5 New Powerboat Introductions at Cannes 2024
Five new powerboat models emerge at Europe’s most important in-water boat show.
September 25, 2024
The European kickoff in-water boat show is held each year at Cannes in the delightful Mediterranean town in Southern France. It’s the place to launch new models and this year didn’t disappoint. We couldn’t possibly cover all the new powerboats but let’s look at 5 notable designs in a variety of sizes.
Axopar 29
Above: A 2025 Axopar 29 XC (Cross Cabin) underway. Photo by Axopar Boats.
On their 10th anniversary, Axopar, a Finnish boatbuilder, premiered the replacement to their original 28-footer in the form of the Axopar 29. The new boat is masterfully designed to be the Swiss Army Knife of boating.
The new design comes in XC (Cross Cabin), and CCX (Center Console), and Sun Top (Open) versions. The XC’s composite wheelhouse encloses the cabin for weekending, the CCX is focused on fishing, and the Sun Top with its many outdoor spaces will do well in milder climates. Despite these three main flavors, there are seven choices of aft deck layout and four in the bow so you can seriously personalize your boat.
The twin-stepped hull has been made more hydrodynamic for better performance, the walkaround decks are wider, the interior flooring is flatter, and the aft wraparound window is larger for better visibility all around.
Propulsion choices include a single Mercury outboard 300-400-hp or twin 200-hp engines. You can reach a top speed of 37 knots depending on the power package selected. Best of all, this boat feels five feet longer than its LOA suggests and can do just about anything you ask of it.
Wellcraft 38 T-top
Above: A 2025 Wellcraft 38 T-Top underway. Photo by Wellcraft Boats.
Wellcraft is an American company now owned by Beneteau of France. With the change of ownership came a new European aesthetic that’s clearly visible on the Wellcraft 38 T-top. Although industry reps touted its fishability, a quick walkthrough showed a pretty posh entertainer that you could potentially taking angling because it has a livewell tucked under a seat, a fish box under the sole, and a rocket launcher attached to the hardtop.
To our eye, the real appeal of this model is its comfort and ability to seat 23 people for cocktails. It also has a Kenyon electric grill, a full fridge, and a decent sleeping cabin for two with an ensuite toilet and shower so it can be weekended.
You can spec 2x or 3x 300-350-hp outboards and 1,000 Ah of lithium batteries which will power everything without a genset including that grill. Look for one at the Miami boat show in 2025.
Saxdor 340 GTWA
Above: The 2025 Saxdor 340 GTWA. Image via MF Group in Thailand.
An Axopar doppelganger, Saxdor is also a Finnish company and it premiered its 340 GTWA at the show.
The boat was a lot to take in from the dock with its ample indoor and outdoor spaces. Move from the cockpit sunbed to the salon and you’ll find bench seating that surrounds a center table and a refrigerator under the seat. A duck-down aft cabin is revealed when the aft seat lifts up but you can also raise the aft sunbed to bring in light and air and provide another entry to the cabin. The forward master cabin has its own entry from the helm area and an ensuite wet head.
The wheelhouse includes a bench seat, a sunroof, and two Simrad MFDs at the helm along with engine throttles and the joystick. The propulsion package includes twin Mercury V6 or V8 200-300-hp outboards. The V8s come with joystick control and Mercury’s dynamic positioning feature called Skyhook.
Saxdor has packed a lot into this model although many features are optional upgrades. Overall, you can have two cabins with one head, two sunpads, and an outdoor grill and sink. A lovely addition are the two electric side terraces which really add to the deck space when opened.
Beneteau Swift Trawler 54
Above: A 2025 Beneteau Swift Trawler 54. Photo by Beneteau.
For extended cruising or living aboard on a fast cruiser, look no further than Beneteau’s Swift Trawler series that this year introduced a new 54. It’s part of what the French builder calls their “Real Estate on the Sea” and it doesn’t disappoint as a family or couple’s explorer.
The new model follows the rest of the Swift line with a comfortable salon divided from the pilothouse by an anthwartship’s galley that’s very well laid out and even has its own door to the side deck so it can serve those on the foredeck lounge and sunbed. The interior dinette doubles as companion seating to the helm or even as a day bed in the pilothouse. Below are three cabins with the option of adding crew quarters at the transom.
The flybridge on top is like another boat with the helm to port, a galley module on starboard, a sunbed and ample seating. Beneteau did away with the awkward exterior ladder from the cockpit to the flybridge which was difficult to navigate, especially when carrying anything. Instead, the only way up is via an interior staircase and that works just fine. With twin 550-hp engines, this is a solid passagemaker that can be managed by two.
Prestige F5.7
Above: A 2025 Prestige F5.7 Yacht. Photo by Prestige.
Last year, Prestige introduced a completely re-thought 4.9 in their F-Line (flybridge) and this year, they grew the design into the Prestige F5.7. In just about all respects, the new model copies her little sister. From the “terrace on the sea” aft cockpit with facing benches divided by a table parallel to the centerline, to the aft “ocean view” galley with a large opening window that ties the inside with the outside, it’s a familiar layout. Even the large starboard window in the salon still serves as a door of sorts to the side deck. Basically, it’s the 4.9 but all grown up.
Below are three cabins and above is a truly posh flybridge with a galley, a dinette, a sunbed and two bucket seats at the port side helm. Powered by twin Volvo Penta IPS 800 (600-hp engines), the Prestige 5.7 will reach a top speed of 25 knots, but a more comfortable and fuel-efficient cruise can be found around 14 knots. This model slots into the middle of the F line that includes hulls 42-69 feet.
A Great Year For Powerboats
The above is just a smattering of all the new powerboats at Cannes this year that included everything from large RIBs to superyachts. Whether you’re day boating or cruising, there’s a slew of new models out and we’ll be reporting soon on those that we test in detail.
