New boats DESIGNS | LAUNCHES | PROJECTS
Jeanneau 65 French boatbuilder Jeanneau broke the mould back in 2014 when it announced its all new ’mini superyacht’ the Jeanneau 64. Many argued that the demand for such a mammoth yacht would be limited. Well, they were wrong. The boat has been one of the biggest success stories of recent years and has been imitated by all of Jeanneau’s rivals. Anyway, skip forward some years and the company have finally put the 64 to pasture but are back with an all new 65 footer from the same design team of Andrew Winch and Philippe Briand. In fairness, this looks very much a Mk2 version of the 64 that has been enlarged and refined. Nothing wrong with that of course. Anyway, the boat features top end luxury and plenty of potential for customisation with the choice of four different interiors. l jeanneau.com
Italia 20.98 Italia Yachts has been turning out top notch cruiser/racers for a number of years now but has sat pretty firmly in the 40-50’ bracket. A change of ownership seems to have prompted the boatbuilder to think big and the result is the Italia 20.98. Measuring in at 66’, this is definitely a big yacht and is dubbed a ‘mini maxi’ by her builders. This Cosutti designed yacht is also very sleek and features relatively modest beam albeit carried right aft. Displacement is moderate for a big yacht and the sail plan is powerful, all pointing to a boat that will make short work of a long offshore passage. The interior is luxurious and stylish while there is a nod to cruising practicality with the choice of a telescopic lifting keel. l italiayachts.com
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APRIL 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting
Dufour 32 French manufacturer Dufour has unveiled an interesting take on an entry level yacht with its all new 32 which features a range of thoughtful and sometimes innovative solutions to age old design conundrums. Perhaps the most notable is the inflatable bathing platform which encloses the cockpit but can be dropped down to provide either a standard bathing platform or detached to serve as a sort of mini stand-up paddleboard. It is, if nothing else, intriguing. Aside from that, this Felci design features wide hindquarters and champagne glass shaped forward sections which all add up to masses of volume for a relatively small boat. l universalyachting.com
