Boat Reviews & Insights Menu
BOAT REVIEWS
Discover New Zealand’s best boats with expert reviews, specs, and local insights—sailboats, powerboats, and yachts covered.
Matera 40 cruising catamaran
This build philosophy—and its practical result—is best shown in the wide, uninterrupted arch of the ...
Horsepower (HP):
40
Length Over All (M):
13.5
YEAR:
2025
Displacement (M):
4800 loaded
Construction:
Carbon fibre, PVC core, West System resins
Length Over All (M):
12.2
CONSTRUCTION:
Composite
Elite 13.8m Sedan Kaeā
The vessel will be Wellington-based but is destined to spend much of her cruising life in the Marlbo...
Horsepower (HP):
960hp
Length Over All (M):
13.8
YEAR:
2025
Displacement (M):
13,900
Construction:
Three layers marine ply, glued, vacuum-bagged for the hull; ply, foam, ply sandwich decks
CONSTRUCTION:
Composite
Boat Review
Candela C-8 Hardtop
The Candela C-8 is clearly a much more mature and technologically advanced model than its predecesso...
Horsepower (HP):
45/50kW
Length Over All (M):
8.5
YEAR:
2025
Displacement (M):
1850
Construction:
Vacumm-infused carbon fibre
CONSTRUCTION:
Carbon fibre
Dickey Pacific 62
Passage making is about long days at sea, often with swell and waves running at different angles, or...
Horsepower (HP):
300
Length Over All (M):
18.75
Displacement (M):
18,000
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium
Dibley 7.5m Sportsboat
Despite the lack of gennaker it’s still a fun and fantastic ride down the harbour, and reminds me ho...
Construction:
Vacuum-infused
CONSTRUCTION:
Carbon fibre hull & decks
Boat Review
Axopar 29 XC Cross Cabin
The ultimate multi-purpose craft for boaters who demand more from their vessel.
Horsepower (HP):
350
YEAR:
2025
Displacement (M):
3220 (including engine)
Length Over All (M):
9.31
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Sargo 33
This is a cleverly designed boat with great space for a 33-footer.
Horsepower (HP):
680
Length Over All (M):
10.99
YEAR:
2025
Displacement (M):
7400
CONSTRUCTION:
GRO
Maritimo M600 Black Edition
The Black Edition of Maritimo’s M600 Offshore Flybridge Motor Yacht is no mere badge-engineering sol...
Horsepower (HP):
1600 (std)
Length Over All (M):
17.31
YEAR:
2024
Displacement (M):
31,700
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Proline Alloy 1860 HT
Mat says the hull is designed to cater for all, with ease of use being one of the main priorities.
Horsepower (HP):
90-115
Length Over All (M):
5.7
YEAR:
2025
Construction:
5mm hull, 4mm sides & decks
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium
Fi-Glass Viscount
Modern engines are bigger and more efficient. They need bigger platforms to host them. Furthermore, ...
Horsepower (HP):
200-250
Length Over All (M):
6.8
YEAR:
2025
Construction:
Solid GRP, no wood in structure
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Morris Metal Products S.J Seahawk
S.J. Seahawk is a development of the 7.6m Eliminator, which Phil and his team built 26 years ago.
Horsepower (HP):
700
YEAR:
2024
Construction:
Aluminium hull, fibreglass decks, carbon fibre superstructure
Length Over All (M):
9.7
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium
JP Crafts Code 9.8
This is a beautifully finished boat with an attention to detail that we don’t often see.
Horsepower (HP):
600
Length Over All (M):
9.8
YEAR:
2025
Displacement (M):
3100
Construction:
GRP composite hull, Hypalon tubes, aluminium hardtop
CONSTRUCTION:
Composite
RMX 444
Optimisation can be for either economy or speed and it’s the same for the foil itself, with designs ...
Horsepower (HP):
1200
Length Over All (M):
13.6
YEAR:
2025
Displacement (M):
11.5
Construction:
Fibreglass, foam, carbon fibre
CONSTRUCTION:
Composite
Kiwi-Kraft 780WA
Pontoon alloy boats are seriously good sea handling vessels. I should know, having fished out of man...
Horsepower (HP):
400
Length Over All (M):
7.8
YEAR:
2024
Construction:
6mm hull, 4mm sides, 3mm superstructure
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium
Innovision IV7000 Amphibious
In engineering the IV7000 to amphibious duty, Innovision has hardly compromised its utility for fish...
Horsepower (HP):
300
Length Over All (M):
8.5
YEAR:
2024
Construction:
6mm bottom, 4mm sides and decks
Length Over All (M):
7.6
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium
Elite 16m Mid Pilothouse Te Whara V
In another stellar example of a successful collaboration, boatbuilder Lloyd Stevenson and designer B...
Horsepower (HP):
1,100
Length Over All (M):
16
YEAR:
2024
Displacement (M):
22,500
Construction:
End-grain balsa epoxy composite
Length Over All (M):
14
CONSTRUCTION:
Composite
Radian R27 Nordarc
Overall, this is an impressive boat. The styling is bold and unique and will certainly turn heads. T...
Horsepower (HP):
200hp max
Length Over All (M):
6.67
YEAR:
2024
Displacement (M):
1800
Construction:
5mm bottom, 4mm sides, 3mm superstructure
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium
Omikron OT-60
Stepping on board the yacht, it’s obvious everything centres on cruising in luxury.
Horsepower (HP):
300/500
Length Over All (M):
18.41
YEAR:
2024
Displacement (M):
18500
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Riviera 6800 Sport Yacht
The vessel’s low centre of gravity, combined with the Humphree fin stabilisers, gave us a comfortabl...
Horsepower (HP):
2000
Length Over All (M):
22.18
YEAR:
2024
Displacement (M):
34,000
Length Over All (M):
19.87
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Extreme 795 Game King
Performance-wise, the new 350hp Yamaha, plus the Helm Master EX with bow thruster and Seakeeper Ride...
Horsepower (HP):
350
Length Over All (M):
7.93
YEAR:
2024
Construction:
6mm bottom plates
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium
Boat Review
Beneteau Oceanis 34.1
As you would expect from an experienced design team, the boat is well-balanced and, while the sail a...
Horsepower (HP):
21 (std), 30
Length Over All (M):
10.77
YEAR:
2024
Displacement (M):
5,470
Length Over All (M):
9.50
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Saffier SE 33 Life
The Saffier SE 33 Life daysailer is a breath of fresh air in the production yacht world, with perfor...
Horsepower (HP):
15
Length Over All (M):
11
YEAR:
2024
Displacement (M):
3000
Length Over All (M):
9.85
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Rae Line 206
Some boats are good to look at from the outside and some are good to be onboard. Like her sister the...
Horsepower (HP):
200
Length Over All (M):
6.45
YEAR:
2024
Displacement (M):
1580
Construction:
Hand-laid GRP
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Sasga Menorquin 55FB – Carajillo
She makes a wonderful ship for coastal adventures and holidays, promising easy passage-making and pl...
Horsepower (HP):
960
Length Over All (M):
16.88
Displacement (M):
18.5
Length Over All (M):
14.98
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
What A Rush!
Catalysts were originally conceived for Emirates Team New Zealand’s America’s Cup team as a high-spe...
Horsepower (HP):
4 x 300hp up to 4 x 600hp
Length Over All (M):
13.7
Construction:
Carbon Fibre
CONSTRUCTION:
Carbon Fibre
Maritimo M75
The Maritimo M75 is a boat you will use, and that is the name of the game.
Horsepower (HP):
3250
Length Over All (M):
23.07
YEAR:
2024
Displacement (M):
55,600 (dry)
Length Over All (M):
22.86
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP, composite
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 380
In the wide cockpit, the racing-style Carbonautica wheels are positioned well aft and outboard, corr...
Horsepower (HP):
40
Length Over All (M):
11.22
YEAR:
2024
Construction:
GRP
Length Over All (M):
10.77
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Boat Review
Caribbean 27 Flybridge Sport Fisher
Fuel consumption for a vessel this size is pretty good, as you might expect from a modern common-rai...
Horsepower (HP):
380
Length Over All (M):
9.0
YEAR:
2024
Displacement (M):
dry, 3,140
Construction:
Solid GRP
Length Over All (M):
8.3
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Boat Review
Southern XF650
Southern Boats has been building top-quality aluminium trailer boats for more than three decades. It...
Horsepower (HP):
150 to 225hp
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
5mm alloy plate. 6mm is available as an option
Boat Review
Seawind 1170
Combining the space of twin hulls with the capabilities of a proven design froma vastly experienced ...
Displacement (M):
9,200kg
Length Over All (M):
11.7m
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Boat Review
Tristram 691 Offshore
When Kingsley and Lance Fink pulled up at Westhaven boat ramp with the Tristram 691 Offshore in tow,...
Horsepower (HP):
200 to 250hp
Length Over All (M):
6.90
YEAR:
2024
Construction:
GRP
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Vindex 350 S
When the itch for another boat project required scratching a little over two years ago, de Fluiter d...
Length Over All (M):
10.8
Displacement (M):
5500
Construction:
Composite
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP foam sandwich. Custom sedan conversion
Sealegs 12RC
‘Behemoth’ is a word which springs to mind or, perhaps more nautically, ‘leviathan’.
Length Over All (M):
12.3
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
Alloy RIB, amphibious
Haines Hunter SP635
The hardtop SP635 shares the same underpinnings as the popular SF 635 which was a completely new mod...
Horsepower (HP):
200
Length Over All (M):
6.76
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
6.35
Elite 15.8m Sport Sedan
The pride and joy of a multi-generational family, Bliss resides on a pier that’s home to a couple of...
Length Over All (M):
15.8
Displacement (M):
16200
Construction:
Composite
Dibley 12m canting-keeler
The cockpit is open and spacious, raceboat-style, with a cool curved edge to the deck at the open tr...
Length Over All (M):
12
Construction:
Composite
Length Over All (M):
10.85
CONSTRUCTION:
E-glass over a foam core
Rayglass 3000
There are two different powerplant configurations currently available: either twin outboards or sing...
Horsepower (HP):
600
Length Over All (M):
8
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Boat Review
Buccaneer Six Fifteen
Based on the well-known Buccaneer 605 hull, the Buccaneer Six Fifteen has increased the 605’s waterl...
Horsepower (HP):
200
Length Over All (M):
6.78
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
6.15
Surtees 750 Game Fisher
The Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show prize boat package would be every Kiwi angler’s dream to own.
Horsepower (HP):
300
Length Over All (M):
7.5
Displacement (M):
1590
Construction:
Aluminium
Sargo 31 Explorer
The Sargo 31’s exterior looks like it means business – in a cool way.
Length Over All (M):
9.96
Displacement (M):
5400
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)