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Beneteau Oceanis 35.1:
Oceanis Improves Popular 35 Model
The Beneteau Oceanis 35.1 is a contemporary, high-performance sailboat with a variety of options to fit the needs of many sailors. Beneteau offers two options compiled from customer feedback: the Essential trim level and the Exclusive trim level. The Essential trim level includes B&G wind and boat instruments, a Windex masthead wind vane, an electric windlass, 110-volt shore power, a hot-and-cold cockpit shower, a sound system, and two extra 12-volt batteries. The Exclusive trim level adds the swim platform, helm seats, indirect LED lights in the cabin, and halyard bags to prevent them from getting underfoot in the cockpit.
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New Test Video
Campion Chase 550 OB:
5.3 MPG at Best Cruise w/ Evinrude E-TEC G2 150 H.O.
The 18' (5.49 m) Campion Chase 550 OB has the sporty lines, graphics, and interior style of jet boats and other sportboats, and thanks to a weight of under 2,000 lbs. (907 kg) and a relatively narrow 7'8" (2.34 m) beam, she has handling to match. The Canadian company is also justly proud of durability factors, including a 10' (3.05m) strip of Kevlar protecting the keel area and the molded in graphics, as opposed to stick-on decaling. During our tests, her Evinrude E-TEC G2 150 H.O. outboard propelled her to 45.5 mph WOT. Best cruise was at 3500 rpm, where she went 27.6 mph and got 5.3 mpg.
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Comparison
72'-78' Motoryachts:
Four Boats That Walk the Line
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Ocean Alexander 72 Pilothouse
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Monte Carlo Yachts 76
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Hargrave 76
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Ocean Alexander 78 Motoryacht
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This week's comparison includes motoryachts from 72' to 78', boats that walk the line between big-small yachts and small-big ones. Like their megayacht sisters, they have complex systems and engineering (most owners will carry at least one paid hand to help with maintenance), accommodations that rival a five-star hotel, long range at displacement speeds, and enough on-deck creature comforts to satisfy the desires of all stripes. On the other hand, they're faster than bigger yachts, a plus for short cruises -- small enough to find a berth in almost any harbor, nimble enough for a skilled owner/spouse team to handle docking chores, and washing down after a spray-filled passage won't take all night. That's where a paid crew comes in handy. If you have the resources to acquire a yacht in this size range (we're talking several million bucks to buy one), you might find a 70-something motoryacht, maybe one of these four, is as much boat as you'll ever want. Check them out, you'll find detailed info in our Captain's Reports. Please contact us here at BoatTEST.com if you have any questions. We'll do our best to answer them.
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Test Video
Monte Carlo Yachts 70:
Versatile, Stylish, But Distinctive
The sleek and stylish Monte Carlo Yachts 70 offers a superior fit-and-finish throughout the interior areas, while also delivering excellent performance and handling in an overall design that looks as much like a sport cruiser as a motoryacht, according to our test captain. The versatile bow area can function for family sunning, casual entertaining or formal dining. There are two accommodation plans to choose from: a three-stateroom, five-head configuration with crew’s quarters or a four-stateroom with a master walk-in closet and crew’s quarters. Twin 1200-hp MAN V8 engines drove her to a top speed of 32.9 knots in our test runs.
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Test Video
Regal 2300 RX Surf:
Designed for Wakesurfing w/ Forward Drive
The Regal 2300 RX Surf has a strong suite of features: the sleek black PowerTower with JL speakers is standard, as is the accompanying Bimini top. The tower hydraulically lowers for trailering or passage under low bridges. UltraLounge seating in the cockpit can be adjusted to three positions -- cockpit seating, aft chaise seating, and sunning with a lounge. She also includes auto-fill ballast tanks that can add up to 1,000 lbs. (454 kg) for perfect wake-surfing.
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Test Video
Riviera 6000 Sport Yacht:
Flexible Layout, Contemporary Style
The Riviera 6000 Sport Yacht has a flexible four-stateroom layout with luxurious full-beam master, three bathrooms, contemporary and stylish hull windows and portholes, dual electric sliding sunroofs, and fixed skylights. She also has a cockpit with grill and undercover seating and dining areas aft. Dual stairways access the broad teak swim platform, and there's a "toy garage" that can handle a tender up to 10.5' (3.20 m) long under the cockpit.
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Test Video
Yamaha FX Cruiser HO:
Performance Plus Easy Handling
Thanks to a dry weight of just 831 lbs. (377 kg) and plenty of horsepower, the Yamaha FX Cruiser HO is one of the faster production PWCs on the water. Powered by Yamaha's 1812cc four-stroke, purpose-built PWC engine, she reached a top speed of 62.6 mph and ran 0 to 30 mph in just 2.0 seconds in our tests. The jet system has a reverse gate that can be dropped into a neutral position to allow her to sit in one spot with the engine running at idle, and the composite steering bucket also improves handling during docking.
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Test Video
Hatteras GT 70:
A World-Class Convertible
The fly bridge helm of the Hatteras GT 70 is centered and mounted well aft, giving the captain a good view of anglers below in the cockpit as well as the sea behind the transom. Palm Beach type controls give the helm a traditional sportfisherman feel, but she comes with a massive bank of the latest digital electronics, tucked away under locking security covers when not in use. As with all Hatteras yachts, she comes with plenty of engine room muscle; the twin 2600-hp MTUs in the test boat pushed her to 41 knots. Overall, we think she is one of the best convertibles her size.
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Captain’s Report
Grady-White Fisherman 180:
Practical Bay Boat w/ Quality Build
The Grady-White Fisherman 180 has many quality touches, including a leaning post/seat with a polished stainless steel frame (rather than aluminum), fully finished insulated boxes that drain overboard and piston-lift lid assists, functional cockpit toe-rails, gasketed stainless steel rod holders, and upscale upholstery. The company says she tops out at about 46 mph with an F150 Yamaha and has more exceptional range thanks to her efficient hull and a 54-gallon fuel tank.
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Test Video
Beneteau Gran Turismo 49 Fly:
A Proven 2-or-3 Stateroom Cruiser w/ Flybridge
The Beneteau Gran Turismo 49 Fly is offered in two-or-three-stateroom versions, both with two heads and the galley below decks. The large, graceful arch of the side windows bring lots of light into the salon and helm area, and the wide-open companionway brings natural illumination to the galley below. Standard power is twin 435-hp Volvo Penta IPS600s, which produced a top speed of 27.7 knots at 3450 rpm in our test run and level fuel economy from about 2000 rpms upward, as is common in IPS-drive boats.
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Test Video
Boston Whaler 330 Outrage:
New Broad-Beam, Family-Friendly Fisherman
The Boston Whaler 330 Outrage includes a hardtop with power windshield vent and rocket launchers standard, as well as a hullside dive door with fold-out ladder. The anchor is stainless steel and runs through the stem to an included windlass. Below is a reinforced tow eye allowing the 330 Outrage to be used as a tender. Twin 350-hp Mercury Verados produced a top speed of 52.2 mph in the test boat and a time to plane of just 3.9 seconds.
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Captain’s Report
World Cat 295DC:
Quick & Comfortable Multi-Mission Cat
The World Cat 295DC can take on a day of offshore fishing, then revert to serving as a roomy day boat for friends and family, and then become a dive, watersports, or picnic platform. And, thanks to her sharp twin cat hulls, broad beam, and high freeboard, she can deliver a soft, dry, stable ride in problematic conditions. A dive platform with tall rails and fold-out boarding ladder sits between the twin outboards.
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New Captain's Report
Honda’s Three NEW Outboard Models:
Honda's New 4, 5, and 6 HP Engines
We first saw the new outboards from Honda -- the 4, 5, and 6-hp -- at a press event in Atlanta. Upon first glance, we noticed their simple, yet elegant design, and with further inspection, we found multiple reasons why these outboards are worth exploring for owners of a tiller outboard-powered boat or an inflatable. Honda has developed these outboards for easier starting with an open exhaust valve at shutdown to release compression from the cylinder, easy storage with two extensions to starboard for laying it down in its side, and a tiller extending to full upright position. It also includes the ease of flush-out and winterization.
See the rest of the 12 things we love about these outboard engines here...
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New Test Video
Alumacraft Edge 185 Sport:
All-Aluminum Watersports/Fishing Platform
The 18’9” (5.72 m) Alumacraft Edge 185 Sport offers a design meant to pivot between watersports and fishing with room for a small family. She offers wakeboard storage and a ski-tow pylon as well as fishing rod storage, kicker motor option, and an 18-gallon (68 L) onboard livewell. Her light weight combined with the power of an Evinrude E-TEC G2 150 H.O. outboard resulted in hole shot times of just 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 45.1 mph. Her dry weight of 1,579 lbs. (716 kg) means she's easily trailerable with mid-size vehicles.
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