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BOAT REVIEWS
Discover New Zealand’s best boats with expert reviews, specs, and local insights—sailboats, powerboats, and yachts covered.
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
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
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
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
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
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
Grand Banks 54 Heritage EU
The Grand Banks 54 Heritage EU may be based on a classic trawler design, but she was nonetheless far...
Length Over All (M):
18.56
Length Over All (M):
14.96
CONSTRUCTION:
Fibreglass
Kadey Krogen 48
The Kadey-Krogen 48 is a trawler motoryacht made for passagemaking that is finding favour among amon...
Horsepower (HP):
205-225
Length Over All (M):
16.16
YEAR:
2011
Displacement (M):
25,605
CONSTRUCTION:
Composite
Salthouse Corsair Euro 49
Black Pearl – the new launch from Dean Salthouse’s Next Generation Boats – uses the same hull as her...
Horsepower (HP):
345
Length Over All (M):
15
YEAR:
2011
Displacement (M):
12000
Length Over All (M):
14
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP/balsa core
AMF Express 37
Aluminium Marine Fabricators (AMF) in Te Puke recently launched their first Express 37 for Wellingto...
Length Over All (M):
11.18
YEAR:
2006
CONSTRUCTION:
Aluminium
Keelow Craft Riverwild 560 XL
After a recent jet-boating expedition in Canada, Christchurch’s Ken Bowmar gained a new respect for ...
Length Over All (M):
5.6
Construction:
Marine grade 5083 alloy
Oliver Royale 370 Sport Fisher
Oliver Twist may have asked for more, but with its Royale 370 Sport Fisher, Oliver Marine has served...
Horsepower (HP):
370hp
Length Over All (M):
12.05
Displacement (M):
11,000
Length Over All (M):
11.45
CONSTRUCTION:
fibreglass
Elite 16m Pilothouse
The latest Elite 16m pilothouse, Boudica, meets diverse cruising, fishing, chartering and promotiona...
Horsepower (HP):
450
Length Over All (M):
16
YEAR:
2000
Displacement (M):
16800
CONSTRUCTION:
Durakore/composite
Oliver Royale 400
The Oliver Royale 400 uses the proven Oliver Royale 4300 hull but, with a stylish new deck and flybr...
Length Over All (M):
13.25
YEAR:
2002 (estimate)
Displacement (M):
11
Construction:
Balsa core in the bottom transitioning to a foam core
CONSTRUCTION:
Composite core