The luxury arm of the Beneteau Group has always offered something different, but the new Monte Carlo 66 is one of its best yet
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Beneteau Swift Trawler 41: French heavyweight plans major Cannes launch
Coming into the range as a direct replacement for the ageing 44, the Beneteau Swift Trawler 41 is quite a different craft from the boat it has been designed to replace. First, it’s available as a Sedan (for almost €30,000 less than the Fly) and has been designed from the…
Fjord 44 test: Wheelhouse coupe brings this Scandi brand full-circle
Fjord is going back to its roots and building coupés again but, having carved out a niche for open sportscruisers, is the Fjord 44 a step in the right direction?
Solaris Power 55: Ferretti co-founder’s new project to launch at Cannes
Norberto Ferretti’s new project makes its international debut at the 2019 Cannes Yachting Festival with a great deal of expectation given his influence together with the striking lobster-boat design by Solent University naval architecture graduate Brunello Acampora. Available with 600hp or 725hp IPS engines the top speed is a claimed 35 knots and…
Brabus Shadow 500 test: Black-ops cruiser has the speed to match its looks
It’s zero nine hundred at our rendezvous point of a nondescript pontoon in the depths of Poole Harbour. The skies are clear but the wind is building from the east, the tide streaming from the west. Our mission – which we have chosen to accept – is to take Brabus…
Used Fairline Squadron 55: A real classic of the flybridge genre
A company very much on the front foot with its spanking new waterside factory and impressive looking new products in the pipeline, such as the Squadron 68 and F-Line 33, it’s easy to forget that Fairline went through some tough times in the early Noughties. Then owned by investment bank…
Ferretti 450 test: Crossing the English Channel on an Italian flybridge
Ferretti has been physically absent from our shores for some while. 2006 was the last year you’d have seen a Ferretti at a British boat show, London to be precise, even though its UK dealer Ventura has continued to represent the brand for years. But while the London boat show…
Sealine C390 review: The sportscruiser you really can enjoy all year round
If ever there was a day to test an enclosed sportscruiser it’s the one we picked to do the C390 in Flensburg on the German-Danish border. There is a bitter north wind charging through the moorings and menacing skies overhead, hanging low over the colourful architecture of the town’s harbour…
Jeanneau Leader 33 video: Inboard and outboard versions go head-to-head
It’s an incongruous sight, Jeanneau’s latest Leader 33. It looks a little like someone decided to fit a back-up auxiliary outboard but due to a communications breakdown, a 250hp was mistakenly bolted on instead of a 10hp. And then you notice that there are two of them… Welcome to the…
Sunseeker 76 Yacht: Impressive details back up that stunning first impression
Its predecessor was a hard act to follow but, the latest Sunseeker 76 Yacht lifts expectations to another level. We find out if it delivers...
Torqeedo Deep Blue 100i: Electric powertrain boosted by BMW battery
Electric power is becoming ever more viable for marine applications as motors get increasingly powerful and battery technology improves. Taking advantage of both those facets, Torqeedo is introducing two new variants of its Deep Blue electric propulsion system for 2019. Both are based around more powerful 100kW motors – the…
Bering 70: New model brings new ideas to the bluewater cruising template
The 70 is the first model in Bering’s all-new Coastal range, designed to deliver ocean-crossing potential with a modern twist. After all, who says that a bluewater cruiser needs to fit the traditional mould of a Nordhavn, Fleming or even Bering’s own range of more conformist Voyager series craft? Despite…
Cruising east of Calais: Exploring the gateway to Northern Europe
The low North Sea coast between Calais and the Netherlands is classic cruising country for boats based around the Thames or the tip of Kent. Solent crews come here too, and anyone bound for Holland heads for Calais first before hopping east towards the wide West Schelde estuary. Even West…
Ferretti 780 review: Acres of glass give this luxury yacht a window on the world
Acres of glazing and a choice of layouts ensures the new Ferretti 780 has a truly global outlook, writes Alan Harper
X Shore Eelex 800: Could this electric boat become the Tesla of the seas?
It’s no coincidence that when Elon Musk launched Tesla, the very first model was a sexy convertible sportscar based on the chassis of a Lotus Elise. From an engineering point of view a small, practical city car would have made a lot more sense as a pure electric vehicle but…
Secret South Coast cruising: Discovering the hidden gems of Sussex and Kent
The very English coastline between Selsey Bill and North Foreland has many familiar names and famous headlands, yet few of us get round to cruising here. Perhaps it feels too ‘home waters’ for Solent boats, who tend to head west or south, while we in the West Country know little…
Sunseeker 131 yacht tour: Inside a fully-fledged tri-deck superyacht
It’s not every day you get invited on board a superyacht, but luckily when Nick Burnham was in Cannes earlier this year, he took his camera with him. In his latest yacht tour, Nick takes a look inside every corner of the magnificent Sunseeker 131 Zozo, and there are a…
Azimut 60 review: Serious wow factor sets this Italian flybridge apart from tough competition
To be in the market in the market for a 60ft flybridge is to be presented with some of the finest craft the world’s boatbuilders have in their stables. These boats must meet a hugely demanding list of requirements and, sitting as they do on the threshold between being owner-run…
Pearl 80 review: Stylish British flybridge oozes Miami glamour and luxury
Downtown Miami on a December evening, and hazy sunlight is bouncing off the mirrored towers that make up the city’s shimmering financial district. We are here to meet the Pearl 80, which is alongside the jetty attached to the subtly named Epic Hotel. This is one of downtown’s popular nightspots…
VIDEO: Full-throttle test of the 60-knot Sunseeker Hawk 38
Alum Bay, Wednesday 5 June. A fresh Force 4 is blowing through the Solent from the south west, kicking up the usual messy chop. The Sunseeker Hawk 38 we’re in is lapping it up, skipping over the wave tops at 50 knots, the supercharged howl of the twin 400hp outboards…