Boot Dusseldorf
Celebrating its 55th anniversary this year, the hugely popular “Boot” officially kicks off the 2024 international boat show season. More than 1,500 exhibitors from over 60 countries will fill the 16 halls at the Düsseldorf “messe” exhibition center on the banks of the Rhine river.
As much a nautical lifestyle event as a boat show, there are halls dedicated to everything from underwater photography to exploring far-flung cruising destinations. Two full buildings cater just to watersport enthusiasts—there’s even an artificial river for trying out the latest canoes and kayaks.
But the launches from global boat builders remain the show’s main draw. Though the new boats are smaller than launches at in-water shows in Cannes, Monaco, and Fort Lauderdale, there is no shortage of innovation and modern design.
Here are 10 newcomers that bode well for boating in 2024.
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Mayla GT
Image Credit: Mayla Yachts German builder Mayla is using Düsseldorf to unveil its brand-new, 44-foot Mayla GT. The angular vessel pays homage to those Miami Vice-style go-fast boats of the ’80s but with a futuristic topside. Powered by twin 650 hp Corvette gas V8s supplied by Ilmor Marine, with optional V8s up to 1,500 hp, this needle-nosed, all-carbon-fiber rocket ship is designed to hit a top speed of 110 mph. The slingshot performance is due to its low weight of 4.5 tons and the deep-V hull design that incorporates transverse deflectors from Sweden’s Petestep. The end result is a go-fast boat that would make even Sonny Crockett hold on for dear life.
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wallypower50
Image Credit: Wally Yachts Choices, choices. That seems to be the thinking at Ferretti-owned Wally Yachts these days. Want something a little bigger and less dayboat-like than a wallytender48, but not as voluminous as a wallypower58? How about the latest wallypower50 making its debut at Boot 2024? Wally gave a sneak peak of this new 50-foot weekender at last year’s Cannes boat show but will unveil the production version at Düsseldorf. Or make that versions with an “s,” since the 50 will be offered with either twin Volvo IPS650s inboard diesels (for a 41.4-knot top speed), or quad 400 hp Mercury V10 outboards for a 55.2 mph max. Not fast enough? There’s also the option of four Mercury 500 Racing outboards for 60-plus mph velocities.
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Invictus TT420 Outboard
Image Credit: Invictus Yachts A year ago, bespoke Italian builder Invictus Yachts used Boot to unwrap its bold, new, ax-bowed 42-foot day cruiser, the TT420. It came with twin Volvo Penta D6 diesels packing 440 hp apiece and delivering a sporty 41 mph top speed. Invictus is heading back to Boot this month to unveil a 1,000 hp outboard version called the TT420S with power from a trio of 350 hp Yamaha 350s. While the new 420S gives up a chunk of its swim platform at the stern to accommodate the three Yamahas, it gains a huge storage lazarette that was previously home to the Volvo inboards. In fact, there’s space to swallow a seven-foot RIB tender, plus a small armada of water toys. The rest of the Christian Grande–designed fast cruiser, with its trademark wave-shaped hardtop, keeps the same visual drama.
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Fairline Targa 40
Image Credit: Fairline Britain’s Fairline Yachts is using Boot Düsseldorf to pull the wraps off a new addition to its Targa sports cruiser range. The all-new Targa 40 is the spiritual successor to the builder’s iconic Targa 38—over 300 boats were built between 2006 and 2016—and will slip into Fairline’s Targa range beneath its 45- and 50-foot models. Fairline’s lead designer Christian Gott has done a stellar job of making this new bluff-bowed 40 feel almost as roomy as its bigger brother. Key new features include a fold-down cockpit balcony, an integrated tender garage, and an oversize master cabin in the bow with 6’6” of headroom. The Volvo D6 340 diesels are standard power, producing a top end of 36.8 mph, while the larger 380s should deliver a max speed of 41.4 mph.
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Saxdor 400 GTC
Image Credit: Saxdor Yachts Open or closed: Take your pick. Back at September’s Cannes boat show, Finland’s Saxdor Yachts unveiled its innovative, new 40-foot 400 GTO flagship. One of many unusual features included a stretched hardtop with the cockpit that opens to the elements on three sides. Now at Boot 2024, the builder is following up with a 400 GTC version that comes with an enclosed, hence more family-friendly, pilothouse for all-weather cruising. Saxdor is waiting until the show to reveal how the expansive glass side panels open to allow access to the 400’s twin, fold-down bulwarks. But we expect some kind of top-hinged arrangement with hydraulic struts supporting the glass. As with the GTO, power comes from a pair of 300, 350, or 400 hp Mercury V10s.
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Omikron OT-60
Image Credit: Omikron It may look like a sleek, modern sailboat with its mast and rigging lopped off, but this innovative new 60-footer from Greek builder Omikron might just be the future of fuel-sipping trawler-style cruising. Penned by Milan-based sailboat designer Lorenzo Argento, the new OT-60 is being shown at Boot following a “soft” preview in Venice last summer. Described by Omikron as a motoryacht that “feels like a sailboat,” the focus here is on smooth, quiet, economical, island-hopping-style cruising. Powered by a pair of 150 hp Yanmar diesels (250s are also available), the yacht will cruise at 9.2 mph for over 1,000 nautical miles on a single tank, burning just over a .33 gallons per mile. Below decks, the OT-60’s 20-foot beam means cavernous accommodations, while its two foot, eight inch draft will take it into the shallowest of anchorages.
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Steeler 50S Trans-Atlantic
Image Credit: Steeler Yachts Dutch builder Steeler Yachts is using Boot 2024 to unveil its brand-new 50-foot 50S TA, with the TA part standing for Trans-Atlantic. As the name suggests, this rugged steel and aluminum long-distance cruiser has been designed for an adventurous German couple to make the 2,100-nautical mile run from the Cape Verde Islands all the way to Barbados in the Caribbean. The yacht has a 1,320-gallon fuel capacity, plus a Wingit-Kite system on the foredeck that uses wind assistance to help drag the Steeler along. Interestingly, the couple has opted not to use fuel-sipping, low-horsepower engines in favor of a pair of 600 hp Volvo D8 turbodiesels. To counter any gnarly Atlantic swells, the 50S comes with Magnus retractable rotor stabilizers.
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Moody Decksaloon 48
Image Credit: Moody Yachts British sailboat builder Moody Yachts—part of the burgeoning German Hanse Group—is introducing a new word into the boat-building lexicon with the debut of its brand-new Decksaloon 48: Monomaran. It’s when you incorporate the interior space and volume of a twin-hulled catamaran into a single monohull. Of course, it’s a slight exaggeration considering the new 48’s beam is just 15 feet, 11 inches, while a similar-sized cat’s width would typically be twice that. More likely Moody is using the term to describe the way the 48’s rear cockpit, galley, and salon are on one level, unlike most monohull sailboats. Penned by British yacht designer Bill Dixon, this striking newcomer is distinguished by its towering, big-windowed pilothouse and deep, protected cockpit beneath the oversize hardtop. With over 1,400 square feet of sail, wing keel, and twin helms, its sailing performance should be as exciting as its looks.
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Galvani Ventisei-e
Image Credit: Galvanti The latest in the rapidly expanding list of whisper-quiet, zero-emission electric day boat offerings will make its global debut from Holland’s Galvani Boats. At Boot ’24, the fledgling builder will unveil its all-new, all-electric Ventisei, which is Italian for 26, reflecting the boat’s length. Modeled after Holland’s iconic “sloepen” open dayboats, the Galvani will be offered in two versions: the Ventisei-e with a 10kW electric motor juiced by a 30kWh battery, giving up to 15 hours of slow-speed cruising. Or the Ventisei-eHS (High Speed) with a 100kW motor, 64kWh battery pack for a 23 mph top speed. Dutch designer Bernd Weel penned the boat’s classic lines, while Bellmarine, also Dutch-based, created the electric power train. The first production boats are due this summer.
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Windy 29 Hurácan
Image Credit: Windy Yachts Norway’s Windy Boats is going back to the future with its retro-style, go-fast 29 Hurácan. You can only imagine the fun that Norwegian superyacht designer Espen Øino had in creating the shape of this classic-style open weekender—his typical day job is shaping massive German megayachts. The design of this low-slung, built-in-Poland, 29-footer is all sharp angles, prominent hull chines, flat foredeck and classic three-piece windshield. The only nod to modernity is the more upright section that Øino added to the bow. The simple cockpit arrangement sees twin helm seats, an L-shaped sofa, and a sun pad on the stern. Power comes from a wide choice of Volvo or Yanmar diesels, or even an old-school Volvo 430 hp gas V-8 sterndrive.
