We have two big production built cruising boats to review this month and both are from very prestigious yacht design offices and built by very successful builders. Our theme for this month will b

Now let’s see what Hallberg-Rassy working with my favorite designer, German Frers, can do with the volume issue. This is a substantially heavier boat than the Jeanneau. Heavier means more displ

I’m proud this month to bring you two reviews of boats designed by two of the many interns I have had in the office over the last 48 years, Mark Mills and Paul Bieker. I have had interns from all ov

Here’s a new design from Mark Mills in Ireland. The Cape 31, built in South Africa, has been selling very well and as of this printing will probably have at least 50 boats racing all over Europe and

You may not be familiar with the name Mark Fitzgerald but if you have followed the design work of Chuck Paine’s office you have seen Mark’s work. Mark has been Chuck’s right-hand man for years a

I was 14 years old and beginning to get very interested in yacht design. I have no idea why. Nobody in my family had ever owned a sailboat. I had probably been sailing twice. But with the focus a

It’s multihull month, aren’t we lucky? But there’s no point in getting all curmudgeonly about it. Today the charter boat scene is dominated by catamarans. They have a big footprint on the water

Let’s take a look at what the same designers, VPLP, can do with an extra 6 feet 6 inches of LOA. If you compare the two sailplan profiles I think you’ll see the establishment of a specific type of

I have a soft spot for Dufour boats. I once sailed the Chicago-Mackinac Race in a Dufour Arpege 30. We were the slowest rated boat in the race and we lived up to our rating. I remember the heat a

I live in the Pacific Northwest where we get more than our fair share of rain. I understand the appeal of a raised-saloon boat. Drop the hook in a remote harbor and sit inside dry, warm and comfy

Oh boy! I’ve been looking forward to reviewing this new Swan 55. Why? German Frers is my favorite designer. He has an eye for subtle beauty, never “over designing” and he sure knows how to desig

I think it’s fair to call the Beneteau First series the Beneteau “premier” line. These boats have a very good reputation for speed on the race course and the durability required to be raced

This month we have two handsome European designs in the contemporary style. The two boats are 7 feet 8 inches apart in LOA, but if you compare the profiles they are very close to identical. Seems like

Now let’s look at the Arcona 50 and see what having another 7 feet 8 inches of LOA buys you. But first and I do think this is a first in the history of my design reviews: try as she might, Greta, my

Here is a new design from Italian designer Maurizio Cossutti and the Italia Yachts design team. This boat is 2 feet longer on deck than the Dehler. The Italia group provided me with an extensive set o

We can have some fun this month comparing two new European production boats that have almost the same LOA. As you would expect, both boats are in the “contemporary” style. I’m inclined to use th

My client writes: “I’ve admired Bob Perry’s designs for years and in 2010 we were fortunate enough to have our own Valiant 42 built (sadly the last hull laid up). She has taken care of us for th

This new Beneteau First model was designed by a team led by Kristian Hajnsek. Samuel Manuard, known for his Class 40 and IMOCA 60 class racers did the basic design. Structural design came from Pure De