BOAT REVIEWS
Discover New Zealand’s best boats with expert reviews, specs, and local insights—sailboats, powerboats, and yachts covered.
Maritimo S50
Australia-based marine journalist Maurice Kelly covered the global launch of the Maritimo S50 for Bo...
Length Over All (M):
15.69
Displacement (M):
28,000
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP / Fibreglass
Oceanpro 535CC
I have a confession to make: I don't like fishing with bait anymore. If I'm honest, I have been an a...
Length Over All (M):
5.42
Construction:
4mm hull and frames, 3mm topsides & superstructure
Superior 1050 SS
Sadira is primarily a day boat, although she is more than capable providing the home comforts for a ...
Horsepower (HP):
370
Length Over All (M):
10.65
YEAR:
2026
Displacement (M):
6,000 (dry)
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
AT43
More with less
In 2018, after some 40 years of operation, Auckland’s Allan Tongs Boatbuilders (ATB)...
Length Over All (M):
13.5
Displacement (M):
11,000 (depending on engines and options)
Length Over All (M):
13.8
Extreme 696 Xpedition
Extreme Boats has earned an enviable reputation building quality aluminium boats for more than two d...
Horsepower (HP):
250
Length Over All (M):
7.07
YEAR:
2026
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
Transom thickness: 8mm; Side & deck thickness: 4mm.
Bonito 635 Kingfisher
The 635 Bonito Kingfisher was released in June 2001 and Geoff Green drove two examples, one on placi...
Horsepower (HP):
90-150
Length Over All (M):
12.65
YEAR:
2001
Construction:
Fibreglass
CONSTRUCTION:
Fibreglass
Bluefix Boatwork NorthCape custom craft
“There are plenty of big sportfishers that can go backwards fast, but few marques have the manoeuvra...
Horsepower (HP):
600
Length Over All (M):
13.6
YEAR:
2026
Prestige F4.3
Prestige’s new F4.3 is a meaningful upgrade on earlier models, and with interesting design features ...
Horsepower (HP):
880
Length Over All (M):
13.07
YEAR:
2026
Displacement (M):
15415 (heavy)
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Wright 52 Flybridge
Father and son team Kelvin and Amos Kay have built six Wright 15m powercats, originally designed by ...
Horsepower (HP):
880
Length Over All (M):
16
YEAR:
2026
Displacement (M):
20,000
Length Over All (M):
14
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Nick Peal 10.6m
With her plumb bow and traditional lines, Malolō could easily be mistaken for a meticulously restore...
Horsepower (HP):
315
Length Over All (M):
10.6
YEAR:
2025
Displacement (M):
5000
Construction:
Fibreglass over Gaboon ply laminate
CONSTRUCTION:
Timber
Elotri
With the confronting reality of climate change and the climbing cost of fuel, electric vehicles are ...
Horsepower (HP):
3kW
Length Over All (M):
6.1
YEAR:
2026
Displacement (M):
1200kg (four adults onboard)
Construction:
Foam, fibreglass and some carbon
Length Over All (M):
5.84
CONSTRUCTION:
Composite
Bill Townson 11.4m
Underway, Songbird has a light, gentle motion, easily nodding to the light headwinds. She felt very ...
Horsepower (HP):
110
Length Over All (M):
11.4
YEAR:
2025
Displacement (M):
5,800
Construction:
Triple diagonal glued yellow cedar and kauri
Length Over All (M):
10
CONSTRUCTION:
Timber
Riviera 4300 Sports Express
Building large, multimillion-dollar bluewater motoryachts for a global market is a serious business,...
Length Over All (M):
13.88
YEAR:
2025
Displacement (M):
15,500
CONSTRUCTION:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Viknes 10
Now headed to our shores, is this clever new family cruiser the ultimate all-rounder?
Very few bo...
Length Over All (M):
10.60
Displacement (M):
6,300
Construction:
Fibreglass (GPR)
Prestige M48
Showing your hand too early in poker, or indeed in any emerging market, is a gamble, so the Beneteau...
Length Over All (M):
14.79
Displacement (M):
17.5
Maritimo M50
Maritimo’s new M50 is the result of a lot of intensity, born out of a singular purpose – namely, to ...
Horsepower (HP):
1600
Length Over All (M):
15.69
YEAR:
2025
Displacement (M):
26,500 (dry)
Construction:
Solid GRP hull
Length Over All (M):
15.2
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
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
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
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
Powerplay 60
The Powerplay 60 power cat is a boat that can be handled and lived in by two – or one that offers en...
Horsepower (HP):
2 x 315
Length Over All (M):
18.28
YEAR:
2012
Displacement (M):
26000
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
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
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
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
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
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
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
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)
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)
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
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
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
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)
Maritimo S75
My first impression of the S75 was its striking and sleek profile, thanks to nearly 75 feet (23m) of...
Length Over All (M):
23.07
Displacement (M):
48000
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
22.86
Grand Banks 54 Laughalot
The Grand Banks 54 delivers traditional styling with timeless good looks, comfortable accommodations...
Length Over All (M):
18.41
Displacement (M):
25000
Construction:
Composite
Length Over All (M):
16.4
CONSTRUCTION:
Resin-infused carbon fibre decks and reinforcing
Pescador 35
In a market that can sometimes confuse bling with ease of use and reliability, it is refreshing to s...
Length Over All (M):
10.8
Displacement (M):
7500
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
9.15