The Gunboat 55 takes cool to a whole new level. She is a curvaceous yet fiery, muscular yet elegant design, drawn by the godfather of lightweight multihulls, Nigel Irens. And…
Boat tests
VX One: could this be a modern keelboat class to match the popularity of Flying 15?
I’ll come straight out with it: there are some boats that hit the spot from the outset and for me the VX One is on that list. In fact, I’ll…
Jeanneau Sun Fast 3600 on test – a multi-purpose cruiser-racer
For all the meticulous market analysis and detailed planning behind a new production boat launch, sometimes even the big players can get caught unawares and stumble upon a recipe for…
Pogo 30 on test – pocket performer with cruising aspirations
Let me come clean: the Pogo 30 is the most enjoyable boat I have ever sailed. I’ve certainly never returned from a boat test so excited or pumped before. Nor…
Rustler 37 boat test – Just your cup of tea?
They say the key to the perfect cup of tea is to use a good old-fashioned teapot. It brews the leaves properly and provides an altogether different tasting cuppa, more…
Broadblue Rapier 550 boat test – Are you ready for a 54ft catamaran that steers like a car?
Marty McFly, Michael J Fox’s lead character in the 1980s film Back to the Future, breaks into a wild electric guitar solo while playing a Chuck Berry number during a…
Italia 15.98 boat test – a cool performer
From supercars and pointy shoes to novel pasta shapes, Italian design is lauded the world over. But it can lack practicality – there’s no room for the kids in a…
Boreal 52 boat test – The sailor’s off-roader
If ‘off-road’ or ‘off-piste’ were categories in sailing, the Boréal 52 would be among the top contenders. From the brushed aluminium topsides to the no-nonsense, multi-layered protection offered by the…
Wauquiez Centurion 57 boat test – a cruiser at heart
Nowhere is the north/south European divide more evident than in cruising yacht design. The cold North Sea and Baltic types tend to favour function first. For us it’s all about…
Advanced Yachts 44 boat test – bonkers, but in a good way
This brave, brazen, brawny example of modern design is arguably the most contemporary monohull of 2014. How the Advanced Yachts 44 looks, how she feels and, crucially, how she makes her…
Jeanneau 64 boat test – a Jeanneau with superyacht ambitions
Here is a yacht guaranteed to surprise. Packed within this 64ft 1in hull, the latest from Jeanneau, are a multitude of qualities that will make you question your preconceptions about…
Rustler 37 boat test video: is this the quintessential couple’s cruising yacht?
Rustler Yachts in Cornwall has a loyal client base and an enviable reputation. The obvious question, especially during these times of frugality, is how? In an age when new…