Rule Change

Just in time for the winter boat show season, boatbuilders and dealers are getting some relief from the National Marine Manufacturers Association. NMMA's executive committee voted today to temporarily relax the non-current show policy for the 2009 winter boat show season. The association's show committee originally made the recommendation.

Under existing rules, exhibitors are only allowed to display 20 percent of their previous model year products at any 2009 NMMA winter boat show. However, in a move to help dealers sell their existing stock, that limit has been raised to 50 percent, according to a release from the NMMA.

"The NMMA show committee, executive committee and staff understand the economic realities currently facing the boating industry and believe this one-time policy change will give dealers a prime opportunity to sell more product at boat shows over the next few months," explains NMMA executive vice president Ben Wold.

Best 4x4 By Far

Need a new exploration toy to match your yacht? The car manufacturer Land Rover and Edmiston yacht brokerage have joined forces to make a special edition 4x4 SUV.

Seven top yacht designers competed in the contest: Martin Francis, Redman Whiteley Dixon, Terrence Disdale, Andrew Winch, Tim Heywood, Ken Freivokh, and Bannenberg. The winning car will be announced and displayed at this year’s Monaco Yacht Show. If a buyer wants one of the other designs, he or she can purchase them as well. Prices are predicted range from $300,000 to $1.2 million depending on the design and options. For more on the story, click here.

Shark Attack!

Well, sort of. At last month's Miami International Boat Show, Power & Motoryacht held its annual party to thank the marine industry for supporting us for more than 20 years. As is our usual approach, it was a costume party. This year's theme: the movies. As a result, people came dressed as their favorite film characters, ranging from Batman and Robin to Scarlett O'Hara and even the shark from Jaws.

In fact, that shark (a.k.a. our very own Capt. Richard Thiel) was interviewed on Miami's Plum TV. Check out the video here.

Mercury and Evinrude Release New Outboards

At last week’s Miami Boat Show, I attended back-to-back press conferences for Mercury and Evinrude that both revealed new high-powered outboards. Mercury released its Verado series 350Sci, supported with a video-clip of a Fountain center-console breaking 80 mph with three 350s mounted across the back. Mercury Marine President and COO of the Brunswick Corporation Pat Mackey and President of Mercury Racing Fred Kiekhaefer introduced the high-octane video that highlights the hole-shot abilities of the new 350 series.

Evinrude’s press conference took a different tone with the release of its new E-Tec 300-hp outboard. Instead of focusing on this engine, Evinrude celebrated 100 years of innovation, apparently all started by Ole Evinrude’s quest for ice cream. As the story has it, in 1906 the store that sold ice cream was 2½ miles across the lake. On a hot summer day, Ole and his wife Bess tried to bring ice cream back and it melted, prompting Ole to go into his garage for three years and invent the outboard engine. It may not be exactly what happened, but since they served ice cream at the booth during the sweltering Miami boat show, you’ll get no complaints from me.

Live From Miami... It's PMY!

OK, so I stretched the truth there—we won't really be blogging live from the Miami International Boat Show or the Yacht & Brokerage Show, which each start today. But we will be uploading photos and even videos through Saturday on a special page on our Web site.

So if you're planning to visit some of the builders and gear manufacturers that will be exhibiting, you'll get an early look at what's making news. And if you can't attend the show, you'll see some of the boats we'll be testing in our spring and summer issues.

Megayacht Contest Continues

If you've been hithering to and fro to get your Christmas shopping finished, you're not alone: A few people have told us they've been meaning to enter the "I Want to Tour a Megayacht" contest but have gotten bogged down with paper and bows (the latter being the pretty glittery items on presents, not the pointy things on boats). They've asked for more time, beyond the December 21 deadline, so we're granting it.

Of course, that includes you, too. The new deadline is January 18.

Click here for details on how to enter.

Want to Tour a Megayacht?

Depending upon what part of the country you live in, you may very well have been preparing for an onslaught of Old Man Winter's wrath this weekend. Personally, I find it far too early to be experiencing the white stuff, so that's why I'm looking forward to escaping the Northeast and heading to sunny and warm Florida for the holidays.

If your first escape won't be for a while, or if you're looking for a good excuse, there's always the Miami International Boat Show and the Yacht & Brokerage Show in February. And it just so happens that we at Power & Motoryacht are holding a contest right now where one lucky reader will get a personal tour of a megayacht, from bridge deck to bilge, at the Yacht & Brokerage Show.

To read full details and enter, click here.

New From Turkey

This 46-footer is a fresh new import from Turkey. Wayne Helms, who used to distribute for Vicem, a well-known Turkish builder, decided to introduce this new line of cruisers under the name Soluna Yachts, and brought the first one into Lauderdale for the boat show. The 46 features all equipment (including electronics) standard at price in the mid $700-k range.

Adventurous Adventure Us

While I unfortunately don't have a photo to show you, trust me when I say that Ted Haines, a crewmember aboard the 82-foot Hargrave Adventure Us, wasn't exaggerating when he showed me the galley and declared, "Welcome to our four-butt kitchen!" There's enough space between the appliances and prep island for a small crowd to gather (and you know everyone always gathers in the galley, just like at home!).

The yacht, which I toured during last week's Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, is packed with personality. The owners have kids of various ages and not only made Adventure Us stuffed-animal-friendly, but also welcoming for their multiple generations to relax together. The saloon, for example, has a table that has hosted some rousing games of chess as well as studying. The flying bridge, where the owners themselves run the yacht, has a small observation settee to port of the helm, and they and their kids have spotted whales and various schools of fish from Kennebunkport, Maine, down to Key West.

Haines, who handles lines and related tasks for the owners, loves having the kids around. Even though there are two bunk-berth staterooms each with a Pullman in the guest accommodations for the boys and girls to use, Haines says he's found the kids, usually the boys, hanging around his cabin, located just aft of the engine room.

But maybe that's because Haines keeps his small freezer stocked with ice cream...

Meet PMY at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show

Meet PMY at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, which starts Thursday. Our stand is number 1229, near the engine tent, at the Bahia Mar Yachting Center.

Straight from the show we're giving you a look at the newest boats, yachts, gear, etc. We're adding new pictures every day, so keep checking back.

Serenity at Sea

Last weekend I was the first journalist to not only see Lazzara Yachts’ new flagship, a 116 christened Serenity, but also to take a ride on her, from Fort Lauderdale to Miami. And what a ride it was: Mother Nature threw lots of messy four- to six-footers at us, with a few eight-footers tossed in clearly for the heck of it, thanks to northeasterly winds gusting in excess of 20 knots. Now, while some of you may be groaning and/or mimicking the same nauseated expressions my friends and family did when I relayed this information, trust me when I say that my normally iffy stomach in these situations wasn’t the least bit disturbed. Thanks to the stabilizers doing their job and Lazzara’s in-house design team, the yacht’s captain comfortably ran us at 21 knots for about an hour and a half. (And I even fell asleep for about 30 minutes of it—seriously. But don’t tell my boss I was sleeping on the job.)

Serenity, which I photographed above during her christening in Fort Lauderdale, will be at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show next week. If you don’t get a chance to see her, look for my feature article in the January issue of Power and Motoryacht.

Mega Power

When people refer to engines as being "big iron," they're not kidding—at least in the case of this new 20-cylinder powerplant (emphasis on power) that MTU unveiled last week at the Monaco Yacht Show.

The 20V 4000 M93L series engine produces 5,795 hp, mostly suitable for the 60- to 80-meter (197- to 262-foot) megayacht market, but MTU sees potential even beyond that size range. This latest addition to the 4000 Series is in is in the same power range as the MTU 595 Series engine, which it's intended to replace.

There are a few significant differences between the 20V and the 595 Series. First, it's more compact: about a foot and a half lower in profile and about 3,300 pounds lighter. It's also a common-rail design, so emissions are lower, meeting EPA Tier 2 specifications. And finally, MTU says it's more fuel-efficient, representing a 10-percent fuel savings over the 16V 595.

Four engines have already been sold, according to MTU, with the expected ship-out date in April 2008.

Better Borrow Your Kids' Nintendo

For those headed to the Boston In-Water Boat Show from September 27 to 30, don’t forget to bring your gaming thumbs. The Power Boat Docking Challenge (PBDC) pits you against other competitors to see who has the precision to dock a 4-foot model boat into a slip.

Standing behind the throttles at one end of the 20-foot tank, each competitor is timed to see how quickly he or she can wiggle the boat into the slip and then gun it back out to the other end of the tank through a set of channel markers. Of course, speed is not the only factor. Drivers accrue penalties for every bump of the dock on the way in and out of docking, and these are calculated together with their times to determine a final score.

If you think you’ve got the boat handling skills, competitions are scheduled throughout the day, the first being held at noon on the weekdays and 11 a.m. on the weekend. When entering the Boat Show via the dock, the floor plans show the PBDC in the back left corner. Remember to arrive early to beat crowds.

Feadship's New Concept Yacht

I'm presently at the Monaco Yacht Show, and yesterday I stopped by Feadship's display to see the model of its latest concept project. You're looking at F-Stream, a decidedly futuristic 55-meter yacht that reflects some innovative thinking on the part of the De Voogt design office, which designs and engineers each Feadship. (It's also the realization of the project Royal De Vries' president Henk De Vries told me about in our exclusive podcast over the summer.)

Out of all the cool features, such as hybrid propulsion and abundant use of glass, the one grabbing the most notice is "The Snug," a.k.a. the cozy sundeck. Why? Take a look at the illustration here: The roof opens or lowers, depending on the owner's mood. Talk about a twist on the ol' sunroof.

If you're at the show, you can see The Snug's roof open and close on the model every seven minutes.

Riviera Launches Three New Models

Australian boatbuilder Riviera Yachts will launch not one, not two, but three new models at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show taking place October 25 to 29, at the Bahia Mar Yachting Center. The debuting boats include 41- and 45-foot flying-bridge vessels (like the one seen here), and a 48-foot offshore express. While Riviera has made great headway in the States with its flying-bridge models, it's been several years since it offered a sleek-looking offshore express boat. Stay tuned as PMY will be reporting live from the Fort Lauderale show with more industry news and reports of the latest launches.

Viking 60 Convertible Debuts at Lauderdale

Hold on to your hats because this 60-footer from fishing-focused boatbuilder Viking Yachts is expected to hit 40-knots-plus (46 mph) with optional twin 1,825-hp Caterpillar C32 ACERTS (2/1,550-hp MANs are standard). The vessel's performance and her striking profile should be a favorite among hardcore tournament anglers. That, and perhaps 170 square feet of fish-fighting space, a stylish cockpit mezzanine, a massive bait freezer, which will keep a season's worth of 'hoo on at the ready, a 40-gallon livewell, 53-gallon in-transom fishbox, and much more. An enclosed-bridge version of the 60 will also be available. You can check her out at the Viking display at Bahia Mar during the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, which starts on Thursday, October 25.

Miami International Boat Show Attendees Party with Power & Motoryacht

The 2007 Miami International Boat Show proved the perfect place to select a new yacht—and to relax with the staff of Power & Motoryacht magazine. On February 17, Power & Motoryacht, along with Viking Yachts, Galati Yacht Sales, HMY Yacht Sales Florida, and real estate brokerage firm The Bentley Sales Group, brought some much needed leisure time to 600 guests.

Azimut's S Range Flagship To Premiere at Dubai

This weekend at the XV International Dubai Boat Show, Italian builder Azimut Yachts will launch the newest and largest model in its Open S Range: the 103S. Like the 43-,62-,68-,and 86-foot models in the S Range, the 103S is a Stefano Righini design with an interior by Carlo Galeazzi. She is the first model in the S Range to be equipped with a flying bridge. Preliminary reports are incomplete, but power is said to be provided by twin 2,434-hp MAN V16 2000 M93 diesels coupled to Rolls Royce KaMeWa waterjets.


PMY European editor Alan Harper will be covering the 103S for an upcoming issue, so keep reading. Look for a review of the 43S in PMY's May 2007 issue by yours truly.

Marine Techies Jam for a Cause

Navionics rocked the opening of the 2007 Miami Boat Show with its NAVAID charity concert. After the success of the 2006 concert, where proceeds went to the Red Cross and Hurricane Wilma victims, the electronic charting company decided to again gather together with other marine electronics companies to co-sponsor NAVAID 2. Musical performances were given by employees from Raymarine, Furuno, FW Murphy, and, of course, Navionics. The president of Navionics, Giuseppe Carnevali, even got up to sing. Other sponsors included Northstar, Fugawi, Lowrance, and Humminbird.

All in all the concert raised $8,200 for the American Cancer Society and the Ian McWilliam Saints Fund, an organization created to help the family of the Raymarine sales manager who passed away last year. Kudos to the marine electronics industry for working together to benefit a good cause.

Avast Mateys! Did You Make T' Party?

As always, PMY threw one heckuva party at the Miami International Boat Show. This year the party was at the Miami Beach Resort and Spa, overlooking the multi-million dollar Yacht and Brokerage Show on Collins Avenue. Highlights included a custom-built pirate-ship stage for the band, a tarrot card reader, live parrots and other birds, and lots of fun. Oh, and the costumes did not disappoint either; we had everything from a team of four wenches to a Jack Sparrow look-alike to a crazy green parrot.