For the Fairline Targa 65 GT, designer Alberto Mancini addressed a request made by numerous customers. They wanted larger areas for entertaining, so the designer maximized the use of windows, requested additional coats of varnish on the wood and used strategically placed lighting to create an open feel in the salon. He also used more loose furniture pieces to increase flexibility throughout. More...
The Ranger Tugs R-25 is an outboard-powered pocket cruiser designed for comfort and practicality. She has a versatile cockpit and user-friendly pilothouse that will let owners start the season earlier and extend it longer. She can sleep four and a couple could take a longer cruise with the private cabin in the bow and enclosed head.
Aviara’s AV32 was designed from the start to stand out. Her full-beam swim platform extends 3’10” (1.17 m) aft from the transom and there’s an electrically actuated swim step that comes out from underneath to create a private beach. It has a 1,000-lb. (453.59 kg) capacity and the grabrail on the trailing edge is handy for swimmers to hang onto when the engines are off. Her aft lounges also convert into many configurations.More...
Thanks to more modern design and manufacturing processes, today’s generation of outboards are lighter and more fuel-efficient. All brands we have tested perform significantly better than their 4-stroke predecessors, to say nothing of old 2-stroke engines. Own a boat with a tired 150-hp outboard or two? Repowering with a 175-hp outboard or a pair will provide more power and longer range.
A good product for National Safe Boating Week is the ACR ResQLink View, a buoyant personal locator beam that requires no subscription and includes a digital display that provides live status and GPS coordinates. BUT – it won’t keep you from drowning. For that, you need to be wearing a PFD. More...
The Z20 has the Nitro Vortex Technology (NVT) bottom design that includes “organic parabolic strakes.” Company engineers say parabolic strakes are stronger than flat or angled surfaces, provide less resistance and truer high-speed tracking. When NVT is combined with the Rapid Planing System (RPS), a centerline keel pad, the Z20 planes quickly and runs faster than a boat without it. With a 250-hp outboard, our test boat planed in 3.8 seconds and hit a top speed of 76.6 mph. More...
Even with all his experience at the helm of thousands of boats, Capt. Steve has had his own close calls when the weather turned. Let’s take a closer look at one of those incidents in the Cape Cod Canal and see what we can all learn from it. More...
BoatTEST's Spring Virtual Boat Show has 86 flybridge cruisers on display from a variety of international manufacturers. Browse the selection by clicking below.
Imagine you and your family in a new twin-engine 31’ (9.4 m) dual console that’s kept handy in a marina, just minutes from the Gulf of Mexico. Don’t waste another minute of your summer… join SBC today and start boating. You’ve earned it. Annual memberships in five premium boats ranging from 27’ to 35’ (8.2 m to 10.6 m) are now available in St. Petersburg, Bradenton, Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, Fla. Check them out at SovereignBoatClub.com or call 727-200-3474.
