BOAT TESTS

Beautifully built and manically quick, few boats offer such a driving experience. You might be thinking you have seen the Cormate Explorer 35 before. Well, if you went to Düsseldorf last year, you may have spotted its close cousin, the Read More...

Nominated for the European Powerboat of the Year Award 2024, the Sterk 31RC Jo Moon and Mark Featherstone travel to the Continent to test the very latest offering from German sports boat manufacturer Sterk. But just how easy is it Read More...

Ed Hickling attends the launch of the award winning Nimbus 495 Flybridge. This flagship model is marketed as ‘an island of its own’. So, for those with the means, what does this floating real estate deliver? Nimbus have been producing Read More...

A gentlemen's cruiser Launched at the Düsseldorf Boat Show in 2014, the hybrid Greenline 48 is often described as a gentleman’s cruiser, attracting both powerboaters and ex-sailors alike. Ten years on and with ten 48s selling every year, this Slovenian Read More...

Northstar Orion 8 plus Honda's flagship V8 BF350 The Turkish RIB brand Northstar, owned by parent company the Marintek Group, first came into being in 2002 when they launched an array of craft that today includes an impressive line-up Read More...

Thoroughly Scandinavian, Saxdor’s GTC is tailor-made for UK waters, as Greg Copp discovers … When Saxdor made their debut back in 2019 offering a 20-footer for £25,000, price was their punching point. Not surprisingly, the options list was long, but Read More...

HMS and Ed Hickling form a pincer movement in an attempt to do battle with a 7.75m White Shark off Salcombe Harbour, Devon. Fortunately, no one got bitten and our illustrious pair lived to tell the tale! Read on if Read More...

Fast and functional, with the Axopar 29, no stone goes unturned. Looking to maintain dominance in a sector of the market they pioneered, Axopar have hit the water running with their new 29. Replacing the highly successful Axopar 28, this Read More...

RIB or hard boat? Zodiac’s 60-knot flagship is a tough-looking tool. Zodiac’s biggest boat to date is a vessel that intentionally sits between two popular and competing design concepts. The RIB and the centre console boat often appeal to similar Read More...

Greg Copp jumps on board a drop-dead white-knuckle blaster that will have you grinning like the Joker. Having already made an overseas impact, the Virtue V10 has at last reached our shores. Previewed in PBR two issues ago, we have Read More...

Fast, functional and super-sociable, the new F48 is Sessa to the core. Having made its debut in the US late last year, the F48 has already had an impact on Sessa’s order books. Closely based on the F47, it is Read More...

A contemporary take on the traditional sports cruiser concept. Greg Copp takes up the narrative. Arriving this summer, the Focus 3X blends the comfort of a sports cruiser with the white-knuckle feel of an open sports boat. Amsterdam-based Focus Motor Read More...

Greg Copp reports on a boat built for those that love it rough … Many high-performance offshore leisure craft constructed in this country have a race boat heritage. Ring Powercraft’s new 1080 Trophy is a good example. Based on the Read More...

Stylishly retro, the Gozzo Cabin 38 Mediterranean all-weather cruiser is equally suited to northern waters. Virtually unheard of in the UK, the Neapolitan yard of Apreamare is one of those long-standing yacht builders that make up the varied fabric of Read More...

Typically BRABUS, this top-tier adventure craft has few rivals. Ever since the collusion between Axopar and BRABUS, we have seen a steady trickle of Axopar-based BRABUS-branded adventure craft. The Shadow 1200 ST is the latest, following very close on the Read More...

Will the ‘flying lounge’ redefine the concept of luxury day boating? Greg Copp tests the 250 LE3 Sport from Regency …  One thing that has become more evident about the marine industry in recent years is its international dimension. Design Read More...

With its unique twin-drive system, the eD-TEC 32 C-Ultra is stretching the boundaries of green power. Aiming to make the electric performance RIB a more realistic offshore option, the eD 32 c-Ultra offers a 50-knot top speed and a 30-knot Read More...

With striking style, the Mansory Tecnorib takes the RIB concept to another level. Sacs Tecnorib, the official licensee of Pirelli inflatable boats, have launched the Mansory Pirelli 42 Special Edition. Powered by triple 500hp Mercury Verado V10s, this RIB is Read More...

Aesthetically Mediterranean, this Polish boat has a Nordic touch. Read the full test in our August/September 2024 issue. If you thought you were spoilt for choice in terms of fast open sports boats, you would not be far wrong. So Read More...

This 50-knot all-weather middleweight bristles with innovation. You do not need to be told that this boat hails from the Baltic, as it’s quite obvious. The dagger-like vertical-stem bow, twin-stepped hull, high-bulwark-enclosed side deck and the driver-focused helm are very Read More...

A hybrid-powered 48ft passage maker with the potential to cover some serious sea miles. Just months after the debut of the flybridge Sirena 48 at the 2023 Cannes show, a hybrid sibling is now looking to steal the limelight. However, Read More...

Bringing together solar, hydrogen and methanol, the Archipelago zero.63 features a low-carbon combination capable of crossing oceans. Archipelago Yachts and Chartwell Marine have just announced the final design for a low-carbon long-range passage maker. The aluminium-built Archipelago zero.63 harnesses cutting-edge Read More...

With a dart-like futuristic appearance and the option of 2000hp, the Wally Power 50 can be either Jekyll or Hyde. Launched at this year’s Düsseldorf boat show, the wallypower50 aims to bridge a gap between the wallypower58 and the wallytender48. Read More...

Oozing Mediterranean style, this is still a tough Nordic/Germanic powerboat. Following closely in the wake of the 41 XL/XP, this smaller sibling also comes in two versions. Whether you choose the more traditional diesel sterndrive model over the 800hp outboard-powered Read More...