BOAT REVIEWS
Discover New Zealand’s best boats with expert reviews, specs, and local insights—sailboats, powerboats, and yachts covered.
Dufour 44: Très Bon
Helming the Dufour 44 during a club race was both exhilarating and surprising, reports our Australia...
Length Over All (M):
13.91
Elliott 1150 Tourer
Denim is a classic Kiwi tale. Start with a solitary man and a dream, pile on the challenges, stir in...
Construction:
Composite
CONSTRUCTION:
E-glass/epoxy/foam core (deck) and plywood (hull)
Matera 40 cruising catamaran
This build philosophy—and its practical result—is best shown in the wide, uninterrupted arch of the ...
Horsepower (HP):
40
Length Over All (M):
13.5
YEAR:
2025
Displacement (M):
4800 loaded
Construction:
Carbon fibre, PVC core, West System resins
Length Over All (M):
12.2
CONSTRUCTION:
Composite
Beneteau Oceanis 34.1
As you would expect from an experienced design team, the boat is well-balanced and, while the sail a...
Horsepower (HP):
21 (std), 30
Length Over All (M):
10.77
YEAR:
2024
Displacement (M):
5,470
Length Over All (M):
9.50
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Saffier SE 33 Life
The Saffier SE 33 Life daysailer is a breath of fresh air in the production yacht world, with perfor...
Horsepower (HP):
15
Length Over All (M):
11
YEAR:
2024
Displacement (M):
3000
Length Over All (M):
9.85
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 380
In the wide cockpit, the racing-style Carbonautica wheels are positioned well aft and outboard, corr...
Horsepower (HP):
40
Length Over All (M):
11.22
YEAR:
2024
Construction:
GRP
Length Over All (M):
10.77
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Seawind 1170
Combining the space of twin hulls with the capabilities of a proven design froma vastly experienced ...
Displacement (M):
9,200kg
Length Over All (M):
11.7m
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Dibley 12m canting-keeler
The cockpit is open and spacious, raceboat-style, with a cool curved edge to the deck at the open tr...
Length Over All (M):
12
Construction:
Composite
Length Over All (M):
10.85
CONSTRUCTION:
E-glass over a foam core
Seawind 1370
Solar panels on the vast roof help keep the batteries charged.
Length Over All (M):
13.7
Displacement (M):
11000
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
12.7
CONSTRUCTION:
Infused foam-cored GRP
Moody 41DS
The major point of difference between this boat and a regular cruising yacht is the high-profile dec...
Length Over All (M):
12.52
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
11.42
HH 50
After a day of sailing the HH50, I can clearly see the attraction, assuming your budget is large eno...
Length Over All (M):
15.79
Displacement (M):
16000
Construction:
Composite
Length Over All (M):
14.89
CONSTRUCTION:
E-Glass or carbon fibre versions
Dufour 470
Nothing is more enjoyable to sail to windward than a deep-keeled monohull.
Length Over All (M):
14.85
Displacement (M):
13200
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Wind Spirit – LSB 24m Expedition Ketch
The warm tones of the naturally finished anegre wood paneling creates a snug ambience and the carefu...
Length Over All (M):
24
Displacement (M):
50000
Construction:
Wood
Length Over All (M):
22
CONSTRUCTION:
Cold-moulded multi-layer strip-plank yellow cedar encased in E-glass and Kevlar
NEEL 43
The NEEL 43 has a versatile sail plan, making it ideal for the varied conditions of bluewater voyagi...
Length Over All (M):
13.1
Displacement (M):
9000
Construction:
Composite
CONSTRUCTION:
Vinylester, vacuum moulded
Given 14.5m Sailing Catamaran Katoa
Despite the lumpy, confused seas and changeable breeze, Katoa felt great throughout.
Length Over All (M):
14.5
Displacement (M):
10500
Construction:
Composite
Length Over All (M):
14.25
CONSTRUCTION:
Foam sandwich hulls, ply-foam-ply bridgedeck, foam-glass panel decks
Fountaine Pajot Soana 47
All boats – says the old adage – are something of compromise. An inevitable trade-off between great,...
Length Over All (M):
13.94
Displacement (M):
13800
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Beneteau First 44
Fifteen knots eased back to about 10 knots and the boat felt light on the helm, responding nicely to...
Length Over All (M):
14.15
Displacement (M):
10500
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
13.17
Beneteau First 36
The First 36 has a pleasingly yacht-like cockpit: this is a boat that is meant to be sailed.
Length Over All (M):
11.98
Displacement (M):
4800
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
10.25
Bavaria C45
Beautiful weather doesn’t always equal the best weather for going sailing, but sometimes you just ha...
Length Over All (M):
13.98
Displacement (M):
11935
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
12.87
Beneteau Oceanis 40.1 First Line
If you’re a retired airline pilot with a bit of a need for speed, you’re probably looking for perfor...
Length Over All (M):
12.87
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
11.99
Bavaria C42
Getting back out on the water after an extended period in lockdown felt so good — especially with th...
Length Over All (M):
12.9
Displacement (M):
9678
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
11.27
Jeanneau Sunfast 3300
Jeanneau’s Sunfast 3300 joins its well-established siblings, the 3200 and later 3600, which have mad...
Length Over All (M):
10.11
Displacement (M):
3500
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Dehler 30OD
Looking a little like a miniature Volvo boat, the black-hulled Dehler 30od (one design) delivers the...
Length Over All (M):
10.3
Displacement (M):
2800
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
8.97
CONSTRUCTION:
Sandwich PVC hull
Elliott 1350
The Elliott 1350 Tourer will be a familiar design to many, with boats such as Fiction, Flyer and des...
Length Over All (M):
13.50
Displacement (M):
8200
Construction:
Composite
Bavaria C50
It used to be that cruising in a yacht – compared to a launch – meant making compromises in terms o...
Length Over All (M):
15.39
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
14.75
Bavaria 37 Cruiser
When you migrate to the Bay of Islands for six months of the year to escape the UK winter, having a ...
Length Over All (M):
11.3
Displacement (M):
7000
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
10.22
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP isopthalic resin
Bavaria Cruiser 41
New Zealand’s first Bavaria Cruiser 41, Red Baron, is the latest addition to the German builder’s st...
Length Over All (M):
12.35
Displacement (M):
8680
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
Length Over All (M):
11.99
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 519
Two Auckland mates who’ve known each other since primary school have just bought near identical Jean...
Length Over All (M):
15.75
Displacement (M):
13900
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP
Frers 33.8m Superyacht
This 33.8m carbon-fibre sloop’s stately presence would enhance any superyacht marina, but she’s unli...
Length Over All (M):
33.83
Displacement (M):
131000
Construction:
Carbon Fibre
CONSTRUCTION:
Carbon fibre
Dehler 41
There is no shortage of race yachts that will cruise comfortably, but is it really feasible to have ...
Horsepower (HP):
39 HP
Length Over All (M):
7.4
YEAR:
2010
Displacement (M):
8,195
Construction:
GRP/Fiberglass
Length Over All (M):
11.50
CONSTRUCTION:
GRP/Fiberglass
Bavaria 40 (2008)
Bavaria's new 40 cruising yacht departs from previous models with a different exterior and hull shap...
Length Over All (M):
12.35
Displacement (M):
8500
CONSTRUCTION:
Bavaria Yachts
Hanse 400e
Race-winning performance is not generally associated with production-built yachts. Most production y...
Construction:
2006-2014