XO Boats in Finland has unveiled its first adventure vessel: the XO EXPLR 44.

This is a builder that markets its designs as “crossover boats from the rough north.” XO Boats’ aluminum deep-V hulls are touted as being at the forefront of sustainability, since the melting of pre-used aluminum to create new boats requires only 5 percent of the energy used to produce the same amount of new aluminum.

XO Boats offers three lines of vessels: DFNDR, DSCVR and EXPLR. The EXPLR line includes five models that start at 28 feet length overall. In fact, all of the builder’s other models are smaller than 30 feet long. The new XO EXPLR 44 is the flagship for the brand, marking a leap in size to just shy of 44 feet length overall.

With the XO EXPLR 44, the builder says it intends to bring premium materials and naval architecture to adventure yachting. This boat can be ordered with either double 600-horsepower engines or triple 450-horsepower motors, depending on how much giddyap the owner wants to achieve. Reported top speed is more than 50 knots.

Exterior styling on the XO EXPLR 44 is aggressive, giving off a vibe similar to military-inspired expedition yachts that are capable of cruising the polar regions. The angular shapes should look formidable entering just about any harbor.

“As we have discussed with our customers and listened to their feedback, we saw that there was demand for a yacht-sized craft from XO,” Erkki Talvela, CEO of XO Boats, stated in a press release. “With this launch, we aim to meet the needs of more demanding and quality-conscious boaters who also appreciate the elegance of EXPLR 44.”

The boat has two staterooms that are equal in size, so nobody feels like they’re stuck sleeping in a kiddie cabin. The aft stateroom can be ordered with twin berths or a double, depending on the type of cruising the owner intends to do. There’s also a bunk in the pilothouse, meaning a total of six people can sleep on board.

For cruising in colder or warmer climates, the EXPLR 44 has heating and air conditioning. The roof has space for solar panels, if owners want to generate power off-grid, and there are roof racks for bicycles and other sports gear.

Is there companion seating at the helm of the EXPLR 44? Yes, there is. A skipper’s seat and a mate’s seat are side by side with full view of the helm displays.

Take the next step: learn more at www.xoboats.com

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Christian Grande has been busy of late. The designer’s fingerprints were all over the stylish Invictus TT420 Vogue White Edition that made its debut at the recent Cannes Yachting Festival—the same boat show where the SACS Tecnorib Rebel 50 G that Grande designed also made its premiere.

SACS Tecnorib is the official licensee of Pirelli inflatable boats (Pirelli Design is involved with everything from boats and watches to high-end audio systems and luggage). SACS Tecnorib offers two lines: the Strider, whose models can be open or have a hardtop, and Rebel, which the builder calls a blend of classic RIBs and open boats. The Rebel line includes 40-, 47- and 55-footers in addition to the new Rebel 50 G.

The “G” in the moniker Rebel 50 G stands for nothing more than the letter “G.” The idea is that it’s a “closed, collected and powerful shape with soft curves,” which the builder compares to having a closed space on board that’s in “total continuity with the external environment.” The boat has a window that Grande says “seems deliberately suspended to suggest an enthralling sensation of floating,” with the closed space distinguishing this model from other Rebel designs.

In addition to the two side windows that come standard, owners can add a sliding rear window that separates the interior and exterior. When it’s open, the boat feels like an open boat; with it closed, everyone on board is protected from bad weather.

Creature comforts include a TV abaft the helm, a fridge and ice maker, and an L-shaped sofa with a high-low table that can be used for dining if chairs are added. More shade is possible with an extendable electric-roller blind, or owners can insert carbon poles around the beach area to create a space that’s sheltered from the sun. A roof is optional.

Forward, the bow has a corner chaise that the builder describes as “romantic” for sunset views. Grande says: “This area is intended to be an invitation to see motoring as a relaxed flight over water.”

The stern platform can handle an 8-foot tender, with the aft space available in four layouts. The one called Garage Sunpad has a long sofa for relaxation. The Forward Lounge version comes with a C-shaped sofa and extendable table for dining or for conversion as a sun bed. Stern Lounge has opposing sofas that can join together with a table for dining. Free Standing has three armchairs and two small tables for informal conversation.

Interiors are finished with Ceppo di Gre marble, which has a gray-blue hue that the builder says creates an ambience of “unostentatious elegance.”

Let’s talk power: Hull No. 1 of the SACS Tecnorib Rebel 50 G has a pair of 950-horsepower Volvo Penta IPS power plants with a reported top speed of 36 knots, and a cruising speed of 28 knots.

Take the next step: go to sacsrebel.com

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I was more excited than usual as our crew cruised away from Sunseeker’s site at West Quay Road. I have done this run many times, and it’s invariably a joy, but this time, I was aboard the builder’s Superhawk 55. It’s the first open cruiser the British yard has built in ages, and it’s a return to what made Sunseeker world-famous.

Beyond being home to Sunseeker, Poole Harbour’s claim to fame is being Europe’s largest natural harbor. That morning, it felt like it. We chugged out through the navigation channel traffic, past the majestic Brownsea Castle, and past the sloping lawns and exclusive terraces of Sandbanks, some of the most expensive real estate in England. Finally, we reached the Poole Bar Buoy and open water.

Throttles opened. Worth the wait? Absolutely yes.

The twin 725 hp Volvo Penta IPS950-D11 diesels max out at 2,550 rpm, which, during my runs at about half-load in a gentle breeze and very little swell, gave us a top-end speed of 37 to 38 knots. Sunseeker says the hull form is completely new. It strikes a great balance between planing efficiency and a rewarding driving experience. The Superhawk 55 easily sliced the wave crests we generated, and the yacht heeled satisfyingly into the turns, especially with the wheel hard over. Having the driving position on centerline is a definite bonus.

Allowing for a 10 percent reserve, expect a range of 200 to 225 nautical miles. According to my numbers, this yacht will run all day at 2,000 rpm and around 25 knots.

And the Superhawk 55 will look great doing it, outside and inside. Despite its considerable volume, this yacht still looks long and low, from the swim platform to the bow, probably helped by what appears to be one continuous hullside window to break up the freeboard. Note too how the superstructure sits within the hull rather than on top of it.

The cockpit occupies the full 16-foot-2-inch beam aft. Side decks are accessed via a pair of pantograph doors that flank the helm. Those side decks run forward from just abaft amidships, and they include three shallow steps to reach the foredeck terrace. The 54-square-foot windscreen is an impressive single pane with double curvature. The standard open layout includes just the arch mast, but as of this writing, all but one owner has chosen the hardtop option.

The cockpit layout is intended to be versatile, making the Superhawk 55 a weekender or a party boat. The essentials include a sofa-sun pad and a table with leaves aft. There’s a wet bar abaft the triple-seat raised bridge. A pair of L-shaped sofas can slide back and forth, or in and out, on rails. That means they can be pushed to the sides when more room is needed, or closer together for meals at the table.

Another dining spot is belowdecks. The lower deck has an amidships salon with a galley to port and a dinette-sofa to starboard. There are doors to the two en suite staterooms, one each fore and aft. The headroom in the main salon enhances the perception of luxury. While the headroom is better in the forward stateroom than in the aft one, both staterooms are broadly the same in terms of space and views.

As for decor, Sunseeker offers five veneers and a dozen lacquers. The Superhawk 55 I got aboard had what felt like a darker vibe: piano black and stained oak.

No matter the interior styling, this is a relatively quiet boat. While running the yacht flat out, I recorded 73 to 75 decibels at the helm, in the salon with the cockpit hatch open, and in the aft stateroom. Sixty-five decibels, which I recorded in the forward stateroom, is the level of normal conversation.

For heading ashore, a garage is aft, big enough to hold a 9-foot-2-inch Williams MiniJet 280 tender. A drawer above the garage could hold underwater scooters or fenders.

The first Sunseeker Superhawk 55 was unveiled at Boot Düsseldorf in January, and Sunseeker expects to deliver 25 to 30 of these performance boats this year alone. Apparently, I’m far from the only yachting enthusiast who has long been waiting for this model.  

Hawk History

Sunseeker’s first real “hawk” was the Tomahawk 37. Then, in no particular order, came the Thunderhawk 43, Hawk 27, Mohawk 29, Hawk 31 and Tomahawk 41. Over the years, there also were several Superhawks, namely the 34 (famous for the River Thames chase sequences in the James Bond film “The World Is Not Enough”), the 40, the 43, the 48 and the 50 that had surface drives and topped out around 50 knots. There’s also the current 60-plus-knot Hawk 38, which is a dayboat with a center console and outboards. Most of the older Hawks topped out at 40 to 46 knots.

That’s Not Teak

Sunseeker has virtually stopped using wooden decking. This Superhawk 55 had a light surface made of Sikafloor Marine-595 Antarctica throughout the main deck. The mock white caulking creates striking patterns.

Flag Salute

The Superhawk 55 has Union Jack homages in its transom gates, in the LED framing in the skylight between the salon and windscreen, in the salon’s headliner and in the stitching on the back of the pilot seats. A similar tribute is in the taillights on newer British-built Mini Coopers.

Take the next step: sunseeker.com

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The Arksen 28 is an all-weather day boat that’s built to dispatch choppy seas while maintaining a dry, comfortable ride for everyone seated inside its enclosed pilothouse. The boat is built from aluminum and carries a deep-V undercarriage, chines and strakes. Topside bumpers, along with the enclosed helm and salon, encourage year-round escapades in most weather.

Whom It’s For: Adventure-minded boaters seeking the safety, strength and performance of an enclosed-pilothouse vessel, an aluminum hull and 450 horsepower.

Picture This: It’s late summer in Castine, Maine, and you and your kids—plus some of their friends—take a spin past the islands surrounding the nearby Deer Isle Thorofare, with a scoop stop at the Stonington Ice Cream Co. on the way home. The Arksen 28 has no trouble pressing its 25-knot cruising speed (with forays into the 40-knot realm) while ferrying eight guests, and its hull shape makes short work of East Penobscot Bay’s whitecapped waters. Better still, the helm’s 360-degree sightlines simplify the art of dodging the waterway’s lobster-pot armada.   

Take the next step: arksen.com

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The Candela C-8 Center Console is an electric, carbon-fiber yacht that rides on two hydrofoils. The boat’s onboard sensors constantly measure wave and ride height, plus pitch and roll. This information is fed into the vessel’s Flight Controller, which trims the foils up to 6,000 times per minute, removing all guesswork from “flying” the boat. In addition, the vessel’s 55-kilowatt C-POD drive is situated below the water’s surface. Its foils retract for accessing skinny waters, and owners can choose from a menu of customization options.

Whom It’s For: Adventure-minded boaters who want speed, performance and hydrofoil tech without the noise of an internal-combustion engine.

Picture This: It’s a crisp, clear late-summer afternoon on Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay, and you feel like having an adventure. So you and a couple of buddies hop in your Candela C-8 Center Console and hydrofoil around Jamestown Island, stopping for a swim at Mackerel Cove. And you’re back in Newport in time for dinner at The Candy Store.  

Take the next step: candela.com

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Thrill-seekers, rejoice. Wally’s new wallypower58X combines the luxury and comfort of the inboard wallypower58 (which debuted at last year’s Cannes Yachting Festival) with the muscle of outboard power. Using quad 600 hp Mercury Verado V-12 engines, the Italian builder says the wallypower58X can reach 50 knots and can cruise at 42 knots for 320 nautical miles. This 57-footer made its world debut at the recent Palm Beach International Boat Show.

While the outboard engines will garner most boaters’ initial looks, the rest of the after section of the wallypower58X has a lot to offer. Here, there’s a four-person sun pad with cushions that allows for forward-facing seating or aft-facing lounging by the sea. At the touch of a button, an electrically actuated awning rises to provide protection from the elements. This space is further enhanced when the bulwarks to port and starboard fold outward, creating a 269-square-foot beach club with room for modular furniture and guests.

And, like the wallytender48X and wallytender43X siblings, the wallypower58X has a hydraulic passerelle on centerline for easy boarding.

Farther forward, there are two sofas beneath the cockpit hardtop: one to starboard and one to port. The starboard-side seating is accompanied by a dinette. Forward of the portside seating, there is a customizable galley. Here, the hardtop can open for ventilation, or, for chillier outings, the cockpit can be fully enclosed and heated.

Follow the side decks forward, and there is an additional sun lounge on the foredeck. In total, Wally says, 12 to 16 people can comfortably fit on the wallypower58X’s main deck.

Standard accommodations belowdecks include a forepeak master stateroom with a queen-size berth and an en suite head to starboard. Centerline stairs lead down from the main deck to what Wally calls a “full-beam double salon” with sofas to port and starboard. The day head, with a separate shower, is to port. Owners can also opt to convert the portside salon into a guest stateroom that has direct access to the day head.

To maintain the brand’s trademark exterior lines, and for further protection and privacy, this boat has what Wally calls magic portholes: 55-inch flat-screen TVs that relay external views via hullside cameras.  

Take the next step: wally.com

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Wooden Boats’ Limo Tender 27 is aimed at owners who want to create a versatile side ride that’s customizable and that can stand double duty as both a tender and a can-do day cruiser. Wooden Boats relied extensively on carbon fiber to create a strong and lightweight hull form that can carry up to 12 passengers—plus two crewmembers—while still attaining speeds of up to 37 knots when powered by a 270 hp Mercury diesel engine with a stern drive.

Whom It’s For: Boating enthusiasts seeking a tender that can accommodate people, pets and provisions while also delivering get-there-quick speeds and the kind of fun that encourages stand-alone adventures.

Picture This: You’re cruising Sardinia, and the internationally famous Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is unfurling off of Porto Cervo. Your kids and their friends want to watch the massive sailboats racing, so you load up your Wooden Boats Limo Tender 27 and cruise out to the starting line. The guns fire, and, with speed to spare, you easily chase the racing sleds through the Maddalena Archipelago and home through Bomb Alley. Afterward, the boat’s fold-out swim platform proves universally popular.

Take the next step: woodenboats.it

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I don’t normally pay much attention to taglines, but Wally’s current one—“20 years ahead”—is an exception. Remember the WallyPower 118? It was Wally founder Luca Bassani’s personal vision of what superyachting could be. It launched 20 years ago but still looks like it’s only just dropped in from outer space. Then there are the various smaller wallypowers that have launched since, the new wallywhys that are phasing in now, and the various iterations of wallytenders, the first of which caused a stir more than 25 years ago. All carry the same futuristic design cues. And who would argue that the new wallypower58 doesn’t look like it’s 20 years ahead of the game too?

The wallypower58 has a distinct aesthetic with a square stem; a clean, hard-chined hull; and a sharp, mostly glass superstructure. The high foredeck has deck lighting and flush sun-pad inlays, and a cockpit Wally calls a semi-open salon. That last space has hardtop protection above as well as full side glazing to plug the gaps between the roof and deck. Overall, the hull volume allocates guest spaces roughly 50-50 inside and outside.

Tanks, engines and pods are beneath the cockpit sole, and there’s carbon-fiber detailing and teak decking everywhere. The decking is particularly impressive where it wraps over the after lip of the swim platform and where it lines the bulwarks. Their after sections fold down to add around 54 square feet of deck space. The whole open-deck area then provides something like 325 square feet of space.

The star attraction aft is a 77-square-foot island sun bed with an awning stretched over a carbon-fiber frame that stows neatly around the base unit. Amidships beneath the coachroof, there’s around 6-foot-9-inch headroom and sofas down each side. The starboard one has a dining table that can be supplemented by free-standing chairs. The forward area beneath the one-piece curved and heavily back-raked windshield includes two high-backed carbon pilot seats to starboard that address a small-diameter horizontal wheel. They look like they could have been plucked from the starship Enterprise.

As with most open models, the accommodations closure is a sliding hatch inboard of the helm, which is nicely arranged with all the switches and instrumentation set into carbon-look moldings. Two Garmin displays dominate the console, where visibility is superb. An electric sunroof above the windshield provides natural ventilation when the air-conditioning is off.

The standard belowdecks arrangement includes a lower salon with two long sofas—one on either side, a head to starboard and a stall shower to port. Forward, there is a stateroom with an aft-facing double berth. The lockers and closets have a rather 1950s luggage look about them, a great contrast to the ultramodern vibe everywhere else.

A smaller, double-berth stateroom with a door, or a single crew cabin with hatch access from the cockpit, are the options on the port side of the lower salon, which also includes a surprise: Instead of hullside windows, this model has what Wally calls magic portholes. Two 55-inch flat-screen TVs can relay real-time images from cameras in the vessel’s sides, or the TVs can relay recordings of the owner’s favorite bay when he’s tied up at the dock, or the TVs can play movies or games. This setup keeps the 58’s sleek hull lines pristine and is more efficient to build, as real windows require significant structures around the apertures as well as laminated glass.

There are two choices when it comes to propulsion: triple Volvo Penta D8-550/IPS700s or triple D8-600/IPS800s, which deliver reported maximum speeds of 35 to 36 knots and 37 to 38 knots, respectively. The boat I got aboard had the most-powerful, 470-cubic-inch, six-cylinder inline diesels, which, at a bit more than half load and in auto-trim mode with the Seakeeper 9 off, delivered virtually 38 knots at just over 2,900 rpm. Wallys always run every bit as well as they look, slicing efficiently and heeling into the turns just enough.

At an all-day, everyday 30 knots at 2,500 rpm, the ultimate range is around 350 nautical miles, much the same as it would be at 20 knots and 2,000 rpm, so there’s no real incentive to cruise halfheartedly with this machine. The onboard management system synchronizes the propulsion of all three pods while in ahead mode, so with only the usual twin control levers at the helm, the skipper drives the boat just like he would if the boat had a twin-engine installation. When maneuvering astern, those two levers only engage the outer engines.

At the heart of a Wally build is style, performance, luxury and a bit of avant-garde thinking. It’s a formula that has made the brand a fan favorite, creating a niche that only it can own. And the wallypower58 owns it well.

The X Factor

The first Wally 58X version recently arrived in Florida. This iteration has quad 600 hp V-12 Mercury Verado outboards, which means a top-end speed of around 50 knots and a quoted fast-cruise range of 290 nautical miles. Normally, aboard an open yacht of this size with a quad rack, owners have to sacrifice some accessibility to the water aft, but fold-down quarter platforms are game-changers in that regard.

On Watch

Wally’s parent company, the Ferretti Group, used the launch of the wallypower58 to say it will soon be one of the first yachtbuilders to offer Watchit anti-collision and grounding systems across its portfolio. Developed by Israeli company Aqua Marine Tech, these systems warn captains about navigational dangers. The tech’s artificial-intelligence technology interprets data from GPS, chart plotters, AIS, radar, sonar, proximity sensors and more.

Take the next step: wally.com

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The Capoforte SQ240i is a silent, electrically powered dayboat that provides a lot of lounging space and a sizable swim platform. The boat’s plumb bow flares widely as it rises to meet the deck, and these lines carry aft to create additional beam. The center-console’s open layout includes a V-shaped settee that converts to a dining area once the table is slipped into place. There’s walk-around space from the console to the stern, and the boat can accommodate up to 10 people.

Whom It’s For: Boaters who want a silent, DC-powered dayboat that doubles as a swimming, lounging and socializing platform.

Picture This: It’s a perfect day in Miami. You load up your Capoforte SQ240i, silently spin your family over to Nixon Sandbar, and throw the hook for an afternoon of swimming, reading, picnicking and unapologetic sun-worshiping.  

Take the next step: capoforteboats.com

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What a shame that I had only an afternoon to play with Axopar’s new flagship, the 45 XC. When I first saw it the day before, the boat was tied to an outer pontoon at the Cannes Yachting Festival with a kayak and an electric mountain bike strapped to the coachroof rack, unwashed salt glistening in the early autumn sunshine. The 45 XC looked liked it had just returned from an epic voyage. These Finnish-designed crossover vessels look adventure-ready.

Outwardly, all Axopars share the same design cues: slightly reversed stems, a glimpse of hull steps at the waterline, high bulwarks and deep walkaround decks. On the bigger models, there are also cabins with an explorer-style, raked-forward windshield.

The XC in this model’s name stands for “cross cabin.” Think of a nautical multitool, and you will get the gist. Every cubic inch aboard has a function—or three. Stuff slides back and forth, glides up and down, and rotates this way and that way to meet all manner of guest demands.

For instance, when pushed forward, the 45 XC’s side-deck doors open up the after half of the cabin to the side decks, a feature that is made all the more interesting by fold-down bulwark sections that increase on-deck real estate and reinforce the connection with the sea beyond. With the addition of a couple of cushions, those fold-down surfaces become bench seats. Conversely, push those side doors back, and the bridge end of the cabin opens up. Moreover, a furniture module amidships can slide back and forth to maximize floor space forward or aft, while sunroofs above bathe the space in sunshine and fresh air.

The forward cuddy cabin, accessed via a sliding door to port of the helm and located down a few steps, has a lower salon with wraparound sofa seating and a V-berth tucked into the bow for overnights, long weekends or just rainy-day quiet time with a book. A head-shower compartment is to starboard. There is plenty of natural light, thanks to two windows and a skylight in the superstructure, which has sections that hinge up gull-wing-style to bring in more light and fresh air, as well as provide more access. With everything open, the 45 XC’s interior feels very different, making the forward cabin an inviting alternative during the day for those wanting shade and quietude.

Outside spaces are just as useful. There is a sun pad on the foredeck and various options for the cockpit, which comes bare as standard. The 45 XC that I got aboard has a U-shaped booth setup, but an alternative arrangement places a sun pad on top of the boat’s aft cabin that’s big enough for a second double berth and an extra head. The latter option also has a sizable window facing aft onto the motor casings and twin hatches that are otherwise hidden beneath the sun pad cushions.

The Axopar 45 XC is rigged for Mercury outboard power, and the one I got aboard came with the biggest available option: triple 300 hp Mercury Verados. Weather permitting, 900 heavy horses should deliver up to a cheek-flapping 48 knots comfortably. Frustratingly, during the early stages of my sea trial, we were bucking 3-plus-foot seas and a stiff southwesterly, so our best runs remained in the low-40-knot range for a long while until, by chance, we found a slightly calmer patch of water to push those ergonomically friendly throttles to the pins. A couple of reciprocal runs soon confirmed that the gloves could come off properly. From a standing start, the 45 XC was on plane in around 10 seconds, and just 20 seconds later, the boat managed a couple of reciprocal runs of 43 and 47 knots. The 45 XC that I was aboard was running a little under half load with two people, no stores, three-quarters fuel and a half-empty water tank.

Helm ergonomics are good, and the vessel’s handling is precise, although if the helmsman turns the wheel over too sharply, the 45 XC can oversteer, and those hull steps will momentarily lose their lift. Given suitable sea conditions, this crossover craft fast-cruises efficiently all day at around 28 knots, which equates to 5,000 rpm, or 80 percent of the engines’ maximum rev range. At that rate and allowing for a 10 percent fuel reserve, expect to get a 240-nautical-mile range between fuel stops. Nudge the speed up by 10 knots, and it will knock only around 50 nm off the cruising-speed range.

Most of the Axopar 45 XCs already sold for North American destinations are bound for South Florida, with options such as air conditioning, a wet bar and fishing amenities.

These crossover boats are indeed adventure-ready, no matter what type of at-sea adventure an owner has in mind.

The Range

The Axopar model lineup includes 11 models across five core hull sizes: 22, 25, 28, the best-selling 37 and, most recently, the flagship 45. If the standard offerings aren’t enough, German performance enhancer Brabus Marine has pimped-up versions of the 25, 28 and 38. They are billed as the Brabus Shadow 300s, 500s and 900s.

Design Origins

Axopars are built in Poland, but the creative team is Finnish. The concepts come from company founder Jan-Erik Viitala.

Take the next step: axopar.fi

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