Home / Boats / Boat Test
 
2025 April 1

Excess 14

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

By Greta Schanen
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
2025 March 1

Beneteau First 53

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

By Greta Schanen
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
2024 June 1

Solaris 44

This powerful performance cruiser exudes Italian style above and below deck

By Greta Schanen
It was a brisk autumn day, which also meant there was wind. That isn’t always the case on the Chesapeake Bay, and I was looking forward to sailing in the best conditions I’d seen all week. The day
2024 April 1

Beneteau First 36

Beneteau’s latest midsize racer-cruiser gets the mix right

By Bob Pingel
The Beneteau First series has a long history and proud pedigree. Launched in the late 1970s, Beneteau First designs have collected wins all over the globe. Over time, the design ethos wavered a bit, b
2024 March 1

Jeanneau Yachts 55

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

By Greta Schanen
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
2023 March 1

X 4.3 Pure Performance

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

By Greta Schanen
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

J/45

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

By Craig Ligibel
 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 Oceanis 40.1

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

By Greta Schanen
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

Sun Odyssey 380

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

By Greta Schanen
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

Hylas 57

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

By Greta Schanen
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

Kinetic 54

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

By Greta Schanen
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

Leopard 42

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

By Chris Caswell
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

Seawind 1600

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

By Greta Schanen
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

Catalina 545

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

By Greta Schanen
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

X4.0

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

By Greta Schanen
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 January 1

Dufour 390 Grand Large

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

By Greta Schanen
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

Beauty and brawn

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

By Greta Schanen
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

Packing a big punch

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

By Greta Schanen
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

Made for the sea

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

By Greta Schanen
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

A sailor’s cat

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

By Greta Schanen
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.
123456789 Next »

Perry on Design

Advertisement
Advertisement