Boat Reviews
Explore New Zealand’s top boat reviews! From sailboats to luxury yachts, get expert insights and detailed specs to find your perfect vessel. Discover the best models for local waters and make informed decisions with our trusted reviews.
BOAT REVIEW
Absolute 58 Fly
It’s big, it’s blingy, it’s blue . . . it’s the Absolute 58 Fly. This model from the Italian yard wh...
Displacement (M):
30000.03
Length Over All (M):
17.27
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Smuggler Strata 580
Smuggler Marine has really found a niche with its Strata range of high-quality, immaculately finishe...
Horsepower (HP):
100
Length Over All (M):
5.8
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Elite 12.8m
Kooringal is the home of a family beach house on Moreton Island, Queensland, belonging to an Austral...
Displacement (M):
7800
Length Over All (M):
12.8
Construction:
Composite
BOAT REVIEW
Dan Leech L825 Power Cat
Launch
A family-friendly power cat cruiser, the Leech 825 was the design of choice for international ocean ...
Length Over All (M):
8.25
Construction:
Composite
BOAT REVIEW
Dickey 32 Semi-fly
The latest version of the popular Dickey 32 expands its appeal and performance.
Displacement (M):
5000
Length Over All (M):
10.2
Construction:
Aluminium
BOAT REVIEW
Corsair Euro 44E
Reviewing a boat on a rough day is a rare experience, but with the photography already in the bag an...
Displacement (M):
10500
Length Over All (M):
13.5
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
BRIG Eagle 10
The BRIG name was born round 25 years ago from the Russian space programme and when the big politica...
Displacement (M):
3100
Length Over All (M):
9.95
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Given E-Cat 11.5m
The time comes for all yachties to slip into something more comfortable, and for the Elliotts, it’s ...
Displacement (M):
5800
Length Over All (M):
11.5
Construction:
Composite
BOAT REVIEW
Surtees 750 Game Fisher sterndrive
It’s been more than 10 years since Surtees Boats last offered an inboard sterndrive option, so Under...
Horsepower (HP):
300
Length Over All (M):
7.5
Construction:
Aluminium
BOAT REVIEW
Riviera 4800 Sport Yacht
Launch
If, as the bumper sticker suggests, the worst day’s boating is better than the best day’s working, s...
Displacement (M):
15725
Length Over All (M):
15.23
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Monte Carlo 5S
Monte Carlo 5S
There comes a time in every boatie’s life when comfort becomes a priority. And if it...
Displacement (M):
14360
Length Over All (M):
15.1
Construction:
Composite
BOAT REVIEW
Truekit Explorer and Navigator tenders
“The tender revolution is upon us.” Sounds like a statement from a fascist dictator or advertising e...
Length Over All (M):
3.0
Construction:
Inflatable
BOAT REVIEW
Surtees 610 Game Fisher
Launching or retrieving a trailer boat fills many owners – especially new owners – with dread. By fi...
Horsepower (HP):
150
Length Over All (M):
6.1
Construction:
Aluminium
BOAT REVIEW
Custom Protector 12.5m
Launch
This custom Protector 12.5m RIB only just squeaks into her berth at Orams Drystack, but negotiating ...
Displacement (M):
6500
Length Over All (M):
12.5
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Caribbean 2400 Stern Drive
At 7.2m LOA with a towing weight a touch over three tonnes, the Caribbean 2400 is a serious towing p...
Length Over All (M):
7.8
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Astus 16.5m Tri-maran
Easy to tow, simple to rig, quick to launch – topped by a generous splash of adrenalin-inducing perf...
Length Over All (M):
4.94
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Monterey 196 MS Montura
The Monterey 196 MS (Monterey Sport) Montura is an American sports boat that feels perfectly at home...
Length Over All (M):
5.97
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Don Senior 17.2m
With her exceptional craftsmanship and modern interior, Wawata is a good example of how a custom-bui...
Displacement (M):
20000
Length Over All (M):
17.2
Construction:
Composite
BOAT REVIEW
Welsford Navigator
The elegant simplicity of the Navigator design has struck a nerve in a society flooded with high str...
Displacement (M):
140
Length Over All (M):
4.5
Construction:
Wood
BOAT REVIEW
Grand Banks 60
The marriage of two high-profile boat yards – Grand Banks and Palm Beach Motor Yachts – has delivere...
Displacement (M):
29000
Length Over All (M):
19.9
Construction:
Composite
BOAT REVIEW
Sea Blade 20
It’s been three years in development, but the wait for the 6.35m Sea Blade has definitely been worth...
Horsepower (HP):
225
Displacement (M):
1250
Length Over All (M):
6.35
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Regal 28 Express
Taupo couple James and Shelly Thomson wanted a boat that would allow them to enjoy Lake Taupo throug...
Displacement (M):
3440
Length Over All (M):
8.78
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Leech 8m CR
Trailer-sailers tend to fall into one of two camps – cruiser or racer. But occasionally you come acr...
Construction:
Other
BOAT REVIEW
Extreme 645 Game King
Launch
Bait Balls – a new Extreme 645 Game King equipped as a demonstrator for Josh Western’s marine electr...
Horsepower (HP):
200
Length Over All (M):
6.45
Construction:
Aluminium
BOAT REVIEW
Bavaria E40 Sedan
Most readers associate Bavaria with performance-cruiser yachts, but the German manufacturer’s stable...
Displacement (M):
10500
Length Over All (M):
12.29
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Grady-White Seafarer 228
If there’s one style of boat Americans do better than anyone else, it’s the blue water sports fisher...
Horsepower (HP):
300
Length Over All (M):
6.76
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Beneteau Swift Trawler 44
Beneteau goes back to its roots with this trawler-style launch, but the Swift Trawler 44 is far from...
Displacement (M):
10870
Length Over All (M):
13.88
Construction:
Composite
BOAT REVIEW
Gem 23 class day-sailer
You know something’s up when a hardened petrol-head launching his jet-ski at the boat ramp stops to ...
Displacement (M):
1100
Length Over All (M):
7.01
Construction:
Wood
BOAT REVIEW
CSB Huntsman Sotalia
CSB Huntsman’s handy 5.85m Sotalia is a conventional cabin-style trailer boat of a type that’s peren...
Horsepower (HP):
180
Length Over All (M):
5.85
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Arvor 755 Weekender
With its Australasian main dealer in Sydney, Brunswick Corporation’s Arvor Boats is a relatively min...
Displacement (M):
2432
Length Over All (M):
7.76
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Tino 570 HS
There’s nothing quite like the new Tino 570 HS centre-console on the New Zealand market and quite p...
Horsepower (HP):
115
Length Over All (M):
5.73
Construction:
Composite
BOAT REVIEW
Fountaine Pajot MY44
Launch
Tapping into the growing power cat market, Fountaine Pajot’s new MY44 is destined to become a serio...
Displacement (M):
22500
Length Over All (M):
13.4
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Lancer RK5000
When Yachting New Zealand began looking for the ‘ultimate support boat’, it turned to Lancer Indust...
Horsepower (HP):
80
Length Over All (M):
5
Construction:
Inflatable
BOAT REVIEW
Bavaria S36 HT Sports Cruiser
There comes a time in every yachtie’s life when he/she considers switching to a powerboat. For the ...
Displacement (M):
6800
Length Over All (M):
11.66
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Riviera 6000 SY
With every new model Australia’s Riviera Luxury Motor Yachts seems to up its game. That’s certainly ...
Displacement (M):
27800
Length Over All (M):
19.3
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
OC Tenders
The cruising yachtie’s tender is a hardworking, ill-treated and vital part of the cruising experienc...
Horsepower (HP):
15
Displacement (M):
54
Length Over All (M):
3.5
Construction:
Composite
BOAT REVIEW
Jeanneau 51
I don’t want to stand accused of having a fickle heart, but I have fallen for the younger, smaller s...
Displacement (M):
14400
Length Over All (M):
15.38
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)
BOAT REVIEW
Whittley CR 2600
Whittley’s new CR 2600 model – the second-largest in the company’s Cruiser range, is an ideal vessel...
Horsepower (HP):
300
Length Over All (M):
8.5
Construction:
Fibreglass (GRP)