This month we are going to look at two large cruising boats: the Hylas 60 and the Oyster 565. They share a target market and a general  approach to styling and hull shape. The numbers are so clos

Now let’s look at what German Frers does with a very similar design challenge. Sitting side by side at the dock the two boats would be nearly identical except for some subtle styling differences. LO

There are lots of ways we can enjoy sailing. I think there is a boat for just about everybody. My neighbor bought a John Welsford Scamp this summer. It’s a 12-foot pram with a lug rig. This is his f

Ilike this quote from the promotional material that came with this Tim Jackett-designed Tartan 245. “Although there may be no such thing as the perfect daysailer, that’s not our decision to make,

Here’s a new 40-footer from our friends at X-Yachts in Denmark. The design is from the in-house X-Yachts Design Team. Given the X-Yachts tradition of fast boats, I think it’s safe to assume this w

The Pegasus 50 is built in Slovenia and designed by Marine Designs. This is not a new yard. It has produced many yachts and has recently started to build in carbon fiber. I can’t find any mention in

For my money, some of the most exciting designs being produced today come from the office of my old friend Mark Mills working in County Wicklow, Ireland.  Mark produces high-performance racing y

Here’s a new boat for Beneteau’s First series. The hull design is by Biscontini Yacht Design and the layout and deck design is by Lorenzo Argento.  Like the Mark Mills 68, the design target i

The new Hallberg-Rassy models designed by German Frers are always fun to review. I get a wry smile when I look at the new designs considering what HRs looked like 45 years ago when my Valiant 40 was i

We can talk about this boat later. First I want to talk about Bruce Roberts. There are several ways you can be a yacht designer, Bruce chose his own way. Born in Victoria, Australia, Bruce opened his

This month we have two very similarly sized and styled European production boats and one very unusual training dinghy to review. The Allures 40.9 is a Berret-Racoupeau design. It’s a handsome boat i

When you first look at the profiles of the new Gunfleet 43 and the Allures 40.9 you might peg them as very similar boats. The profiles look very similar and LODs are within a foot. But they are really

The latest sportboat from the J/Boats crew is this J/99 designed by Alan Johnstone. It follows on the tremendous success of the J/121 and J/112E models. It’s a hot rod but it has comfortable accommo

Without a doubt, the Corsair F27 has been the most popular trimaran design of all time. It’s in the Sailboat Hall of Fame. But the Corsair group thought it was time to replace that model and has com

Here is a trailerable pocket cruiser that is built in Ventura, California, and designed by Heraldo Ruesch. It’s a lot of boat in 23 feet and has been designed to perform both under sail and with a l

To a monohull sailor, cruising cats can look awkward. But there is a lot of square footage to their footprint and different aesthetic standards need to be applied. I see a lot of interesting styling t

Let’s see what the Leopard group can do with 50 feet of LOA. Design work was done by  Simonis & Voogd Yacht Design for the hull and rig. Interior and exterior styling is by Robertson and Ca

I don’t often review “conceptual designs.” But in looking for something out of the ordinary to review I think this new project of mine deserves to be considered. Let me start by showing you