Construction:

The Sabre 38 Salon Express has a hull and deck made of resin-infused laminate, with CoreCell coring in the hull bottom and hullsides, knitted biaxial structural E-glass reinforcements, and a foam- and plywood-cored fiberglass stringer system.

Inside, the Sabre has an unusually open interior, so that the whole crew can be part of the action. The boat also boasts some innovative design elements that simply make life onboard more enjoyable. Finally, the base price of $525,000 seems quite reasonable, I’d say.

Accommodations:

One thing I liked right away about the Sabre 38 was the three-person aft bench seat in the cockpit. It can slide back 14 inches, opening up the area for maximum sociability. If you slide it forward, the table moves closer to the two-person, aft-facing seat at the forward edge of the cockpit, so that it becomes a more intimate area for dining or cocktails.

The engine room is immediately under the cockpit. Almost the entire cockpit sole raises for excellent, standing-room access to the two Volvos; there’s plenty of space for daily checks or more serious work on the engines, including outboard areas. The engine compartment was gleaming with white gelcoat finish; if there were any oil or liquid spills (there weren’t) they would be highly visible. A 6 kW Kohler genset was aft of the engines as, of course, were the tops of the pods. For balance, all the ship’s tanks were forward.

Inside the saloon, there’s an L-shaped settee and high-low cherry table to port. Forward of that is the passenger seat, which is arranged so the person sitting there could sit forward, acting as a navigator, or sideways, facing the captain, to starboard in a single Stidd helm chair. The back of the passenger seat can flip forward to open up the saloon settee; in this configuration, three couples could sit around the table for a comfortable dinner.

Performance:

But the Sabre 38’s real appeal is in her performance. She has an easy-riding, soft-landing hull (with a 24-degree deadrise amidships flowing back to 17 degrees at the transom), which was designed for Volvo Penta’s IPS pod drives. With Volvo’s twin D4 300-horsepower diesels, the 38 cruised easily (and quietly) at 25 knots and topped out at just over 30. Then there’s the smile-inducing fun of maneuvering the boat with the contrarotating props on the pod drives, slaloming around lobster pot buoys out in the bay or docking with the joystick in a tight space.

She has very little bow rise coming up on plane, and the ride is so soft and comfortable that I had to double-check the GPS as I settled in at the helm. I thought we were going perhaps 15 or 16 knots; in fact, we were moving through the water at 24. And turning at speed is simply fun; the IPS props dig in and the boat carves through a turn without missing a beat.

Performance:

If you’ve perused enough boat reviews, you surely have read a line about a boat’s hole shot and time required to plane. Well, these words are not exactly appropriate in a review of the new Palm Beach 45 Express. The waterline grabs hold of the surface with a vengeance during the entire speed curve. When more power is applied the bow doesn’t shoot skyward, the boat just moves faster with a seakindly motion. This is a result of Richards’ slippery warped planing-hull design that keeps the bow down without the need to apply any trim tabs at all. The wide stern also helps to create a superior lateral plane characteristic.

Palm Beach accommodates a variety of propulsion systems based on owner preference, including conventional shafts, IPS pods, and Zeus pods, as well as jets. A pair of 435-horsepower Volvo Penta IPS600s powered our test boat. The engines are placed just abaft amidships and employ jackshafts that connect the engine with the pods located beneath the cockpit. This distributes the weight appropriately and enhances the 45’s fine running characteristics. During our test, we achieved a top speed of nearly 34 knots at 3600 rpm. The sweet spot, however, is at 83 percent load or 3000 rpm. This produces 25 knots while burning a total of 25 gallons per hour.

Construction:

The Palm Beach 45 benefits from Richards’ extensive sailboat racing background, where weight reduction is the name of the game. Composite construction and high-tech laminates keep the 45’s displacement down to a featherweight 26,880 pounds.

All bulkheads and furniture are bonded to the hull and deck for added strength. Richards approaches mechanical and electrical systems through the eyes of an offshore sailor where simplicity and serviceability are key components to safety and success.

Accommodations:

The interior of the 45 is a departure from the builder’s traditional all-teak fit out. (In my opinion, the craftsmen of Palm Beach are some of the best in the world, bar none.) For this model, the builder eliminated some teak and introduced exquisitely finished and stylish painted fiberglass and composite components trimmed with satin-finished teak accents. The result is a lighter build, less cost, and a fresh, contemporary look. A more traditional teak interior is available as an option.

Our test boat featured a single stateroom, down-galley arrangement. Several layouts are available, including a two-stateroom version. The saloon is huge and benefits from overhead hatches, opening windows, and almost a completely unobstructed 360-degree line of sight. Australian’s affinity for outdoor entertaining and family time is evident in the 45’s spacious cockpit layout with ample seating, a transom door, refrigerator and loads of stowage.

Although this builder embraces customization, I don’t think there’s any reason to change much on the 45. She’s one heck of gorgeous ride.

Construction:

The reason the MJM 36z Downeast is so efficient and sporty is that she’s light. She’s just 13,100 pounds (half load), and the reason she’s so light is her construction. She’s made with the latest in high-strength, lightweight composites—Kevlar, carbon, and Corecell—assembled using (here quoting the MJM brochure), “a proprietary wet-epoxy pre-preg vacuum molding and oven post cure method.”

Performance:

For starters, the MJM 36z is fast—I measured a top speed of 32 knots. At that WOT figure, she gets nearly 1.5 mpg, but throttle her back to 3000 rpm and you’ll get 22 knots and 2.11 mpg. Wheel response is immediate and precise, and she’ll heel over and carve a grab-onto-something-quick turn like a center console. And if you order the optional ($22,500) joystick control and electronic steering, you can dock her so deftly, you won’t even need to order the Side Power bow thruster, which will save you $8,475.

One key to all this is stern drives—Volvo Penta’s Ocean X drives, to be exact. You simply could not get the combination of response, acceleration, maneuverability, and efficiency on this boat without stern drives. As for maintenance, note that these are Volvo’s Ocean X drives, which employ a titanium ceramic coating that Volvo claims is four times more corrosion-resistant than conventional coatings.

There’s a draft of just 2 feet 6 inches (props down), and in order cover the props so that swimmers don’t make contact with them, MJM has fitted a big, easy-to-reach platform that extends well aft. To maximize access to the area the 36z is available with a walk-through transom, a $7,950 option and worth every penny. The centerline gate provides easy access to the transom, but install the center filler cushion and you have a full-beam transom seat.

Because the four-cylinder D3s are right up against the transom, there’s bonus stowage just ahead of them and under the saloon sole where straight inboards would be. And when you lift that aft bench seat, you’ll find the engines are accessible on three sides, so maintenance and repairs will be easy.

Accommodations:

While she breaks a lot of new ground for MJM, the 36z retains key features that have made this builder so successful. A single level from helm to transom reduces the chance of tripping, and the three-side StrataGlass enclosure can be put down to give everyone in the saloon relief from inclement weather or rolled up to let the warm breezes flow through—aided by the two opening windshield panels and a couple of overhead hatches. Sociability is maximized by facing saloon settees and twin pedestal helm seats—Stidds are optional. Cruisers can order a cruising galley group options package, and the island queen layout that replaces the circular forward settee with a bed with a super-cushy eight-inch-thick mattress.

Features:

To make living—and entertaining—onboard as easy as possible, the Hunt 44 has one, level, uninterrupted space from the transom to the helm. It’s created by simply opening the wide sliding glass doors in the aft bulkhead. This creates a large open area, inside and out. The standard layout below is galley-down with two staterooms and two heads, but Hunt is a semi-custom builder and they can reconfigure this space to fit an owner’s desires. The engine options are also large, including twin 455-horsepower Caterpillar diesels, twin 567-horsepower Cats, twin 593-horsepower Cummins, all with traditional shafts and props, or twin Volvo Penta 429-horsepower diesels with IPS600 pod drives and joystick control. If an owner chooses the pod drives, a third cabin or utility area opens up under the bridge deck. Hunt knows what cruising owners want, so it designed a large garage under the cockpit to hold a ten-foot dinghy. At the touch of a remote button, the transom lifts to launch or retrieve the dink; the entire garage is gelcoated and watertight to the interior. Inside, the saloon is airy with windows all around and a large sunroof overhead; visibility from the helm is a full 360 degrees.

Construction:

All Hunt yachts are designed to be strong, safe, well-performing offshore boats. Like the 52, the new 44 is built by Global Yacht Builders in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and it’s true to the brand. The hull is laid up with infused E-glass composite with PVC foam core; the hull-deck joint is bonded and mechanically fastened. The deck and superstructure shell are made of E-glass composite with vacuum-bagged PVC foam core for strength and light weight. Top-quality vinylester resin is used for the hull, deck, and superstructure. Below the waterline, five coats of Gelshield 2000 are added for protection; the hull comes with a six-year warranty.

Performance:

With a 20-degree deadrise at the transom, the 44 is an evolution of the deep-V hull that Ray Hunt first designed more than half a century ago, and that has proven itself as the premiere offshore design for recreational boats ever since. The 44 has generous flare in the bow to deflect spray (it is indeed a dry boat), and the Hunt hull produces a turn of speed and a soft ride in offshore conditions. At speed, the boat is quiet inside and out, and nothing rattles, nothing pounds. With Volvo’s IPS drives, the 44 slaloms around lobster pots like a smaller sport boat, yet it has all the power and stability of a much larger and luxurious yacht.

Accommodations:

That curved door leaves room in either forward cockpit corner for a wet bar, freezer, sink, and refrigerator, so you won’t have to go inside when you want a drink or snack. Between the saloon and the cockpit, an 8-inch step provides proper 6-foot 3-inch interior headroom. Underneath, only 6 inches separate the Cummins QSM11s and the overhead, and things are tight, proving again that beauty will have its price. (A fuel-polishing system is standard.) The cockpit deck raises electrically for easier engine access, but since the switch is forward, you’ll need to scramble around it to enter.

Two interior layouts are available. The one on my test boat featured a U-shaped settee to starboard with a table that has a removable large top for dining; it stores in a padded compartment behind the helm seats. Two occasional chairs to port flank a cabinet containing a standard Bose V35 entertainment system. It has four independent zones, is iPod-friendly, and comes with an intuitive NuVo remote. The other layout has facing settees.

Twin pedestal Stidd chairs face the helm; a third is to port in front of a chart locker. A brace of standard Raymarine E120 Wides dominates here, but of course the star of this show is the latest iteration of Hinckley’s elegant JetStick. Sightlines are excellent.

Four steps down, the portside galley is notable for plenteous refrigeration, proof this is a cruising boat. A deep compartment in the counter can be either a freezer or refrigerator according to the thermostat setting, and two U-Line drawers forward add fridge capacity. The roomy double-berth stateroom with ensuite/day head is to starboard. Order the optional washer and dryer in the master and you’ll lose its big enclosed shower. In the bow the large master has two 31-inch by 31-inch hatches and a private head with an enclosed shower. In sum, it’s an eminently comfortable interior for a couple and their friends or children.

Construction:

Hinckley builds the T48 hull out of Kevlar and carbon E-glass composite with vinylester resin using the SCRIMP process, which limits volatile organic compound emissions, for a rigid, lightweight hull. E-glass decks round out the build, which shows excellent fit and finish throughout.

Performance:

Which brings us to the performance component of the equation. Michael Peters has reprised his hull design for the Mark III Picnic Boat, introduced last year, which includes convex foresections, reworked lifting strakes, and additional aft deadrise (19 degrees). They combine to make the 48 the best-handling Hinckley yet, though I haven’t run the new Picnic Boat. Tracking, a perennial problem with jets, is flawless and accomplished without fins, which aids efficiency. A turning radius of little more than a boat length at WOT means you can corkscrew the 48 to your heart’s content, a pastime you’ll be tempted to indulge in given the steering’s mere two turns lock to lock.

Stylistically, the recently launched Eastbay 46 SX has much in common with the series of Eastbays that followed. But while the same traditional lines, wraparound visibility, and patrol boat cachet are absolutely evident in the 46, there are a host of uummm, let’s say, 21st century features that give her an air of modern-day distinction.

Features:

Arguably, the most significant of the lot is the propulsion system. Our 46 test boat had a set of 550-hp QSC8.3-550 diesel engines, each linked to a joystick-enabled Zeus pod-type drive unit from Cummins Marine. The upshot? During testing I managed to maneuver the boat in a couple of different marinas and docked her sideways a couple of times, as well as stern-to a couple of times. My take afterwards was wholly positive—this baby’s got the wherewithal to make even a novice boathandler look pretty darn good.

Our test boat’s layout was conventional for the most part, with a galley down (beneath the windshield for plenty of natural light), a master at the bow, and a guest stateroom on the starboard hand. The arrangement was comfy enough, except for the clearance over the berths in the latter space—it was skimpy. Optional arrangements include turning the utility room (below the helm area behind an articulating stairway) into a crew’s quarters and/or moving the galley to the rear of the saloon so a third stateroom can be added to port.

There were numerous features of the 46 that I especially liked. For an outdoorsy ambience inside the saloon/dinette/helm area, all you have to do is open the center windshield panel (which offers fore-and-aft ventilation once the back bulkhead door’s been opened), slide the side windows back, and retract the sunroof. Breezes waft about like you were on deck. And for a gastronomic experience that’s tops, the galley’s got the goods, from deep, crisply finished cabinetry to appliances that are sensibly arranged and residentially sized.

Performance:

The first Eastbay was a speedster of sorts and so’s the 46. I measured an average top hop of 32.2 knots under relatively mellifluous conditions in the Pacific Northwest. Turns were sweet, inboard-heeling, and sportboat-like. And while our Zeus joystick had an integrated autopilot, I found it virtually unnecessary given the true tracking nature of a modified deep-V hull form designed by Ray Hunt & Associates.

But how about rough-water handling? Again, sea conditions during our test were pretty flat. But thanks to some rather wild conditions in Deception Pass—imagine a couple of whirlpools sporting amid a thrashing mix of three footers with a few half-floating logs thrown in—I noted only a modicum of pounding while driving the 46 back home, as well as very little spray, and a nose-up attitude (with the power pouring on, of course) that both instilled confidence and imparted a bit of zestiness to an otherwise dull afternoon.

One final detail. Thanks to the immense windshield panels and all the windows in the 46’s superstructure, visibility from the helm is just about total—it’s like driving a boat from inside a fish bowl. Just one more confidence-inspiring reason to like this 21st century cruiser with some serious Down East distinction.

For a base price of $435,000, the Back Cove 37 provides two staterooms, a head with an enclosed shower, and premium standard equipment like twin Stidd helm seats, a 9-kW Onan generator, a bow thruster, and three-zone air conditioning.

ACCOMMODATIONS:

A very important feature is access to the foredeck, especially since the 37 is likely to be run by a couple. Her side decks are not only a foot wide but the house is structured to provide plenty of shoulder room so you don’t have to sidestep going forward. Nonskid is aggressive here and everywhere, the foredeck is flat, and everything is protected by a 25-inch-high bowrail that’s rock solid. A forepeak compartment stows fenders, although at 42 inches deep, it might be hard to reach anything that drops to the bottom. Its forward section is partitioned off as a chain locker, which keeps things clean, but I couldn’t figure out how I’d access the rode if it should be fouled.

But the best example of this boat’s solid bloodlines is the way her designers have managed to create so much interior space. Every compartment is so roomy that I had to keep reminding myself this was a 37. Even the cockpit, where I would have expected the designer to cheat a bit, has plenty of room for a table. Suffice to say, this boat has everything you could want onboard a 37-footer, and more.

Performance:

Because she’s powered by a single diesel, her owner won’t feel compelled to check the price at the fuel dock before he heads out. Our test boat, equipped with the optional ($20,800) top-of-the-line 600-mhp Cummins QSC 8.3, evinced a nice wide sweet spot between 1750 and 2250 rpm where she produced cruising speeds ranging from 13.4 to 20.6 knots and ranges of better than 375 miles from her modest fuel capacity of 300 gallons.

And she is a pleasure to run. Her big rudder provided good helm response from the SeaStar hydraulic steering. The effect of propeller torque common to single-engine boats, while detectable, was minimal. There was neither vibration nor excessive feedback, which often reveal themselves on boats like this with a propeller tunnel when you put the helm hard over at speed. Tracking was excellent, and since running angles never exceeded three degrees, so were sightlines at all times. Despite the fact that as helmsman you’re standing just forward of the engine, sound levels were moderate.

Construction:

The 37 has a V-style hull with downward-turning chines forward and a 16-degree transom deadrise. The hull and deck are resin infused over CoreCell foam. Stringers are co-infused with the hull to result in a strong, monolithic structure.

One piece of evidence that evinces the 37’s solid cruising heritage is her accessibility. The entire saloon sole lifts electrically to expose the engine, as well as the batteries, two freshwater tanks, engine and generator raw-water strainers, filters, etc. It’s easy to climb down into the compartment and sidle up to any component.

Performance:

The first thing that caught my eye about the 107 was her decidedly conservative profile. With her upright angular superstructure and near-plumb bow, she is salty and handsome enough to look at home in any Maine harbor.

Her semidisplacement hullform is perfectly consistent with her businesslike appearance. Although a misaligned propshaft precluded a meaningful sea trial, builder-supplied test results indicate a top speed of just under 20 knots and a cruising speed of 15.5 knots (half load) while burning 119 gph. I was able to measure sound levels at that speed: a modest 68 decibels in the saloon and 71 decibels in the midship master just forward of the engine room.

Construction:

The 107 is now the flagship of Vicem’s Cruiser line, which also includes a 78 and a 92. She is also the largest Vicem to be built using cold-molded construction; the new Vulcan line of megayachts employs conventional cored-FRP construction. My test boat’s errant propshaft highlighted one advantage of cold-molding: insulation. Not only were her sound readings low, but the greater vibration due to the bent shaft was audibly undetectable and barely sensible through my feet. And although the best speed we could make was around 15 knots, I fancied that I could detect that special solidity that cold-molding creates.

Accommodations:

But of course molding technique is not the first thing you’ll notice about the 107. So much has been written about Vicem’s superb joinery, but words sometimes fall short and cannot convey the impression you get when you actually see it in person. In an industry where outstanding joinery and varnish work has become the accepted norm, Vicem’s work still excels. One example: At the bow, the mahogany toerail must make a turn far more acute than the wood could bend. So Vicem laminates the toe piece out of more than a hundred ultra-thin mahogany plys that can make the bend yet blend together visually as a single piece. When I asked how many man-hours are involved in such a process, my host simply rolled his eyes as if to say, “Don’t even ask.”

It’s obvious much thought has gone into the lower-deck accommodations plan, but keep in mind that the 107 is a true semicustom yacht. The boat had been laid out for chartering, which explains her arrangement: a midship master, forward and port-side VIP cabins—all with en suite facilities—and two starboard guest cabins, each with bunks, that share a head. Accommodations for the captain (who gets his own stateroom) and three crewmembers (in two cabins), along with a crew mess, are clustered between the large lazarette and engine room, a design that ensures privacy for the owner/charterer and guests. Alternative accommodation plans are limited only by your imagination and budget.

Construction:

Like her predecessor, the 53 is a three-cabin boat with two heads. The layout both on the main deck and down below now relies much more on straight edges and right angles, which is far more space-efficient than the curvaceous shapes they replace. The new dinette is up on the helm deck, so the saloon and cockpit—all on one level, thanks to a deep, grated scupper across the threshold—can now merge seamlessly into one entertaining space, with the longitudinal sideboard, straight sofa, and small coffee table inside communicating sociably with the cockpit seating and sunpad.

Accommodations:

The 53’s extra hull length shows its best advantage in the third cabin, which has full-size berths rather than bunks, along with good headroom and useful floor space. Up forward, the VIP has been less radically redesigned, but like the twin-berth it too benefits from the extra length of hull, with a slightly larger head compartment and more floor area. And with its large hull windows and opening ports, the full-beam master suite, amidships, now features a more symmetrical layout to maximize its sole area, while the extra hull length has been invested along the port side in a larger head compartment.

The guest cabins, especially the one with the twin berth, lack stowage space. There is a big lazarette available in the stern, however—fitted out on this 53 as the optional crew cabin—useful for stowing cruising gear.

Another highlight was the hydraulic aft platform fitted as standard and intended as the tender stowage point, the flying bridge is given over in its entirety to the 53’s owner and guests, with plenty of seating and a big table for alfresco feasts. There is also space for sunbathers on the port side, where the helmsman can keep an eye on them.

Performance:

Although conditions were distinctly uninviting—and a million miles from the Baie de Cannes—this was precisely what British cruising boats are designed for. Our Manhattan seemed to know that, shouldering the swells aside as we headed seawards past the iconic chalk stack known as Old Harry, raising great sheets of spray that descended with a kind of epic inevitability over the flying bridge. Downwind the Manhattan tracked like a steeplechaser, burying its fine forward sections in the backs of the waves and slicing through them. She handled the snotty stuff so well, I was dying to see what she would do in nice weather. Oh well, maybe another time.

Interior:

The saloon on Sessa’s Fly 45, replete with baby-soft leathers and complemented by a sharp walnut sole, is certainly charming, particularly when taking into account a typically American layout that features an open, portside galley. It’s evident Sessa has gone through great pains to ‘Americanize’ this boat, not only with the main deck’s layout, but also with its ‘Elegance Package,’ a bundle of optional amenities including an electrically adjustable helm seat, LED spotlights, and underwater lights—designed to ease the burden of customization for the American buyer. What’s more, Sessa has taken to fixing the prices of its boats in dollars so the company takes on the risk of a fluctuating Euro. With all this focus on the U.S. market, it’s no surprise that Sessa is also aggressively seeking out stateside dealers.

Accommodations:

The 45’s accommodations level can be configured with either two or three cabins, though the three-cabin layout on my test boat feels like a no-brainer to me. My reasoning here is twofold. First, the two-cabin model allows for a second galley, which seems like wasted space on a 45-footer. And second, if you’re only looking for two cabins, Sessa offers a similar 40-footer with the same configuration that retails for about $215,000 less. If you require just the two staterooms you might as well get the smaller model and send a kid to a private, four-year college with the leftovers. But I could be wrong.

The highlight is the forepeak master, sporting a king-size berth with well-laid-out steps and a full 6 foot 7 inches of headroom. Smallish portholes don’t do much to light the space, but Sessa took care of that with a large hatch overhead that keeps the cabin airy.

The 45 Fly enjoys all this interior volume in part due to Sessa’s penchant for putting IPS drives on its vessels, including on almost all of its models over 40 feet. In this case the 45 has twin 435-horsepower Volvo Penta IPS600s in a clean and orderly engine room.

Performance:

Performance-wise those power plants left little to desire. The boat impressed with a sporty 32-knot two-way average at wide-open throttle, and a 24-knot cruise near 3000 rpm. Meanwhile her hull handled the 2- and 3-foot rollers easily, providing a soft ride throughout as we glided over the glinting midwinter Atlantic.

I tested the boat from the flying bridge, an area that—mark my words—will leave your guests chattering, namely because of its relative enormity. A forward sunpad is certainly appreciated by the tanning masses but is not particularly unexpected. What is noteworthy is the bridge’s full overhang above the cockpit, which is the genesis of this deck’s commanding sense of space. There’s more than enough room up there to party the night away, and then some.