Boats Over 40 Feet

Sea Ray L650 Fly

The "queen of the fleet" is a phrase that's thrown around a bit too often, but in Sea Ray's case, this new model fits the bill. A huge leap in size from the 510 Fly, their next largest flybridge model, the L650 is the first model in Sea Ray's L-class (with "L" standing for luxury). Built for entertaining, the expansive flybridge has ample seating, an ice maker, fridge, wet bar, and optional grill. Inside, the salon appears cavernous, helped by large windows and the galley-up design. With four staterooms, plus crew's quarters, you won't lack for space to keep your guests, but no one will blame you if you try to keep this one to yourself. searay.com

Leader 40 By Jeanneau

I had the chance to walk through this model in spring and became enamored of the large retractable sunroof that opens up helm space and makes this 40-footer feel like a much smaller sport boat. Pushed by a pair of Volvos or Mercs mated to sterndrives, the 40 can reach speeds into the high 30-knot range, and cruises best at around 25 knots, completing the sport-boat feel. Inside, the forward stateroom with queen berth is separated from the rest of the salon behind a bulkhead. But the midships cabin, normally a cramped, low-overhead affair on similar boats, features six feet of headroom and twin bunks that can be converted to another queen berth with a filler cushion, making sleeping another couple aboard a more realistic option. Other standout features are large storage compartments under the rear sun lounge seating and an optional hydraulic swim platform, which makes launching the dink a breeze. jeanneau.com

Tiara 44C

Tiara introduced the 50 Coupe at the Fort Lauderdale Show Boat Show last fall and is expanding the line of modern cruisers with the 44 Coupe. It's a new look for Tiara, yet they make it clear that they took great pains to make sure the new models share identifiable "Tiara DNA." With the 44, look for the latest electronics already integrated into the boat with Garmin's Glass Cockpit Technology, an ample cockpit space for entertaining, enhanced by their aft-grill feature and sliding doors that open to the salon. A custom hardtop with a power sunroof completes the look. Specs were unavailable at press time. tiarayachts.com

Jeanneau NC 14

Jeanneau planned the NC series ("NC" stands for New Concept) as apartments on the water with a view, coupling a modern design and modular components with a lightweight, efficient hull. Powered by a pair of Volvo IPS drives, the boat tops out at more than 30 knots, but can cruise efficiently between 24 and 28 knots. The open, airy feel comes courtesy of the large and numerous windows, plus three glass sliding doors aft that open up to connect the cockpit to the salon. In the cockpit, the lounge can slide fore and aft, freeing up cockpit space to expand the useful area around the swim step. This type of conversion is common aboard — the forward V-berths can slide together to form an island queen. Jeanneau is expanding their powerboat lineup in the U.S. and the NC series already popular in Europe is a good example of what the builder is capable of. jeanneau.com

46 Eastbay FB

Classic "blue hull" looks, modern Zeus propulsion, and cruising utility all come standard on Grand Banks' newest addition to the Eastbay lineup. Multiple interior layouts are available once you choose a galley-up or galley-down design, with up to three staterooms. The starboard stateroom can also be set up as an office but will still convert to a bunk if necessary. grandbanks.com

Hunter 40

The redesigned Hunter 40 features a hard-chined hull, with a concave forward section that should help increase speed in light air as well as reduce pitching motion in a head sea. Aft, a fold-down transom and dual helm under an expansive bimini or hardtop make the cockpit a pleasant place to be. Choose between the two- and three-stateroom versions, while retaining a dedicated nav station below to port. marlow-hunter.com

Marlow Pilot 37

After rescuing the popular Mainship and Hunter brands from bankruptcy, Marlow's team went to work redesigning the pilothouse trawler for which Mainship was known. With the 37, you get an elegant reverse-transom that folds down to provide ample access to the swim platform and extends the useful cockpit space, plus two staterooms, and the option of a single- or twin-diesel configuration. marlow-pilot.com

Beneteau Oceanis 55

The Oceanis 55 occupied a prime slice of dock at the Annapolis sailboat show with its sleek looks attracting a line of sailors waiting to board. But that line obscured one of the slick features of this model, a fold-down transom that opens up the stern of the boat, giving you a functional swim platform when you want one but the security of a full transom while underway. Beneteau also gives you loads of choices in the interior layout, with five different cabin/head arrangements available and as many as five cabins in all. beneteau.com/us

Blue Jacket 40

Produced by a collaboration of Tim Jackett, formerly of Tartan Yachts, and Island Packet Yachts CEO Bob Johnson, the Blue Jacket 40 is designed as a performance cruising yacht, with the sail plan, keel, and rudder of an offshore racing boat but with the interior needs and ease of use of a cruiser. Three-stateroom layout standard, with two being optional. bluejacketyachts.com

Carver C40

Carver's redesigned lineup carries more beam far forward, giving the bow of the boat a pleasing, rounded profile. The added benefit is greater interior volume in the forward stateroom, and Carver has made maximum use of it. Rather than the narrow, sloping feel you'd find in many V-berths, the shape of the bow allows the walls to appear plumb, opening up the cabin in a subtle way. New looks aside, Carver has stuck with tried-and-true construction and mechanicals in their yachts. If you've owned an inboard-powered motoryacht, you'll be instantly familiar with the features onboard and likely know intuitively how to operate and maintain them. carveryachts.com

Cruisers 390 EC

Cruisers Yachts knows that for some boaters, it's all about entertaining, so they created the 390 Express Coupe with the largest cockpit in its class and filled it with all the stuff you need to keep your guests happy. The portside rear seat can slide across the cockpit to form a U-shaped dining area for six around the table. In addition, filler cushions for the table and an optional power seat backs can transform the area into a large sun pad. Add the optional ice maker, fridge, and grill to the standard wet bar, and couple those with a retractable roof that measures 42 square feet, and you've got an open and airy entertainment area.

Regal 53 SC

BoatUS got a sneak peek at this boat late last year during a factory tour, and the size and accessibility of the engine room really stood out. It feels like a small garage, with room to walk around the pair of Cummins diesels and easy access to the generator, batteries, and related components. These include an isolation transformer — a feature typically found on much larger yachts — which physically separates the shore power current from the boat's systems, guarding against low power, surges, reversed polarity, and other dangers of an unfamiliar power supply. Another nice design touch are the separate head and shower compartments, one on each side of the boat in the master stateroom, made possible in part thanks to the Zeus drives, which free up space for the master that would have been an engine compartment. regalboats.com