Features
Your catch – from the sea to the kitchen
Make the most of kai moana by treating it the right way from the sea to the table.
One only has to see the shocking pric...
John Chapple Part 1: Brilliant allrounder
John David Lincoln Chapple died on 26th November 2025. He was a brilliant sailor, yacht designer and human being. He came fro...
True voyagers: the Eric and Cathy Gray story
While world circumnavigations are seemingly routine these days, the challenge of obtaining a suitable yacht and funding a voy...
Once were wreckers: Whakatahuri Family Boatbuiders
Whakatahuri in outer Pelorus Sound was once home to a family boatbuilding business and the most remote boat-wrecking yard in ...
The ParAble – sailing for all
A new class designed for disabled sailors, beginner sailors, and sailors with mobility challenges.
Under near-perfect cond...
Innovation for the win
Boating NZ travels to the Netherlands for a peek inside the world's largest marine equipment trade show, and a preview of the...
Reflections on 25 years of the Auckland Boat Show
The first Auckland Boat Show run by NZ Marine was held in 1999. Today it has evolved as an event that not only celebrat...
Empires end
Despite its modest size, between the 15th and 17th centuries Portugal was one of Europe's richest nations. The wealth stemmed...
The legend lives on
50 years have passed since the wreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald—still an unsolved mystery, yet a pivotal moment for safety o...
I swerve for seabirds
Seabirds are our friends, leading us to feeding fish, so let's afford them the care and respect they deserve.
I have alway...
Keeping it cool over summer
Summer is here, time to relax aboard your boat and enjoy the truly amazing water New Zealand has to offer.
These days, man...
Sue Currie’s Wahine story: An astonishing journey to the 1968 Zephyr Nationals
The Platinum Anniversary of the Zephyr class at Howick in 2026 will host a guest with a pedigree like no other. Sue Currie, a...
Building a legacy: The Jan Saull story
How did Jan Saull come to run one of New Zealand’s oldest boatbuilding companies, a thriving business with a team of 20 highl...
The OK Dinghy: The New Zealand dominance
For nearly 70 years, the OK Dinghy has been one of this country’s most popular international classes. New Zealand sailors hav...
The 1908 Rudder Cup entrants (part 3)
In the last two issues I have described, in the order of their entry, the builders, the engines, and the owners of six of the...
Aiming high
Stagnation is the enemy of long-term business success, and those in the marine industry for a long time know that evolving to...
Holiday reading – Kiwi stories for a new year
Author Alex Stone presents a selection of New Zealand titles with maritime themes encompassing history, adventure, and triump...
Outta the creek—Castlepoint, Wairarapa: A challenge
If islands are the exclamation marks of the sea, the unique promontory / estuary / bay / battlements of Castlepoint are somet...
Ngataki: The little boat out and about promoting Auckland’s Wooden Boat Festival
Ngataki might be one of New Zealand’s most famous wooden boats. She’s small, capable, and—some say—of questionable aesthetic....
Glorious hydrodynamic relaxation
Lake Rotoiti in the Nelson Lakes National Park, framed by glacial slopes and native beech forest, comes to life every March t...
40hp shootout. Suzuki versus Mercury, two stroke vs four stroke outboard test
The FC 430 Tiller is one of Fin Chaser’s longest running and most popular models. First introduced in 2011, it is an entry le...
Riviera 58 Sports Motor Yacht: Tuned by experience
Launched in 2025, the 19.8m Flagship is the first of Riviera's new 58 Sports Motor Yacht (SMY) into New Zealand. She is class...
Here comes Johnny!
No, it won’t be Jack Nicholson’s grinning, demented face popping through the smashed door when this cry goes up. Rather, it w...
A true Kiwi navigator: The John Mansell story
John Mansell has lived his life intimately connected to the sea. John Macfarlane spoke with this celebrated solo sailor, mast...
Snapper jigs – six of the best!
“Hi, I’m Mark and I’m a lure addict...” Yes, folks, it’s a disease, not a choice, so I’m not responsible.
The Power of Sail: Part 3
The Golden Age of Sail
The Golden Age of Sail (17th to the mid-19th centuries) was an era that saw the full realisation of s...
The 1908 Rudder Cup entrants (part 2)
In the last issue of Boating NZ, I detailed the anticipation and excitement on the Auckland waterfront about the Royal New Ze...
Reinstating the rivalry: Paper Tiger Internationals 2025
The Paper Tiger catamaran class held its first international
regatta at Torbay, Auckland, 50 years ago. Recently, after a c...
The Rudder Cup; a survey of Auckland’s top launches of 1908 (part 1)
Last month I promised that this issue would be devoted to a rattling good yarn about the match race between the launches Eliz...
Industry trailblazer: the Russ Bowler story (Part 2)
For many of those involved in
the 1987 New Zealand Challenge,
not least Michael Fay (later Sir Michael), the 1987 America’...
What’s my line?
In some ways we live in a golden age of fishing, where using all sorts of diverse techniques, a wide variety of popular fish ...
The Power of Sail: Part 2
Welcome to ‘A very brief history of…’ researching the history of everyday marine technology, innovation and events kiwi boati...
The second Tawera, 1935
During the winter of 1935, Scott Wilson engaged Arch Logan to design the largest racing/cruising yacht launched in Auckland s...
2025 Christmas Gift Ideas
Ahoy there! 🎁 Christmas is just around the corner, so we’ve pulled together top presents for all the boaties in your life, fr...
The Russ Bowler story pt1: By Design
Russ Bowler was Bruce Farr’s partner for over 40 years. A skilled designer/sailor in his own right Bowler brought an enquiri...
On Track: Featherston Jet Sprint track
In early December, local and overseas jet sprint boats will converge on the Wairarapa’s Kiwispan Jet Sprint Track for round o...
Rebel with a cause
Boaties who want a serious towing rig with a dose of luxury will want to check out the 2025 RAM 1500 Rebel Hurricane.
The bi...
Getting Saucy
Saucy Jane is the name of Bill Hamilton’s first successful jetboat, now lost to history, and of Jim Lapsley’s homebuilt worki...
Fidelis, the classic 61′ racer cruiser
There are many stories about trans-Tasman rivalry in all fields of sport. From netball to rugby, from yachting to cricket. Th...
Terence Disdale: My Art of Yacht Design
Text by Marilyn M. Mower, Roger Lean-Vercoe
“One of the most sought-after designers of the past 50 years, Disdale doesn’t fo...