 5083 alloy
Boat Review
Oliver Royale 370 Sport Fisher
Oliver Twist may have asked for more, but with its Royale 370 Sport Fisher, Oliver Marine has served...
Horsepower (HP):
370hp
Length Over All (M):
12.05
Displacement (M):
11,000
Length Over All (M):
11.45
CONSTRUCTION:
fibreglass
Boat Review
Hunter 356
Major US yacht builder Hunter Marine build vessels that are strikingly different to the production n...
Horsepower (HP):
27
YEAR:
2000
Displacement (M):
6318
Construction:
GRP/balsa/Kevlar
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP/balsa/Kevlar
Sea Nymph 580 Regal
Testing a boat on a choppy seaway can often make it difficult to get a feel for its balance—to find ...
Horsepower (HP):
70–100
Length Over All (M):
5.8
CONSTRUCTION:
Fibreglass
Fi-Glass Warrior
It has been two years since Fi-Glass Boats has released a new model. It was no surprise, therefore, ...
Length Over All (M):
2.6
YEAR:
1998
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
White Pointer 8m Cruiser
Sophistication and style are qualities not often associated with aluminium trailer boats, but as Tra...
Horsepower (HP):
200 to 400 (outboard) Options: include petrol or diesel sterndrive
Length Over All (M):
8.2
YEAR:
1992
Length Over All (M):
7.6
Boat Review
Rayglass Cruisemaster 700
The term Cruisemaster may evoke images of classic American automobiles on Route 66, but it also desc...
Boat Review
Dixon Performance Cruiser
Liara is a beautiful example of a comfortable performance cruiser endowed with spark and speed throu...
Horsepower (HP):
190
Length Over All (M):
19.8
Displacement (M):
23,500kg
Boat Review
Bols
Building and designing a yacht to smash world speed sailing records requires a big budget, lateral t...
Length Over All (M):
28.3
Displacement (M):
23 tonnes
CONSTRUCTION:
Carbon fibre/Airex
Boat Review
Bavaria Yachts 42
It was supposed to be a genteel cruise to assess the Bavaria 42 but Lawrence Schaffler says his test...
Displacement (M):
8400
Length Over All (M):
11.15
CONSTRUCTION:
Bavaria Yachts
Boat Review
Bavaria Yachts 40
The first Bavaria 40 to enter New Zealand was launched at Westhaven in December. It's roomy, comfort...
Length Over All (M):
12.35
Displacement (M):
7,900