BOAT REVIEWS
Discover New Zealand’s best boats with expert reviews, specs, and local insights—sailboats, powerboats, and yachts covered.
Nimbus 405 Coupé
We like to think of ourselves as a nation of boaties but let’s be honest – for a large part of the ...
Length Over All (M):
13.33
Displacement (M):
9647
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
J Boat 112E
Auckland’s Peter Cunningham is an affable, easy-going sort of sailor – always ready to share a wry ...
Length Over All (M):
11.0
Displacement (M):
5125
Construction:
Composite
Length Over All (M):
9.7
CONSTRUCTION:
Vacuum-infused bi-axial and uni-directional fibreglass, vinylester resins, balsa and foam core
Tristram 821 Offshore
A new release from Tristram Marine is always significant, but the 821 Offshore is more so than most...
Horsepower (HP):
600
Length Over All (M):
8.77
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
8.21
Boston Whaler 230 Vantage
If you were to have one boat to keep your beer-swilling, fishing mates happy, your teenage kids and...
Length Over All (M):
7.51
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
Closed cell foam sandwich
Kinetic 62
Performance catamarans like this carbon 62-footer simply eat up those tradewind miles, while their ...
Length Over All (M):
18.9
Displacement (M):
10350
Construction:
Composite
Length Over All (M):
18.4
CONSTRUCTION:
Carbon composite, epoxy resin
Offshore 650 Pro Dive
Jonathan Barlow and the crew at Offshore Boats NZ gave boat designer Alan Walker a very specific br...
Horsepower (HP):
200
Length Over All (M):
6.5
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
8mm hull and transom, 5mm topsides and decks
Princess V60
With 3200 staff based in Plymouth, Princess Yachts is the largest builder of recreational vessels i...
Length Over All (M):
19.17
Displacement (M):
27200
Construction:
Composite
Length Over All (M):
18.92
Extreme 915
Because every boatie’s notion of perfection is different, having options when buying a new boat is ...
Horsepower (HP):
450
Length Over All (M):
9.15
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
6mm hull plates (8mm optional)
Leopard 43
When you have a large, extended family of boaties, the best way to celebrate special occasions is o...
Length Over All (M):
13
Displacement (M):
13891
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
12.44
Saffier Sc800
Sometimes you just need to go for a sail. It is not a recognised cognitive therapy with the Royal A...
Length Over All (M):
8
Displacement (M):
1800
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Riviera 505 SUV
Australia’s Riviera prides itself on manufacturing boaters’ boats – capable, stylish, well-built mo...
Length Over All (M):
17.01
Displacement (M):
21800
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
13.43
CONSTRUCTION:
Solid GRP hull, cored topsides and decks
King Watercraft Custom 5.5 RIB
Rigid hull inflatables (RIBs) used to be the preserve of serious sailing coaches and Optimist mums ...
Horsepower (HP):
115
Length Over All (M):
5.5
Displacement (M):
550
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
Alloy hull, PVC tubes
Waverunner FX Series
Topping Yamaha’s Waverunner 2020 range of personal watercraft is the FX series, available in two po...
Length Over All (M):
3.58
Construction:
Composite
CONSTRUCTION:
High-pressure moulded NanoXcel2 lightweight composite
Stryda 600C Amphibious
New Zealand’s marine industry often delivers great innovation. Some ideas are radical, others an ev...
Length Over All (M):
6
Displacement (M):
2000
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium catamaran with Orion amphibious technology
Beneteau Swift 35 Trawler
When it came to choosing Brendan and Vicki’s first launch, it was Vicki who did the heavy lifting. ...
Length Over All (M):
11.29
Displacement (M):
8252
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
10.81
CONSTRUCTION:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Dufour 360 Grand Large
Ten-metre cruiser/racers been a staple of many major production boatbuilders for over four decades ...
Length Over All (M):
10.73
Displacement (M):
5775
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
9.05
Smuggler Strata 800 Amphibious Mid-cabin
Boats with wheels are extremely popular for owners with a bach at the beach, or anywhere without a ...
Horsepower (HP):
300
Length Over All (M):
8.10
Displacement (M):
2500
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
Fibreglass hull and liner, Hypalon tubes
Solaris 50
‘Built for sailors’ is the mission statement on the plaque at Italy’s Solaris yard and after a day ...
Length Over All (M):
15.4
Displacement (M):
14200
Construction:
Composite
Length Over All (M):
14.25
Bali 4.1 catamaran
When you’re cruising, time becomes irrelevant and space is everything. The Bali 4.1 catamaran provi...
Length Over All (M):
12.12
Displacement (M):
8900
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
11.88
Marex 310 Sun Cruiser
Peter and Judy only took delivery of their first launch – a new Marex 310 SC (Sun Cruiser) – the da...
Length Over All (M):
9.46
Displacement (M):
4500
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Senator 650 HT jet
Spectacular Waimarama Beach, 32km southeast of Hastings, is much loved by residents, holidaymakers,...
Horsepower (HP):
400
Length Over All (M):
6.5
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
5mm hull and transom, 4mm sides and decks
Silent Yacht 55
The solar-powered Silent 55 catamaran is successfully pioneering renewable power in a quality and s...
Length Over All (M):
13.4
Displacement (M):
11000
Construction:
Composite
CONSTRUCTION:
Vacuum-bagged resin infusion glass sandwich composite
Palm Beach GT50
Luxury lobster style boats like this accomplished Palm Beach GT50 are the catch-of-the-day when it ...
Length Over All (M):
16.8
Displacement (M):
16600
Construction:
Composite
Length Over All (M):
14.8
CONSTRUCTION:
E-glass and Corecell foam hull with carbon decks and superstructure
Riviera 5400 Sport Yacht Platinum Edition
On a windy day in Sydney I experienced three Platinum Edition Sport Yachts back to back, all of them...
Length Over All (M):
17.46
Displacement (M):
24752
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
14.93
CONSTRUCTION:
Hand-laid GRP
Maritimo X50
With its combination of size, style and versatility, the X50 sport yacht may have even broader appea...
Length Over All (M):
16
Displacement (M):
19000
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
15.17
Buccaneer 550 Enforcer, Zodiac Open 5.5
Rigid hull inflatables (RIBs) used to be the preserve of serious sailing coaches and Optimist mums b...
Length Over All (M):
5.5
Displacement (M):
595
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
RIB with fibreglass hull, PVC or Duotex tubes
FarEast 28R
It seems modern yacht design is full of ratios and formulas. Without a doubt the most important of t...
Length Over All (M):
9.07
Displacement (M):
1360
Construction:
Composite
Length Over All (M):
8.55
CONSTRUCTION:
Fibreglass/foam core
Riviera 545 SUV
Fashion and function combine in Riviera’s new 545 SUV – essential ingredients in the competitive spo...
Length Over All (M):
17.6
Displacement (M):
23885
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
16.15
CONSTRUCTION:
Solid lamintaed GRP hull, cored laminate topsides, decks and superstructure
Merry Fisher 895 Marlin
Sportfishing, along with freediving, was very much on the agenda for the Merry Fisher 895 Marlin’s i...
Length Over All (M):
8.83
Displacement (M):
3899
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
5.98
Beneteau GT50
Translated from Spanish, ‘Viva La Vida’ means ‘long live life’ — a philosophy the owners of this new...
Length Over All (M):
15.78
Displacement (M):
13640
Construction:
Composite
Length Over All (M):
14.98
CONSTRUCTION:
Infusion moulded GRP-balsa sandwich hull, decks and superstructure
Smuggler Strata 780 SS/750 CC
The latest line-up of Smuggler Marine’s popular Strata 750 range includes full cabin, mid-cabin, cen...
Horsepower (HP):
350
Length Over All (M):
7.5
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
RIB with fibreglass hull, Hypalon tibes
Jeanneau NC37
Jeanneau’s new 37-foot NC37 is a lively, sophisticated vessel with bold lines, great living spaces a...
Length Over All (M):
11.48
Displacement (M):
6444
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
LSB custom Superyacht Tender
In recent years, custom boat builders Lloyd Stevenson Boatbuilders (LSB) has carved quite a niche fo...
Length Over All (M):
12.257
Displacement (M):
9324
Construction:
Composite
Length Over All (M):
10.751
CONSTRUCTION:
High-tech lightweight composites
Palm Beach 65
Elegance never goes out of fashion, as this timeless hull from Palm Beach attests.
Length Over All (M):
21.3
Displacement (M):
30000
Construction:
Composite
CONSTRUCTION:
E-glass and Corecell foam hull with carbon decks and superstructure
Sealegs 8.5 Alloy Cabin
Sealegs’ new 8.5m Alloy Cabin take’s the company’s aluminium recreational range up another notch, a...
Horsepower (HP):
250
Length Over All (M):
8.5
Displacement (M):
2230
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
5mm plate
Upfold Elite 13.2m Sports Sedan
They say ‘you can’t always get what you want’ – but happily that proved incorrect for the owners of...
Length Over All (M):
13.2
Construction:
Wood
Dynamic Composites 5.3m RIB
I knew something was up when Milton Bloomfield, managing director of Dynamic Composites turned up f...
Horsepower (HP):
60
Length Over All (M):
5.2
Displacement (M):
360
Construction:
Composite
CONSTRUCTION:
Corecell hull panels, PVC tubes