The Mercury Verado 600 is, technically, an outboard motor because it mounts to a boat’s transom. But in practice it represents a major rethink of what an outboard can be for large center consoles, dayboats and other big offshore craft. Rather than being a scaled-up conventional design, the Verado 600 combines a V12 powerhead, contra-rotating … Read more

Model Sailboat Regattas: A Brief History and Modern Revival Model sailboat skippers gather for a regatta in Marblehead, Massachusetts, in this early 20th-century image from the collections at Mystic Seaport, the maritime museum in Mystic, Connecticut. The image captures a long tradition: model yachting has roots stretching back to the 1870s in the United States … Read more

Larry Graf, founder and chief designer of Aspen Power Catamarans, has taken his boats to some of the planet’s most remote and demanding environments — from Siberia to Canada’s Northwest Territories and Alaska. Those years of hands-on cruising and engineering have culminated in the 37-foot Aspen C108, a design that prioritizes long-range efficiency, seaworthiness and … Read more

Vendée Globe Rescue: Jean Le Cam Saves Kevin Escoffier in the Southern Ocean Twenty-nine years after Queen Elizabeth II called 1992 her “annus horribilis,” and after a year marked by a global pandemic and intense political division, the closing months of 2020 delivered a rare, uplifting moment at sea. During the solo round-the-world Vendée Globe … Read more

What We’re Listening To Jeff Spira’s Beyond plans and drawings, Spira shares his hands-on knowledge through the Spotify podcast “Spira Boat Building.” The show is a rich resource for anyone interested in boat design and DIY boatbuilding. Episodes focus on practical topics such as displacement and loading, choosing and working with boatbuilding materials, modifying plans … Read more

In the early 1980s, after a 25-year career as a production engineer at Grand Banks, Tony Fleming set out to design and build his own motoryacht. The British-born, U.S.-based designer knew precisely what he wanted: a low-profile boat with a fine forward entry, a dedicated pilothouse and a twin-engine semi-displacement hull that could cruise efficiently … Read more

Discovery of the U.S. Navy Submarine R-8 by Atlantic Wreck Salvage Sitting across from the helm aboard the 45-foot Tenacious, Joseph St. Amand first noticed the seafloor change on his sonar monitor. For roughly 30 to 50 seconds the images shifted dramatically from the surrounding bottom, and he could tell it was something different. “We’ve … Read more

Hood 57 LM: A One‑Off Wood‑Composite Flybridge Yacht from Hood Yachts Two years before delivery, the owner of a Hinckley 44 approached Chris Hood of C.W. Hood Yachts in Marblehead, Massachusetts with a clear brief: produce a custom, larger yacht that reflected his tastes and offered modern systems and styling. After considering other options — … Read more

Regulator Marine Unveils the New Regulator 37 Center Console Sportfisher North Carolina-based builder Regulator Marine has announced a new addition to its lineup of center console sportfishing boats: the Regulator 37. Designed to meet the demands of serious offshore anglers, the Regulator 37 promises the seaworthy performance and thoughtful fishing-focused layout that the brand is … Read more

Global Assessment Finds Oceanic Shark and Ray Populations Have Fallen Dramatically On January 27, the journal Nature published the first comprehensive global assessment of shark and ray populations, revealing a dramatic decline in oceanic species over the past half-century. Researchers estimate that oceanic sharks and rays have dropped by about 71 percent since 1970. Because … Read more