BOAT REVIEWS
Discover New Zealand’s best boats with expert reviews, specs, and local insights—sailboats, powerboats, and yachts covered.
Dan Leech L825 Power Cat
A family-friendly power cat cruiser, the Leech 825 was the design of choice for international ocean ...
Length Over All (M):
8.25
Construction:
Composite
Length Over All (M):
6.7
CONSTRUCTION:
E-glass, epoxy and plywood
Given E-Cat 11.5m
The time comes for all yachties to slip into something more comfortable, and for the Elliotts, it’s ...
Length Over All (M):
11.5
Displacement (M):
5800
Construction:
Composite
CONSTRUCTION:
Hulls: moulded foam and glass; wingdeck and cabintop: glass-ply-glass sandwich
Riviera 4800 Sport Yacht
If, as the bumper sticker suggests, the worst day’s boating is better than the best day’s working, s...
Length Over All (M):
15.23
Displacement (M):
15725
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
Solid GRP
Extreme 645 Game King
Bait Balls – a new Extreme 645 Game King equipped as a demonstrator for Josh Western’s marine electr...
Horsepower (HP):
200
Length Over All (M):
6.45
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
5mm bottom, 4mm sides and decks
Fountaine Pajot MY44
Tapping into the growing power cat market, Fountaine Pajot’s new MY44 is destined to become a serio...
Length Over All (M):
13.4
Displacement (M):
22500
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Given T9 Powercat
The Bay of Islands on a crisp winter morning is a far cry from the balmy air of Tahiti, but this Giv...
Length Over All (M):
9.7
Construction:
Composite
CONSTRUCTION:
Epoxy, ply, foam and fibreglass
Assault Vesta 380 RIB
Exclusive to Family Boats in Auckland, Assault RIBs are manufactured in eastern Europe with GRP hull...
Horsepower (HP):
30
Length Over All (M):
3.8
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
PVC tubes
Assault 610 Adventure RIB
Exclusive to Family Boats in Auckland, Assault RIBs are manufactured in Eastern Europe with GRP hull...
Horsepower (HP):
130
Length Over All (M):
6.1
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
PVC tubes
Herley Commander
It’s always a buzz to step aboard a new boat, in this case the first offering from a newcomer to the...
Length Over All (M):
7.0
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
6mm bottom, 5mm sides
Axopar 28
If you are expecting the Axopar 28 to look like a traditional 8.5m powerboat, you’re in for a surpri...
Length Over All (M):
8.6
Displacement (M):
2300
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
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 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
Breezecraft Tuff Cat
Robust construction and pragmatic design are the dominant features of the latest and biggest catamar...
Displacement (M):
1,200
Construction:
Hull thickness: 15mm
Length Over All (M):
6.3
CONSTRUCTION:
polyethylene
Salthouse Sovereign Spirit Elite
By focusing on the Australian market, Salthouse Marine Group has built strong brand recognition and ...
Horsepower (HP):
635
Length Over All (M):
20.37
YEAR:
2001
Displacement (M):
21,000
Construction:
Lloyds certified, balsa core fibreglass reinforced plastic.
CONSTRUCTION:
Lloyds certified, balsa core fibreglass reinforced plastic.
E-40 Powercat
The E-40 PowerCat is the latest in a long line of engineering and boating innovations by John McGett...
Length Over All (M):
12
Displacement (M):
3600
Construction:
Composite
CONSTRUCTION:
Core composite foam with carbon fibre inserts
Prestige 520
This is a special review – two vessels at the same time. The Prestige 520 Fly model comes with a lar...
Length Over All (M):
16.11
Displacement (M):
15579
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
14.80
Swift Trawler 41 Fly
French boat manufacturer Beneteau is one of the oldest and largest boatbuilders in existence, still ...
Length Over All (M):
13.43
Displacement (M):
11040
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
12.52
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)
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
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
Quintrix (Quinnie) Spirit 5.8m
If technology could relieve traffic-jam blues by teleporting you from behind the wheel of your car t...
Horsepower (HP):
90-115
YEAR:
early 2000s
Displacement (M):
990
Construction:
Hull thickness: 4mm
Length Over All (M):
5.8
Azimut Atlantis 45
A successor to the popular Atlantis 43, the very first Azimut Atlantis 45 in the southern hemispher...
Length Over All (M):
14.61
Displacement (M):
16000
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP hull, cored topsides and decks, carbon strengthening
Prestige 630S
The pride and joy of an Auckland couple whose last boat was a Prestige 500, the Prestige 630S Seren...
Length Over All (M):
19.03
Displacement (M):
32796
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
16.83
Image Prestige 10.75m
In boatbuilding, as with business, the best clients are the ones that return. You don’t have to con...
Horsepower (HP):
700
Length Over All (M):
10.75
Construction:
Aluminium
Aquila 44
The new Aquila 44 power catamaran is a vessel tailor-made for partying in style.
Length Over All (M):
13.34
Displacement (M):
16240
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Elite AT43
Once upon a time, New Zealand had a thriving production boat industry. Now only a few diehards rema...
Length Over All (M):
13.2
Displacement (M):
10500
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Maritimo M51 Flybridge
Classic flybridge models like this glorious Maritimo M51 combine luxury with performance, a combina...
Length Over All (M):
13.19
Displacement (M):
21000
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
Fibreglass hull, balsa core topsides and superstructure
Dickey Semifly 36
Dickey Boats’ new Semifly 36 is an expanded version of the Napier builder’s popular 32-foot model. ...
Length Over All (M):
11.2
Displacement (M):
6500
Construction:
Other
Grand Banks 60 Skylounge
Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too? The Grand Banks 60 Skylounge is made for enjoying...
Length Over All (M):
19.9
Displacement (M):
28000
Construction:
Composite
CONSTRUCTION:
E-glass and carbon fibre-Corecell laminates
Roger Hill 18m Foil-assisted Power Cat
Every new design from catamaran guru Roger Hill contains fascinating innovations. His latest vessel ...
Length Over All (M):
18
Displacement (M):
29500
Construction:
Composite
CONSTRUCTION:
Epoxy composite
Corsair Euro 44E
Reviewing a boat on a rough day is a rare experience, but with the photography already in the bag an...
Length Over All (M):
13.5
Displacement (M):
10500
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Grand Banks 60
The marriage of two high-profile boat yards – Grand Banks and Palm Beach Motor Yachts – has delivere...
Length Over All (M):
19.9
Displacement (M):
29000
Construction:
Composite
Length Over All (M):
18.3
CONSTRUCTION:
coed GRP hull, infused carbon-fiber and composite decks and superstructure
CSB Huntsman Sotalia
CSB Huntsman’s handy 5.85m Sotalia is a conventional cabin-style trailer boat of a type that’s peren...
Horsepower (HP):
180
Length Over All (M):
5.85
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Azimut Magellano 43
Aimed at the luxury end of the market, Azimut’s range encompasses 33 models across eight styles in l...
Length Over All (M):
12.96
Displacement (M):
17399
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
11.80
CONSTRUCTION:
Moulded fibreglass
Whittley FF2100
A hardcore angler embraces his softer side with the new Whittley FF2100 – an Aussie “crossover” boat...
Length Over All (M):
6.13
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Given 10.8m Econocat
“I didn’t want a planing boat, and I didn’t want outboards, so Ron and I got together and came up wi...
Length Over All (M):
10.8
Displacement (M):
5800
Construction:
Composite
Length Over All (M):
10.8
CONSTRUCTION:
Plywood, foam and fibreglass composite
Ultimate 21
When launching his first boat-building venture, Mark Presnall drew on his experience with aluminium ...
Horsepower (HP):
200
Length Over All (M):
6.35
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium
Lazercraft 640 GT Sport
The 640 GT Sport is a soft top model with the Lazercraft DNA of old, but with welcome improvements t...
Horsepower (HP):
200
Length Over All (M):
6.4
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium
McLay Premier Hardtop 801
The McLay Premier Hardtop 801 is a magnificent aluminium fishing boat and weekender. It comes at a p...
Horsepower (HP):
150
Length Over All (M):
8.05
Displacement (M):
3400
Construction:
Aluminium
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium