This week marked the 2023 Summer solstice on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, marking the longest day and shortest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The arrival of summer not only brings us sun-kissed days but also signals the launch of the blazing 2023 boating season. Get ready as we're about to dive into a sea of sizzling new boats and wave-riding wonders for this summer that will leave you eager to get on the water. From huge center consoles to innovative marine products so cutting-edge they make Poseidon's trident blush and technology so advanced it'll have dolphins asking for autographs, let's check out what folks in the marine industry have been hard at work creating this year.

Hot New Boats In 2023


Valhalla V-55 Center Console


Valhalla V55

Above: A 2023 Valhalla V-55 center console boat. Photo by HMY Yacht Sales in Charleston City Marina.



Valhalla Boatworks is a line of center consoles built by Viking Yachts, the unrivaled industry leader in high-end inboard diesel sportfishing convertibles and expresses. In 2019, Viking introduced the Valhalla line, infusing it with the same caliber of yacht-level quality, meticulous attention to detail and exceptional performance that propelled the parent company to its remarkable success in their sportfishing yachts. The V-55, introduced in the winter of 2022, is now their top offering in 2023.

The boat runs on the same Michael Peters designed Stepped V Ventilated Tunnel (SVVT) hull design as her smaller siblings. This design incorporates a pair of longitudinal steps in the bottom, which create a low-pressure area behind them as the boat moves forward. This draws air in via a notch in the hullside, reducing wetted surface and thus friction. The air is sucked back into the centered tunnel which runs aft and has vertical sidewalls to grip the water in turns, eliminating the negative handling traits associated with some other stepped hull designs. The net result is a speed and efficiency gain that differs from model to model, but generally falls somewhere around the 15-percent mark.

Thanks to a 55’7” LOA and a 15’6” beam, there’s an awful lot of space to work with. While most center consoles feature a single row of seats at the helm, and larger models may have two rows of three or four seats, the V-55 impressively presents a front row with four seats and a back row with five seats. Moreover, while many console cabins offer only one cabin, the V-55 distinguishes itself with a private stateroom featuring a pedestal berth forward, a double-bunk stateroom aft, an enclosed head, a separate enclosed shower, and a saloon complete with a galley. Furthermore, the cockpit showcases an angling arena that more closely resembles those found on convertible boats rather than the standard setups typically seen on center consoles.

See Valhalla Boats for sale on boats.com

Godfrey 2024 XP Series Pontoon Boat Released


On May 23rd, Godfrey Pontoons announced the launch of their new family model, the Godfrey XP series. A state-of-the-art pontoon boat with a sleek modern look and a full-digital helm, this boat is bound to satisfy many family's needs on the water.

View Godfrey Pontoon Boats for sale on boats.com

Visit Godfrey Pontoons for more info

2023 Solara S-250 Coupe (C)


Solara Boats, the brand new sister brand to Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats, owned and operated by parent company Fluid Motion, continues to expand its model line up for 2023. This exciting new brand now includes 4 models: the Solara S-250 CW, S-250 DC, S-250 C and S-310 CW. The S-250 versions come in with the following layouts: coupe (C), dual console (DC) and center walkaround (CW).

The S-250 Coupe was unveiled at MIBS 2023 for the 2023 boating season. Despite its smaller size, the S-250 C offers many of the features typically found on larger yachts. Its galley comes fully equipped with a stainless-steel sink, hot and cold water, refrigerator/freezer, stove top, microwave, and ample storage space, making meal preparation a breeze. Additionally, this cozy cruiser boasts a private stateroom with an enclosed head and shower for added comfort.

Visit Solara Boats for more info

Regulator 30 XO


The new Regulator 30 XO, is utterly massive for the class. At 30’7” long, 10’2” wide, and weighing over 9,500 pounds, the 30 XO is bigger than many offshore-dedicated center consoles and joins a mere handful of hybrid bay boats breaking the 30-foot mark. Along with the casting decks fishing accouterments include a 29-gallon livewell in the aft deck (a second compartment can be plumbed as an option), raw and freshwater washdowns, four flush-mount rodholders (10 additional are optional), 10 rocket launchers, racks under the gunwales, and a pair of 16” Garmin GPSMAP 8616xsv MFDs with an Airmar B150 CHIRP transducer. Options for inshore anglers include a 96” bow-mount electric trolling motor plus onboard charger and batteries, and dual Power Pole shallow water anchors. The 30 XO is rigged with a pair of F300 Yamaha outboards, and with them, those low-30s cruising speeds come at a mere 3500 rpm. Crank it up to a reasonable 4500 rpm cruise and you’ll be blasting across the water at speeds in the low- to mid-40s (where fuel economy comes in at around 1.4 mpg). Open the throttles all the way and the boat can run in the mid-50s.

Read The Full Boat Review At Boat Trader

View Regulator Boats for sale on boats.com

YOT 36 Powercat


Catana has launched a new powercat brand named YOT. The boats will offer a range of boat outboard and inboard powered catamarans. The first model in the line up is the YOT 36 and she will be premiered at Cannes Yachting Festival in September 2023.

Visit Catana Group for more info

Scout 670 LX Announced - Largest Center Console Boat In The World


Scout has announced that they are building an all-new premier flagship that is slated to be the largest center console boat in the world (surpassing the HCB 65 Estrella). This huge center console boat will be powered by five (5) Mercury V-12 600 HP engines, producing 3,000 HP total and giving the remarkable boat a projected top speed in excess of 60 MPH. She will have an fast cruising speed of around 40 MPH and a range of 500 miles. Although this boating news will likely dominate many boating enthusiasts feeds for the rest of the year, she actually won't be ready for the 2023 boating season as the builder constructs and perfects hull number one. Fans can expect to see the first hull splashed in the first quarter of 2024, with full production begining in Q2 of 2024.

Visit Scout Boats for more info

Innovative New Marine Products In 2023


Torqeedo Deep Blue 80 Marine Battery


Electric Motor Manufacturer Torqeedo announced earlier this month that they have doubled the capacity of their popular Deep Blue series of marine batteries. The Deep Blue Battery 80 delivers boaters 80 kWh of energy storage, which is aproximately double the size of previous Deep Blue battery models. This is great news for fans of electric outboards and e-propulsion!

Visit Torqeedo for more info

Mercury Racing 500R Outboard Released


This powerful supercharged 4.6-liter V8 outboard engine delivers an impressive 500 horsepower and is specifically designed for high-performance luxury sport boats. The 500R sets a new benchmark for power density in outboard engines, offering exceptional mid-range punch and unrelenting authority at wide-open throttle. Engineered for extreme-performance boating, the 500R features upgraded components to handle its remarkable power. The supercharged 4.6-liter V8 FourStroke powerhead results in 50 more horsepower and 10 percent higher torque compared to its predecessor, the 450R model. The engine is designed to perform using 89-octane pump fuel.

Visit Mercury Racing for more info

Yamaha F425 XTO


Until now, Yamaha Outboards had offered the most powerful engine in the form of the V-8 F425 XTO Offshore. However, they have now increased its power to 450 horsepower. What's even better is that the new F450 comes with a range of additional features that make it one of the most exciting new engines available for watercraft. The fundamental design of the XTO Offshore model remains unchanged: it is still a 5.6-liter V-8 powerhead equipped with dual overhead cams and four valves per cylinder. The bore and stroke measurements are 96mm x 96mm, and the compression ratio is set at a high 12:1. Notably, this engine utilizes direct injection technology where fuel is injected directly into the combustion chamber at extremely high pressure, reaching 2,900 psi at the nozzle. This process atomizes the fuel, leading to more efficient combustion, reduced emissions, and the ability to precisely match fuel delivery with the engine's workload. The F425 was the first four-stroke direct fuel injection (DFI) outboard engine, and currently, the F450 stands as the sole model in this category.

 

Written by: Ryan McVinney
C. Ryan McVinney is a film director, producer, writer, actor, boat captain, outdoor enthusiast and conservationist. He's currently the host and director of Boat Trader's award-winning Stomping Grounds TV show that explores boating culture across America. McVinney also directs and produces the documentary series Cult Classics and the extreme superyacht show LEGENDS for YachtWorld, as well the popular Factory Fridays video series for boats.com. He is a regular contributor to leading marine industry publications.
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