AN INSIDE LOOK. Eastern Boat Works has been building semi-custom Downeast-style boats for more than 43 years. See how a couple's 27-footer is being put together and how strong these affordable offshore fishing boats are. It's all family and a work of love with this boutique builder.
TRAWLER TUESDAY. The American Tug 435 is a couples’ trawler ideal for Great Loop or coastal cruising, though she can weekend seven. With a single 550-hp Cummins, 8-knot range exceeds 1,000 NM, per the company, and the air draft of the flybridge model, arch down, is 18’3” (5.56 m).
PRE-OWNED YACHT. This like-new Scout 425 is powered by twin 600-hp Mercury Verados with just 65 hours on them! She has a 12 kW generator, cabin and helm air, three Garmin MFDs, Seakeeper, radar, underwater lights and joystick docking. She can overnight two below.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM CANNES. The 435’s distinctive Nordic commuter-styling, fold-out balconies and asymmetrical build mark her as part of the design wave sweeping Europe, even though she displays the iconic American Wellcraft badge and is built by Groupe Beneteau known for affordable boats. See a walkthrough video we made of her last year at Cannes.
TECH TUESDAY. If your cruiser is older than 25 years, its engines are inefficient by today's standards. It's a tempting dream of new engines in old Betsy. Here are some important considerations, and basically, it's not as easy as it sounds.
CUTTING TO THE CHASE. One of the things we like about boating is you don't have to be rich to enjoy it, you should have to figure out how to do it within your budget.
BOAT BUYING. Tri-toons have some obvious advantages over bi-toons. But for some families, the conventional two-pontoon models are a better choice, because of cost of entry. For others, the tri-toon is the only way to go.