Turkish builder Vicem Yachts proves that traditional styling is still in vogue with the 65 Classic Flybridge. The 66-footer has downeast lines, is available in fiberglass and cold-molded versions, can speed away when necessary, and has modern liveaboard comforts.

From the cockpit, the flybridge is accessed via starboard-side stairs. Up top, C-shaped seating converts to a sun pad. Two wooden dinettes are nearby for snacks, drinks or meals. Abaft this settee is an aft-facing sun pad for two. To starboard, there is a wet bar with a barbecue, a sink and a fridge/freezer to assist with alfresco entertaining. Forward of the wet bar is the two-seat upper helm station with twin 17-inch Garmin displays.

On the main deck, the teak cockpit has an L-shaped settee in the after portside corner. It’s accompanied by a wooden dinette. Forward and to port are two Besenzoni bar stools shaded by the flybridge, and connected via a frameless electric window to the salon, bar and sink inside.

The salon has an L-shaped settee to port with a coffee table. To starboard, there are cabinets and enough space for two free-standing chairs that won’t impede anyone’s ability to walk forward to the lower helm station, which has two Garmin screens and a door that provides side-deck access for easier docking.

Belowdecks, the 65 Classic Flybridge is flexible. The standard layout includes two en suite staterooms: a full-beam amidships master with a king-size berth and a forward VIP. Separating the two staterooms is a space that the builder calls a dining and lounge area, which has a head. With a sliding door, the overall space converts to a third en suite guest stateroom.

The 65 Classic Flybridge’s galley is also belowdecks, to port. It has a four-burner cooktop, cabinets, a sink and a microwave across from an L-shaped countertop.

In terms of the yacht’s exterior looks, Vicem says a light-blue hull has been the most popular paint selection, but colors are customizable.

Standard motors are 725 hp Volvo Penta D11 straight-shaft diesels. With optional Volvo Penta IPS1350 diesels, the builder reports a 32-knot top-end speed and a 26-knot cruising speed. Additional features include a hydraulic swim platform and four 630-amp lithium batteries that provide more than 15 hours of operating time at anchor.  

Take the next step: vicemyachts.com

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“My kids have a saying: Incoming wind, outgoing tide makes for a bumpy Kennebec ride,” Rich Miner says about cruising aboard his Nantucket skiff on Maine’s Kennebec River. The Down East skiff’s flagship standing in the family was usurped when Miner, the co-founder of Android, added other rides, including a C.W. Hood-drawn Katama 30. Miner’s newest whip, the first Hood 35 LM, Shadow, represents all that he’s learned about Maine boating, technology and bespoke design.

While his success with Android means that Miner has his choice of yachts, his love of hands-on design and Maine’s working waterfronts, as well as his desire to commute between his Maine island properties, led him to commission the first Hood 35 LM. It’s also a C.W. Hood design, built by Lyman-Morse. And while it may look like a traditional, cold-molded Down East dayboat, it actually has everything, from Hamilton HJX Series water-jet drives to a planned Sea Machines autonomous command-and-control system.

Miner, who is 58, grew up in Natick, Massachusetts, roughly 20 miles from Massachusetts Bay. He was a suburban kid whose parents bought a small Bayliner that they kept in Gloucester. This served as his introduction to boating, but the sport’s gravitational pull didn’t resume until after he completed his undergraduate work, master’s degree and Ph.D. in the 1980s and ’90s, and then started the companies Wildfire and Android.

“Maybe 20 years ago, I picked it up again, when we bought our first place in Maine,” Miner says. The Nantucket skiff was the first of many small boats that would join his fleet there (see sidebar).

Years later, the Miners acquired a camp farther Down East. These properties border brine, allowing him to sometimes commute between them by water.

“At max throttle, it’s effectively a three-hour boat ride, door to door,” he says about traveling from his property on Atkins Bay in Phippsburg to his camp on Eggemoggin Reach aboard his previously owned C.W. Hood-designed Katama 30, which he acquired in late 2015. Part of his reason for building his Hood 35 LM was time. “I’d like to be able to be able to cruise back and forth in less than three hours,” he says.

So, that was one reason for the Hood 35 LM, whose reported top speed is more than 40 knots. Another reason was design.

“I have strong views on form, and I have strong views on function,” he says, adding that in his next life, “I’ll be an architect.” For him, owning the Katama 30 was a chance to “see what I like and don’t like in a boat this size.”

The Katama was originally a coupe, so Miner asked Hood to design a hardtop with removable windows. Hood delivered, and a working relationship developed. Four years later, Hood was in the endgame of building a 57-footer for a client with Lyman-Morse in Camden, Maine. “I really like Drew Lyman,” Miner says, adding that Lyman brings a generational shift to the company that his father, Cabot Lyman, founded in 1978. “He’s big into leveraging tech in really smart ways…but with really beautiful wooden boats.”

The Hood 35 LM is thus an exercise in form meeting its function, with a nod to other popular Maine designs such as the Hinckley Picnic Boat.

“I like the idea of a Picnic Boat, but more minimalist,” Miner says, adding that he appreciates cold-molded wooden hulls for their strength-to-weight ratio, overall resilience, and sound- and vibration-dampening properties. The Hood 35 LM also had to be small enough to frequent Five Islands Lobster Co. in Georgetown (near one of his homes) while accommodating overnights with his family of four. He needed the perfect mid-range cruiser.

Miner worked with Hood to create custom cockpit bench seating that converts into two twin berths, an innovative V-berth that converts to a “queen-ish”-size master, and hinged windows and access panels that disappear into bulkheads. “It’s a really clean design,” says Miner, adding that the extra 5 feet of waterline between his single-jet Katama and his dual-jet Hood 35 LM accommodates the yacht’s advanced systems.

Advanced systems include twin HamiltonJet HJX Series water-jet drives and AVX controls, which should be ideal in the land of lobster pots. There are also dual 19-inch Raymarine Axiom multifunction displays, a Cyclone radar, a YachtSense digital switching and control system, a ClearCruise AR-enhanced navigation system, and a FLIR thermal-imaging camera. “It’s Android at its core,” Miner says of the Raymarine operating system.

Cooler still, Miner also spec’d HamiltonJet’s JetSense, an autonomous command-and-control system that Sea Machines builds. “It can be used a lot like Tesla Autopilot,” Miner says, adding that the system has several levels of autonomy. “One is better situational awareness while you’re at the helm,” while another is “a full autonomous version that can do a lot of the driving.”

In more traditional fashion, Miner’s Hood 35 LM carries 40 gallons of fresh water, 20 gallons of blackwater and 240 gallons of fuel, giving it a range of 240 nautical miles (with a 10 percent reserve) at its reported cruising speed of 32 knots at 30 gph. Hammers down, the boat will do 40 knots at 42 gph.

While Miner hadn’t yet taken delivery at the time of this writing, odds are excellent that the new boat will make negotiating the Kennebec a far more comfortable and technologically advanced affair, irrespective of wind and tide.

Full-Scale Charrette

Lyman-Morse built a cardboard mock-up of the Hood 35 LM prior to construction. The helm looked boxy, so Miner worked with the Lyman-Morse team to create a curved carbon-fiber helm with a wood-veneer face and exposed carbon ends. Miner says the result is “beautiful and contemporary.” 

Unblinking Eyes

Everything about Miner’s Hood 35 LM is aimed at meeting the aesthetics and practicalities of the Maine coastline. This includes lobster pots. To help evade these navigational challenges, the boat carries a FLIR M364C thermal-imaging camera, which can deliver high-definition color and thermal imagery, as well as blends of the two.

Mosquito Fleet

The Hood 35 LM is Miner’s flagship, but he owns several hundred feet of waterline. His armada includes a Katama 30, a Nantucket skiff, a Banks Cove 22 Center Console, 10 kayaks, a rowing shell, two Puffin tenders, a Portland Pudgy, a home-built wooden rowing tender, a Little River Marine Heritage 15 Carbon rowboat, two stand-up paddleboards and a canoe. 

Take the next step: cwhoodyachts.com; lymanmorse.com

The post The High-Tech Hood 35 LM appeared first on Yachting.

Sabre Yachts in Maine is on track for the spring 2022 unveiling of the Sabre 43 Salon Express, which will replace the Sabre 42 Salon Express in the builder’s lineup.

Since 1987, Sabre has built more than 660 boats in the 40 to 45-foot range. The 43 Salon Express will have Down East proportions, a salon with two seating areas, a half-up galley, and a belowdecks hybrid lounge (that can be a guest berth, retreat or private office). The master stateroom has an island berth, and a utility room beneath the salon sole can be used for stowage, laundry, wine chillers or other needs.

The 43 Salon Express also will be the first fully networked Sabre below 58 feet length overall. That means owners can check critical functions, and control circuits or lighting, from the helm’s multifunction displays or an iPad mini.

What other features are built into the Sabre 43 Salon Express? GPS monitoring, geofencing, alarms and more are available via smartphone through an included Sentinel Telematics feature.

Take the next step: go to sabreyachts.com

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Back Cove Yachts has started production on the Back Cove 372, an update to the Back Cove 37 model that made its debut in 2009 and now includes more than 200 hulls on the water.

“For years, we have enjoyed hearing from our 37 Owners about the boat’s legendarily friendly ride and hull characteristics, and listened intently to every suggestion for improvement,” Kevin Burns, vice president of product development and design, stated in a press release. “In 2020, the production molds used to build the 37′s composite parts finally surrendered to boatbuilding wear and tear, and needed to be taken offline for rehabilitation. We took this opportunity to reexamine the 37 with all of that owner feedback and our recent design advancements in mind.”

The Back Cove 372 will have a more efficient 24-volt DC electrical system, a Volvo Penta D8 engine option, a Side-Power SE 100 bow thruster, reduced glare at the helm, and more space for navigation electronics. A wood-framed smart TV will be in the salon, and the boat will have an upgraded Fusion Apollo stereo system.

Are there more changes coming in the Back Cove 372? Yes. They include optional EPS steering, an optional MakeFast shade in the cockpit, and optional teak cockpit tables.

Where to learn more: visit backcoveyachts.com

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MCM in Newport, Rhode Island, has been appointed the owner’s representative for this 68-foot Doug Zurn design that Delta Marine is building in Seattle.

The owner, according to Peter Wilson of MCM, has had several production boats and wants to upgrade the quality of his next Downeast-style express cruiser to a superyacht standard. “The only way to do that was with a custom design and a bespoke shipyard,” Wilson stated in a press release.

Construction will be infused epoxy, e-glass and Corecell/Airex for a displacement of just over 30 tons at half-load. Seakeeper stabilizers and Humphree interceptors will provide ride stability.

Accommodations for six guests will be belowdecks, with three staterooms and two heads.

When is the express cruiser scheduled to be delivered? During the second half of 2021.

For more information, visit: mcmnewport.com

The post Coming Soon: Downeast-inspired Custom 68-foot Yacht appeared first on Yachting.

There is the straight sheer line. A raised trunk cabin with oval ports. And the gently cambered hardtop. These ingredients help create the ageless lines of the Hinckley Sport Boat 40x: a positive attribute when thinking about the yacht’s long-term value. However, this vessel is also packed with modern features, starting with what lies beneath her profile.

The hull is carbon fiber (inner layer) and Kevlar (outer layer) with Corecell foam coring, all infused with epoxy via the Seemann Composite Resin Infusion Molding Process. The relatively lightweight hull—20,000 pounds with full fuel, half water and four people—is then post-cured to further enhance strength. Hinckley guarantees its hulls for life for the yacht’s original owner.

The Taylor Made windshield is a single pane that wraps around the 40x’s bridge deck like sunglasses. There’s no warping or distorted views—even down low in the corners—a helpful characteristic for the skipper when making hard-over turns. Side windows slide open, creating a cross breeze when desired, and two hatches over the bridge deck lift to increase airflow even more. A power-hatch option allows them to dog down automatically.

Belowdecks, flip a switch on the satin-finish cherry bulkhead, and the forepeak master berth opens like scissors, forming two bench seats. A teak table rises from the below, converting the sleeping space into a dining area for four or more people.

A second berth amidships faces athwartships and is the spot for the kids to sleep during weekend getaways with the family. Everyone shares a single head with a shower to starboard, between the two berths.

These and other contemporary design touches give the 40x a cool factor, but the Ray Hunt-designed, deep-V hull form matched to triple (and optional) 425 hp Yamaha outboards is what gives this cruiser a notable “wow” factor. During sea trials on the waters off Sag Harbor, New York, the 40x made an average top hop of 46.5 knots at 6,000 rpm. At this speed, the engines consume 108 gallons per hour. Considering a 10 percent reserve on the yacht’s 450-gallon fuel tank, range is about 174 nautical miles at her top speed. Dial those engines back to 4,500 rpm, and fuel burn drops to 56 gph while cruise speed is 34.8 knots. At cruise, the 40x’s range increases to around 251 nm. At 4,000 rpm and 30 knots, fuel burn is 44 gph and range ticks up to 276 nm.

Classic style cues. Modern build techniques. High performance. These three attributes sum up the impressive whole that is the Hinckley Sport Boat 40x.

Take the next step: hinckleysportboats.com

The post Reviewed: Hinckley Sport Boat 40x appeared first on Yachting.

The Yachting staff has traveled far and wide to sea trial the 10 yachts that follow. Sit back, grab a coffee, and let’s go for a ride.

MJM 53z

Combining a classic Down East look with a modern engine package, the MJM 53z’s standard power is quad 350s, propelling it to an average top hop of 49 knots. You can also cruise comfortably at just under 32 knots for about 320 nautical miles on 910 gallons of fuel. There are two staterooms belowdecks: a forepeak master with an en suite head and a step-up berth and an aft guest stateroom with either a double berth or two twins.

Take the next step: mjmyachts.com

Viking Yachts 46 Billfish

The Viking Yachts 46 Billfish is a suitable, entry-level boat equipped to help owners enter the traveling, tournament-circuit-ready stage. Its standard power is twin 715 hp Cummins QSM11 diesels, with twin 800 hp MAN i6-800 diesels as an option. In total, there are two staterooms: the forepeak master with a queen island berth and a hanging locker; and the port-side guest stateroom with two bunks. A single head with a walk-in shower are situated portside.

Take the next step: vikingyachts.com

Sunseeker Hawk 38

At its core, the Sunseeker Hawk 38 is about speed. Powered by twin Mercury Verado 400Rs, this boat can reach a maximum speed of 62 knots. To ensure durability and a relatively smooth ride in choppy waters, the hulls and decks are made of post-cured vinylester that are combined using a technique involving bonding compounds, longitudinal aluminum extrusions and polyurethane. For convenience, you’ll find a head amidships and a waterproof locker in the bow.

Take the next step: sunseeker.com

Monte Carlo Yachts 66

The Monte Carlo Yachts 66 is purposeful in its design and make. It has three staterooms in total: a full-beam master amidships, a forepeak VIP stateroom with an en suite head and a third stateroom abaft the VIP and to starboard with twin berths and access to the day-head. Furthermore, the hull is made of vacuum-infused fiberglass with foam coring, optimizing the fiberglass-to-resin ratio and reducing the overall weight, according to the builder.

Take the next step: montecarloyachts.it

Maritimo X50

A stern beach club belowdecks on the Maritimo X50 is the highlight of the features on this 52-footer. It can be configured into a third stateroom with twin berths or into an office capable of fitting two chairs and a desk. Additionally, there’s a full-beam master stateroom amidships and another forepeak stateroom that can sleep two. Twin Volvo D11-670 MHP engines give the X50 a top hop of 33 knots.

Take the next step: maritimo.com

Princess Yachts Y85

Beneath the fiberglass hardtop of the Princess Yachts Y85 is a boat that exudes luxury and comfort. There is an option for a spa aft and four staterooms, including a full-beam master amidships with an en suite head and his-and-her sinks and a forepeak VIP stateroom with a walk-in closet and an en suite head. The Y85 can reach a top hop of 28 knots on 1,900 hp MAN V-12 diesels.

Take the next step: princessyachtsamerica.com

Ocean Alexander 45 Divergence

The Ocean Alexander 45 Divergence is the yachtbuilder’s first center-console. Port and starboard fold-down bulwarks aft extend the 45’s natural beam from 13 feet, 9 inches to 19 feet, 1 inch. It runs on quad 350 hp Mercury Verado outboards, cruising at 28 knots at 4,500 rpm for 316 nautical miles. Top hop is 41 knots for 237 nm.

Take the next step: oceanalexander.com

Zeelander Z72

On its surface, the Zeelander Z72 is noticed by its high bow and signature raked and rounded transom. What this 72-footer, the longest in Zeelander’s yard, offers beneath is also noteworthy: a three-stateroom setup with the master forward, each with en suite heads; standard triple 725 hp Volvo Penta IPS950s providing a top hop of 28 to 29 knots; and an amidships tender garage capable of fitting a Williams Turbojet 325 (LOA: 10 feet, 9 inches).

Take the next step: zeelander.com

Tiara Sport 38 LS

Aboard the Tiara Sport 38 LS, there’s a hardtop with a sunroof and a single-pane windshield that help protect the three bolster-style helm seats. Aft of the helm seating and separated by a sink and cutting board are twin seats that are still sheltered by the extensive hardtop. On the stern, there’s uncovered U-shape seating with a table. Belowdecks is a full head, a full-size berth and a closet.

Take the next step: tiarasport.com

Cruiser Yachts 46 Cantius

Upon stepping aboard the Cruiser Yachts 46 Cantius from the stern, passengers will immediately notice one of this 47-footer’s primary features: a hydraulic swim platform. That’s followed by a transom electric grill and fridge, making meal prep for a cockpit-based, L-shape settee that can accommodate six to eight people easy. Standard power is twin 435 hp Volvo Penta IPS600 diesels with pod drives, delivering a 31.1-knot top speed.

Take the next step: cruiseryachts.com

The post 10 Yachts for a New Season appeared first on Yachting.

When Bob Johnstone, his wife, Mary, and son Peter launched MJM Yachts in 2002, the founders of the J/Boat sailing-yacht dynasty felt like they had entered the bizarro world. “I thought I’d be the last guy to own a powerboat company,” Johnstone says. “We decided to get into it because we’d owned a 29-foot Downeast-style boat, and it wasn’t designed for cruising. We used it a lot between racing on weekends but found that the head was small, the pilothouse was uncomfortable, and there wasn’t seating in the cockpit for guests.” Much as they had done with ­J/Boats, the Johnstones came up with a formula, this time for a new-style Downeaster. They compiled a list of their favorite boats and cherry-picked features. “The bow had to have a Carolina flare that could cross big seas without getting wet, have the sheer line of a PT boat, layout of a Maine lobster boat and sightlines of a ’50s Matthews cruiser,” Johnstone says. “Oh, and it had to be light, tough and luxurious.”

The Johnstones tapped naval architect Doug Zurn of Marblehead, Massachusetts, best-known for having created the Shelter Island 38 for singer Billy Joel. He designed 30 renditions of the first MJM yacht before finalizing it. As the builder, the Johnstones enlisted Boston BoatWorks, known for ultra-lightweight, oceangoing Grand Prix racing sailboats.

“The bow had to have a Carolina flare that could cross big seas without getting wet, have the sheer line of a PT boat, layout of a Maine lobster boat and sightlines of a ’50s Matthews cruiser.” — Bob Johnstone, founder, MJM Yachts

Fast forward 15 years to the MJM 43z — built on the same hull as the company’s 40z inboard, but with triple 350 hp Mercury Verado outboards. Two clients brought the idea to the Johnstones at the same time. One had owned three J/Boats in the 1980s and was on his second MJM, the inboard-powered 40z; he wanted outboards to avoid running aground in the shallows of southwest Florida.

I ran that owner’s 43z, Annabelle III, from his home port. The yacht has an elegant, long forefoot, tall pilothouse and soft tumblehome, with the white Verados on the stern. He chose a custom gray exterior with an orange stripe (he modeled it after the Porsche 911 GT3 RS) that makes for a stylish contrast to the white topsides. Simply tacking the outboards to the stern could have ruined the classic MJM profile, but Zurn sculpted the transom so the new engines were integral to the design. The yacht also has two side doors and transom doors for access from the dock, and standard features that include helm electronics, Lectrotab electric trim tabs, a Fusion entertainment system, a VacuFlush head, an Indel Webasto freezer and a memory-foam mattress.

We only hit 1- to 2-foot seas during our test, but the yacht handled them without slamming. The 43z’s 45-degree deadrise at the bow transitions to 18.5 degrees at the transom, in a design that should give it a softer ride in big seas. Annabelle III can hit a 44-knot top-end in flat water, her owner says, though the top speed on our sea trial was 42.8 knots. The 43z turns crisply, like a much smaller boat, holding tight through the turns. It’s a fun yacht to drive. And though there’s a 3-foot draft, when stern-to on a beach with the outboards up, the vessel can sit in 2 feet of water.

Annabelle III’s owner likes the joystick piloting and Skyhook station-keeping system, and the 1-knot speed gain of the Verados versus his 40z’s inboard power plants (which he says produced more vibration). The cavern in the 43z’s cockpit deck where the inboards were on his 40z holds an inflatable RIB, its outboard, a life raft and his golf clubs. He chose options including sliding-glass side panels, a power-opening windshield, a Seakeeper 5 stabilizer, a 6 kW Westerbeke genset, 32,000 Btu air conditioning and KVH satellite television.

The pilothouse has two seats at the helm, with more guest seating forward of an L-shaped portside lounge, and a fold-down teak table and lounge to starboard. The helm station has Simrad electronics (4G radar, Evo3 chart plotter, autopilot) on 16- and 9-inch displays, with a smaller console for the Verados. A 24-inch Edson stainless-steel wheel with varnished teak trim is a reminder that this MJM is a New England-built yacht. Annabelle III’s owner also went with Esthec synthetic teak decking, for Downeast class without traditional teak’s maintenance.

The cockpit has movable chairs with Ultraleather cushions, and an optional overhead Bimini top for shade. The sliding windows and opening windshield let in plenty of air, while a Strataglass screen drops in back whenever it’s time to batten down the hatches.

The interior has a Herreshoff-style look with white surfaces for bulkheads and countertops, teak-and-holly soles, and cherry hardwood for the joinery and overheads. Salon headroom is 6 feet 6 inches. The yacht has a single stateroom for a couple, while the salon table and lounges convert to a double berth for guests. Multiple hatches and windows create airflow throughout the interior.

Johnstone says that while some people may think of the 43z as a competitor to other Downeast models, he sees the yacht competing for attention against the new breed of large, outboard-powered center consoles.

“Someone who is used to running 45 knots won’t be very happy in a Downeast boat,” he says. “But most big outboard boats have trouble escaping their fishing heritage when it comes to cruising comfort. We’re giving them the opportunity to put the family into a yachtlike atmosphere.”

Built Like a Racer

For two decades, Boston BoatWorks cut its teeth building multimillion-dollar Grand Prix racing sailboats, where every ounce counted. Now, the builder on Charleston Harbor in downtown Boston builds only the MJM line, using the same wet epoxy, pre-preg materials with vacuum-molding and post-cure oven processes. Epoxy resin is 25 percent stronger than the polyester resin used in most boatbuilding, with higher elongation properties for durability. Epoxy also has superior resistance to water degradation. BBW uses Kevlar in the outer skin to make the boat stronger and lighter. “MJM boats require less horsepower than many of their competitors,” says Scott Smith, BBW’s managing director. “In some cases, we’re half the weight of same-sized boats trying to gain speeds over 20 knots.” MJMs are also built for longevity. “The differences in the way we build the boat won’t be apparent for 10 years,” Smith says. “We’re coming up to our 250th MJM and are seeing 34zs we built 14 years ago in excellent condition. By using the best materials and methods, these boats will stay low maintenance and easy to use. It’s a boat that you can pass along.”

The post MJM’s 43z Adds Outboards to Traditional Design appeared first on Yachting.

MJM Yachts has announced plans for a new flagship: the MJM 53z.

The first hulls, designed by Doug Zurn, are on track for delivery in summer 2019, each with quadruple 350 hp Mercury Verado outboard engines. Top speed is expected to be about 43.5 knots.

The release of the MJM 53z will up the size ante from the MJM 50z, which has a top speed of 40 knots. The 53z will have the same builder: Boston BoatWorks, which is known for epoxy-composite construction.

Inside, the MJM 53z will have two ensuite staterooms, a flush bridge deck and power windshields for climate control. A Seakeeper gyrostabilizer will be standard.

Key specs for the MJM 53z: Length overall will be 56 feet 3 inches, and beam will be 15 feet even.

The post MJM 53z to Become Builder’s New Flagship appeared first on Yachting.