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2024 March 1

Jeanneau keeps pushing the boat design envelope with its breakthrough open-air deck saloon cruiser

The Annapolis Sailboat Show is the place to catch all the newest models making their debuts, but there’s always one boat that creates a bigger buzz than the rest. Last October the Jeanneau Yachts 55
2024 January 1

This performance cruising catamaran takes aim at monohull sailors with its simple elegance and sprightly performance

The Excess 14 was in high demand for test sails following the Annapolis Sailboat Show in October. It was easy to see why as the boat swung by my pickup point at the end of the South Annapolis Yacht Ce
2023 March 1

The redesign of X-Boat’s most popular performance cruiser has speed for fast passages in a sleek, modern package

The completely redesigned X43 sails off Newport, Rhode Island.Billy Black photo When a boatbuilding company takes on the task of redesigning its most popular model, it probably has a good idea of what
2023 January 1

This classic cruiser’s DNA comes from the company that redefined the racer-cruiser

 On a perfect fall day on Chesapeake Bay, the brand-new J/45 effortlessly sliced through a two-foot chop under jib and main. This new flagship cruiser from the company that has defined American r
2022 September 1

Beneteau’s latest family cruiser offers all the bells and whistles for fast and comfortable sailing

Bert Jabin’s Yacht Yard in Annapolis, Maryland’s Back Creek, was abuzz as I walked down the docks to get my first ride aboard the new Beneteau Oceanis 40.1. The week following the U.S. Sailboat Sh
2022 June 1

The latest midsized cruiser from Jeanneau packs in great performance, cruising comforts and the latest innovations that make sailing easier

Tradition has it that a cruising boat should be heavy and slow to keep sailors safe and comfortable. But with advances in technology and design, boatbuilders have discovered that lightweight equals li
2022 March 1

This powerful offshore cruiser has all the bells and whistles that allow shorthanded sailing in comfort

The new Bill Dixon-designed Hylas 57 has been making waves since its debut at the 2021 fall boat shows with its good looks and innovative shorthanded sailing systems. The 57 is a departure from the mo
2022 January 1

An elegant and powerful bluewater cruising catamaran with high-tech systems that make it comfortable for doublehanded sailing

When Bob Hayward, a successful American real estate developer, film studio co-founder and farmer, couldn’t find the perfect cruising catamaran, he had one built at Phil Harvey’s South African boat
2021 May 28

This new cruising cat has all the luxury features and speed performance of its bigger sisters in a compact, easy-to-handle package

Full disclosure: I love Leopard Catamarans. I’ve “owned” several, admittedly only for a week at a time on bareboat charters, but that was enough to find them fun to sail, easy to maintain and ve
2021 January 1

This bluewater cruising catamaran can take you on fast passages in style and comfort

Sailors shopping for a new cruising catamaran should start their search at the Miami International Boat Show, where all the latest models are on display. Making its U.S. debut in 2020 was the 52-foot
2020 June 1

Ingenuity and craftsmanship come together to give Catalina’s flagship the ability to cross oceans in comfort

The beefy integral bowsprit features stainless fittings and a Selden roller furling unit.Catalina owners are an enthusiastic bunch, and when they said they were yearning for a big offshore cruiser,
2020 May 1

The new ‘baby’ of the X-Yachts fleet is a 40-footer that is a real looker and a great performer

It was a mile-long trek in 90-degree heat from the front gate of the Miami International Boat Show past countless fishing gear booths and outboard powerboats to the far southeast corner of the docks w
2020 March 1

Beneteau brings back its First line of racer-cruisers with the launch of the powerful and beautiful flagship

In the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, Beneteau First cruiser-racers were winning regattas across the world. The popularity of multipurpose boats waned over the decades, with racing and cruising
2020 January 1

This latest midsize cruiser from France packs big boat features in an easy-to-handle and stylish package

The drop-down transom reveals a large swim platform with an integral telescoping swim ladder, a dedicated life raft locker, grill and sink. The capricious winds of Chesapeake Bay got the best of
2019 May 1

The latest French-designed, American-built cruiser has plenty of power in a stylish package

Beneteau has long had the ability to put the go-fast into sailboats, with many of the boats in its First line winning offshore and inshore races. It even launched the foiling Figaro 3. Cushy comforts
2019 March 1

The Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 319 is a new entry-level cruiser that packs all the best of a big cruiser in an affordable package

The test boat came with the standard stainless steel bow roller, but the 319 is available with an optional sprit to fly an asymmetrical spinnaker or code zero. The new Sun Odyssey 319 sails into
2019 January 1

The Hylas 48 is a robust offshore passagemaker tricked out with creature comforts, sophisticated systems and a seakindly nature

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
2018 September 1

With indoor-outdoor living spaces, the new Seawind 1260 is a cruising cat that offers speed and seaworthiness

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.
2018 May 1

Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 449: Taking ergonomics to the next level with walkaround side decks and an innovative interior packed into a powerful hull, this new cruiser is challenging the status quo

You can’t ask for better weather conditions for a boat test. It was 85 degrees with an east-northeast 18-knot wind blowing across Biscayne Bay as I walked out the Key Biscayne Yacht Club docks. All
2017 January 1

With sleek, modern looks this cruiser is kitted out for long voyages at a quick pace

 At first glance, the 54 is an impressive boat. Its contemporary look is apparent in the plumb bow and a nearly flat sheer, and the raised bulwark reduces the visual height of the cabinhouse but accentuates the high freeboard. Overall, this gives the boat a strong modern look. ScheduleSchedule

Perry on Design

  • An American-built pilothouse cruiser keeps you out of the rain

  • This performance cruiser has Italian flair

  • Retro style but modern performance are the trademarks of this new cruiser

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