Luxury boats and coastal homes go together like lobster on a roll. Whether you’re hoping to bag some game fish, wanting a sailboat for offshore cruising or desiring something smaller for a more leisurely weekend or sunset excursion from your private dock, the 2016 boating season offers a record number of new and unusual yachts.
From power and sail to weekenders and world cruisers, the choices are as wide as an ocean. Here are four that are certain to float your boat:
Photo from Scout
SCOUT 420 LXF
The largest boat in the Scout fleet, the 420 LXF blends luxury with fishing qualities to create a landmark model in the marine industry.
Sport-fishing boats tend to be on the Spartan side, but the 420 is downright posh with a spacious air-conditioned cabin that has a private head and shower, a dining table that converts to a master berth as well as a TV and galley.
Powered by triple or quad outboards, the 420 LXF can reach top speeds over 70 mph, and serious anglers will delight in the oversized 80-gallon live bait well, stainless steel rod holders and motorized awning to shade the cockpit.
Divers will appreciate the large side door and the six-foot-long dive platform that cantilevers from a recess in the hull. You can also add a Seakeeper gyrostabilizer to keep the 420 steady in the lumpiest seas.
A tempered glass windshield and integrated hardtop protect guests from sun and sea spray, while the foredeck has lounge seating with a retractable table.
Each Scout 420 LXF is custom tailored to its owner from the array of electronics to bow thruster and engine choices. Priced from about $775,000.
Visit scoutboats.com
Photo by Alberto Cocchi
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ABSOLUTE 40STL
The 40STL launches the new Sport Line series for Absolute, and it’s clear they started with a blank sheet of paper to create an unusual day boat that is equally comfortable as a weekender.
When you take friends for an evening cocktail cruise or kids for a day of swimming, everyone wants to walk around. On most boats, this means people have to move, but Absolute solved this issue by creating separate seating and walking areas.
At anchor, you can lower the hydraulic swim platform into the water to create your own “beach.” There are a dinette and table in the cockpit for alfresco meals and an outdoor kitchen with grill, sink and icemaker.
With the optional hardtop, you have shade with fresh air, but it can also be easily enclosed.
And here’s the clever part: the cabin doesn’t look huge from the outside but it has a private master suite with an en suite head compartment and shower. The main cabin can be converted to sleep kids, and it has a second galley for private meals at the inside dining table.
Powered by a pair of Volvo Penta sterndrives, she scampers along at 39 knots and is exceptionally fuel-efficient. Priced from about $468,000.
Visit absoluteyachts.com
Photo by Gilles Martin-Raget
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BENETEAU OCEANIS 60
Beneteau has become the 900-pound gorilla of sailing yacht builders – the nautical General Motors if you will – building sailing legends such as Beneteau and Jeanneau, plus an array of powerboats from sporty (Gran Turismo) to long-range (Swift) to luxury (Monte Carlo).
French sailors are famous for winning around-the-world races, and the trickle-down from those adventures is clear in Beneteau’s Oceanis 60, a powerful sloop combining performance with luxury. Whether you want to sail to Catalina, Nantucket or Cape Horn, the Oceanis 60 is ocean ready.
The wide cockpit, complete with comfortable seating, twin wheels, electric winches to trim the sails and masses of teak decking, is ideal for day sails.
Inside, the cabin is finished in teak and burled woods, with fine fabrics adding French panache. The master suite is forward with its own head and shower, while two more guest cabins have en suite facilities.
The galley is ready for a Michelin chef, and this is a yacht that’s as comfortable weekending with the family as racing around the buoys to pick up trophies at your yacht club. Priced from about $685,000.
Visit beneteau.com/us
Photo by Onne Van Der Wal
MJM 50z
When Mary Johnstone, wife of famed sailing boatbuilder Bob Johnstone, wanted a boat to follow his racing competitions, he designed one that became an overnight sensation.
The largest in the ever-growing line of MJMs (which stands for Mary Johnstone’s Motoryacht, of course) is the MJM 50z, a true yacht with classic Down East lines. As racy as she looks (40 knots plus), she is also highly fuel-efficient and can sail from Long Island to Bermuda and back at cruising speed without refueling.
Ideal for elegant sunset harbor cruises, the enclosed pilothouse has lounge seating, and the cockpit is like a back porch. She has two large staterooms with surprising amenities (easy chairs and desks plus the usual heads with showers) as well as convertible berths for kids.
This is also the first production yacht worldwide to offer the Seakeeper gyrostabilizer as standard equipment to relieve any queasy tummies.
Other unique features include fully opening power windshields when you want fresh air, joystick controls to make short-handed docking a breeze and a level of construction unmatched by her competitors. Priced from about $1.75 million.
Visit mjmyachts.com
Image Credits: Photo by Gilles Martin-Raget.