Boats premieres 2023

By offering these C models, Bavaria Yachts wants to inspire yachtsmen and women who enjoy athletic cruising and also those who value comfort below deck. The smallest in this new versatile class is the Bavaria C38. Closely related to the Bavaria C42, the C38 is the second sailing yacht in the company’s new product line.

Similarities can be found in the design of the 11.38 metre hull and in the sail plan. Bavaria is thus following a systematic strategy in terms of design and ensuring identical parts. Externally, they are similar due to their wide V-bows and a 3.98-metre stern with distinctive chines – sharp changes in angle in the cross section of the hull. Both of these help to improve the sailing performance and seaworthiness of the yacht.

It also creates more space below deck. In the bow there is a 2 x 1.73 metre double bed, while in the aft there are two cabins featuring 2.00 x 1.5 metre berths. The salon seats up to seven people.

A good 75 square metres of sailing canvas in the standard version ensures optimum forward propulsion in the wind. Up to 14 people can sail on board this seagoing yacht. Easy access to the water is provided by a sufficiently large swimming platform at the stern.

Bénéteau has now relaunched its sporty First brand. The performance cruiser Bénéteau First 36, created in collaboration with Seascape, is now coming to Düsseldorf for the first time. The First 36 bridges the gap between sporty performance yachts and comfort-focused cruiser yachts. Made by the Slovenian boat manufacturers Seascape, she has 75 square metres of sailing canvas and therefore great potential for a good speed. Downwind, according to Seascape, it can even muster 180 square metres, with a gennaker or code zero sail.

As a standard, the boat is 11 metres long, up to 3.8 metres wide and has a dual bridge as another sign of her optimised performance. She weighs 4.8 tonnes and has a maximum draught of 2.25 metres. The manufacturers recommend a 29 hp Yanmar diesel engine.

This is the first time that the tried and tested Bénéteau Oceanis 30.1 is coming to Düsseldorf with an electric motor from Torqeedo as standard. Some time ago, this smallest sailing yacht in the cruising range was called a “revolution on 30 feet” – and indeed not just because of her chine, double rudder system and permanently attached bow nose made from GFRP. The younger sister in the Oceanis line is also great to sail.

Packing an impressive 14 hp, the Torqeedo pod engine, placed out of sight underneath the boat, provides up to 6 hours of autonomous power at 4 knots. This will feel like plain sailing and perfect tranquility even when entering a marina.

The small cruiser Bente 28 sails exceptionally well – and it shows. The striking design by Judel/Vrolijk sets a few bold accents around the wide, flat stern and the orange dodger bracket. Featuring many well-thought-out details both on and below deck, she clearly sets herself apart from any other boat in this class.

The Bestevaer brand is known for blue-water aluminium sailing yachts with enclosed cockpits. The Dutch boat manufacturers KM have created a truly unique fleet of superyachts. The Bestevaer 36 S/Y by designer Gerard Dijkstra is the smallest model presented in Düsseldorf – and also the most ambitious.

The biggest among Pointer's latest three sailing yachts upholds a distinctive feature of the Dutch boat builders: a cockpit that is particularly spacious and comfortable. The new 30-foot Pointer 30 can easily accommodate up to eight people in the aft. The main focus is on the pleasure of sailing, and this is reflected in the choice it offers between a tiller and a tiltable helm.

Call it a salon, lounge or club – the cabin of the Bali 4.4 makes for a unique, luxurious panorama experience with its airy spaciousness. The wide sliding door to the roofed stern opens up the interior of this cruising catamaran towards the sea and sun. The outdoor helm station on the coach roof puts sailing at the forefront.

Germany’s second biggest boat builders have devoted a major part of their exhibition space at boot 2023 to the new Bavaria C46. Their latest sailing project is presented in detail in the Bavaria C46 Arena, where the yacht can be explored on a virtual tour.

This is where visitors can find out more about the interior, design and features of this brand-new sailing yacht, which will be the biggest in the C-model range. The boat is suitable for all those who appreciate either competitive sailing or leisurely cruising. The new Bavaria C46 is extremely spacious with a length of 14.86 metres and a beam of 4.7 metres.

What all three C-yachts have in common is a V-shaped bow, which gives them more course stability, especially when sailing upwind, though also more space below deck. Up to five double cabins are possible. There is also a version with four cabins, each with an ensuite head. A three-cabin version is also feasible, with a fourth room available as a workshop, office or to store wet oil gear.

The hub is the central saloon with a U-shaped portside galley. One new feature is the large number of skylights in the body, which certainly let in far more light than in the smaller C- models, which are already very bright. On the foredeck there are sun loungers, just like on a power yacht, and in the aft there is a large swim platform and even a stern garage. The B-Box, as Bavaria calls it, can accommodate diving equipment and other accessories.

The new Bénéteau First 44 is fit for both challenges and cruising. Two versions are offered to spare buyers any compromises. Some want to cruise, others want sporty sailing: this is why the new addition to Bénéteau’s First line of family yachts, the First 44, is offered in two versions.

The yacht premiered in Germany is furnished as a fully-fledged cruising yacht for families. Those ordering the First 44 Performance model will get an optimised version for especially fast sailing. Her design is based on the largest model of this series, the Bénéteau First 53.

The First 44 Performance weighs 500 kg less, has a 1.80 m longer carbon mast, features six instead of four winches, and comes with a decking in anti-slip foamed material rather than teak. Equipment and systems are all geared towards regatta sports. The rig and sail set-up includes a 1.50 m bowsprit, hydraulic running backstay and a high-performance inhauler system as well as a performance-keel/mast combination.

Even in the basic version her interior design offers far more than you would expect from a regatta yacht: three cabins (two aft, the master cabin in the bow) are the standard, two bathrooms, and the salon has room for six persons and a fully-fledged pantry.

The GFRP hull weighs 10.3 tons in the basic version. The First 44 has maximum draught of 2.60 m and – depending on the version – has 14.15 m and 14.65 m LOA as well as 4.25 m beam. As propulsion the shipyard recommends a 57 hp diesel engine.

The design of the Bénéteau Oceanis 60, which will celebrate its German premiere in Düsseldorf, comes care of Lorenzo Argento. In 2020 the North Italian had already designed the Bénéteau Oceanis 54 for the French boatbuilder.

The timelessly elegant hull design of the 18 m Oceanis 60 should really be understood as an echo of the design of the 54-foor sister ship. The similarity is reflected by the ergonomically flawless deck layouts; the big differences are just below deck. This is easy to understand because a hull that is over 1.5 m longer and some 0.30 m wider offers even more possibilities for designing ideal rooms.

Standing behind the two helm stations the helmsman can operate all sheets, halyards and rope trims single-handedly both windwards or leeward without having to let go of the helm. This is very advantageous especially for sailing a big yacht either with a small crew or alone.

With its 50-foot catamaran Catana Ocean Class the shipyard of the same name has reached the top league of cruising catamarans. Sailing as if undertaking a challenge, living as if in a loft – the Ocean Class reconciles the two. Two years of hydrodynamic research and the use of carbon-infusion technology give this multi-hull yacht the corresponding extraordinary sailing characteristics.

By launching the Elan E6 performance cruiser the Slovenian shipyard has once again created a floating monument. And a big one indeed: the biggest model of the sporty E fleet measures 47 foot, i.e. is slightly over 14 m long and, hence, the biggest in this product line.

Like the GT6 the Elan E6 has several “creators”. The renowned British yacht designer Rob Humphreys was responsible for all the things that make a sailing yacht a watercraft. Lighter than the competitors in her class, the Elan E6, which is to be exhibited for the first time in Düsseldorf, is an accomplished mixture of high-performance technology and a genuine sailing experience.

Pininfarina had the honourable yet demanding task to fill the dynamic specifications of the nautical experts with a dream of a silhouette. Highly dynamic specs: as the E6 is a performance cruiser this task required squaring the circle. She was to be fast, very fast even, but she was also to offer maximum comfort to her crew.

The shipyard itself refers to its 49-foot flagship Elan GT6 as the next generation of luxurious Grand Tourers. Thanks to the newly developed, easy handling system where all halyards and sails can be controlled from the helm station, the Elan GT6 is very well suited for small crews. The cockpit is completely free of any ropes and lines. Studio F. A. Porsche has given the pedigree yacht her strikingly elegant, flat deck silhouette.

The stiff, stable and weatherproof high-performance hull and sail plan designed by Humphreys Yacht Design are optimised for short-handed, medium-range cruising. Safety and sportiness are perfectly compatible, explains designer Rob Humphreys: “Cruising efficiency is also about performance, because it gets you from A to B faster and you can avoid bad weather.” A slow boat offers no advantages. 

World premiere for the Elan Impression 43 from Slovenia! The entirely redeveloped cruising yacht completes the Elan Impression Line, which was designed especially for family cruises. The high-quality construction is optimised for family virtues – such as comfort, ease of sailing and safety.

When developing the wide hull, which was designed by Humphreys Yacht Design using VAIL technology, the naval architects focused on the very best sailing characteristics in the context of a family cruiser. The Elan Impression 43 features bilge keels and twin rudders to keep the vessel effortlessly under " fingertip" control at all times.

By own accounts Jeanneau developed the Jeanneau Yachts 55 in order to fuse the exquisite sailing characteristics of a mono-hull yacht with the leisure qualities of a catamaran. This has brought about, almost in passing, a new type of boat: an all-weather yacht for sports-oriented yachtspeople who also appreciate whiling away their time in a sunny bay.

The 17 m monohull sailing yacht is expected to sail fast, sail upwind and, at the same time, offer a lot of comfort for sun worshippers and bathing beauties. To achieve this, French architect Philippe Briand and the English design firm Winch Design have created a new type of cockpit layout for the 4.99 m wide yacht.

It discards the classic division of space on deck: the stern no longer houses the helm station, but seating with tables and benches that can be converted into sun loungers. The large hydraulically operated swim platform provides direct access to the water. The helm station – similar to a deck salon yacht – is further midship. From here you have direct access to the winches.

Below deck, the Jeanneau Yachts 55 is like a private flat with two guest cabins. Both can be reached via separate entrances from the cockpit. They are equipped with double beds and en-suite heads. The draught is up to 2.55 metres. The Yachts 55 is powered – if not by wind – by a 110 hp diesel engine and can accommodate up to twelve people on board.

The Dutch KM Yachtbuilders yard merges retro design, timeless quality and modern technology with yachts of elegant authority. In a nutshell: aluminium hull meets hybrid propulsion and oak interior. In the new Bestevaer 63 M/Y three double cabins with en-suite bathrooms ensure perfect privacy below deck while the lavish salon with its wide opening towards the aft deck also invites passenger to spend time together.

At Contest Yachts, Europe’s leading luxury performance bluewater sailing yacht constructor and one of the longest-running participants at this exhibition, we’re delighted to be back at the Dusseldorf Boat Show 2023 with the joint world-premiere of two brand-new yachts, the aft cockpit Contest 49CS and centre cockpit Contest 50CS. 

Two extraordinary fifty-footers presenting distinctly different formats for personalised family-and-friends performance bluewater sailing. And they are not to be missed. The 49CS is the first twin aft cabin Contest at this length and both the 49CS and 50CS are Contest’s first yachts with the option of all-electric propulsion, uniquely engineered with a completely new Torqeedo and BMW based system delivering true bluewater range.

After the two-year break owing to the pandemic, Contest Yachts CEO Arjen Conijn says, “It’s so great to have this show running again and to be back exhibiting two such exciting new models. As well as the variations in deck layout, these brand-new Contests 49CS and 50CS introduce two very different approaches to interior and exterior configuration, all within a really perfected judel/vrolijk drawn hull. The result is clear: optimal performance and uncompromising comfort at rest and underway and exquisite engineering and outfitting. And the space, particularly in the 49CS twin aft cabins, just unimaginable before now and certainly never outfitted at this level of craftsmanship. We’re looking forward to welcoming visitors aboard.”

In the Contest 49CS we have developed something new, different and yet reassuringly consistent with Contest credentials. A natural twin-aft-cabin step up we’ve not had from the aft-cockpit Contest 42CS before, it’s equally a new step into the Contest range for sailors preferring their master suite forward and family or guest cabins in the back. And what aft cabins these are. Huge and with full headroom running almost throughout they’re on a scale never seen at this end of the 50ft sailing sector.

Yet still we have a very impressive tender garage, spacious aft deck, and loads of storage throughout the cabins which enjoy the latest design-styling and detailing from the Wetzels Brown Partners studio. The introductions are many and include new super-ergonomic luxury furnishings from the clever sofa and recliner arrangement to joinery detailing including optional ribbed timber bulkheads.

The all-new centre-cockpit Contest 50CS shares this approach, too, presenting not just beautifully but practically, replacing as it does the original, very successful model of the same 50CS name. Ease of handling for couples and excellent storage have always been key to the previous model’s many world-sailing adventures and now in the new 50CS full advantage is made of the many advances in design and technology. The owner chooses how far to go, and with the option of bowsprit-integrated Code 0 furler, the nautical miles roll by in even the lightest winds.

Sailing a J is the dream of most regatta sailors in this country. But J Boats builds not only fast, but also comfortable sailing yachts for longer trips than from the starting signal to the finish line. The new J Boats J/45 combines the US pragmatism of J Boats with the French flair of J Composites.

The guiding principle for the 13.85 m long and 4.25 m wide boat was to maximise interior volume - without losing anything. The salon of the performance cruiser, for whose interior design Isabelle Racoupeau is responsible, appears light-flooded and modern.