It’s not long since 60ft yachts were the preserve of custom or semi-custom yards that could go to great lengths to provide a small number of discerning clients with the…
Boat tests
J/45 tested: Fast cruiser with timeless appeal
We’re close-hauled, sailing the new J/45 at 7.5 knots and catching up with a modern 55-footer, but slowly falling into her lee. Winding on a little mainsheet tightens the leech,…
Boat test: X-56 The Xtra mile
Large cruising yachts are enormously appealing, but it’s imperative that they’re easy to tame in deteriorating weather. Yet if this is achieved through making the boat underpowered it will be…
Swan 58 tested: best of both worlds?
No other yard has been as consistently successful in producing iconic models as Nautor – historically Swans are invariably the very best yachts of their era and subsequently become design…
Hallberg-Rassy 50 tested: ultimate refinement
The Hallberg-Rassy 50, the latest from the renowned Swedish marque is a near masterpiece. German Frers has once again sprinkled his fairy dust over the design, conjuring up a modern…
JPK 39FC review: new sporty 40 cruiser
I have long held that bluewater cruising yachts, especially those under 40ft, have much to gain from the way today’s smaller short-handed offshore raceboats are designed and set up and…
Video: Ice 70 review – a luxury, fast Med cruiser
Some yachts will always produce that instant spark of attraction. With others, the appeal may be slower burning, where facets or practicalities will help make the appeal more than skin…
Oyster 595 test: best selling Oyster ever
Your world becomes a very small place when the ease and convenience of travel is lost, a notion that has really hit home in the last couple of year, However,…
Jeanneau SO410 review: lift keel opens up options
If you sail in tidal harbours or shallow waters, your choice of midsize new production yachts is more limited than you may realise. While most manufacturers offer a shallow draught…
Lagoon 55 review: new iteration remains quintessential cat
The number 55 holds a special place in the history of Lagoon – it was its inaugural model, launched back in 1987. The 2021 version of the Lagoon 55, still…
Neel 43 on test: Is three the magic number?
Until recently it would have been easy to assume the pioneering cruising trimarans of the 1960s and 1970s showed that cruising on three hulls has too many drawbacks to be…
On test: Oceanis Yacht 54
There’s something surprising and quite brilliant about the new Beneteau Oceanis Yacht 54, which I bet you won’t notice at first. I certainly didn’t. It’s not the powerful looks or…
Jeanneau Sun Fast 35 review: from the archive
Can the Jeanneau Sun Fast 35 live up to the impressive legacy left by her predecessors? She certainly has big boots to fill. Creating a design that becomes an icon…
Jeanneau Sun Fast 37 review: from the archive
While the hardcore racing world has been squabbling over everything from handicapping systems to whether people really want to go offshore racing, a growing army of less vociferous but fiercely…
Greek Ocean Star 51.2 Exclusive review: from the archive
What do yo get if you aim to create a 50 footer that can carry plenty of people, is still stylish enough to appeal to the eye and has been…
Elan Impression 444 review: from the archive
The newly launched Elan Impression 444 is born from the 434, a design that made an impression itself when it launched a successful line of big-volume cruisers in 2004. Over…
Oyster 575 review: from the archive
A 220nm passage on the new Oyster 575 certainly provided quality time aboard to assess whether this might be a worthy heir to Oyster’s most successful model ever, the 56,…
Oyster 54 review: from the archive
For once, there was no need to remove every cushion, lift every floorboard and squeeze into the engine room for a boat test. Having acted as the owner’s consultant in…
Dufour 36P review: from the archive
Video footage from Yachting World's test of the new Dufour 36P performance cruiser. The full report is in Yachting World August, out now
Bavaria Vision 46 review: from the archive
Video footage from Yachting World's test aboard Bavaria's new Vision 46 – an innovative family cruiser from the board of Farr Yacht Design and Design Unlimited. The full report is…