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BOAT REVIEWS
Discover New Zealand’s best boats with expert reviews, specs, and local insights—sailboats, powerboats, and yachts covered.
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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
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
Southern XF650
Southern Boats has been building top-quality aluminium trailer boats for more than three decades. It...
Horsepower (HP):
150 to 225hp
Length Over All (M):
6.85m
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
5mm alloy plate. 6mm is available as an option
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
Seawind 1170
Combining the space of twin hulls with the capabilities of a proven design froma vastly experienced ...
Length Over All (M):
11.9m
Displacement (M):
9,200kg
Length Over All (M):
11.7m
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
Cora 48 Catamaran
Performance is modest, as expected for its power-to-weight ratio, but nearly 17 knots of speed was a...
Length Over All (M):
14.75
Displacement (M):
24000
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Buccaneer Five Seven Five
The spacious cockpit is uncluttered but has plenty of seating. The cockpit sole is covered in SeaDek...
Horsepower (HP):
150
Length Over All (M):
5.75
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
5.4
Beneteau First 44
Fifteen knots eased back to about 10 knots and the boat felt light on the helm, responding nicely to...
Length Over All (M):
14.15
Displacement (M):
10500
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
13.17
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)
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)
Beneteau Swift Trawler 41 Sedan
This vessel has much to recommend it for a couple or a family.
Length Over All (M):
13.42
Displacement (M):
11040
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Haines Hunter Overlander OP725
The Anura system is not only pleasingly quiet in operation (no noisy internal combustion engine in t...
Horsepower (HP):
300
Length Over All (M):
7.5
Displacement (M):
2400
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
7.25
CONSTRUCTION:
E-glass with carbon fibre reinforcement
Ryck 280
At first glance the boat appears to be a large centre console, although hidden beneath the console a...
Length Over All (M):
9.52
Displacement (M):
2700
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Caribbean 32 FB
With classic styling, good performance and class-leading ride and handling, there’s a lot to like ab...
Length Over All (M):
10.385
Displacement (M):
6500
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Seawind 1370
Solar panels on the vast roof help keep the batteries charged.
Length Over All (M):
13.7
Displacement (M):
11000
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
12.7
CONSTRUCTION:
Infused foam-cored GRP
Sessa Yacht Line C47
Sessa vessels have a CE CLASS B rating – certified offshore to 200 miles, for winds up to force 8, a...
Length Over All (M):
14.27
Displacement (M):
14500
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
12.54
Legacy Marine L45
The L45 is intended to fulfil the role of a luxury motoryacht capable of operating in typical New Ze...
Length Over All (M):
13.8
Displacement (M):
20000
Construction:
Aluminium
Lazercat 950
The helm station is well-equipped and simple to operate, thanks to the simplified switching that’s b...
Length Over All (M):
9.5
Displacement (M):
3800
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
Assymmetric catamaran with hydrofoil
Innovision 808 Venture Estero
As has become more usual for the crew at Innovision Boats, Estero has been extensively customised.
Horsepower (HP):
400
Length Over All (M):
8.2
Construction:
Aluminium
Moody 41DS
The major point of difference between this boat and a regular cruising yacht is the high-profile dec...
Length Over All (M):
12.52
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
11.42
Boston Whaler 405 Conquest
Step aboard and the 405’s roomy cockpit certainly makes a strong first impression.
Length Over All (M):
12.6
Displacement (M):
17853
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Sargo 36
It packs more features and equipment inside its modest 36 feet (11.80m) than do many much bigger boa...
Displacement (M):
8400
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
11.8
Elite 18m Mid Pilothouse
The loving care and attention that has gone into every detail is clearly evident.
Length Over All (M):
18
Displacement (M):
28000
Construction:
Composite
Length Over All (M):
15.8
CONSTRUCTION:
Epoxy glass over balsa and epoxy glass over ply and foam for the superstructure
Challenger 720HT
Like the rest of the Challenger range, the 720 HT’s fibreglass hull is designed by Terry Reid, who h...
Horsepower (HP):
250
Length Over All (M):
7.15
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Quarken 27 Cabin
This size is notably popular in New Zealand, being small enough to be trailered, yet spacious enough...
Length Over All (M):
8.35
Displacement (M):
2700
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Iliad 53 S
Compared to the range’s flybridge models, the 53 S has much less windage and greater stability, so ...
Length Over All (M):
16.35
Displacement (M):
24000
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
Vinylester above and below the waterline; monolithic or solid glass around the keel line and other key areas; vacuum-infused PVC closed-cell sandwich elesewhere
Beneteau First 36
The First 36 has a pleasingly yacht-like cockpit: this is a boat that is meant to be sailed.
Length Over All (M):
11.98
Displacement (M):
4800
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
10.25
Sea Ray Sundancer 265
The Sea Ray Sundancer 265 is an impressive example of all that is good about American production boa...
Length Over All (M):
8.07
Displacement (M):
3200
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)