Can one new performance design appeal to many tastes? Toby Hodges explores the ideas and multifarious options offered on the new Grand Soleil 48P
£406,385.00
Boats
Kraken 66 test: Could this be the ultimate ocean cruising yacht?
What would you want in an ultimate ocean cruising yacht? Here’s Kraken’s answer
£1,366,000.00
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 490 test: A boat that demands to be noticed
Pip Hare tests the first Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 490, the eighth generation of its hugely popular cruising range
£218,322.00
Bente 39 boat test: The German yacht that dares to be different
Bente certainly isn’t following the crowd with its new 39, but does maverick style translate into usability?
£151,526.00
Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300 review: The pocket rocket inspired by foiling IMOCAs
Jeanneau’s latest Sun Fast is a whole bundle of fun, as Pip Hare discovered on a full test of the 3300 off La Trinite
£100,750.00
JPK 1030 test: The intuitive French flier that’s easy for couples to control
Pip Hare feels right at home on the JPK 1030 – a quick, no-nonsense boat that’s ideal for short-handers
£103,730.00
Contest 42CS on test – a good looking cruiser from a family-run Dutch yard
Contest introduced a 42-footer to its range almost 40 years ago and it was considered a relative giant for a production yacht at the time. Today the 42CS is the…
Jeanneau 54 boat test – a sturdy cruiser with hidden depths
Powerful gusts dispersed plumes of spray from the bow, making the whitewater explosions appear even more dramatic as the Jeanneau 54 positively ripped through the seas off Cannes in March.…
Vismara Marine V50 boat test – new ‘prêt a porter’ concept
This is Vismara Marine’s ‘prêt-à-porter’ concept, a yacht that can be chosen off the shelf. Over the past three decades Vismara Marine has launched over 130 custom yachts from its…
Adventure Yachts 55
Buying a new yacht? Generally, you have the choice of a production boat or going the more adventurous custom route. For a superyacht you might employ a project manager to…
Dazcat 1495 boat test – a cutting edge catamaran with a need for speed
Is this the catamaran equivalent of a monohull cruiser-racer like those from J-Boats or X-Yachts? The Dazcat 1495 differs from other modern fast cats in that, as well as being…
Hanse 315 boat test – packing a lot into a small space
Winner of the Family Cruiser category of the European Yacht of the Year Awards 2015. Read more here What do Tesco Metro, iPad Mini and a Hanse 315 all have…
RM1070 on test: the plywood family cruiser that dares to be different
Everyone stops to look when an RM sails by. I like to put it down to their individuality and character – traits not easily achieved on a typical volume production…
Grand Soleil 46LC boat test – a cruiser with class
Winner of the Luxury Cruiser category of the European Yacht of the Year Awards 2015. Read more here Cantieri del Pardo, based in Forli in Italy, has built nearly 4,000…
Nautitech Open 40 boat test – this cat will make you purr
Space, stability, performance and even safety, if you’re a monohull sailor you will be familiar with the key points of the arguments that multihull advocates present for having two hulls…
Oyster 475 and 545 boat test – two polished Oysters
Creating a second great album, bestselling book or blockbuster film can be far harder than the first. Boats and cars are no different, but there are some that have succeeded…
Xc45 Next Generation boat test – a sailors’ boat
Are rebranded ‘Mk II’ models just an elaborate marketing exercise? Occasionally, yes. But a number of well-respected boatbuilders adopt the practice, including Hallberg-Rassy, Oyster and Discovery – in fact, HR…
Solaris 50 boat test – when style meets substance
Winner of the Performance Cruiser category of the European Yacht of the Year Awards 2015. Read more here Production yachts are rarely referred to as trendsetters. Like a mainstream saloon…
Maxi 1200 boat test
Before this test, when I thought Maxi, the words that came to mind were ‘traditional’, ‘sturdy’ and ‘homely’, but the new Pelle Petterson-designed Maxi 1200 is anything but. The Maxi…
Gunboat 55 boat test: is this the coolest boat in the Caribbean
It was a poignant moment, an epiphany even. As Toccata swung to her anchor off Anse Heureuse, a tranquil cove on St Maarten’s north-west coast, and the evening sun reflected…