New Riviera 64 SMY | Low-Cost Wake Boat | Jeanneau NC 1095 - 07/27/21

New Features Video

Riviera 64 Sports Motor Yacht

The Skylounge Serves Double Duty

Regular readers know that we like skylounge boats because they add so much more utility for not a great bump in price. The Riviera 64 Sports Motor Yacht is just such a boat and essentially has two salons, which means she can entertain a crowd. The skylounge is also the most popular place to watch the passing scenery, rain or shine. On a long cruise with three couples, or three generations of the same family aboard, there is plenty of room for everyone to find a private place to hang out. There are also two aft decks, one high and one low. Having the primary helm high and forward saves space below and when backing to a slip, an aft control station makes the job easy peasy. She can be laid out with three or four staterooms. The main deck is unusual and it is worth seeing what Riviera did with this space. More...

Video

NW Explorations Mother Goose

Book Now for 2022

In the new post-COVID age, if you want the best in life when it comes to a destination you’d be wise to book now. A case in point is the annual NW Explorations Mother Goose Flotilla cruise from Bellingham, WA to Sitka, AK and back, running from May 13 to Sept. 7, 2022. Of the 48 legs available in 6 boats, only 13 are left. These cruises are a bucket-list experience for many people including veteran cruisers. BoatTEST founder Jeff Hammond has taken family and friends on the Mother Goose Cruise three times in the past decade and highly recommends it. That’s why it has the BoatTEST Gold “Recommend” Seal. The company is the premier charter outfit used in the Northwest and is often used by the New York Yacht Club for its “cruise-in-company” outings. More...

Test Video

Jeanneau NC 1095

Affordable Outboard Cruiser

The Jeanneau NC 1095 is a 34’5” (10.49 m) long family cruiser that benefits on two fronts from having outboard power. First, she has a sporty feel with twin 300-hp Yamahas that pushed the yacht to 40.2 mph in our tests and put her on plane in 3.9 seconds. Second, the outboards allow for more passenger capacity with al fresco spaces fore and aft and the potential to sleep up to eight people. She’s intended for boaters who want to stretch their dollar. More...

Test Video

Boston Whaler 240 Vantage

Family-Focused Dual Console

Boston Whaler’s 240 Vantage is a dual-console boat designed and equipped to serve many masters and all their activities. For entertaining and cruising, she has an easily deployed seat across the stern, a convertible lounge forward to port and pretty deep seating in the bow. For fishing, she has a 13-gallon (49.2-liter) livewell, plenty of rod holders and locking rod storage. We tested with a single 350-hp Mercury Verado outboard and saw a top speed of 47.4 mph and a planing time of 3.9 seconds. More...

Editor's Report

Heyday WT-Surf

Bang for the Towsports Buck

Heyday is the wakesports boat brand for Bayliner, probably the least expensive fiberglass boat line on the market. So, just like the mothership, the Heyday WT-Surf packs a lot of value into a 25’ (7.62 m) inboard-powered wakesports boat. She has a ballast system that can increase wake size without having to deploy tabs, plates or other apparatus. She comes standard with integral ballast tanks with a capacity of 2,800 lbs. (1,270 kg) and an owner can opt for another 650 lbs. (295 kg). More...

New Product

New Yamaha Outboard App

Yamaha Motor Corp USA has a new mobile app and web portal for owners of the company’s outboard engines. MyYamahaOutboards puts product and dealer information including a complete maintenance history for each outboard at an owner’s fingertips. More...

Boating Tips

Understanding CHIRP Sonar Technology

See what's below more clearly with improved and less expensive fishfinders.

Okay, so you enjoy fishing and you’re researching the latest in fish-finding sonar technology and virtually everything is “CHIRP.” But what does “CHIRP” mean, is it just marketing hype, and how much does it cost? Find out the answers to those questions here...

"The more you dream, the farther you get."

– Michael Phelps

Imagine you and your family using a premium boat at an affordable price. Annual memberships in boats ranging from 27’ to 33’ (8.2 m to 10 m) are now available in St. Petersburg and Bradenton, Fla. Check them out at SovereignBoatClub.com or call 727-200-3474.

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"Family boating in Little Talbot Island."

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