Boat Reviews/Brochures

Buddy Davis was a young charter captain some 25 years ago when he started working in the off season alongside local builders on North Carolina's treacherous Outer Banks. He already knew that any vessel going to sea in these deadly waters must contend with vicious rips and currents, plough through chaotic walls of water that sometimes tumble into the Carolina inlets, and be built to stay high, dry and sturdy if paying guests were to come back as repeat customers.

A joy ride on an amenity-rich 65-foot cruiser with the soul of a sea-stomping battlewagon. There were four of us playing poker that night, sprawled around the dinette table of Ocean Yachts’ new four-stateroom three-head cruiser, the 65 Odyssey. In response to a question about making flight connections the following day, Ocean’s company captain Gene Hawn made a rather stunning pronouncement. “She’ll do twenty-five knots goin’ back to Lauderdale in the mornin’,” he said, “Maybe twenty-six. Be a quick trip.”

In the past few years there has been a slew of new American-built cruisers sporting the sleek, flowing lines that we call Euro-styling. Builders of small to large craft have gone the Euro-style route, and now Cruisers, an icon of mid-American boat-building has come out with their long-heralded 50-footer, the 5000 Sedan Sport, which appears to have flowed off the designer’s table—Euro-styled.

— By Capt. Stuart Reininger — A Gift Worth Giving - Bertram gives itself, and us, a big present. I don’t wax nostalgic, especially when it comes to boats. Since I’ve been messing around in ‘em, I’ve watched them become better built, safer, easier to handle, and yes, more affordable. I think ahead, not of the past. Well, usually. I can’t look at a Bertram tearing out of an inlet without remembering the sight of the original 31-foot Moppie, which blasted out of Government Cut to win the 1960 Miami to Nassau race. Crewing aboard an ancient Huckins being delivered to Miami, I was close enough to history to see the rooster tails on the horizon. So I have a connection. And every Bertram that’s been built since Richard Bertram parlayed that win into a company that made his name synonymous with quality has a connection with Moppie.

I love crawling around in bilges and engine rooms. I've found them exciting-even mystical-ever since I discovered an antique goop-encrusted Sears screwdriver in the lowest reaches of dear old Dad's 31' Trojan. Many years and bilge-archeology projects later, I still keep my fingers crossed whenever I creep belowdecks. So stepping under the helm of the Cabo 31', raised via hydraulic rams, I felt like Indiana Jones on the verge of a great discovery.

It's one of those situations that harried businessmen daydream about. First, you're in the sailboat business, which means that you get to wear Hawaiian shirts, live in a temperate climate, and fool around with boats all over the world. Then your boatbuilding company is picked by Fortune magazine as one of the 100 best manufacturers in America, and in 1988, a conglomerate comes along with a suitcase full of cash and offers to buy you. So there you are: happily out of the business and without a care in the world.

Every Fisherman reader has their version of the ultimate dreamboat, you know, the one that you would pick up in the event that someone in your immediate family' hit the Lottery or had some dot com stock magically multiply itself by 100 fold overnight. Cabo's recently updated 35 Express Sportfisher has been the subject of my dreams and hallucinations on more than one occasion and someday, if the planets are in proper alignment, “I'll get me one”. Let me tell you why.

BY LENNY RUDOWPhotographs BY Forrest Johnson ADD TOGETHER ONE DEADRISE CHANGE, TWO STRAKE eliminations, one keel addition and one keel sub traction, two chine widenings, and a three inch hull deepening. Mix in three dozen sea trials, add a dash of tank tests with a five foot scale model. Bake for one year. The end result? Cabo's new 47 Convertible is so hot, you'll need oven mitts to handle it.

Cabo's 47 foot convertible embodies the builder's philosophy... Only the best materials, design and construction When Henry Mohrschladt and Michael Howarth sold Pacific Seacraft, they were not ready to stop building boats. Those who now them, might say they couldn't stop, anyway.. Instead, they turned their talents to building sportfishers. Their reputation for building quality boats, earned at Pacific Seacraft, was continued in this new direction. And that, too, was no surprise. This concern with quality is not just a marketing ploy. It's a business philosophy that results in only the best materials, design and construction being employed.

Robert Perry designed the LaFitte44 and LaFitte66 as his "Ultimate Sailing Yachts" of their size categories. With grace, beauty, speed, seakindliness, and simplicity to suit the demanding seaman within us, and find-crafted luxurious accommodations to suit our aesthetic souls as well. What is the philosophy of the Lafitte44 and LaFitte66? Today, there are many excellent production and custom yachts being built throughout the world. Unfortunately, though, production builders must sometimes skimp on quality in one aspect or another of engineering, construction, accessories, or equipment in order to keep prices within affordable limits.

By The Cruising Helmsman Caroline Strainig Multihull fans will find much to like about the new Moorings 4000 – and it might even just convert a few monohull devotees too, writes Caroline Strainig. Okay, so I own a monohull, but occasionally, just occasionally, I can be tempted to stray, and I admit that this straying is becoming increasingly common. I’ve now gone from a “no way” to a “maybe” in terms of crossing over when retirement and some more serious cruising are in the offing. Much as devout monohullers hate to admit it, multihulls do have a lot going for them. Their shallow draft enables you to anchor close in, which gives you more protection from the elements and makes it easier to explore. Then there’s the benefit of being able to sail relatively flat. It’s wonderful to make lunch, have a drink or go to the loo without having to hang on like grim death. That’s not to say these boats don’t rock and roll – when seas get up a bit they do pitch and can slam – but the heeling feeling is absent and life is definitely a more upright affair.

Dag Pike believes that, with its raised pilothouse, the Monte Fino 82 Skylounge will have a worldwide appeal. Italian-looking and built in the Far East, the Monte Fino 82 Cockpit Motoryacht is actually aimed at the American Market, with particular emphasis on easy maintenance. Chris Caswell Reports. Whether you are designing a mousetrap or a yacht, there is no trick to creating a look-alike of an already existing style. The real genius, of course, is to do it better, which is exactly the case with the Monte Fino 82 Cockpit Motoryacht. Italian styling is a phrase so over-used that it has become as passé as "Euro-styling" but, in this case, the yacht seen here is ineffably italian. With melted edges and a steeply raked windshield and bridge, it fairly shouts "Ciao" to the competition.

For Tasmanian-based Riviera skippers Ron O’Connor (Riviera 43’ ‘Royale II’) and Greg Plunkett (Riviera 36’ ‘The Specialist’) the St. Helens Gamefishing tournament staged over the last weekend of February will remain memorable for different reasons. Ron O’Connor and his crew will recall the marlin they lost; Greg Plunkett and his team will forever remember the tough fight they were given by a 56kg (124lbs) Mako.

An innovative express design loaded with fishing features and high-tech engineering. There are lots of express boats on today's market that offer large cockpits, along with helm stations set on raised bridge decks that make it easy to fish with only two people aboard. Cabo's new 35 Sportfisher is also an express design, but it stands apart from the crowd, much as their popular 35 convertible did when it was introduced a few years ago.

The 459 Cockpit Motoryacht’s innovative design allows her owners to fully enjoy life on the water. This attractive yacht’s highlight is her full-beam master suite, which boasts private access to the cockpit through large sliding glass doors as well as separate en-suite head and shower compartments. The impressive guest accommodations, located forward, also incorporate private head facilities. With fresh breezes and plenty of natural light through large salon windows, the 459’s welcoming interior is well-suited for live-aboard cruising, while the large bridge and aft decks – now available with Flexiteek decking – extend the yacht’s living spaces for the big cruise as well as for al fresco entertaining in style. Now, that’s cruising with flair!

You've never seen a line of cruisers quite like our new 2004 Chaparral Signature Series. From our flagship 350 to the value-minded 240, our 2004 fleet is sure to include a cruiser that's custom designed to your exact needs. Shopping for a cruiser but confused in a sea of claims and counterclaims? We can help. Get out your checklist and compare feature for feature. We not only invite the scrutiny, we welcome it. At first glance you'll notice a difference in style, workmanship and appointments. The Chaparral Advantage will be crystal clear. When you get to the bottomline, it's important to remember that our Signature cruisers are often equipped with standard equipment that rivals only offer as costly upgrades.

After a full day of cruising, you and your family will undoubtedly appreciate the exceptionally well-appointed environment of the 460 Voyager. Here, you'll find the kind of amenities you would expect aboard a Carver yacht: comfort, abundant space, and the level of quality craftsmanship that typifies their luxurious interiors. The 460 Voyager GS Incorporates an incredibly spacious Grand Salon. 

Before your Acme Glitzcraft was trucked to the showroom floor, did the builders run the boat with the steering disconnected? Did they add and remove running strakes? Or change chine angles? Get real-the majority of builders don't bother. Instead, they mass produce a new model for a year or two, then tweak the hull and systems as they catch flack from customers. "Feedback;' they call it. But you and I know better. 

The builders of the Cabo 35 offer a smaller version with a smoother ride. One of the many things you can say about the Cabo 31 Express is that it is not a boat for everyone. At a base price of about $210,000 quickly ascending to $300,000 for a dressed-out boat, we're in heady territory shopped by those who'd also (if only they could) be making hull-to-hull comparisons with Blackfin and Bertram.

Retooled and refreshed, Sea Ray's 450 Sedan Bridge is now better than ever. Given the choice, would you rather enhance your appearance or your physical performance? If you answered "both," you're on the same page as the Sea Ray engineering team. When tasked with updating its popular 450 Sedan Bridge to accept pod drives, the Sea Ray team responded with much more than a propulsion retrofit and instead instigated a full makeover of the boat's running surfaces and topside lines. They introduced the next-generation 450 in January and showed it to the public at the New York and Miami boat shows.