SPAntaresHun368
Here, deep in the dog days of summer, there must be some tired pups wagging their lay-up rollers around boatyards. With the fall boat shows approaching, new boat announcements from near and far continue to pour in. Close to home, well, in North America, at least, Hunter Marine has officially replied to the question people have been asking for weeks: Water skiing anyone?
The Florida builder has just released details about the Edge, the latest creation from Glenn Henderson and his design team. Firing a salvo directly amidships at McGregor, maker of the McGregor trailer sailer, Hunter unveils a 26-foot trailerable that will get up and go, thanks to its 3-cylinder, 75-horse Evinrude outboard. With the throttle wide open, the boat should top out at just under 20 m.p.h. The energy conscious will find the best fuel efficiency at just over 8 m.p.h.
Topsides, you’ll find the distinctive Hunter wraparound port treatment and bimini; below there’s an athwartships double aft and a second double in the V-berth. Drawings show a head and galley, as well. Photos from the manufacturer depict the boat, its centerboard raised, pulled up to the beach; the Edge heeled and sailing with its square-topped main; and yes, the boat, with sails furled, pulling what appears to be a wakeboarder.
Well to our East, two British builders are also greasing the skids for the fall shows with new models.
****| |Southerly 38|
Northshore Yachts has introduced a Stephen Jones-designed, swing keel, pilot house 38-footer that reflects many of the features of the larger 42 RST (look for a review of the RST in the September CW).
The Southerly 38 sports a fractional rig with a self-tacking jib and an optional gennaker that can be flown from a removable stainless bowsprit. Sleek looking cat’s-eye ports add a distinctive look to the boat’s clean lines. From the sole picture of the interior, one gets the feeling that comfort was written into the design brief.
Broadblue Catamarans is set to launch a Mark II 385. The upgrade of the 385 features a double helm seat, new deck steps and hardware, and a two-part mainsheet that will provide better sail control from the helm.
Across the channel, French builder Jeanneau (www.jeanneau.com) has announced 30- and 44-foot additions to its “i” line of Sun Odyssey performance cruisers. The 44 was designed by Philippe Briand, the 30 by Marc Lombard and the Jeanneau deisgn team. The “i” in their name refers to the injection deck construction that helps cut weight topsides.
The 44 comes in both a standard and performance package and layouts that include three or four cabins. The 30, meanwhile, has cabins fore and aft and will be available with a fixed keel and single rudder or with a lifting keel and twin rudders.
I’ve sailed a couple of the other boats in the “i” series, and if these new models follow the pedigree of sister ships, they should prove popular. Moreover, like its corporate cousin, Beneteau, with its own new range of cruisers, Jeanneau can now offer a boat to suit the needs and budget of about any new-boat buyer.
And further east still, Dehler, in Germany, will later this month unveil the details of its sleek and fast looking new 60-footer. Alas, it’s unlikely I’ll be on hand for the unveiling, since it’s scheduled for Porto Ercole, Italy, but when they send the pictures, look for them here.
And finally, this just in from the Frozen North: Whitby, Ontario-based Antares, the catamaran builder once known as PDQ, is expanding its Antares University program (www.liveantares.com) for new owners to include a study abroad session next year that will give new owners and buyers a chance to sail from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Uruguay and Brazil.
This year’s session was also a cross-border affair, taking owners on a learning excursion from Big Sandy Bay in Canada to Sackets Harbor, New York. Having once attended summer school to make it through a required Restoration Literature course, learning the ABCs of a new Antares 44 sounds like a whole lot more fun.
