36z offers the best of both worlds. It's fast, dry and fun to drive, responsive and predictable in waves and economical to run. Fully opening windshields and side curtains give you that invigorating wind-in-your-face feel on nice days. Yet, in the worst of weather, you shut the windows, roll down the side curtains and turn on the heat.  No need for the family to be hanging on for dear life and being buffeted by the elements on a center console or being confined to a dark, airless saloon.  Six friends can sit in summer porch comfort under a hardtop in any weather...another six aft soaking up the rays or under a Bimini (not shown) shaded from the sun.  Below decks there's standing headroom with space and accommodations for a week's cruise. Side opening doors are hospitable to guests and make dock landings much less hazardous. Own the "smartest" boat of it size...2 miles per gallon when cruising and 4 gph for average use. Top speed is 35 knots from twin 5-cylinder 220 HP Volvo D3's. Anyone in the family can operate it's joystick docking system  – from a dock in only 17" of water, getting under 9.5 foot low bridges, or beaching her for a picnic.  36z is a unique design. Small enough to handle alone, yet big enough to entertain 10 on harbor cruises, dinner outings or watching the afternoon boat races.  Being at one with the boat, surfing down waves at 25 knots with the responsive destroyer wheel is a thrill not to be missed. The 36z can go just about anywhere and deal with most obstacles. With hydraulic relief valves, sterndrives tilt up when their skeg strikes an underwater object, then bounce back down again to keep on running. When tilted up, the props are reachable from the swim platform without going swimming. 36z will stay looking new and beautiful for many years.  There's no wood on deck to maintain. Read/watch the September 2011 boattest.com write up on the MJM 36z.  Also, be sure to click here for Passagemaker cover feature by Chris Caswell – "Labor of Love"- April 2011.***

NEW for 2012:  29z DownEast - Family Day Boat

With transom door, swim platform and single-level, convertible all-weather pilothouse, the 29z for 2012 offers great versatility and comfort for fishing, swimming, day trips and family weekend cruises. It is the best looking and best sea boat of its size, which is 32' 6" LOA, 29' on deck. Professional captains who have driven just about everything afloat characterize the 29z as "sweet"... drier, more stable and more responsive to the helm in waves than anything they've driven.  Can you believe 3 nmpg at 25 knots and close to 40 knots with an optional 300 HP Volvo-Penta D4?  Because of MJM's leading edge epoxy construction, 29z is more fuel efficient than recently introduced diesel/electric hybrids. With 6 ft headroom belowdecks and enclosed head, the 29z has the space and functionality of a much larger boat. When a bow-thruster is combined with the agility of a sterndrive, maneuverability in tight quarters and shoal water operation is superb. You can take it to the beach or it can become it's own beach with high dive platform!

MJM 34z - The Perfect Performance Cruiser for Two

As a modern single-engine diesel cruiser with a conventional shaft drive, the 34z is unexcelled.  The primary design objective for the 34z, now numbering 64 afloat, was to create a good-looking, seaworthy, fast and functional cruising boat for two that could be operated by founder, Bob Johnstone's wife, Mary, solo. This meant "spacious enough for cruising comfort yet agile for easy handling". These normally conflicting goals mandated innovation in layout, hull shape and construction not found in traditional "Downeast" designs. Lighter, stronger and narrower was the answer, employing high tech epoxy construction techniques from racing sailboat and aircraft industries which were foreign to production powerboats. Once achieved, an unintended but very important benefit became fuel efficiency...burning 50% of comparably-sized boats.  Between 10 and 30 knots, the 34z (LOA including swim platform is 37' 5") averages 2.2 nmpg.  At harbor cruising speeds of 5 knots, it burns 1/2 gallon per hour getting 14 mpg (about the same as a Chevy Suburban) with a range of over 1600 miles.  Other key requirements were comfortable seating, visibility and ventilation for three couples underway in an all-weather pilothouse.  Bow and stern thrusters with a single throttle/shift make the 34z easier to park than a car and comparable to joystick docking systems.  There are many innovative features including tilt-forward Stidd seats to convert the pilothouse into a twin-berth guest stateroom, a removable Adirondack stern seat for those wanting to fish...and easy access through a transom door.

** Reprinted with permission from Soundings and Passagemaker magazines.