Boat Reviews & Insights Menu
BOAT REVIEWS
Discover New Zealand’s best boats with expert reviews, specs, and local insights—sailboats, powerboats, and yachts covered.
BOAT REVIEW
Solaris 47
The Italian Solaris 47 is intended to meet both sides of the performance-cruiser equation – and rew...
Displacement (M):
12800
Length Over All (M):
14.35
Construction:
Composite
BOAT REVIEW
Beneteau Swift Trawler 47
The latest addition to Beneteau’s growing Swift Trawler line-up – the Swift 47 – might just be the ...
Displacement (M):
19617
Length Over All (M):
14.74
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Nimbus 305 Coupe
Some boats kind of slip beneath the radar. There are around 10 Nimbus 305 Coupés already in the han...
Displacement (M):
4100
Length Over All (M):
10.07
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Innovision Active 515
Innovison’s smallest model, the 515 Active, is a surprising package: a small boat that feels much b...
Horsepower (HP):
130
Length Over All (M):
5.25
Construction:
Aluminium
BOAT REVIEW
Dufour 520 Grand Large
The summer of 2019 has been uncharacteristically lacking in wind – great for cruising, not so great...
Displacement (M):
15245
Length Over All (M):
15.2
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
White Pointer 970 Pro Sportsman
Dipudo Patrol has already left these shores for the northern Philippines, where she’ll join a small...
Length Over All (M):
9.7
Construction:
Aluminium
BOAT REVIEW
Jeanneau NC 33
Jeanneau’s feature-packed NC 33 delivers versatility, functionality and performance in a stylish pa...
Displacement (M):
5366
Length Over All (M):
10.5
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Grand Banks 60 Skylounge
Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too? The Grand Banks 60 Skylounge is made for enjoying...
Displacement (M):
28000
Length Over All (M):
19.9
Construction:
Composite
BOAT REVIEW
Marex 375
Marex is a Norwegian company with a 45-year boatbuilding heritage and numerous international design...
Displacement (M):
7700
Length Over All (M):
12.05
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Dan Leech L925 Power Cat
Launch
Perhaps it’s the seaworthiness, the economy – or perhaps the indoor-outdoor flow of the accommodati...
Length Over All (M):
9.25
Construction:
Wood
BOAT REVIEW
Fountaine Pajot Lucia 40
Launch
Multihulls offer a heady blend of cruising and chilling. To taste this happy mix you should explore...
Displacement (M):
8900
Length Over All (M):
11.73
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Senator SL1170
This Mangawhai-based Senator SL1170 is the largest Senator pontoon boat to date and the first recre...
Displacement (M):
6150
Length Over All (M):
12.5
Construction:
Aluminium
BOAT REVIEW
Circa 790
While Circa Marine never really went away, it’s been more than 20 years since the Whangarei enginee...
Length Over All (M):
8.1
Construction:
Aluminium
BOAT REVIEW
Fi-Glass Lightning 5.8
Launch
In 61 years of boat manufacturing you can learn a thing or two. You’ll see good times and bad times...
Length Over All (M):
5.8
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Haines Hunter SS660
Launch
The Haines Hunter SS660 (Sport Sedan) debuted in 2006, quickly becoming a sought-after model that’s ...
Horsepower (HP):
250
Displacement (M):
1231
Length Over All (M):
7.35
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Extreme 885 Game King
I always look forward to reviewing an Extreme, but this one is something special – an 885 Game King ...
Length Over All (M):
8.85
Construction:
Aluminium
BOAT REVIEW
Jeanneau Leader 40
After 60 years of building luxury boats, Jeanneau’s become one of the best known and most respected ...
Displacement (M):
7531
Length Over All (M):
12.33
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Riviera 72 Flybridge SMY
Launch
Riviera’s winning formula of building ocean-ready sports motor yachts is well-illustrated with its n...
Displacement (M):
47000
Length Over All (M):
12.68
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Smuggler Strata 900
Smuggler Marine’s latest model presents the usual craftsmanship and while the slightly unusual colou...
Horsepower (HP):
500
Length Over All (M):
9
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Integrity 380 Sedan
Marvic is one of the most recent additions to Taupo’s pleasure boat fleet. She’s certainly one of th...
Displacement (M):
11000
Length Over All (M):
11.5
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Dufour 36 Performance
Sometimes the stars align – the weather, the time, the opportunity – they all finally coalesce into ...
Displacement (M):
6125
Length Over All (M):
10.99
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Dragonfly 25 Sport
Small trimarans are ideal boats for coastal waters thanks to their shallow draught, large deck space...
Displacement (M):
1100
Length Over All (M):
7.65
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Nautitech Open 40
Cruising catamarans can end up being a compromise, with sailing performance and convenience traded o...
Displacement (M):
8500
Length Over All (M):
11.98
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Haines Hunter SP725
Launch
Recently updated and refreshed, the SP725 is one of Haines Hunter’s premium models. Sarisha is the c...
Horsepower (HP):
300
Displacement (M):
1450
Length Over All (M):
7.25
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Greenline 48FC
Launch
The first Greenline 48 Flybridge Cruiser in the country, Kiwi Green was purchased from the factory i...
Displacement (M):
13200
Length Over All (M):
14.99
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Fountaine Pajot Astrea 42
Launch
Like her bigger sister (the Soana 47, reviewed in our June 2018 issue), Fountaine Pajot’s new 12.5m ...
Displacement (M):
10.5
Length Over All (M):
12.58
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Maritimo X60
Launch
It might have been mid-winter, but Sydney turned on a cracker day for our run down the coast in the ...
Displacement (M):
30500
Length Over All (M):
19.42
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Beneteau Oceanis 51
Sailing is a breeze aboard Beneteau’s new Oceanis 51.1, thanks to some smart systems.
Displacement (M):
13930
Length Over All (M):
15.94
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Sealegs Electric E4
Launch
Sealegs has been making amphibious craft for 17 years, driving a continuous process of development a...
Displacement (M):
1390
Length Over All (M):
7.3
Construction:
Aluminium
BOAT REVIEW
Southern Pacific Cormorant 600 RIB
“Built by Kiwis for Southern Pacific Conditions” is the proud claim of Southern Pacific Inflatables,...
Length Over All (M):
6
Construction:
Inflatable
BOAT REVIEW
Roper 9000
Forty years ago, the splash of amateur-built yachts being launched was a weekly occurrence; these da...
Displacement (M):
1500
Length Over All (M):
9
Construction:
Wood
BOAT REVIEW
Aquila 36
The new Aquila 36 made its Downunder debut at the Sydney Boat Show and it won’t be long before we se...
Displacement (M):
8800
Length Over All (M):
9.94
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Caribbean 49 FC
There’s no mistaking the new Caribbean 49 for anything other than a Caribbean. And that’s a good thi...
Length Over All (M):
16.55
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Sun Odyssey 440
With its new-generation Sun Odyssey 440, Jeanneau has introduced a yacht with design features so goo...
Displacement (M):
8561
Length Over All (M):
13.39
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Riviera 395 SUV
Launch
Sports utility cruisers can be likened to the hot hatchbacks of the boat world. They have to work ha...
Displacement (M):
11300
Length Over All (M):
13.27
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Haines Hunter SF535SB
Launch
Haines Hunter has sold over 3000 SF535s and the model’s been around so long it’s become part of the ...
Horsepower (HP):
150
Displacement (M):
620
Length Over All (M):
5.8
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Surtees 540 Workmate Hardtop
The Workmate perfectly embodies the Surtees philosophy – a basic, practical boat that gets the avera...
Horsepower (HP):
100
Length Over All (M):
5.4
Construction:
Aluminium
BOAT REVIEW
Beneteau GT 40
Beneteau’s latest Sports Cruiser, the GT 40, makes quite a stylish statement. Combining sweeping cur...
Displacement (M):
7935
Length Over All (M):
12.67
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Tristram 641 Offshore
The new 641 Offshore is Tristram Marine’s smallest ‘blue water’ model, pitched very much at the spor...
Horsepower (HP):
225
Length Over All (M):
6.4
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Buccaneer 630 Enforcer RIB
A new fibreglass trailer boat model from a New Zealand boat builder is always a cause for excitement...
Horsepower (HP):
200
Length Over All (M):
6.39
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)