BOAT REVIEWS
Discover New Zealand’s best boats with expert reviews, specs, and local insights—sailboats, powerboats, and yachts covered.
Lazercraft 640 GT Sport
The 640 GT Sport is a soft top model with the Lazercraft DNA of old, but with welcome improvements t...
Horsepower (HP):
200
Length Over All (M):
6.4
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium
Frers 33.8m Superyacht
This 33.8m carbon-fibre sloop’s stately presence would enhance any superyacht marina, but she’s unli...
Length Over All (M):
33.83
Displacement (M):
131000
Construction:
Carbon Fibre
CONSTRUCTION:
Carbon fibre
Tristram 701
The 701 is the latest model release from Hamilton-based Tristram Marine, available in a soft top con...
Horsepower (HP):
300
Length Over All (M):
7.40
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
Fibreglass
McLay Premier Hardtop 801
The McLay Premier Hardtop 801 is a magnificent aluminium fishing boat and weekender. It comes at a p...
Horsepower (HP):
150
Length Over All (M):
8.05
Displacement (M):
3400
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium
Ultimate Boats 21
Ultimate Boats is a new arrival on the New Zealand boating scene, though the company’s principal Mar...
Length Over All (M):
6.35
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium
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
Kadey Krogen 48
The Kadey-Krogen 48 is a trawler motoryacht made for passagemaking that is finding favour among amon...
Horsepower (HP):
205-225
Length Over All (M):
16.16
YEAR:
2011
Displacement (M):
25,605
CONSTRUCTION:
Composite
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
Construction:
2008
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
Salthouse Corsair Euro 49
Black Pearl – the new launch from Dean Salthouse’s Next Generation Boats – uses the same hull as her...
Horsepower (HP):
345
Length Over All (M):
15
YEAR:
2011
Displacement (M):
12000
Length Over All (M):
14
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP/balsa core
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
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
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
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
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
Waverunner FX140 (2006)
With the impressive Yamaha R1 engine powering the WaveRunner FX140, Mark Bracks in 2006 discovers th...
Lazercraft 720 GT Hardtop
Lazercraft have been offering alloy hulls married to fibreglass decks and cabins for a decade. Geoff...
Horsepower (HP):
175-250
YEAR:
Circa 1999
Construction:
5mm 5083 marine grade alloy plate on bottom, 4mm sides and transom
Length Over All (M):
7.2
CONSTRUCTION:
Alloy
Hanse 400e
Race-winning performance is not generally associated with production-built yachts. Most production y...
Construction:
2006-2014
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
YEAR:
2006
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
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
Breezecraft Sports Catamaran 4.1m
Breezecraft have added a 4.1m sports catamaran to their range of moulded polyethylene boats. Geoff G...
Length Over All (M):
7.1
Displacement (M):
22
Genesis 400 Open Targa
Genesis recently launched a new model designed to provide el fresco dinning, social appeal and cruis...
Length Over All (M):
12.1
YEAR:
2001
Displacement (M):
8
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
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
Bénéteau ‘Benny’ 53
The epitome of design, the Benny 53 Go offers the same level of style and comfort as a Sydney pentho...
Length Over All (M):
17.12
YEAR:
1990
Displacement (M):
15,599
Construction:
carbon, e-glass and epoxy
CONSTRUCTION:
carbon, e-glass and epoxy
Bavaria Match 42
Boating New Zealand · Review
Boat Review / Racer Cruisers
Bavaria Match 42
Words by...
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
Rayglass Cruisemaster 700
The term Cruisemaster may evoke images of classic American automobiles on Route 66, but it also desc...
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
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
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
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