Cool stuff for you and your boat
AN EVEN SMARTER PLUG
When you’re sailing, you want to connect to the world immediately around you; when you’re back in the slip, it’s time to connect to the wider world. Problem is, there’s been no neat and tidy way to hook up phone, internet or TV cables. This is where Smartplug’s BDCOAX inlet comes in. It looks just like the company’s excellent shorepower inlet, but can be modified to take various types of cable—a classy way to get connected in your slip. $82. Smartplug, smartplug.com
There are lots of epoxy products on the market, and those that score highly with sailors tend to be reasonably priced, easy to use and effective. Pettit’s EZ-Tex is all three. It’s a twopart compound that mixes in a 1:1 ratio and bonds to just about any surface, above or below the waterline. I’ve used it to fill fastener holes in the deck, and it mixes easily and dries rock hard. It can be sanded, drilled, and painted. Available in 4- and 16oz kits, EZ-Tex is white in color. $19.99 (4oz), $39.99 (16oz). Pettit Paint, pettitpaint.com
JEANNEAU 51 The Jeanneau 51 provides many of the same innovations that proved so successful on the Jeanneau 54 in a smaller, more affordable and easier-to-handle package. Most obvious of these are the cutouts in the aft cabintrunk bulkhead that extend the cockpit benches a foot or so forward of the companionway, thereby offering a pair of cozy nooks to hang out in under the dodger. Other shared features include a magnificently large, articulated drop-down swim platform, well-configured twin helm stations and a lounging area forward. Under sail the boat is easy to manage, easily driven and refreshingly seakindly underway. Jeanneau, jeanneau.com JEANNEAU SUN ODYSSEY 440 The first of the latest generation of Jeanneau’s storied Sun Odyssey line, the Philippe Briand-designed Sun Odyssey 440 includes a number of truly innovative features: first and foremost among them, inclined sidedecks that slope down around the twin helms to make for as safe and smooth a transition from the cockpit forward as possible. Other highlights include an asymmetrical cockpit with a dedicated L-shaped lounging area to starboard; room for a portable fridge unit in the cockpit table; and a low boom that makes it that much easier to tend to the main. The result is a truly groundbreaking boat that is as seaworthy and good-looking as it is comfortable, whether on the hook or on passage. Jeanneau, jeanneau.com BAVARIA CRUISER 34 Over the years, Germany’s Bavaria Yachts has shown a tremendous ability to get a lot of volume into a limited LOA, and the new Farr-designed Bavaria Cruiser 34 is no exception. The first thing you notice when stepping aboard is the large cockpit, roomy enough to accommodate an optional double helm and an expansive swim step. However, the wizardry doesn’t stop there, as the 34 can also be ordered with as many as three separate good-sized cabins belowdecks. Bavaria employs its new proprietary VacuTec vacuum-infusion construction process to ensure the hull is as light and stiff as possible, so that performance, as is the case with all the Farr-designed Bavarias, is very good. Bavaria Yachts, bavariayachts.com
BENETEAU SENSE 51
An evolution of Beneteau’s Sense 50, the new Sense 51 boasts a deck layout that works equally on the hook in a Caribbean anchorage or on passage between islands. New features include a double bow roller with a sprit for flying Code O’s or other reaching sails; an optional hardtop with an opening center section for getting in and out of the sun and rain; an aft galley behind the twin helm seats; and a closed-in cockpit configuration that provides greater security underway while still allowing easy access to the drop-down swim platform. The overall look is both very modern and very French, with blunt ends, chines aft and a wedgeshaped cabintrunk—all nicely executed. Beneteau beneteau.com/us
BENETEAU SENSE 57 In many ways a larger version of the Sense 51, the Beneteau Sense 57 offers many of the same features—including an optional hardtop with an opening center section, an aft galley behind the boat’s twin helm seats and a double anchor-roller/bowsprit with a tack point for flying reaching sails—along with that much more volume for accommodation space belowdecks. As is the case with the rest of the Sense line, the division between the topsides space and belowdecks is minimal, with just three easy steps leading from the cockpit to the saloon. As is also the case with the Sense 51, chines, a nearly plumb bow and sleek lines make for a boat that is both sharp and “Euro” in appearance. Beneteau, beneteau.com/us
BENETEAU OCEANIS 51.1 While the “taut,” angular lines of the deck and cabintrunk on the Beneteau Oceanis 51.1 are what first catch the eye, even more noticeable is the “stepped hull” forward. Specifically, in a nod to what has long been a feature aboard many multihulls, starting at the bow the hulls flare outward immediately above the waterline. This pronounced chine, provides additional accommodation space while retaining a narrow, slippery profile below the waterline. For those in search of extra performance, a “First” version is available with an extra-tall aluminum or carbon mast that adds up to 35 percent more sail area, and a deeper, high-aspect keel with a lead bulb. Much more than a staid cruising boat, this Oceanis promises sparkling performance combined with spacious, well designed accommodations. Once again, Beneteau has found a way to continue to push the limits of monohull design. Beneteau, beneteau.com/us
BOREAL 47 The Boreal 47 is an attractive centerboard cruiser built in aluminum and designed to take care of its crew in any kind of weather. Its unique doghouse/hard-dodger incorporates a deck-level nav station with wraparound views of the outside world and a discrete vent with a baffle system that pumps air into the aft cabins below the cockpit. Collision bulkheads fore and aft, a bulletproof companionway door and tall stand-pipe through-hulls are just a few of the features that make this a tough “go anywhere” yacht. The integral centerboard allows the boat to take the ground with ease, and the concentration of weight amidships, including a deep midship anchor-chain locker, makes for an easy motion in a strong seaway. The unique twin daggerboards aft help ease steering loads, plus there’s a hefty sprit forward for flying light-air sails. Boreal, boreal-yachts.com
NAUTOR’S SWAN 54
A boat that channels the absolute best of all that Nautor’s Swan has represented over the decades, the Swan 54 is a robust, seakindly bluewater cruiser that is fully capable of taking you just about anyplace in style, safety and comfort. Unlike those boats that slavishly follow the latest trends, the Swan 54 marries tried-and-true principles of marine design (think moderate displacement and a deep V hull form) with the latest in materials and construction techniques to provide a superlative and seaworthy package. Finish work, both belowdecks and topside is outstanding. Bottom line: this Swan is a truly exceptional yacht that sails as good as it looks. Nautor’s Swan, nautorswan.com