Innehållsförteckning för July 2018 från Boating NZ

Sold to its new owner in Tauranga, the 41.1’s delivery trip from Auckland encountered 25-knot nor-easterlies and, with well-reefed sails, recorded a comfortable cruise speed of 10 knots. I was keen to see how the Finot-Conq design measured up in more moderate sailing conditions on Tauranga harbour. Boarding the yacht is an easy step onto the electrically-activated rear platform. This can be lowered with a handy remote-control fob (great when your arms are full of provisions) or from on board. The bow thruster helped with making the tight turn out of the marina. Not strictly necessary in the light wind we had, but I could see its advantages when manoeuvring in stronger crosswinds, and certainly helpful when lining the yacht up to reverse into the marina at the end of…

Raised bulwarks on the side decks and multiple entertaining spaces, including a light and spacious saloon, open cockpit and extended flybridge, are dominant characteristics of this vessel. Sunlovers will enjoy the foredeck with its optional large sunlounge with integrated folding backrests and drink holders. Up a flight of wide teak treads on the starboard side of the cockpit takes you to the extended flybridge, with its twin helm-and-companion seat. Down below, timber panelling and cabinetry, with elegantly-coloured Sunbrella fabrics, enhance the 39’s contemporary styling. A fully-equipped aft galley is on the starboard side, with a raised dining area opposite, offering sweeping views through the wrap-around windows. The lower helm forward includes a leather helm-and-companion seat facing a leather sports wheel, twin engine controls and an IPS joystick outboard and two…

First tip – take it easy. Even if your boat’s carrying sophisticated navigational aids, actual visibility is very limited. Objects won’t come into view until they are fairly close, so it’s important to go slow. If you see something in the water, you’ll need enough time to stop or change course to avoid a collision. Speeding at night can have dire consequences. Earlier this year, a boatie at Cooks Beach ploughed onto rocks while heading back to shore after a night’s fishing. He was travelling incredibly fast – and not using any navigational aids. While it was a calm night, with no visible moon it was very dark, making it impossible to see what was ahead. The vessel smashed into the rocks and both the skipper and his friends were…

Puzzle no.249 Across 1. _____’s Register – international shipping database (5) 4. Outer resin surface of fibreglass boat (3,4) 8. Small confined sea channels through straits (7) 9. _____deck – deck behind ship’s bridge towards stern (5) 10. Sails across wind in order to change course (5) 12. Japanese dish of thinly sliced raw fish (7) 13. Broad flat marine fishes with large wing-like fins (4) 15. Treenails are wooden ____ used to fasten timbers in shipbuilding (4) 18. Bails water out of boat (7) 20. Sudden unsteady roll of boat in sea (5) 21. _____-Visby Rules – set of rules for international carriage of cargo by sea (5) 22. VHF _____ – parts of marine radio equipment (7) 24. Uses rod and line to land fish (5,2) 25. Rides…

HANSE 548 A new slice of elegance from the German manufacturer, the 548 is a fast cruiser that presents space and comfort in Hanse’s traditional style – with many features you’d only expect in a much larger vessel. TRISTRAM 641 OFFSHORE Fitted with one of Mercury’s new 175hp V6 outboards, this iconic design takes full advantage of the Merc’s sophisticated performance. OXE DIESEL OUTBOARDS We preview a selection of the new Swedish-designed-and-built OXE outboards – including a compact 200hp turbocharged, four-cylinder unit. THE RAT EFFECT When too many rats are squeezed into too small a space, things can turn ugly. A similar psychology operates with crew – hopefully without the bloodshed – so choose your boating mates carefully. www.boatingnz.co.nz…

In the current horsepower race between outboard engine manufacturers, the US’ Seven Marine leads the pack by a full length. Seven Marine’s three supercharged V8 models span a horsepower range of between 527hp and 627hp, eclipsing other high horsepower production outboards by at least 100hp. These outboards are built around highly-developed, marinised versions of General Motors’ fourth generation (Gen-IV) 6.2-litre, small block V8, mounted horizontally, which in automotive guise powers a range of GM vehicles, including the iconic Corvette. For New Zealand readers, versions of this engine are probably best known from Holden Special Vehicles’ (HSV) high-performance models. Sadly, Holden Australia stopped manufacturing cars in 2017. In New Zealand, Power and Marine Ltd is the distributor and service agent for Seven Marine. The company also looks after Honda outboards. The…

Walkaround and centre-console vessels seem to be on-trend with Kiwi trailer boat manufacturers. Extreme Boats has been one of the front-runners with its growing range of centre-console designs, but the 795 walkaround is a departure for the company. A walkaround configuration offers most of the fishability of a centre-console design, but with the advantages of a good-size cabin and/or hardtop. The 795 offers a generously-proportioned hardtop, room to sleep in the forward cabin and walkaround side decks for easy access to a fisher-friendly foredeck. The 795 Walkaround is an impressive vessel. This one went straight from the Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show to Jonathan Barlow’s Northland Marine yard. Jonathan stocks a limited range of Extreme boats, all larger models, and specs them with high-end electronics and lots of optional gear.…

As the name suggests, Virtual Aids to Navigation exist in an intangible world. They are markers – usually little blue diamonds – that appear randomly on your chartplotter screen. While they show the position of a hazard, they are not physically on the water – which is why you can’t see them. They are used to indicate hazards that are difficult or impossible to mark with a conventional floating buoy – typically a submerged rock or reef, a wreck, a pipeline or an electric cable. If you hover the plotter’s cursor over a diamond, a pop-up text tells you what it’s marking. These virtual aids to navigation (also known as AToNs) have been ‘installed’ all around the New Zealand coast – and while many are geared to commercial shipping, owners…

Ask any Kiwi boatie to name the first brand of marine stereo that comes to mind, and the name most likely to come out is ‘Fusion’. This market leadership is the result of nearly two decades of continuous growth since Fusion was founded in a shed by Kurt McNall in 1998. He was soon joined by brother Stuart and father Colin, and they worked hard in those formative years to develop a name for reliable and stylish innovation. The investment in 2006 by Sir Peter Maire, better known as the founder of Navman, gave the company the capital it needed to expand its product range and enter into new markets. What most Kiwis are probably not aware of, though, is that this domestic market dominance also extends beyond our shores.…

A self-described adventurist, Koper enjoys sailing in some of the planet’s most obscure (and extreme) places. Let’s see – his resumé includes extensive sailing in and around the Arctic Circle, transiting the Northwest Passage, two previous trips to Antarctica (one beyond the 78th parallel), sailing around Cape Horn (twice) – and now, a circumnavigation of the frozen continent. I thought asking ‘why’ would be a good way to start the interview. “I like challenges – and I love Antarctica.” This circumnavigation – 72 days, non-stop under sail – has been ratified by Guinness World Records and the World Sailing Record Council as the ‘southernmost’ circumnavigation of the continent by a yacht. The boat remained just off the ice, sailing clockwise (west-to-east) between the 60th and 70th parallels for the entire…

THE 72 The 72 premiered at the recent Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, while the 39 will be presented at the Sydney Boat Show in August. Superior offshore and extended cruising capabilities are fundamental to the 72’s design ethos. She’s available with various accommodation options – Classic or Grand Presidential suites with three or four staterooms and three bathrooms. During the two-year development stage, Riviera consulted its boat owners to establish a ‘wish list’. The results pointed to a blue-water yacht combining speed and sport fishing and other water sports capabilities. It would have high bulwark side decks, a foredeck entertainment centre, fully-enclosed flybridge with internal stairs, a covered mezzanine dining area and ultra-luxurious interiors. Ergo – the 72. The elevated alfresco mezzanine forward of the cockpit, measuring 11.55m2, includes…

ASTRÉA 42 Fountaine Pajot’s latest sailing catamaran, the Astréa 42, has been voted ‘Multihull of the Year’ by the prestigious French Voile magazine and Le Monde du Multicoque. Since its April launch at the Grand La Motte boat show in France, Multihull Solutions, Fountaine Pajot’s Asia-Pacific dealer, has already taken more than 10 orders for the Astréa 42. The cat features an inverted bow, which gives the boat an elegant and dynamic line while offering incomparable interior space. It is distinguished by an abundance of natural light, energetic lines, elegant living spaces and unparalleled comfort. The coachroof features a double seat at the helm station and a built-in sun lounger. The spacious cockpit is the perfect place to relax and also offers a Beach Club option with an embedded gangway.…

Anyone monitoring the health of the international automotive sector over the last 18 months will be forgiven for thinking that diesel-powered vehicles face immediate extinction. Consider this selection of media headlines: Everyone’s familiar with the emissions/climate change drivers at play here, and even if you’re sceptical about the science, it does raise an intriguing question: what does a growing anti-diesel brigade mean for the recreational marine sector? In New Zealand – as in many countries – the vast majority of 10m-plus boats are powered by diesel donks. Are these engines – many of them admittedly a little long in the tooth – to be legislated out of existence? Are even the latest-generation engines to be banned from new builds? Well, as always, it depends…

A big bore, 5.6-litre, naturally-aspirated engine, the 425hp V8 has been engineered to drive large props for maximum thrust. “It opens up a new class of large outboard-driven boats,” says Matt Walton-Smith, Yamaha Motor New Zealand’s Marine National Manager. “It delivers a more reliable, fuel-efficient and very powerful engine solution for offshore fishing, pleasure, commercial and tourism boats.” The big outboard also introduces a range of new technologies. “Our engineers have developed an industry-first – a fully-integrated electric steering system, that has no mechanical hydraulics or electric pumps. This is combined with our updated premium CL7 multifunction touchscreen display, advanced ‘drive-by-wire’ throttle controls and Helm Master joystick docking and positioning, to create a truly effortless boating experience,” says Walton-Smith. Yamaha has also developed the first-ever, four-stroke direct fuel injection powerhead…

We’ve owned Mai Tai for 28 years and on average have installed new batteries every six years. That’s five sets of costly, large lead blocks, and we’d grown tired of living with their inefficiency, weight and expense. For most boats with lead-acid batteries, the charging process is frustrating because the closer they get to being full, the greater the resistance to absorb charge current. This ‘diminishing-charge-acceptance-rate’ is a problem irrespective of the charging source. At best, solar panels are only 17 percent efficient at converting solar energy to DC current. And if the batteries are 75 percent full, most of that current is turned away by the batteries. The same is true with alternators. We use a Balmar 165-amp alternator, but most of the time it’s charging between five and…