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.
Monday #1
Formula 500 SSC
Most Watched Boat of the Year
The 500 SSC has been out for more than a year now and last year it was the #1 most-watched BoatTEST video. You are looking at one of the brilliant design creations of John Adams – and it’s the large space between the aft seating and the outboard engines. This effectively solves the problem of easy access to the water in an outboard boat. We’re surprised that more builders haven’t followed suit. She also sleeps four. More...
Lowe is offering its Bay series in three lengths, 18’ (5.49 m), 20’ (6.1 m) and 22’ (6.71 m). The company packages the Bay 22 with a 200-hp Mercury outboard that can be offered in a choice of colors to match a boat. A pad-bottom design helps the boat run 55 mph and Lowe builds her with a new, improved interior substructure. To learn the rest of the details, see our boat show video here...
Surprisingly to most people, large yachts such as the Navetta 64 shown above are relatively easy to handle by a couple or even single-handed. Large yachts are actually in many cases easier to dock than small ones because they are heavy and react more slowly to little nudges. Because Absolute has located a door to starboard of the helm with the controls outboard within reach, the skipper can stand on the side deck and use the joystick to bring her home. More...
Sweden has the highest per capita boat ownership in the world – an astounding 1 in 5 households – the last time we looked. Nimbus is the leading Swedish brand and knows its customers. The picture above does a pretty good job of depicting how they use their boats. Their season is short, so they cram as much activity into those days as possible.
With the 70 Luxury Power Catamaran, Aquila Yachts and its exclusive distribution partner MarineMax entered the luxury catamaran yacht realm. But fine fit-and-finish inside was only part of the objective – Aquila also wants to maximize performance. Engineers spent countless hours conducting Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) studies that focused on the bulbs on the leading edge of the twin hulls as well as the propeller shaft struts, skegs, propellers and even the rudders. To see what all that research revealed, click to read our full report. More...
A Southern California man is lucky to be alive after falling out of his sea urchin boat and then swam more than 5 miles to safety at an offshore oil platform. It’s a remarkable story about perseverance, mental strength, a friendly seal and luck that Scott Thompson shares.
The two things a new operator needs to know is that, with the exception of personal watercraft, boats don’t have brakes and that while cars and trucks steer from the front, boats turn from the stern. To learn more tips on how to safely and confidently operate a powerboat, click here...
One of the most exciting exhibits at the Miami Boat Show was the ICON A5 flying boat, seen above. It seats two people and is probably the ultimate water toy. Capt. Steve (who is a pilot) has been chomping at the bit to test one of these for two years. We’re told that more than 150 have been sold. See our video and find out the basic details and the price. If you want to see Capt. Steve test one, click here…
It’s a beautiful Sunday afternoon in the anchorage and the big game is going to kick off in a few minutes. With this simple how-to guide, watch it on your new TV in the comfort of your cockpit instead of down in your dimly lit cabin. More...
Memberships in every Sovereign Boat Club boat are limited and reservations are for full days, not four hours. This means there are no waitlists and no tipping the dock attendants to get to the head of the line. Affordable annual memberships are available for year-round or seasonal use. Check them out at SovereignBoatClub.com or call 727-200-3474.
Photo Of The Day
Sunset on Little Shark River in Everglades National Park, FL.
Some or all of the content contained in this newsletter may be sponsored. BoatTEST makes all possible efforts to ensure all material that is published in this newsletter is true and accurate.