I think anything that comes out of the Nautor’s yard in Finland is interesting. But this new Frers designed Swan 54 is truly beautiful. If you go back to the early 1970s you’ll find what I co

Here is an interesting design from Owen Clarke specifically designed for high-altitude cruising. I think that means you will need a very durable boat that will keep you safe, warm and protected. It’

The new Xp 55 from X-Yachts has far more features than I can describe given my word limit. I guess it would be a cliché to say “they have thought of everything” but it seems that is the case. Wit

In a bold and rare move, Tartan designer Tim Jackett broke with the accepted Euro-styling movement and designed a new boat with classic American yacht proportions. Good on  ya, Tim.  I rea

It’s not every day that you sail with a Boston terrier as a bo’sun, which made it a nice surprise when Bikini peeked her head out of the cockpit as I boarded the brand-new Hylas 48 at Mears Marina

Opinions vary widely when talk turns to the Tanzer 26, the Canadian-built masthead sloop that was popular in 1970s and 1980s. Some sailors contend the recreational sailboat offers just about everythin

The Hinckley Sou’wester series goes back many years to when I was a kid. It would be difficult to draw a line from the old Sou’westers of the 1970s to this modern Bill Tripp-designed Sou’wester

I think it’s safe to say that Hylas is the longest running, that is to say continuous production sailboat builder in Taiwan today. I first visited that yard, Queen Long, in the late 1970s. It w

If there was ever a question about whether the Southern Cross 28 is bluewater capable, Donna Lange’s two solo circumnavigations aboard the compact cutter surely answered it. Lange sailed her 1982 In

This new Hanse model comes from the design office of Judel/Vrolijjk and Co. That’s a pretty good pedigree to start with. The design appears to be a big, comfy cruiser in the Euro style that would be

This new Sun Odyssey model from Jeanneau was designed by the company’s in-house design team. It has a wide variety of options including a swing keel so there should be one overall configuration that would suit your sailing needs.

I walked out of the grocery store with my cart and headed for my usual parking area and my white SUV. I opened the tailgate and immediately noticed Ruby, my dog and constant companion, was missin

Overhangs are in vogue these days. One of my neighbors inherited his mother’s car. The car is for sale. It’s a 1970 Cadillac Coup deVille, vomit green with a black vinyl top. It has to be the long

My cronies are beginning to whine. “What happened to the boats you could race or cruise with your family?  But to me as a designer I like to see just how far design elements can be pushed befo

Afresh trade breeze was gusting across Florida’s Biscayne Bay and we unfurled the screecher to make the most of it. The sail filled and the Seawind 1260 picked up the pace as we headed toward Miami.

I  have been following the design work of John Welsford for some time now. His SCAMP design caught my attention and it has become quite a popular class in the Pacific Northwest. It’s hard not to like pocket-cruisers but so many of them appear to me to be “toy boats” and not the kind of boat I would want to sail. John’s designs escape this type and are capable little vessels that perform well and are aesthetically very satisfying. I pestered John for one of his designs to review and he finally broke down and sent me the drawings for his Pelegrin 17-footer. John’s designs are aimed at the home builder so design details are simple but effective.

I have been aware of the Dufour line of boats for longer than I can remember. I even sailed a Chicago-Mackinac race 44 years ago on a Dufour Arpege. We were the slowest boat in the race. But that’s another story. This new Dufour, an Umberto Felci design, is a great example of the extreme proportions that Europeans are using in order to get maximum accommodations into a given LOA.

This new boat from designer Ted Fontaine and built by Pacific Seacraft in North Carolina has been getting a lot of attention lately. This could be due to the fact that hull No. 1 was built for singer