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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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Smuggler Strata 800SS
New Zealand has led the world in the development of small amphibious recreational boats, and hundred...
Horsepower (HP):
300
Length Over All (M):
8
YEAR:
2024
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP hull and decks, Hypalon tubes
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
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
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
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
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
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)
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
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)
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)
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)
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
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)
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
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)
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)
Profab 1200
The quad-cam 7.6L V12 600hp Verado is stunning!
Length Over All (M):
13.0
Displacement (M):
11700
Construction:
Aluminium
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
GHB 10.5m powercat
Makédo’s construction is a foam-cored, epoxy sandwich: Corecell foam for the hulls and Divinycell fo...
Length Over All (M):
10.7
Displacement (M):
3479
Construction:
Composite
Length Over All (M):
10.67
CONSTRUCTION:
Foam-cored epoxy sandwich
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
Legacy Marine L35 Awatea
The Legacy 35 was designed by the world-famous, New Zealand-based LOMOcean team.
Length Over All (M):
10.58
Displacement (M):
6000
Construction:
Aluminium
Length Over All (M):
10