BOAT REVIEWS
Discover New Zealand’s best boats with expert reviews, specs, and local insights—sailboats, powerboats, and yachts covered.
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
Beneteau Oceanis 411
Decades of chartering know-how have been synthesised in the Beneteau Oceanis 411's crisp lines, grea...
YEAR:
1997-2005
Senator 540 Hardtop
Hardtops extend crew comfort and sea keeping but their extra weight and height can compromise small ...
Horsepower (HP):
75
Length Over All (M):
5.58
Displacement (M):
500
Construction:
5mm hull, 3mm pontoons and floor
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium
Breeze 4.9m Dory
The commercial and contracting sectors have embraced the Breeze dory because it is virtually indestr...
Horsepower (HP):
30-40 (max 50)
YEAR:
2005
Displacement (M):
280
Length Over All (M):
4.9
CONSTRUCTION:
Polyethylene
Buccaneer 550 Billfisher
The Buccaneer 550 Billfisher is the smallest in Buccaneer's walk-around range. Geoff Green took one ...
Horsepower (HP):
115-150hp
Length Over All (M):
5.91
YEAR:
2004
Length Over All (M):
5.49
Seawind 1160
Following its launch at last year's Sydney Boat Show, Seawind Catamarans' 1160 looks to become the c...
Length Over All (M):
11.60
YEAR:
2004
Displacement (M):
7,000
Construction:
foam sad/vinylester
Length Over All (M):
11.30
CONSTRUCTION:
foam sad/vinylester
Cat Concepts NZ38
The Cat Concepts NZ38 powercat is another example of a New Zealand-built production boat enjoying st...
Horsepower (HP):
250-300
Length Over All (M):
11.5
Displacement (M):
7.8 tonnes (half load)
Length Over All (M):
9.5
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Riviera 37
With a styling makeover, new hull and improved systems, our Australian correspondent David Lockwood ...
Horsepower (HP):
315
YEAR:
2001-2008
Displacement (M):
10.3
Construction:
Solid fibreglass with composite superstructure
Length Over All (M):
11.56
CONSTRUCTION:
Solid fibreglass
Turbocraft 600
The Turbocraft 600 combines the ample power of a 5.7l V8 with the operational safety of a jet unit t...
Horsepower (HP):
300
YEAR:
Early 2000s
Construction:
Fibreglass
Length Over All (M):
6
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP/Polyester, solid timber full-length girders
Elite 16m Pilothouse
The latest Elite 16m pilothouse, Boudica, meets diverse cruising, fishing, chartering and promotiona...
Horsepower (HP):
450
Length Over All (M):
16
YEAR:
2000
Displacement (M):
16800
CONSTRUCTION:
Durakore/composite
Hanse 371 (2003)
Voted 'Boat of the Show' at Europe's largest boat show in 2000, the Hanse 371 has become the German ...
Length Over All (M):
11.25
YEAR:
2003
Displacement (M):
5,950
Construction:
Fibreglass
Length Over All (M):
9.85
CONSTRUCTION:
Fibreglass
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 35 (Sun Fast 35)
Designed for comfortable family cruising and twilight club racing, the new Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 35 i...
Length Over All (M):
10.67
YEAR:
2003
Displacement (M):
5,200
Construction:
Fibreglass
Length Over All (M):
9.73
CONSTRUCTION:
Fibreglass
Roger Hill Black Cat 8.9m
The very capable 8.9m Black Cat fills a gap in the market, has the ability to travel fast and offers...
Horsepower (HP):
Twin 90-150hp
Length Over All (M):
8.9
YEAR:
2001
Displacement (M):
3.5
Length Over All (M):
7
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Mac Millennium 600
The release of the all-new Mac Millennium 600 has elevated rotationally moulded plastic boats to a n...
Horsepower (HP):
90-135hp
YEAR:
early 2000s
Construction:
polyethylene (PE) thermoplastic
CONSTRUCTION:
polyethylene (PE) thermoplastic
Elliott 1250 Tourer
This Aussie-built, Kiwi-designed deckhouse cruiser has the legs for fast passagemaking around the ba...
YEAR:
2002
Buccaneer 635 Exess
Buccaneer Pleasure Craft has released the 17th model in its Buccaneer range. Geoff Green says the fa...
Horsepower (HP):
150-225
Length Over All (M):
6.77
YEAR:
2002
Construction:
fibreglass
Length Over All (M):
6.33
CONSTRUCTION:
fibreglass
Beneteau First 36.7
In March 2006, the latest model in Beneteau's First cruiser/racer range looked set to follow the suc...
YEAR:
2002
Hanse 341
German production yachtbuilder Hanse is making giant strides in Australia, but has yet to reach New ...
Horsepower (HP):
18
Length Over All (M):
10.35
YEAR:
2002
Displacement (M):
5150 approx
Construction:
GRP/foam core topsides & deck
Length Over All (M):
8.90
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP/foam core topsides & deck
W/L 3800 Flybridge Powercat
Catamarans New Zealand's all new W/L 3800 Flybridge powercat is optimised for sport fishing without ...
Horsepower (HP):
130-420hp per side
Length Over All (M):
11.6
YEAR:
2001
Displacement (M):
9,500kg light trim, 11,000kg heavy trim
Construction:
GRP
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Stabicraft 593HT
All Stabicraft (originally Stabi-Craft) hardtop models are selling well and the 593HT is the most po...
Horsepower (HP):
130-175
Length Over All (M):
6.5
YEAR:
2001
Construction:
Marine-grade plate aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
The hull has a thickness of 4 mm, while the pontoon sections are 3 mm thick.
Surtees 6.1 Bar Crusher
Surtees Boats has grown steadily from a hobby operation 15 years ago and is now a significant player...
Horsepower (HP):
100-150
Length Over All (M):
0.1
YEAR:
1994
Displacement (M):
1,100+
Construction:
5mm and 4mm aluminium
Formula 54
Formula Cruisers recently launched Pacific Diamond, a customised version of its 16.2m production mod...
Horsepower (HP):
480
Length Over All (M):
16.45
YEAR:
2001
Displacement (M):
19,000
Construction:
Foam/composite
CONSTRUCTION:
Foam/composite
Oliver Royale 400
The Oliver Royale 400 uses the proven Oliver Royale 4300 hull but, with a stylish new deck and flybr...
Length Over All (M):
13.25
YEAR:
2002 (estimate)
Displacement (M):
11
Construction:
Balsa core in the bottom transitioning to a foam core
CONSTRUCTION:
Composite core
Ramco 680 Patrol
Aluminium production builder Ramco Boats has diversified into pontoon craft with a difference. Geoff...
Horsepower (HP):
150 hp to 225 hp
Length Over All (M):
6.8
YEAR:
2002
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium
JBoats J160
In 2006, Steve Raea tracked down one of America's leading one-design yacht builders, J Boats, which ...
Horsepower (HP):
88
Length Over All (M):
16.06
YEAR:
1996-2000
Displacement (M):
14,152
Construction:
Fibreglass
Length Over All (M):
14.48
CONSTRUCTION:
Fibreglass
Pacific 38 Offshore Cruiser/Racer
So said an Australian boat reviewer in the seventies and it is hard to argue with him. Perception wa...
Length Over All (M):
11.6
YEAR:
1982
Displacement (M):
7548
Construction:
Solid GRP (ply/grp decks)
HamiltonJet Vortex XL
The Vortex XL will do all the jet boat things - race across shallows and adventure up rocky rivers -...
Horsepower (HP):
300hp at 4,600rpm
Length Over All (M):
5.80
Construction:
10mm 5083 marine grade alloy plate centre section, 5mm outer bottoms, 3 mm transom, 2.5mm sides, GRP deck.
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium
Legacy 30 Profish
The Legacy 30 Profish is a unique two-level boat purpose designed for sportfishing. The well-develop...
Length Over All (M):
9.3
YEAR:
2001
Construction:
GRP
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Tristram Millennium 691
Tristram Marine's Millennium 691 was introduced at the 1997 Auckland Boat Show, where it won the Tra...
Horsepower (HP):
Twin 175-275hp
Length Over All (M):
6.9
YEAR:
1997
Displacement (M):
2050
Construction:
multi-mould fibreglass process
CONSTRUCTION:
Fibreglass
Fi-Glass Firestar
The Fi-Glass Firestar is constructed to meet a certain price-point, but it's also built to perform a...
Horsepower (HP):
70-130
Length Over All (M):
5.35
Construction:
Fibreglass
Length Over All (M):
5.25
CONSTRUCTION:
Fibreglass
Aqualite 601RV
Our staff writer had no intention of writing a boat review when he stepped aboard the Aqualite 601RV...
Horsepower (HP):
90-135
Length Over All (M):
6.03
YEAR:
1998
Construction:
Aluminium
Length Over All (M):
5.49
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium, hull 5mm, pontoons 3mm
Rayglass 850 Legend (1998)
A Rayglass 850 Legend won the Overall Winner prize at the 2000 New Zealand Boat Show and the same bo...
Horsepower (HP):
260-500hp
YEAR:
1998
Construction:
Glass-reinforced plastic
CONSTRUCTION:
Glass-reinforced plastic