Summit 54 | World Cat 280 DC-X | Swift Trawler 41 - 09/06/20
BoatTEST Newsletter September 6, 2020
Most Popular Boats of the Week
Every week, BoatTEST publishes news items on about 25 boats and products. Readers have asked which ones are the most popular each day, so below you can find the answer.
See BoatTEST REPORTS Webcast
Subjects covered in this week's webcast are:
- Part Three of our Interview with Leon Slikkers
- Yamaha Motors News
- New Product Launches
- How to Tie Two Half-Hitches
- Boating News
Monday #1
Summit Motoryachts 54:
LRC Meets a Planing Hull
Summit’s vice president of yacht sales Tucker West (left) and designer Michael Peters (right).
When the team at Kadey-Krogen Yachts decided to build its first planing hull — the Summit 54 — it turned to Michael Peters Yacht Design. For over 30 years, Peters has been the pre-eminent American master of planing hulls in cruisers in the 30’ to 60’ range built all over the world. Peters said the key to the design of the new model is that her bottom is “balanced at both ends of the boat.” He and his team arrived at a design compromise that provides efficiency and cuts through head seas but isn’t so flat at the stern that it picks up in a following sea. The Summit 54’s hard-chine bottom is 15 degrees of deadrise at the transom and she has a relatively sharp entry at the bow. The vessel’s public debut will be at the “Invitation-Only” Steelpointe Yacht & Charter Show in Bridgeport, CT on Sept. 24 to 27. More...
Tuesday #1
Cruisers Yachts 38 GLS:
51.9 MPH WOT w/3x 300-hp Mercs
Given the Cruisers Yachts 38 GLS’ size, 38’ (11.58 m) LOA, 12’6” (3.81 m) beam and estimated test weight of 18,826 lbs. (8,639 kg), she has impressive performance. She comes standard with triple 300-hp Mercury outboards. Triple 350s are an available option – but we don’t think the upgrade is necessary. Our test boat planed in 5.4 seconds, which is about the same time it took to hit 20 mph. She ran a top speed of 51.9 mph at 6000 rpm and her best economical cruise came at 4500 rpm, where she ran 35.8 mph and had a range of 245 statute miles while burning .8 mpg. The folks at Cruisers Yachts tell us that this model has been highly popular this summer because she is both a large dayboat for entertaining and a compact cruiser for long weekends. More...
Wednesday #1
World Cat 280DC-X:
Wider, Deeper, Faster
World Cat designed its 280DC-X to be a do-everything catamaran that can meet the demands of an active on-water family. She can be set up more toward cruising or fishing or a combination of both with deep, spacious bow seating, a large aft cockpit and a private head that is much larger than would be found in a similar length monohull. Her catamaran design provides a comfortable ride in myriad conditions, a faster top speed and fuel efficiency. More...
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Thursday #1
BENETEAU Swift Trawler 41:
New Design Enhances Utility
The new Swift Trawler 41 is the first model in the series with a dedicated horseshoe-shaped dining area that seats six and very cleverly solves a problem that most boats in class have – no inboard seating for the dining table! That solution also doubles to provide another feature that BoatTEST is keen on – captain and companion seating, in one wide bench seat for two. Other options available for the express version include solar panels, a skylight or kayak or board racks on top of the hardtop. Many folks we know don’t want to be climbing ladders to get to a flying bridge, so putting that space to good use adds more utility and saves money on construction and redundant controls and electronics. More...
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Friday #1
Robalo R230:
Tall Decks for a Secure Ride
Notice that the woman in the aft port seat of the R230 is in up to her armpit.
Robalo’s R230 has one of the deepest cockpits in class at 26” (66 cm) aft and 31” (79 cm) forward. The manufacturer calls the design concept “high-belt” and the taller bulwarks carry over to adding depth in other areas. For example, the private head compartment in the console has 5’ (1.52 m) of headroom, which is better than average for boats in this size range. While we usually don’t talk about storage, the compartment in the R230’s bow is 22” deep (55.87 cm). The R230 is also the largest center console Robalo makes with a an 8’6” (2.59 m) beam, which makes her the biggest that can be towed in all 50 states without a permit. More...
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