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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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Modified Tennant Blade Runner
Setting off on Slime – a 13.5m John Hughes extended Blade Runner catamaran – is akin to accelerating...
Length Over All (M):
13.5
Displacement (M):
3100
Construction:
Carbon Fibre
Maritimo M55
Maritimo’s fame comes from its highly refined flybridge cruisers which has put it on the global map ...
Length Over All (M):
17.27
Displacement (M):
30000
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
Solid GRP hull, cored topsides and decks
Extreme 645CC
Extreme Boats’ 645CC (Centre Console) was the supreme Boat of the Show award winner at this year’s ...
Horsepower (HP):
200
Length Over All (M):
6.45
Construction:
Aluminium
Highfield Patrol 600
Tracing its lineage back to the Australian line of Swift boats, Highfield is now a joint French-Chin...
Horsepower (HP):
150
Length Over All (M):
6
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium hull, PVC tubes
Beneteau GT 32
The GT 32 is a comfortable weekender that can sleep up to four adults, but would be ideally suited t...
Length Over All (M):
9.95
Displacement (M):
5377
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Dehler 30OD
Boats are designed to maximise their chances within the strictures of certain design rules conventio...
Length Over All (M):
10.3
Displacement (M):
2800
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
8.97
CONSTRUCTION:
Sandwich PVC hull
Machina 701
The 701 is the latest addition to the growing Machina range and marks a distinct departure from the ...
Horsepower (HP):
250
Length Over All (M):
7.2
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
Integrated pontoons
Riviera 645 SUV
The launch of the 645 at the Sanctuary Cove Boat Show completes a stylish six-boat SUV range for Au...
Length Over All (M):
21.23
Displacement (M):
39970
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
19.41
CONSTRUCTION:
Solid GRP keel and hull sections, cored laminate elsewhere, vinylester gelcoat
Caribbean 5.5m Offshore
Offering a dry ride, decent freeboard and good stability at rest, the Offshore is a small fibreglass...
Horsepower (HP):
90
Length Over All (M):
5.5
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Senator 800 HT
The way the Senator behaves gives the impression it would be completely unflappable – easily capable...
Length Over All (M):
8.3
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
6mm hull, 5mm decks and bump rails, 3mm pontoons
Lamont T340 Jet RIB
Although a new name on the New Zealand boating scene, Lamont Jets has an excellent pedigree. The br...
Length Over All (M):
3.4
Displacement (M):
320
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP hull, Hypalon tubes
Wright 46S Powercat
Alan Wright is one of New Zealand’s most prolific designers. A father-and-son team has brought one ...
Length Over All (M):
14
Displacement (M):
16000
Construction:
Composite
Nautitech 47 Power
Businessman and philanthropist Dave Sutherland has teamed up with celebrity chef Ben Bayly to launc...
Length Over All (M):
14.23
Displacement (M):
18168
Construction:
Composite
LSB Catalyst superyacht tender
After sea trials in Auckland, T/T Skorpios was shipped to Europe to join her mothership, the carbon...
Length Over All (M):
15.53
Construction:
Composite
Length Over All (M):
12.73
CONSTRUCTION:
E-glass with a foam core
Shaw 550
Last year’s level 4 lockdown was a difficult time for all Kiwis, but it also gave Bay of Islands rig...
Length Over All (M):
5.5
Displacement (M):
600
Construction:
Composite
Length Over All (M):
5.5
CONSTRUCTION:
cedar, foam and fibreglass
Offshore Boats 750 HT
She certainly looked like a dedicated sport fisher, her 10-position rocket launcher festooned with S...
Horsepower (HP):
350
Length Over All (M):
7.5
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
8mm hull and transom, 6mm frames, 5mm sides, decks
Yanmar X47 Express Cruiser
Launched at Germany’s Boot Dusseldorf in January last year, the America’s Cup editon of the X47 (47-...
Length Over All (M):
14.53
Displacement (M):
14700
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Fatcat 4000 Fisherman
Lightning Marine’s Fatcat 4000 sticks with the ‘simple is best’ small boat ethos.
Length Over All (M):
3.8
Displacement (M):
240
Construction:
Other
CONSTRUCTION:
Roto-moulded PVC
Moody DS41
When thinking about a new boat you always imagine the sun shining benignly and a playful 12-knot bre...
Length Over All (M):
12.52
Displacement (M):
11200
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
11.42
Refurbished Corsair Mk I: Masquerade
Some 45 years after she rolled off the Salthouse production line, Masquerade isn’t immediately recog...
Length Over All (M):
12
Displacement (M):
8000
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
Hand-laid fibreglass
Prestige 420s Coupé
The Prestige 420s is the sedan express version of the much-applauded flybridge motor yacht that was ...
Length Over All (M):
13.06
Displacement (M):
14400
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Rae Line 205
In a market flooded with facsimiles, the 205 is a refreshing departure from the norm and a great ste...
Horsepower (HP):
300
Length Over All (M):
6.3
Displacement (M):
1520
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Assegai 51
The assegai is the short stabbing spear once used in battle by the people of Southern Africa, most f...
Length Over All (M):
15.55
Construction:
Other
CONSTRUCTION:
Strip-plank cedar, balsa-cored fibreglass sandwich
Dickey Boats Semifly 45
It was like a scene from Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Thanks to some COVID rescheduling, Dickey ...
Length Over All (M):
14.20
Displacement (M):
12950
Construction:
Aluminium
Length Over All (M):
12.6
CONSTRUCTION:
5083 marine grade aluminium
Stryda 600s
Auckland boatbuilder Stryda Marine has just released a centre-console variation of its popular 6m 60...
Length Over All (M):
6
Displacement (M):
2000
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
Alloy hulled catamaran with foil, Orion 4WD system for motoring on land
Caribbean 420 Express
Melbourne’s International Marine has built around 60,000 boats in 60 years. Founded in 1958 by the S...
Length Over All (M):
13.16
Displacement (M):
11200
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Innovision 707 Explorer
Innovision’s range of bespoke aluminium boats is most certainly ‘different from the rest’ as the co...
Horsepower (HP):
300
Length Over All (M):
7.15
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
6mm hull, transom; 4mm sides, decks, and superstructure
Jeanneau Merry Fisher 795 Marlin
Clark Gayford, host of the Fish of the Day TV programme, has pretty exacting requirements. The press...
Length Over All (M):
7.17
Displacement (M):
1750
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
6.98
Elliott 1350
The Elliott 1350 Tourer will be a familiar design to many, with boats such as Fiction, Flyer and des...
Length Over All (M):
13.50
Displacement (M):
8200
Construction:
Composite
Sealine C390
Once designed and built in the UK but now part of the Hanse Group and manufactured in eastern German...
Length Over All (M):
11.99
Displacement (M):
10519
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
11.0
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP, vinylester and isopthalic resins, composite bulkheads
Sealegs 7.5m Amphibious RIB
With a modular deck plan, this is Sealegs’ most customisable model to date. Almost 30 have already s...
Length Over All (M):
7.55
Displacement (M):
1600
Construction:
Aluminium
Length Over All (M):
6.29
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium hull, Hypalon tubes
King Water Jet 4m
Want a generous dollop of adrenalin-spiking fun? Hop aboard this waterjet-powered RIB and hold on t...
Length Over All (M):
4.0
Displacement (M):
350
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium hull, Hypalon tubes
Haines Hunter SF635
Any new boat from Haines Hunter is big news, but a totally new design makes the SF/SP635 an especial...
Horsepower (HP):
200
Length Over All (M):
6.76
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
6.35
CONSTRUCTION:
Hand-laid GRP, composite floors
Herley 3400 Electric Power Catamaran
The hottest topic in boating today is electric propulsion, and right now the Herley 3400 is perhaps ...
Length Over All (M):
10.4
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
5083 marine grade aluminium
Beneteau Monte Carlo 52
The first impression of the new Monte Carlo 52 is that she’s big – high and wide, with lots of glass...
Length Over All (M):
16.25
Displacement (M):
15000
Construction:
Composite
CONSTRUCTION:
Solid GRP hull, cored topsides and decks
Sun Odyssey 490
One of the advantages of reaching a certain age is that you know what you want and aren’t afraid to ...
Length Over All (M):
14.8
Displacement (M):
11290
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
13.24
Fountaine Pajot MY 40
The latest addition to Ownaship’s Auckland-based fractional ownership fleet is a French-built Fount...
Length Over All (M):
12.24
Displacement (M):
13500
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
Resin-infused
Offshore 650 HT
Their new boat has opened up fresh horizons for the pair, who are taking full advantage of its capab...
Horsepower (HP):
200
Length Over All (M):
6.5
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
8mm hull and transom plates, 5mm decks, 4mm sides and cabin
Smuggler Strata 700 Amphibious
Once a ‘party trick’ with a limited market, amphibious boats have been steadily gaining traction wi...
Length Over All (M):
7.0
Displacement (M):
1600
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
Hand-laid fibreglass
Dickey Custom 950
The 950’s hull comprises CNC-cut alloy panels laid up in an interlocking lattice framework that does...
Length Over All (M):
10.2
Displacement (M):
4000
Construction:
Aluminium
Length Over All (M):
8.9
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium panels on an interlocking lattice framework