Reviews

Sunseeker 90 Ocean ‘X-Tends’ fun on the water

Reviews / yachtstyle2020

Sunseeker 90 Ocean ‘X-Tends’ fun on the water

February 10, 2022
4:08 pm

The largest of Sunseeker’s ‘Famous Five’ new models, the 90 Ocean is the widest model in its Yacht range and the first to feature a double X-TEND™ sunbed, spearheading a completely new design concept from the British builder.

By John Higginson.

The 90 Ocean reaches 27 knots with twin MAN engines

When Sunseeker displayed its 90 Ocean with its 88 Yacht and three smaller ‘Famous Five’ models at last September’s Cannes Yachting Festival, the Poole builder showcased its ongoing focus on upgrading its range inside and out but also its desire to branch out into a new sector – a fresh way for owners and guests to use their boat.

After all, the 90 Ocean is more than a new model. If not the first of a new range, it’s the first of a new design philosophy at Sunseeker, an Ocean series of models that span the Yacht and Superyacht ranges, spearheaded by designs for the 42M Ocean and 50M Ocean.

The 90 is the first of a new Ocean line of designs from Sunseeker

Seen from the side, the more upright bow on the 90 Ocean is the most obvious indication of an increased focus on volume, but it’s from the back that you really see what the Ocean concept is all about. It’s wide – really wide.

BEACH CLUB SUPREME

With a vast beam of 23ft 6in, the 90 Ocean is a full 2ft wider than the 95 Yacht – and just 6in slimmer than the 116 Yacht!

Add in the fact the beam is carried further forward than is typical and the 90 Ocean offers a 20 per cent increase in volume and 25-30 per cent more deck space than the yard would traditionally offer on a yacht of this length.

The 90 Ocean is only 6in slimmer than Sunseeker’s 116 Yacht

This extra deck space is best illustrated in the vast beach club, where the 90 Ocean features a double X-TEND™ sunbed, a Sunseeker innovation that CEO Andrea Frabetti has called “a game changer”.

Built into the transom door, the X-TEND™ can fold out and down to create a large sofa cum sunbed in the beach club, while the raised position creates a raised lounging area that faces into the aft cockpit.

The double X-TEND™ offers a large seating and sunbathing area in the beach club

Douglas Culverwell, Sunseeker’s Director of Distributor Development, says the X-TEND™ has proved a “huge hit” with owners and prospects.

“The X-TEND™ is a great innovation and we’re delighted by the response from the clients. In the up position, it creates space that was simply not there before and adds to the social aspect of the cockpit,” says Culverwell, who has overseen Sunseeker in Asia since 2016.

Clear view from the cockpit over the beach club

“In the lower position, it’s simply an amazing place to relax, enjoy the beach club and watch the sun go down. It’s difficult to say which mode is used more, so it’s great that our clients have the choice.”

The beach club measures about 20ft wide by over 13ft deep and includes a large hydraulic platform big enough to carry a Williams SportJet 460 tender. The remaining part of the beach club can house a jetski and includes two self-draining Seabob deck lockers, while there’s further storage inside the transom for other water toys.

When raised, the double X-TEND™ significantly expands the aft cockpit

In the fixed part of the platform to port, there’s a retractable Besenzoni stairway that can be used for water access or as a passarelle, while there’s a fold-out barbecue with countertop on the starboard side, well away from the indoor areas.

OUTDOOR HUBS

The aft cockpit extends the beach club vibe onto the main deck, with moveable furniture that can be arranged to face the sea, while the glass side gates and central bi-fold doors can be fully opened for a completely clear view over the beach club. And if the sun gets too much or ‘in your face’, a sunshade can descend from the flybridge overhang.

The vast flybridge can be configured as the owner wishes

Port stairs lead up to the flybridge, an enormous space that Sunseeker estimates is 25 per cent larger than on a comparable yacht. It’s covered by a lightweight, advanced composite hardtop with a full-width retractable canopy and contains an extendable sunshade that’s able to cover the aft area of the upper deck.

To port are the twin-seat helm and a long wet bar with grill, drawer fridges, ice maker and optional stools, but otherwise the deck can be customised. One Sunseeker proposal includes an aft infinity spa pool flanked by sunpads, a fixed C-shaped sofa and a table to starboard, plus more sunbathing area forward.

Alternatively, the deck can be cleared for loose furniture, such as a dining table and wet bar under the hardtop, with the aft zone left free for the likes of sofas, chairs, sunbeds and coffee tables.

The large foredeck has three sofas facing a triple sunpad

The foredeck is another fun outdoor zone and can accommodate a large group of people on three fixed sofas – each with a ‘mood-lit’ table – and on a central triple sunpad with electrically adjustable backrests.

It’s set up for guests to stay a while as there are drinks fridges under each end of the long, forward-facing sofa and slots so a sail canopy can be erected if the sun is too much. The foredeck can even transform into an open-air cinema with the option of a laser projector and an enormous 94-inch screen.

INDOOR OPTIONS

While the 90 Ocean is distinguished by its large, multi-functional outdoor areas, the interior also benefits from the large beam, with the overall internal volume matching that of the 95 Yacht. Sunseeker offers a range of interior finishes including lacquered inner deckhead panels and perimeter LED lighting.

Saloon layouts include a dining table on either port side (pictured) or forward

Well over 18ft wide and 29ft long, the spacious saloon starts with an adjustable 65-inch QLED TV to port, while furniture can be arranged how the owner wishes.

Options include a large L-shaped sofa and chairs around a coffee table, with a dining table forward before the galley and maybe a chaise longue in the port corner, by the main stairs to the lower deck. Another option is having the dining table lengthways on port side, forward of the TV.

The galley can be open, enclosed or fitted with sliding shutters

For natural light and views, there are floor-to-ceiling windows on both sides and glass bulwarks by the saloon, while Sunseeker also offers the option of sliding doors both port and starboard. Looking forward, there’s even a direct view through to the windscreen from the saloon or aft cockpit.

In terms of layouts, the main fixture is the galley to starboard, which can be either open, enclosed or fitted with partition screens, while there’s also a side-deck door. Lively options include a 34-bottle wine cooler.

The helm station and corner sofa sit a couple of steps above the saloon

“The 90 Ocean offers so much flexibility with the layout,” Culverwell says. “The galley can be open, enclosed or even have sliding shutters for the best of both worlds, with the saloon and dining arrangement quite often driven by this selection. Popular options include the sliding shutters with an extended galley bar top, the dining table to port and extended sofa to starboard.”

SUITE ARRANGEMENT

Sunseeker hasn’t been predictable with its lower-deck layout, where the master cabin is neither midships nor in the bow, while the private stairs are for the VIP suite. The port stairs in the saloon lead down to a hallway that runs across the width of the yacht to a spectacular wooden feature wall, where there’s a forward door to the full-beam master stateroom.

The full-beam master suite is between the VIP and guest cabins

The bedroom has a forward-facing bed with stowage below, sofa to starboard and vanity desk to port, plus plenty of light from 8ft-long hull windows.

A decorative bulkhead mirror houses the television, which is located centrally. To port is the elegant en-suite bathroom, which features backlit framed mirrors, twin porcelain sinks, a large vanity unit, plenty of storage and a roomy rain shower. Starboard of the TV is the walk-in wardrobe with ‘his and hers’ pivot-hinge wardrobes, drawers and feature shelving behind panelled full-height mirrors.

The two en-suite guest cabins are aft of the hallway and each features a large hull window, a huge TV and inward facing beds that can be arranged as twins or a double. Sunseeker explains that this cabin arrangement allows the owners to be close to their children, parents or other generations.

The master suite’s bathroom

The private stairs down to the VIP suite are forward on the main deck, between the twin-seat helm to starboard and the portside chart table or dinette, which sits a couple of steps above the saloon floor.

The breadth of the VIP suite in the bow – and the size of the foredeck above – result not only from the full beam extending far forward but also the bow’s more rounded shape.

“The beam and the how far the beam is carried forward is a critical part of the design as it allows more space to be created,” Culverwell says. “The 90 Ocean is an incredibly innovative yacht and every area inside and outside has its features. It’s very well balanced, with every area feeling right.”

The VIP suite in the bow has private access

At the other end of the yacht, the crew area includes two twin-bunk cabins, a bathroom, galley and L-shaped dinette, with a door to the engine room and stairs leading from the aft end of the port side deck.

NEW MODELS DRIVE DEMAND

The 90 Ocean is also available in an enclosed version, which means that with the 88 Yacht and the upcoming 100 Yacht, four of the six models in Sunseeker’s Yacht range (76-100ft) have been launched in the past year.

Following last year’s ‘Famous Five’, 2022 launches include the 100 Yacht, Predator 65 and Superhawk 55. Now offering over 20 models compared to the 11 on offer when Frabetti arrived in 2019, Sunseeker says new models have helped drive the builder’s largest forward order book – over US$660 million – since China’s Wanda Group took ownership in 2013.

The 90 Ocean is a popular family offering

“The new models are driving that demand and they pull the whole range with them,” Culverwell says. “The 90 Ocean has had incredible success and we’re sold through to the autumn of 2023. This is a mix of retail and wholesale yachts, so the good news is there’s availability for clients through our distribution network.”

In Asia, Japan dealer Unimat Precious has secured record forward orders, while NextWave Yachting opened a stunning Sunseeker Showroom in Repulse Bay late last year following its appointment as Hong Kong dealer.

Culverwell says he expects the 90 Ocean to strike a chord in this region, due to its roomy interior and huge outdoor spaces that can be covered when necessary.

The 90 Ocean is part of an expanding Yacht range

“There are many interested parties in Asia for the 90 Ocean. We feel the boat is very well suited to the market with a great balance of inside and outside social space. All the outside space can be under shade and the access to the water from the beach club is terrific,” he says.

“Furthermore, the 90 Ocean Enclosed provides an alternative for clients looking for an even larger main deck facilitated by having a single helm station upstairs in front of a comfortable sky lounge. Sunseeker and our dealers have high hopes in Asia.”

http://www.sunseeker.com

Sunseeker’s first Manhattan 68 Pacific arrives in Asia
NextWave Yachting has released a teaser video of the first Sunseeker Manhattan 68 Pacific in Hong Kong, where it’s available for sea trials.

Built for distance: Beneteau Grand Trawler 62

Reviews / yachtstyle2020

Built for distance: Beneteau Grand Trawler 62

February 3, 2022
3:20 pm

A 2022 European Powerboat of the Year winner, the Grand Trawler 62 is designed for long cruises in comfort, with Beneteau’s new flagship offering a remarkable range of over 1,000nm, highly practical indoor and outdoor areas plus a plethora of storage space. And the best bit? Asia is welcoming hull four.

Words: John Higginson Photos: Jerome Kelagopian & Nicolas Claris

The Grand Trawler 62 features naval architecture by Italy’s MICAD

When Asia’s first Grand Trawler 62 arrives in Hong Kong through regional dealer Simpson Marine, it will mark the regional debut of Beneteau’s largest powerboat to date and the pioneer of a new range of passage makers that build on the spectacular success of the brand’s Swift Trawler line.

Selling points include a whopping range of 1,045nm and 235 cubic metres of volume that includes masses of storage space. The 62-footer with an almost 18ft beam represents a large leap in size among Beneteau’s trawler-style models and even includes a multifunctional crew area, yet it’s still geared towards hands-on owners. It’s solid, seaworthy, durable, practical and functional. Let’s just say it’s the kind of boat that also has grabrails on the inside.

While there’s nothing sleek and sexy about any of those qualities, at more than twice the price of the new Swift Trawler 48, the Grand Trawler 62 is pitched at a sector of owners used to affording the good things in life. As such, the interior reflects a notable upgrade in finish and detailing, although nothing that’s going to break easily.

Nauta Design, another Italian studio, handled the exterior and interior

“Beneteau’s aim is for the Grand Trawler 62 to be the best-value proposition in the market,” says Robert Chaffer, Product Manager for Beneteau’s two Trawler lines and Gran Turismo range. “It hasn’t sacrificed common sense for bling. It has a calming quality, a quiet layer of luxury on top of the practicality.”

TRAWLER TRIBE

The Grand Trawler 62 is the product of almost two decades of development since Beneteau launched the Swift Trawler line in 2003. With 1,300 units produced so far, the series dominates a sector of economic, long-range flybridge motor yachts designed for extensive cruising, where the focus is as much on the journey as the destination.

Although the 48 is now the biggest Swift Trawler, former models included the 52, which spanned almost 56ft overall and was succeeded by the 50, a model only recently discontinued.

The aft ‘terrace to the sea’ provides seating overlooking the hydraulic platform

Recognising the growing appeal of high-volume yachts in the 50-100ft sector, Groupe Beneteau had announced the development of Grand Trawler at Boot Dusseldorf 2020 under the codename Project E, before the 62’s launch last year gave trawler-style boat lovers a new flagship to aspire to.

“From 30-50ft, Swift Trawler has been incredibly successful. It outsells all the rivals by four to one, so we’ve built up a huge following of owners who gather in rendezvous events and owner’s clubs,” says Chaffer, who has worked in the industry for over three decades including as a yacht designer.

The cockpit has a sea-facing sofa and foldable table

“We could see the trawler market becoming more popular and more owners wanting to cruise longer distances, with an increase in space and facilities. Potential Grand Trawler clients obviously include Swift Trawler owners wanting to move up in size, although the owner of hull one previously owned a Lagoon.”

Typically, Swift Trawler owners are experienced, hands-on boaters, many spending several months a year at sea or even living on their boat.

“Swift Trawler owners have a minimum of 15-20 years’ of boating experience. They’ve come from sailing, powerboats, catamarans, and they’ve probably had five to six boats, so by the time they come to Swift Trawler, they know what they want in a boat and how they want to use it,” Chaffer says.

The forward flybridge includes a staircase to the interior and sunpad ahead of the helm

“The Grand Trawler 62 is built on feedback from these owners, and we’ve poured all of that experience into this boat. Everything we’ve learnt from Swift Trawler since the first model was launched in 2003 is in the foundations of the Grand Trawler 62.”

RANGE AND STORAGE

The two priorities in the design of the Grand Trawler 62 were range and storage, essential to owners wanting to spend long periods onboard and cruise extensively.

The helm station is by the starboard side door

Having analysed the use of Swift Trawler boats, Beneteau concluded that 75-80 per cent cruised between 8-12 knots, so worked with Italy’s MICAD on naval architecture to produce a displacement hull that has outperformed initial predictions at nine knots, achieving 1,045nm with 10 per cent of fuel still in the tank.

That’s more than enough to cruise from Hong Kong down past the Philippines to Kota Kinabalu, or from Singapore to Bali, although should there be a need for speed, the yacht can reach 20 knots with its twin 730hp MAN engines.

“It’s a great passage maker,” Chaffer says. “This is a big increase in range even for Swift Trawler owners. They like long cruising and now they can consider bigger journeys, which was the feedback we had.”

The bed in the master suite exemplifies the emphasis on storage

Research also highlighted that the most common request from Swift Trawler owners was storage, storage and more storage. A tour of the Grand Trawler 62 reveals that for every flat surface, there’s often storage space underneath, above or behind.

ENJOYING THE ELEMENTS

Italian studio Nauta Design – brought in to upgrade Lagoon’s interiors over a decade ago – handled the exterior and interior of the Grand Trawler 62, which starts aft with a ‘terrace to the sea’ that recalls the ‘terrace on the sea’ introduced on the Lagoon 55 sailing cat launched last year.

The cockpit seating faces through and over a transparent pushpit

With the emphasis on views of the water and scenery instead of the saloon doors, the cockpit has an aft-facing sofa and foldable table facing a transparent pushpit and sliding side gates. Full-width steps provide a comfortable waterside seating area and lead down to a hydraulic platform that can carry a tender, although there’s also the option to store a RIB or toys on the aft flybridge.

To port, a gull-wing hatch allows access to a multi-functional area that can include a washing machine as well as toilet and shower rooms. All can potentially be used by owners and guests, as each is separate from the cross-bunk cabin to starboard, which could be used for crew or how the owner wishes.

The foredeck features a double sunpad and sofa, each with adjustable backrests

Symmetrical side decks that start with teak-slat ‘fashion plates’ lead to the foredeck, which has a connected double sunpad and sofa, both with adjustable backrests, drinks holders and plenty of space either side for books, snacks or even towels if more people want to lie down. The area can also be sheltered by a bimini.

However, the prime outdoor area is the stunning 365sqft flybridge, one of the largest in its class and accessible from either the starboard side of the cockpit or internally from behind the helm.

On the flybridge, a C-shaped sofa faces an inward-facing wet bar

To port is a folding table and a C-shaped sofa that adjoins a forward-facing L-shaped sofa, while starboard is an inward-facing wet bar with Kenyon grill, twin-seat helm and a forward sunpad. The aft area is clear by default and has the option of a crane.

FLEXIBLE INTERIOR

The interior by Nauta Design features bulkheads and cabinetwork in walnut or waxed light oak as standard, providing a light, relaxing atmosphere.

The saloon has a C-shaped sofa and either a sideboard (below) or two-seat sofa to starboard

The saloon has a grabrail overhead and a C-shaped sofa to port that can face either a two-seat sofa or a sideboard with drawers and shelves to starboard, where options include a retractable 50-inch TV, drawer fridge and wine cooler.

On starboard side, the first step up to the dining area is flanked by drawers to starboard and to port by a handrail above a purpose-built servery unit housing Villeroy & Boch glasses, crockery and cutlery.

The dining area sits close to a purpose-built servery unit

A further step up is the dinette, which has an L-shaped sofa and a tabletop that can even slide over the sofa when not in use or to create more hallway space while cruising, for example. For meals, up to four folding dining chairs can be used to round out the seating and can also be used outside, such as in the aft cockpit.

Beside the dinette is an enclosed galley with windows facing the dinette and saloon. The galley can be closed off with an optional sliding door, while to port it benefits from a side-deck door that provides air flow and ventilation.

The galley benefits from a portside door

The galley’s aft side facing the saloon is stacked with shelves, storage, work surfaces and, to port, a sink plus a trash receptacle that can be retrieved from the side deck, a nice safety buffer in the case of spillages. Forward is a full-height, 255-litre fridge-freezer, while beside the side door is a four-burner induction hob above a 40-litre multi-function microwave oven and wine rack.

The raised helm station, past the stairs to the flybridge, is another key hub and occupies most of the forward area, where it’s protected by a reverse-angle, one-piece central windscreen. Two comfortable leather seats face a large wheel and a wide leather console that features up to three 16-inch Raymarine screens and can even be completely raised up on hinges to allow access to the circuitry.

The helm station is accompanied by a daybed

Integrated software includes Groupe Beneteau’s own Seanapps and Ship Control programmes. Port side of the helm is Chaffer’s favourite space on board, a sofa-cum-daybed that offers a relaxing nook to nestle in whether the boat’s cruising or not. To starboard is a side door and a curved staircase down to the lower deck, which is available with three or four guest cabins.

CABINS AND CUPBOARDS

As seen on the hull for Hong Kong, the three-cabin layout features a 150sqft full-beam master suite midships with a forward-facing double flanked by bedside cabinets.

The master suite with the luxury package

A stylish desk-cum-vanity-table is to port, while the starboard side features storage space and the option of a 50-inch TV on the bulkhead. Forward is an elegant en-suite bathroom with Corian worksurface, Villeroy & Boch washbasin, electric toilet and walk-in shower cubicle with rain shower.

In the four-cabin layout, the bedroom area would be used for two identical cabins that would share the bathroom. The guest cabin with en-suite is to port, while the VIP is in the bow and features an angled 2m-long bed facing the en-suite bathroom on the starboard side, which has similar finishes and features to the master en-suite.

The VIP suite in the bow has an angled bed

Like the rest of the boat, the bedrooms and bathrooms have plenty of storage, with the master suite featuring half-height hanging cupboards in all four corners. In addition, the top of the double beds in both the master and VIP can be lifted to reveal masses of storage space underneath, ideal for suitcases, towels, bedding and other non-daily essentials.

The hull we toured had the model’s luxury package, which includes an upgrade in lighting, leather tops and louvered panelling on doors. They’re all nice touches and reflective of the efforts Beneteau is making to provide the premium materials and detailing that owners often appreciate when buying yachts of this size.

The aft cross-bunk cabin can be used for crew or guests

However, the Grand Trawler 62 is not about luxury. Beneteau’s biggest powerboat to date is about taking the Swift Trawler range’s emphasis on multi-functionality, practicality, space, storage and fuel efficiency to a new level. It achieves all that and makes you excited to see what’s coming next.
www.beneteau.com
www.simpsonmarine.com

Groupe Beneteau introducing Seanapps
The conglomerate is initially introducing the technology on Beneteau, Jeanneau and Prestige models.

Wally WHY200 “Has ‘Wow’ Factor Engraved In DNA”

Reviews / yachtstyle2020

Wally WHY200 “Has ‘Wow’ Factor Engraved In DNA”

January 27, 2022
5:46 am

With a staggering 200GT of interior volume, Wally’s four-engine WHY200 has been described by Ferretti Group as the world’s largest fibreglass motor yacht with a sub-24m load line. But is the world ready for this futuristic vision of boating?

The semi-displacement WHY200 has a top speed of 23 knots

As the Wally WHY200 glides across the bay, she looks more like a runaway train than a luxury motor yacht. Fronted by a remarkable bow rising 15ft 5in – that’s more than twice the height of Yao Ming – the 88ft 8in semi-displacement motor yacht is also a true widebody. And what a wide body it is, with an astonishing beam of 25ft 2in (7.66m) inviting catamaran comparisons.

The full widebody design extends even to the skylounge on the flybridge, the deck with the yacht’s only forward outdoor space, a working area in front of the uber-cool helm station. The design’s front-loaded focus on interior space combined with the enormous beam mean the 200GT Wally Hybrid Yacht blows all her competition out of the water in terms of volume.

Wally founder Luca Bassani drew WHY200’s remarkable profile

Ferretti Group says the WHY200 is the world’s largest fibreglass boat with a sub-24m load line and offers 30 per cent more deck surface than any other yacht in the sub-100ft market. This all becomes apparent as you step inside, where the saloon’s huge width of 23ft is the same as on the 164ft Riva 50Metri, whose maximum span of 29ft 6in includes side decks either side of the living area.

“Now you see why we say we created a new sector with the WHY200. If you don’t see the inside, you don’t understand the outside,” says Stefano de Vivo, Managing Director of Wally and CCO of Ferretti Group. “The WHY200 is our answer to the power catamaran. It fills a hole and doesn’t overlap with any other brand. It’s not a Custom Line Navetta and it’s not a Ferretti Yachts 1000.

The hull has a remarkable beam of over 25ft

“It was a challenge, but we believe the model is going to grow on people because it grew on us, just like it grew on the owner of hull one, who previously owned fast Pershing motor yachts, but now wants to cruise longer distances.”

CONCEPT & CONSTRUCTION

Other leading builders of fibreglass flybridge motor yachts have also made a notable push toward volume and range in recent years, yet Wally looks to have gone to the extreme, with Ferretti Group admitting it took “a bit of a gamble” with such a radical design topped by a Wally-styled carbon and glass superstructure.

Bassani focused first on the hull design

Is it too much, too soon? Not for Alberto Galassi, CEO of Ferretti Group, who cited the quote attributed to Henry Ford: “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

Wally’s super-smooth, clean, almost sparing designs are often perceived as futuristic, with founder and Chief Designer Luca Bassani frequently described as being 20 years ahead of the game, yet his latest model may be his boldest yet. “WHY200 has the ‘wow’ factor engraved in its DNA,” Bassani says.

The almost vertical bow rises 15ft 5in

The WOW200 would also have been a good name, so why ‘WHY’? Wally Hybrid Yacht refers not to its propulsion but its ability to offer the volume of a displacement yacht on a semi-displacement hull that can reach 23 knots with the more powerful quadruple engine options. As well as being Wally’s answer to the powercat, Bassani believes “it’s an explorer, it’s a crossover; it can be anything on this hull”.

The WHY200 started in 2019, when Ferretti Group challenged Bassani to design a high-volume, semi-displacement yacht. Interestingly, considering the final out-of-the-box exterior design, Bassani started by focusing on the hull to achieve cruising speeds of 15-20 knots without planing, working with British firm Laurent Giles on the naval architecture.

Side garage doors that form a three-sided, walkaround beach club

“We started with the hull because this is even more important for a semi-displacement hull,” Bassani admits. “We had to have a hull that can be very good through the waves, so we needed a high bow like ships or real explorer yachts to keep up speeds in big waves and reduce water on deck.”

BEACH CLUB & COCKPIT

As well as volume, another reason for creating a wide yacht was to increase stability – again, like a catamaran – and the widest part of the yacht is aft, from where it gently tapers forward. This shape means the widest areas are the beach club, main-deck cockpit and aft flybridge.

An Opacmare transformer provides access to the water and extends the beach club

One of WHY200’s most innovative features is its split garage, which is as clever as it is cool and another example of form following function.

“The stern is probably the part of the yacht where you live most of the time and we didn’t want the view blocked by the central garage, so we moved them to the side,” Bassani says.

Wide central stairs lead between the sunbathing areas to the covered aft cockpit

Yet he did much more than that. The side bulwarks also act as the garage doors and open to allow access to a Williams DiesetJet 415 on starboard, while the port side can store a large jetski, Seabob, paddleboard and other water toys.

When the bulwarks are down, they combine with the aft platform to create a walkaround, three-sided beach club offering 345sqft of social area just above the water, with two aft sofas providing fixed seating. And there’s more, with a central Opacmare transformer providing access to the water or pontoon.

The long cockpit has sofas facing inward and aft, a diagonal dining table to starboard and port flybridge stairs

Wide central steps lead to the 500sqft cockpit, which is dominated by the huge sunbathing areas on top of both garages, each lined by seating facing centre and aft. Protected by big windows either side, the inner cockpit area has flybridge stairs to port and a dining table and chairs by the starboard sofa, yet while very spacious, the zone can feel a little dark due to the enormous overhang.

A ‘BOX YOU CAN FILL UP’

Including the length of the sunbathing areas, the cockpit is notably long, so the saloon starts about 30ft from the stern or over a third of the boat’s length. Italian studio A. Vallicelli & C handled the interior design of WHY200, and the décor is a mix of wood, sandy tones, black, white and shades of grey.

The saloon features a carbon-fibre staircase; hull one has a ‘show kitchen’ to port

There’s a nice continuity as teak flooring and the white ceiling continue from the cockpit into the saloon, yet sight lines are interrupted by the carbon-and-glass staircase almost plumb in the middle of the saloon.

It’s certainly a centrepiece, one that may divide opinion, but it’s structurally essential and does provide a divider in the middle of the vast saloon, a 650sqft rectangle that owners can pretty much arrange as they wish – around the staircase.

Aft view of the saloon, which has a beam like the saloon on the Riva 50Metri

“The saloon is just enormous,” De Vivo says. “It gives you flexibility because it’s a box and you can fill it up how you wish.”

The first hull features a long white cabinet to starboard opposite a show kitchen and bar stools port of the staircase, an area that could be used for a dining or games table or otherwise.

For the forward half of the saloon, Wally’s layouts include two facing L-shaped sofas, coffee tables and chairs, while there’s also an option for a dining table and chairs with the starboard sofa.

A dining table can be included in the lounge area

The staircase leads up to the skylounge, which has four skylights – two big, two small – and on hull one features a C-shaped sofa to port that faces an entertainment zone with 55in TV to starboard.

Again, the room can be customised, with plans including a dining table to port and L-shaped sofa to starboard.

The skylounge on hull one features seating to port and a large TV to starboard

Forward within the carbon ‘dome’ is the spectacular helm station with four screens and distinctive, high-back seats by Poltrona Frau, one for the pilot and twin chairs to port. Side doors lead to the yacht’s only ‘foredeck’, which has a sofa but is mainly a working area.

The stairs also lead aft to the enormous outdoor area, about half of which is covered by the ‘hard top’, a sleek 6-7m extension from the carbon structure housing the skylounge and sole helm station.

The flybridge provides a huge outdoor space for loose furniture

Ferretti Group describes the carbon structure as “a masterpiece of design and engineering for its exceptional stability and strength” and it’s hard to disagree, although the sides do reduce the natural light in the dining area.

However, modern sofas, sun loungers and chaise longues all enjoy vast outdoor space alongside a wet bar on starboard, and again, the size of this area makes it unique for a yacht in this category.

‘WOW BOW’ AND DOWN BELOW

The indoor ‘boxes you can fill’ continue back on the main deck with arguably the most spectacular room of them all – the 400sqft master suite in the bow, although options for the space include a dining room featuring a circular table and a corner bar, a layout that might have strong appeal in Asia.

On the main deck, the forward room enjoys 270-degree views and can also be used for dining

The room features a spectacular 270-degree view from up high, with hull one featuring a forward facing bed ahead of his and hers bathrooms either side of the door. Other layouts include just one bathroom, to port, and a walk-in dressing room to starboard, but the room is really about the views.

“The volume carried forward on the main deck was a result of the high bow, so I thought we could exploit this new volume by having an owner’s suite,” Bassani says. “It has the best view and a good position because you’re far from the engine room. All potential clients who have been on board love this position.”

The spectacular master suite with two bathrooms

The central staircase also leads down to the lower-deck cabins, which are accessed by a hallway leading forward between identical guest rooms on either side, each with inward-facing beds and forward bathrooms.

The VIP suite is in the bow, with an inward-facing bed on port and storage, a sofa and a pop-up TV to starboard, while forward are ‘his and hers’ bathrooms with sinks and toilets either side of a shared shower.

Lower-deck guest cabins include a full-beam stateroom forward that can be the VIP or master suite

This bedroom can become the master if the room above it is used for other purposes, plus it can even be split into two guest cabins if four lower-deck cabins are desired.

The crew area is aft of the central staircase and contains the main galley, with stairs on the port side, below the flybridge steps. Crew are well served by a separate mess, captain’s cabin with en-suite featuring separate shower, two twin-bunk rooms and a shared bathroom, also with separate shower.

The lower deck includes the primary galley in the large crew area aft

THE FUTURE IS NOW

On board technology includes a 5G wireless network connection with home automation control, which means guests can manage audio and video systems via mobile devices, both outside and inside the yacht. The first hull features a 5.1 Premium sound system on the main and upper decks, while a sophisticated Sonance sound system serves the outdoor areas.

For propulsion, the first unit is powered by four 1,000hp Volvo Penta D-13 IPS 1350 engines, while fuel can be saved by running on just two engines at displacement speeds up to about 10.5 knots.

The sole helm station features four screens and three Poltrona Frau chairs

During media sea trials, the hull showed its impressive ability to cut through chunky waves with minimal pitching. It also ‘cornered like it’s on rails’, maintaining a horizontal position while turning, yet another catamaran comparison, yet without the ‘stiffness’ of a twin hull, Bassani emphasised.

While the width and hull design provide stability, this can be enhanced at anchor or while cruising with two Humphree fin stabilisers, plus there’s also an option for two Seakeepers.

Hull six is scheduled for Asia by late 2022

Ferretti Group is currently producing several more units in Mondolfo, where Pershing motor yachts are built, although a new facility is planned for a range of WHY models. For now, hull six of the WHY200 – with a dining room in the bow of the main deck – has been earmarked for Asia as the Group seeks to roll out this pioneering model to markets around the world.

The Wally WHY200 offers clients more space and volume than ever before on a CE-category, 23-knot motor yacht, but its radical styling, full widebody shape and other design elements will challenge many. Only the market will decide if Wally has pushed too far, too soon.

www.wally.com

www.ferrettigroupasiapacific.com

Exclusive interview with Ferretti Group’s Stefano de Vivo
Even though Ferretti Group racked up over US$1 billion in sales in the first nine months of 2021, CCO Stefano de Vivo says the Italian conglomerate is continuing to focus on advancing and widening its range of models to keep its iconic brands as front-runners in their sectors. Interview: John Higginson.

Benetti Motopanfilo 37M: Floating in Time

Reviews / yachtstyle2020

Benetti Motopanfilo 37M: Floating in Time

January 6, 2022
3:40 pm

Inspired by nautical traditions and the romance of life at sea, Benetti turns back time with the Motopanfilo 37M. By Risa Merl.

The Motopanfilo 37M is Benetti’s newest Class yacht

In a time when everything seems to run at a hectic pace, Benetti has embraced the idea of slowing down with its new Motopanfilo 37M motor yacht. Not in terms of speed, mind you – she cruises at a respectable 15 knots – but in terms of style.

Debuting at the Cannes Yachting Festival last September, the new 37m ‘Class’ model from Benetti takes inspiration from the Italian shipyard’s glamorous navettas of the 1960s and ’70s, which were loved by royalty and rock stars alike. As such, the starting point for Motopanfilo 37M was the desire to reinterpret the traditional features of iconic Benetti styling in the name of new classicism.

Francesco Struglia designed the exterior

“The brief was to conceive a new yacht that would incorporate the characteristics of Benetti motor yachts from the 1960s,” says Francesco Struglia, who studied the evolution of the lines of the builder’s models from this period to create the Motopanfilo 37M’s distinct exterior.

“I liked the clean shapes of that time when the phase of pushed fibreglass began. The yachts were shaped with enormous charm because they were the result of experience, accumulated over the years, in solving certain construction problems. They told a story full of value and meaning. Hence the idea to start from ultra-clean shapes, free from the ostentation that has piled up over the years.”

The exterior was inspired by 1960s navettas

CURVES AND WINDOWS

Struglia captures this by creating an exterior with balanced proportions and continuity between the hull and superstructure, which are connected by an angled piece of fibreglass set amidships that defines the profile. Classic fashion plates are interpreted in a new way, with a bronze piece running along the handrails, up the angled fibreglass and onto the ceiling of the aft deck overhang.

The stern, Struglia says, is a modern reinterpretation of a classic round stern. The Motopanfilo does not have a canoe stern, but she does possess generous curves that give a nod to this styling.

The iconic beach club with cabana

“The reinterpretation of the round stern required an in-depth study and is paradoxically the most modern element of the entire concept,” says Struglia, who was also inspired by automotive design. “Owners who appreciate a certain type of car will immediately recognise elements that refer to Bentley and Rolls-Royce.”

An element that separates the Motopanfilo 37M from Benettis of the past is the overall volume, as today’s yachts are much roomier. Struglia was challenged to play with the yacht’s volumes while staying under 300GT.

Covered aft deck on the upper deck

To balance the increased volume with elegant, classic lines, Struglia lengthened the forward hull windows, so they almost reach the bow’s apex. Furthermore, as today’s owners demand large windows, expansive glazing dominates the main and upper decks.

Once onboard, there’s a clear sensation of being in close contact with the sea thanks to these massive windows, which due to modern R&D in glass construction, is another design element that separates the yacht from Benettis of yesteryear.

NAUTICAL ELEMENTS

For the interior design, Lazzarini Pickering Architetti was tasked with creating living areas recalling nautical traditions.

Lazzarini Pickering Architetti handled the interior

It wasn’t the first time that the Rome-based design duo had worked with Benetti on an interpretation of the past, having worked on the 52m Sai Ram launched in 2004 – “one of the first superyachts to offer contemporary interiors in a style dominated by the classic”, according to Carl Pickering.

For the Motopanfilo 37M, the emphasis was on creating a boat that feels like a boat, not an apartment at sea.

Aft view of main-deck saloon shows the ‘ribs’

“The interior design had to embody the elegance of classic motor yachts, seen through a contemporary lens,” Pickering says. “Benetti wanted to re-propose the dream of a past that regales us with nautical stories and myths, moving away from the trending approach in modern yacht design, which is to build boats that are like villas on the water.”

To bring in classic nautical elements, Lazzarini Pickering looked at architectural features reminiscent of the past, like beams that could physically extend the lines of sight. Curved beams run up along the ceiling along the yacht’s width on each deck.

The master suite is forward on the main deck

In the saloon, white lacquered beams run across the wood ceilings, while this pattern is transposed on the upper and lower decks, where wooden beams are situated on white ceilings. Pickering has described the feeling created by these beams, or ribs, as “standing inside the belly of a whale”.

Portlight-shaped lighting fixtures add to the feeling of nautical heritage, as does the white leather cladded mast feature in the central staircase that runs from the lower to upper deck and is designed to look like a mast that would be seen in a sailing superyacht.

The lounge on the upper deck

Design motifs of the 1960s and ’70s are seen in the use of mirrored surfaces and rounded furnishings, like the curved sofas in the main saloon, which Pickering says encourage conversation and relaxed living. Mirrors are used skilfully to expand the space, such as those set into the window frames, effectively reflecting the sea and sky and opening the space further.

The interior materials are otherwise kept simple, with light woods, white leather and neutral-coloured soft goods, all conceived to highlight the yacht’s architectural lines. It’s a subdued sort of glamour, not one overly busy with crystals or gold.

VIP cabin on the lower deck

“We believe that nowadays true elegance is not the sum of details such as golden taps but comes from a feeling you can convey by giving the space a certain structure,” Pickering says.

All fabrics on board are by Loro Piana Interiors and the saloon is adorned in outdoor-grade soft goods to encourage the space to be lived in all day, even in a damp bathing suit after splashing in the sea.

ON DECK AND ON TOP

Outdoor living was a major focus of the design, and there are myriad places to enjoy life alfresco including the spacious sun deck and bow lounge, both of which can have spa pools.

A spa pool in the bow of the upper deck

The beach club captures the feel of a classic beach cabana with a collapsible, accordion-style bimini top that protects the swim platform from the sun and adds an element of privacy.

A noteworthy bonus area for outdoor living is the observation deck, set just above the sun deck. “Built around the central mast, this space would have been a small flybridge [on classic yachts], designed to accommodate a small group of guests,” Struglia says.

The sun deck is partially covered

“On the Motopanfilo 37M, it takes a whole new shape. It’s an intimate retreat, designed for two people to relax. Here, privacy is absolute.”

It might not be impossible to stop time entirely, but with the Motopanfilo 37M, it’s possible to suspend it at least and enjoy a different style of yachting, as Pickering attests.

The private observation deck on top of the sun deck

“By creating a yacht suspended in time, inspired by 1960s glamour, we brought back to life a story full of charm when the large pleasure boats of the time were the object of desire.”

Benetti’s new Motopanfilo 37M has already proven to be popular, with at least four hulls sold so far, proving there is taste in the market for a classic-contemporary yacht that celebrates the glamorous history of yachting without denying owners any of the modern comforts expected today.

www.benettiyachts.it

Azimut-Benetti tops Global Order Book; Asian builder No. 3
Italy’s Azimut-Benetti Group has topped the Global Order Book for superyachts for the 22nd successive year, ahead of fellow Italian yard Sanlorenzo and Taiwan’s Ocean Alexander.

Brokerage: Victorious makes bold statement in Hong Kong

Reviews / yachtstyle2020

Brokerage: Victorious makes bold statement in Hong Kong

December 20, 2021
5:23 pm

Victorious is a 97ft Hong Kong-based Horizon whose vibrant outdoor areas hint at the wondrous world of colours and materials throughout the customised interior, which includes a Moulin Rouge-themed master suite, Italian marble bathrooms and a gold-leaf jacuzzi. By Lindsay Varty.

Victorious is a customised Horizon 97 RPH

Victorious is the passion project of its first and only owner, who commissioned Horizon to build the 97ft motor yacht in 2010. Reliable build quality was important in the choice of the Taiwanese shipyard but so was its willingness to allow the owner to redesign the interior and create something entirely unique.

A fibreglass displacement yacht with a top speed of 22 knots and a range of 800nm at 10 knots, Victorious features the sleek lines of the 97 Raised Pilothouse series and an extra-long flybridge that leads forward to the enclosed helm station.

Each outdoor zone is lit up by splashes of colour, but it’s the interior that truly reflects the eccentricity of the owner, who collaborated with a British designer to create an indoor vision of fashion, fun and glamour.

The yacht is for sale through Camper & Nicholsons

Earlier this year, after over a decade of boating on the yacht, the owner appointed Camper & Nicholsons as the central agent for the sale of Victorious, which has an asking price of US$3.45 million and retains her captain and a crew of six, who have kept the yacht in excellent condition.

“Victorious is a bold and forward-thinking design that has maintained its appeal and continues to be as full of vivaciousness and value today,” says Karen Ball, a Hong Kong-based Sales Broker for the global brokerage house. “The owner wanted to create a statement customised interior that reflected his passion for design and fashion aboard a globally recognised masterpiece.”

FUN IN THE SUN

While the swim platform is relatively conventional, two staircases lead to the spacious, teak-laid aft cockpit that introduces guests to the eye-catching yellow, orange, red and burgundy colour combination also used on other outdoor areas.

The aft-deck sofa continues the outdoor colour scheme

The four colours are used on the cushions of the cockpit sofa, which is accompanied by an oblong glass dining table and four red-and-burgundy dining chairs, the latter giving a hint of the artistic furnishings and décor inside.

A curved portside staircase leads up to the flybridge, where the highlights include a mosaic-tiled bar complete with fridge and hidden cooking station, while the bar stools are finished in red, burgundy, orange and yellow – same colours, different order. Facing the bar is a huge C-shaped sofa with two glass tables, which provides another area for alfresco dining.

Forward is a bubbling jacuzzi with built-in lounge seating, another reason that makes the flybridge the perfect place to enjoy sundowners while savouring 360-degree sea views. The jacuzzi comes with a hard covering, which neatly disguises it and can even create extra seating space for larger parties.

The extended flybridge features a mosaic-tiled bar to port, lounging area to starboard and forward jacuzzi

Aft of the social area, the flybridge has been extended compared to the regular 97RP design, which on Victorious creates space for a crane plus tenders and toys such as an AB Rib with 25hp Mercury outboard.

Back on the main deck, side passages lead to the foredeck where a fitted sunpad and sofa in the signature outdoor colours offers a quiet area for sunbathing and relaxing in the sea breeze.

PREPARE TO BE DAZZLED

From the aft cockpit, a tinted glass sliding door leads into the saloon, where guests suddenly feel transported into another world, one full of whimsical luxury and grandeur, where neon lights and striped Victorian sofas set the tone for what’s to come.

The saloon introduces a customised interior that covers a wide range of colours, textures and lighting

Aside from the two TVs and storage units built into the faux alligator-skin walls, the saloon furnishings are all moveable, allowing for guests to rearrange the room as they wish, whether it’s to gather for afternoon tea or sing karaoke under the flashing disco lights.

Forward are two ocean-themed sliding doors, with the port one leading to the brightly lit, pristine white galley.

The blue dining room is forward on the main deck

The starboard door leads to the lower-deck staircase and onward to the sea-blue dining room, which features a modern glass table and vintage French chairs with upholstered New York-themed backrests, providing a memorable dining experience.

Furthermore, the sophisticated TV system enables the room to double as a conference space should business be brought on board.

MOULIN ROUGE BOUDOIR

Victorious has three en-suite staterooms on the lower deck, providing accommodation for up to six guests. Each cabin has its own themed design, carefully crafted to wow and bewilder guests.

The full-beam master suite has a chaise longue, red velvet curtains, crimson carpets and a four-poster bed

The true pièce de résistance is the master stateroom midships, where owners can enjoy a wild and wonderful Moulin Rouge-themed boudoir, complete with chaise longue, crushed red velvet curtains, plush crimson carpets and an elegant king-sized four-poster bed with long black draping.

To top off the magnificence of the large cabin, a gold-leaf, mosaic-walled jacuzzi in the en-suite bathroom gives owners a chance to relax like royalty, with the rare marble flooring – used for all three en-suite bathrooms – flown in from Italy.

The master cabin’s en-suite bathroom features his and hers areas either side of a gold-leaf jacuzzi bath

His and hers toilets and wash basins flank the jacuzzi, allowing for owners to have their own personal space while getting ready.

In the VIP suite, the stunning baby-blue bubble design on the walls provides an ‘under the sea’ sensation as guests lay back on crisp bedsheets and enjoy the sound of the waves around them. As with each of the rooms, a hidden TV at the end of the bed can pop up with just a click of a button, should late night movies be on the cards.

The baby-blue VIP suite features an eye-catching bubble design

The guest cabin forward features gold bronze walls and purple crushed velvet curtains with a hidden built-in vanity unit beside a long porthole. The double bed can be lifted and efficiently stored into the wall, then replaced by a sofa to transform the cabin into a theatre room or games room for children.

“The interior features bold, beautiful, original designs with exquisite materials that deliver a rich and unique environment,” Ball says. “Victorious is a truly unique yacht, which is searching for a new owner full of life and imagination and who isn’t afraid to stand out from the crowd.”

http://www.camperandnicholsons.com

VICTORIOUS
Luxury Motor Yacht for Sale | 29.56m (96ft 11in) | Horizon Yachts | 2010

New and Improved: Fairline upgrades fun-filled F//Line 33

Reviews / yachtstyle2020

New and Improved: Fairline upgrades fun-filled F//Line 33

December 16, 2021
4:06 pm

Two years after the launch of its 33ft dayboat, Fairline has tweaked and tinkered with the design to return with an updated version driven by customer demand. Meet the new and improved F//Line 33, with hard top option and aft sunbed. By Olivia Michel.

Fairline’s fastest boat, the F//Line 33 is ideal for one or two couples or a family, but has a daytime capacity of eight

The common adage, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, may sound familiar to most, but the saying is distinctly alien in the yachting industry where builders and designers are constantly refining proven models in a bid to create an even better version.

In the case of Fairline’s F//Line 33, the original model – which premiered at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September 2019 – was certainly not broken, proving both popular and very fast, hitting 48 knots with the most powerful engine options. Regional dealer Simpson Marine imported the first unit in Asia last year.

The hard top is a popular new option

Based on consumer responses, Fairline had decided by early 2020 that the boat could be slightly improved and started developing the new model, which was ultimately premiered at this year’s Cannes Yachting Festival in September.

“All changes were 100 per cent driven by customer feedback,” explains Miles Moorhouse, Fairline’s Head of Marketing. “With all boats you are constantly tweaking the design and listening to your customers. Our ability to react to market demand is critical and a hand-made project like this means you can make changes.”

A C-shaped sofa replaces the two facing bench seats

An array of small but significant edits have helped the model reach new heights, but the original concept remains the same.

Penned by Italian designer Alberto Mancini and inspired by classic 1960s car design, the 33ft fibreglass vessel is a sexy day boat that offers much more than a quick cruise to the nearest lunch spot.

The aft sunpad is a major new feature

Generous onboard spaces, sleek lines and a revolutionised driving experience makes the F//Line 33 stand out among the brand’s other models. “It looks very different from a traditional Fairline,” Moorhouse notes. “This is very much a weekender boat.”

OPTIMISING SPACES

The new F//Line 33 is based on the same hull but with variations to the design of the main deck. Original features such as a forward sunbed and aft dining area are retained but with a slightly modified design to better serve their purpose.

The hard top has an electric sunroof over the twin helm

Optimising the outdoor experience became a clear priority for the revised layout of the model. This has been realised in the form of details such as a new portside wet bar with options to add a fridge, electric griddle and icemaker to enhance al fresco entertaining for six guests.

Starboard seating is now arranged in a C-shaped sofa to starboard around a teak-topped table, with the aft backrest doubling up as a headrest for an additional two-person sunbed.

There are now sunpads fore and aft

Having just one walkway, to port, instead of two creates more socialising area. Moving to an open-transom format also offers easier access to the water for guests wanting to spend extra time outdoors.

Perhaps the most obvious and popular alteration is the inclusion of a hard top option, with Fairline declaring that it has been chosen on every new order.

The interior dinette can convert to a bed

Below deck, interiors are surprisingly spacious given the compact size of the dayboat. The layout incudes a convertible forward dinette, day head and midships cabin.

The dinette with a nifty high-low table and an ultra-modern mirror TV also ensures that the lower deck is as cosy and comfortable as the spaces above. The low cabin offers a serene sleeping space with a double bed, justifying Moorhouse’s preference to call it a weekender rather than a basic dayboat.

The cosy double cabin midships

The new interior also has increased storage space and a host of new options such as a cooking hob and sink, ensuring that even when it’s raining outside, onboard dining can still involve more than pre-packed picnics.

EASY TO DRIVE – AND CONFIGURE

Fairline initially created the F//Line project to attract a new audience, reflected in the model’s energetic performance.

There are now twin helm seats instead of a bench

Moorhouse describes the desired demographic as slightly younger than ‘big boat’ buyers, maybe even people new to boating. For some, the F//Line 33 is their first luxury boat. The driving experience is key to the specific consumer market.

Despite being able to reach impressive speeds depending on engine choice, the F//Line 33 “has built a reputation as a good sea boat that lands softly” and is decidedly “easy to handle,” according to Moorhouse. He describes the F//Line 33 as “confidence giving” due to its user-friendly set-up.

The F//Line 33 is designed to be easy to drive

In the new version, an increased helm width makes room for two 12in Garmin navigation screens where before there was just one.

As well as being easy to drive, the F//Line 33 is easy to personalise. Fairline’s excellent online configurator allows potential clients to see how they’d like their boat to look, such as with or without a hard top, inboard or outboard engines, and the best colours for the hull, upholstery and interior.

The interior now has the added option of a sink, hob and tableware storage

Moorhouse says the online configurator is invaluable to the purchasing process of the new F//Line 33. “People’s knowledge of the product is great by the time they visit. It works well for clients from around the world, who can use the configurator to build their ideal 33. It’s a powerful tool.”

Looking ahead, Moorhouse says “there is scope to expand the F//Line”, suggesting that although the 33 may be one of the brand’s most refined models, there could be more to come from the new range.
www.fairline.com
www.simpsonmarine.com

British builder Fairline Yachts has announced a new CEO, while a former CEO will return to the company as Chairman from January.

Prestige elevates F-Line flagship with X-Line flair

Reviews / yachtstyle2020

Prestige elevates F-Line flagship with X-Line flair

December 7, 2021
4:22 am

Yacht Style sea-trialled the Prestige 690 with Brand Director Erwin Bamps and designer Camillo Garroni during the model’s world premiere at Cannes, where the French builder’s F-Line flagship showed off a comfortable ride, expanded flybridge with designer furniture and luxurious interior upgrade.

The Prestige 690 features the 680 hull and the hardtop of the X70

Early-morning sea trials at the Cannes Yachting Festival are always a pleasure but for the Yacht Style team’s exclusive test of the new Prestige 690, there was a bonus – two, in fact.

Not only were we joined by Erwin Bamps, Brand Director of Prestige, but we were doubly surprised to also be accompanied by Camillo Garroni of Garroni Design, the Italian studio that has designed every Prestige model since the brand launched as an offshoot of Jeanneau in 1989.

The upper helm station has twin seats

Before taking the brand’s new F-Line flagship out of Vieux Port, it was helpful to see her berthed alongside the pioneering X70, the model that launched a radical new range for Prestige last year, with the first unit in Asia recently arriving in Hong Kong through Asia Yachting.

Both the 690 and X70 are based on the same hull as the former 680, which was designed to accommodate the Volvo Penta IPS propulsion system.

The Prestige 690 succeeds the 680 as the brand’s F-Line flagship

While the X70 features a radical redesign of the main deck – where there are no side decks – as well as flybridge and beach club, the 690 represents a more conventional upgrade as it assumes the role of the new F-Line flagship.

The 690 generally follows the signature exterior style that has helped make Prestige a world leader in the production of mid-sized flybridge motor yachts. However, one design trait it has borrowed from the X70 is the hard top featuring forward-angled side supports and curved forward struts, as well as an electric sunroof.

The flybridge has a dining table for six, huge wet bar and a C-shaped sofa by the helm

As the yacht heads out of the port, we all make our way to the teak-covered flybridge, which is among the yacht’s standout features. It has been extended aft compared to the 680 and now covers 22sqm (236sqft), putting it among leaders in its class, where the brand competes with global heavyweights like Azimut, Ferretti, Sunseeker, Princess and Absolute.

In fact, the entire flybridge has been redesigned, with the port position of the stairs among the few similarities to the 680. Instead of mostly fitted seating and lounging areas, the layout has been completely reconfigured.

Roda furniture is an option for the aft part of the flybridge

The covered forward area features a dining table set lengthways and six chairs, opposite a long wet bar to starboard that includes a barbecue, sink and fridge.

For the aft half, Prestige offers an island sunpad in the standard configuration. However, the option shown on the unit in Cannes features elegant Roda outdoor furniture – a sofa to starboard, a chair and a low table, all secured to the floor by a simple bolt system. Depending on the arrangement, the furniture is free to face the clear aft balustrade, which is another difference to the 680.

The Prestige 690 offers owners a lot of options

“The whole point is to give owners the ability to arrange the furniture as they like, depending on how they wish to use it that day or for that particular cruise or season,” Bamps says. “The 690 has far less moulded and fitted furniture because we want to have people start thinking differently and more freely.”

EASY PERFORMANCE

The upper helm is to port and features twin carbon-fibre seats with armrests – rather than the bench seat on the 680 – and is accompanied by a C-shaped sofa to starboard. The standard engines are twin 900hp IPS1200s, although we were happy to hear that the unit in Cannes had the 1,000hp IPS1350 options.

The Prestige 690 comfortably topped 30 knots

As we took the wheel, we appreciated how easy it was to read the information displayed on the two large screens and how comfortable a motor yacht the 690 is to pilot.

In relatively calm morning conditions, we were able to twist and turn at leisure and managed to exceed 31 knots, faster than our hosts had predicted. However, the yacht’s comfortable cruising speeds are in the range of 18-20 knots at 1,800-2,000rpm, when it provides far more reasonable fuel consumption.

The yacht also benefited from the optional Seakeeper 18 gyro stabiliser, which was operating soon after we left the port and is especially useful at anchor, where it dramatically reduces roll. In addition, the joystick proved very efficient in controlling the IPS pods and managing manoeuvres leaving and entering the Old Port.

In addition, the 690 also benefits from Groupe Beneteau’s new SEANAPPS technology, which enables owners to monitor their boat in real time, plan and schedule maintenance services, and consult the maintenance log through a dedicated mobile App.

The foredeck sunpad can be partly sheltered by a folding bimini

Other outdoor areas include the foredeck, which has a fitted three-person sunpad that can be partly sheltered by a folding bimini. The hexagonal-topped backrests on the forward sofa are among notable styling upgrades.

At the other end of the boat, the aft cockpit is relatively conventional, with a sofa and teak table, while the area can be shaded by an electric sun awning that slides down between the two aft struts.

The aft sunpad suspended above the swim platform is an attractive option

Prestige offers the appealing option of an aft sunpad that’s behind the sofa and ‘suspended’ above the swim platform. Aside from being a nice place to lie down with a book, it’s also a great for watching over family and friends playing in the water, which also helps with safety.

FINE FINISHING

Heading inside, the main deck retains the general layout of the 680, although the décor, materials, finishing and details have been notably elevated and reflect the fine furnishings introduced on the X70. “The interior finishing is very different from the 680,” Bamps emphasises.

The interior decor and detailing reflect the luxurious finish introduced on the X70

Grey oak is the standard interior woodwork, although wenge is among options, while nubuck or leather are among fabric choices.

The open aft galley is to port, where there’s lots of storage above and below, plus plenty of working space on countertops on all four sides. The galley links nicely with the dining area opposite, where an adjustable glass dining table and L-shaped sofa are supplemented by foldable dining chairs.

The saloon is up a step from the galley and dining area

Up a step, the main saloon has a large C-shaped sofa and coffee table to port and there’s even space for a facing sofa beside the stairs to the guest cabins midships.

As well as large windows on both sides, there’s also a sliding door to starboard, which is useful for the driver and for passenger access to and from the foredeck.

The largest saloon looks forward to the retractable TV

The double helm station sits atop low cupboards, while to the left are higher cupboards that also contain the pop-up TV in a refreshing forward location compared to it typically interrupting a side window.

To port are the private steps – a Prestige signature – that lead down and forward to the master suite, which has a high ceiling and plenty of light from long hull windows.

The master suite is forward and can be among three full-beam staterooms

A forward-facing bed measuring 1.98.m by 1.60m (6ft 5in x 5ft 2in) flanked by bedside tables faces a large TV, while there’s even an overhead skylight with opening hatch with electric shade.

On the port side, by the stairs, are a chaise longue, dressing table and low cupboard topped by shelves, while forward is the walk-in closet with shelving, and the bathroom. To starboard is a long storage cabinet.

The master features a chaise longue, dressing table and en-suite bathroom in the bow

The saloon stairs to the guest cabin lead down to a hallway that divides the VIP cabin midships from either two twin cabins forward or another full-beam guest stateroom with en-suite bathroom, depending on the choice of the three or four-cabin version. There’s also an option for an aft twin crew cabin that’s accessible from the swim platform and has direct access to the engine room.

Overall, the Prestige 690 is certainly not as radical an overhaul of its predecessor as the X70, but it has benefited from a handful of selected features and finishes introduced on the latter while also showing off a couple of tricks of its own.
www.prestige-yachts.com
www.asiayachting.net

Asia Yachting hosts exclusive Prestige show
The regional dealer hosted the Prestige Exclusive Day and Asia Yachting Brokerage Boat Show over three days at Lantau Yacht Club in Hong Kong.

Y focus on carbon: Custom Tripp 90 by YYachts

Reviews / yachtstyle2020

Y focus on carbon: Custom Tripp 90 by YYachts

November 19, 2021
8:36 pm

Specialising in luxury carbon sailing yachts from 70-100ft, Germany’s YYachts has launched its custom-built Tripp 90, which features an exterior by Bill Tripp and a richly detailed interior by Winch Design – and will be followed by the Y9 model in 2022. By John Higginson.

Designed by Bill Tripp, the US-flagged Prevail is a custom build by YYachts

As Bill Tripp walks the deck of Prevail during its world premiere at this year’s Cannes Yachting Festival, he’s proud but also a little excited.

That’s because the American naval architect is looking ahead to a potential trip to the Caribbean, where he has been invited to join the owner for some sailing on the custom-designed Tripp 90, which was showcased in Cannes alongside the Y7, an earlier design by the American that helped YYachts establish its reputation.

Prevail has a carbon hull, superstructure, mast, boom and sails, and a flush deck with sustainable Lignia wood

After Prevail was launched by YYachts from its shipyard outside Greifswald on Germany’s northeast coast, Tripp was among those involved in sea trials in the Baltic Sea, when he says conditions were “a little too calm”.

However, Prevail’s owner, an American with strong ties to Europe, has already spent quite a bit of time on his carbon-fibre performance cruiser in the Mediterranean, with Tripp saying the 90ft sloop has clocked 18 knots and should be able to get up to about 25 when it really gets to stretch its legs.

Bill Tripp designed the Y7, Y9 and Tripp 90

Provisional plans are for Prevail to stay in Mallorca in Spain before heading across the Atlantic to the likes of the Caribbean and New England, where Tripp himself is based in Connecticut.

“The owner has already spent a lot of time on the yacht in the Med and really enjoyed it. We advised that he enjoy the boat for a while, then we’ll spend a little time fine-tuning it for racing,” says Tripp, who says the owner’s 2022 plans include the Caribbean 600 in Antigua in February and potentially the Rolex Middle Sea Race around Sicily in October.

The American-owned yacht will be used on both sides of the Atlantic

“It’s primarily a cruising boat built for bluewater sailing, but will do some racing. The owner may bring the boat back to Europe later next year and he also plans to cruise around the world. We’re just delighted he’s happy with the yacht.”

YYACHTS’ CARBON TRIP

The owner’s previous boats included a design by Tripp, who has close ties to YYachts, which Michael Schmidt founded in 2015 to build fast luxury sailing yachts made of carbon, which is stiffer and lighter than fibreglass but more expensive.

Michael Schmidt, founder of YYachts

The yard, also known as Michael Schmidt Yachtbau, is focused on streamlined designs, easy sailing and a clean, minimalist deck. Its semi-custom models start from the Y7, a Tripp-designed 70-footer with a Norm Architects interior that has proved its best-selling model, with about a dozen units already sold.

It was followed by the Y8, an 80-footer drawn by Italian Lorenzo Argento with five sales, while next year’s new builds will include the first Y9, a semi-custom model sharing much of the naval architecture and exterior design of the Tripp 90 but with a wide range of interior layouts.

Twin helms control the self-tacking jib and hydraulically operated boom-rolled mainsail

This September, YYachts was proud to show Prevail at Cannes, where it was the second-longest yacht in the Sailing Area in Port Canto. It’s also the latest product of the YC custom division, whose portfolio includes the Explorer 72 Eugen Seibold, designed for scientists to conduct climate and marine research, and fitted with an advanced hybrid diesel-electric drive and large battery bank.

FLAGSHIP SUPREME

With an overall length of 97ft 8in and a beam of 22ft 4in, Tripp 90 is currently YYachts’ flagship and the best advert so far for the yard’s capabilities. Tripp Design handled the naval architecture, exterior and layouts, while the owner chose UK-based Winch Design for the interior, with Prevail marking the third collaboration between the two design studios.

Three B&G touch screens above the coachroof

Prevail uses carbon for the hull, superstructure, mast, boom and sails, while the rig includes a self-tacking jib and hydraulically operated boom-rolled mainsail. Tripp says the hull shape is optimised to sail at 12 degrees, while the yacht also features a lifting keel, a challenging feature to integrate and disguise in the interior design.

Like all YYachts boats, the Tripp 90 is designed for short-handed sailing, with the 55-tonne yacht able to be handled by the three crew, all sailors. The flush deck features YYachts’ sustainable Lignia wood, which looks great, doesn’t get hot and is an eco-friendly alternative to teak.

The clean aft deck hides a lazarette

The surprises start aft, where a lazarette door hidden in the expansive deck folds up to reveal a huge storage space that can house an inflatable 3.5m RIB, along with a lot else. Just in front is a smaller liferaft locker that can deploy automatically in emergencies.

“I think the hardest part of putting together a project like this is to make the technology invisible,” says Tripp, who worked on his first carbon boat in 1985 and whose carbon designs include a 165-footer.

Bill Tripp with Dirk Zamedack, Managing Partner of YYachts

“Fortunately, the shapes of boats now make them faster and allow us to make the layouts more interesting.”

Situated well forward of the stern, each of the two steering wheels are backed by a full navigation station with controls, displays and throttle, while further in front are a pair of winches with power buttons at foot height. The sailing stations are flanked by thick coamings that also frame the roomy lounging area, comprising large C-shaped sofas and adjustable tables.

Carbonnautica steering wheels

Aft of the coamings, two steps lead to the side decks that run past the distinctive coachroof to a massive flush foredeck, where there’s a wide well for the self-tacking jib just forward of the mast. The area is peppered with skylights for the cabins below, while instead of fitted sunpads, there are flexible sun loungers that can be picked up and put anywhere. The bowsprit houses the anchor.

SALOON OF TWO HALVES

Both the aft and central cockpit areas can be covered by biminis and lead to the interior, which is quite the show-stopper. Winch Design worked closely with the owner to create a stylish, timeless ambience, with stylistic inspirations from the US east coast and mid-century Scandinavia.

Studded, curved steps down to the distinctive, split-level ‘saloon of two halves’

“One of the most magical moments is when you realise how homely and comfortable Prevail feels as soon as you step inside,” says Joost Roes, Senior Project Manager and Designer at Winch Design.

As you descend the steps, you’re struck by three things. Firstly, the large windows around all four sides of the coachroof, which combine with the large ceiling skylights to provide the interior with plenty of natural light and expansive views.

Winch Design handled the interior, which features a raised dining area to port

Secondly, the materials and detailing, which are above and beyond what you’d typically find on a sailing yacht, even of this size.

A rich yet tasteful combination of finely finished woodwork, beautifully stitched leathers, stainless-steel detailing and recessed lighting ensure your eyes continue to explore, whichever room you’re in. Look out for the use of bare carbon, a nod to the exterior.

Beautiful cabinets aft of the dining area (pictured) and saloon

Among woods, the owner selected a flamed Anigre, which was stained to contrast with the oak floor, while there are accent timbers such as Macassar and walnut, and feature panels in rosewood. The colour combination of these natural timbers and leathers alongside upholstery in whites, greys and blues works well.

Tripp himself is a fan. “When you go down below, you’re immediately hit with the smell of wood and leather. It’s a wonderful environment, a completely different world. You feel like you’re in a luxury hotel, a place you really want to stay in.”

The saloon enjoys natural light through the coachroof, hull windows and skylights

Thirdly, it’s different. Having the engine room underneath the saloon has contributed to a split-level layout – not fore and aft, but port and starboard.

To port, the raised dining area has an extendable table and bench seating, where diners are almost at eye level with the coachroof windows and enjoy a clear view outside through the cockpit.

The yacht features stunning woodwork, leatherwork and detailing

The lounge is down two steps to starboard and features a beautiful leather chair and an L-shaped sofa that can convert into a daybed. The sofa fits snugly under the long hull window, yet its inward view is of the back of the dining-table seating.

CABINS AND MORE

However, it’s worth remembering Prevail was not designed for repeat production but solely for its for its owner, a keen musician who wanted a versatile layout for entertaining guests, while also enabling people to retreat from a party, resulting in the creation of separate relaxation areas.

Forward of the saloon is a semi-private office space with chaise longue

For example, ahead of the saloon and down three steps is a semi-private ‘snug’ or office, which has a desk, a daybed, an amplifier and hanging space for the owner’s guitar.

To port is the twin en-suite guest cabin, which like all the guest areas, features top-end detailing such as stainless-steel door handles and leather-wrapped cupboard and drawer handles.

The master suite is forward, with the bed to port

The master suite is forward and has a forward-facing double with bedside tables to port. To starboard is a vanity table and a couch – the third sofa along this side of the boat – while the elegantly finished twin-sink bathroom is in the bow.

Looking aft from the bedroom to the other hallway shows the long sight lines the designers sought to incorporate.

The master has a desk and sofa to starboard, and twin-sink bathroom in the bow

Aft of the saloon and down several steps leads starboard to the blue-and-white galley and port to the VIP double. In the stern is the crew quarters, which include a double cabin for the skipper and his wife, a single cabin, crew mess and access to the engine room.

All in all, it’s a remarkable yacht and a refreshingly personal one that succeeded due to impressive teamwork during a testing time for international collaborations.

Aft of the saloon, the galley is off a hallway that can see though through to the master suite forward

“Prevail shows that everything is possible when selecting the right partners,” says Roes of Winch Design. “We’re very proud of what we achieved together with the Tripp and YYachts teams.”
www.yyachts.de
www.fls-yachts.com

Yacht Style Issue 62: The Superyacht Issue
Yacht Style Issue 62 features Top 100 Superyachts of Asia-Pacific 2022, seven yacht Reviews, Simpson Marine, Lantau Yacht Club, Ferretti Group’s Stefano de Vivo, Rolex Middle Sea Race, SailGP, Cannes and Monaco shows, Jeanneau Merry Fisher owner Kevin Quek, interviews with HSBC’s Jyrki Rauhio and Cirrus Aircraft’s Zean Nielsen, and lifestyle articles on IL PICCO residences and Art Works Group.

Azimut Grande Trideck coming to Asia

Reviews / yachtstyle2020

Azimut Grande Trideck coming to Asia

November 13, 2021
1:37 am

Distinguished by its sea view terrace overlooking the water, Azimut’s Grande Trideck has wowed boat show audiences from Cannes and Monaco to Fort Lauderdale, while the first sale in Asia has already been confirmed.

Alberto Mancini designed the sporty exterior of a 125-footer, which has a ‘D2P’ hull

Azimut’s new Grande Trideck has been kept busy. Following her world premiere at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September, the Italian builder’s new 38m flagship mixed with megayachts at the Monaco Yacht Show later that month and then made her American debut at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show at the end of October.

Meanwhile, in a boost for yacht lovers in Asia, the first unit in the region is set to arrive in Singapore in 2023 following a sale to an existing Azimut owner who’s upgrading from a smaller Grande. Among the Trideck’s double-digit global sales, the Singapore order was secured by Marine Italia, which also represents the brand in Hong Kong, Macau, Guangdong province and Taiwan.

Aft view of the signature sea view terrace

“A key feature of the Trideck is how the design team have focused their attention equally on both the interior and exterior spaces,” says Paul Grange, COO of Marine Italia and co-founder of the Hong Kong-headquartered company with Thomas Woo.

“The interior layout provides clients with great flexibility to have luxury private dining rooms, comfortable saloons and entertainment rooms according to their preference.

The foredeck leads down to a working area

“As an example, it can have up to six en-suite cabins, but the Trideck for Singapore will feature a custom interior layout with four guest cabins, with the other spaces used for the family’s requirements.”

GRANDE’S INCREASING APPEAL

The Trideck marks the regional dealer’s third superyacht sale for Singapore this year, following a Grande 32 Metri and a Benetti Oasis 40M in collaboration with Benetti Asia.

Mancini describes the four outdoor aft areas as ‘cascading terraces’

They’re just one part of a strong run of sales by a company announced in September as Azimut’s second-most successful dealer over the past year, behind only US giant MarineMax.

Grange estimates there are about 30 Grande superyachts in Greater China and Southeast Asia, with over half of those in Hong Kong where new models delivered over the past year range from the 25 Metri to two units of the 35 Metri, the brand’s former flagship.

The beach club sits below the raised sea view terrace

Although the 35 Metri has a fourth ‘level’ that’s effectively an aft extension of the flybridge’s hard top, the Trideck is a true tri-deck design. In fact, the builder promotes it as a ‘Three Decks + One’ due to the signature sea view terrace at the aft end of the main deck.

With an overall length of 125ft 5in, the Trideck is 10ft 7in longer than the Grande 35 Metri and features an exterior by Alberto Mancini, who designed the Grande S10 launched in 2019 and has effectively succeeded the late Stefano Righini who had collaborated with Azimut since the late 1980s.

The beach club has 2m of headroom

The Trideck has an 8m (26ft 2in) beam and a sub-300GT volume, but feels bigger due to some clever design work. For example, the voids in the bulwarks either side of the beach club not only provide window-like views but also prevent the area being considered as internal volume.

Once the transom folds out, the full-height beach club offers over 320sqft of space, which includes a day head, an enclosed wet bar, an outdoor shower and lockers for water toys such as scuba diving gear and Seabobs. There’s further storage below, via a deck hatch.

The sea view terrace is five steps up from the main deck

The beach club is sheltered by the similarly sized sea view terrace, arguably the yacht’s most distinguishing feature. Up five starboard steps from the main deck, it offers a lofty platform that overlooks the water on three sides and has an enormous C-shaped sofa that offers a variety of sea views.

As well as sheltering the beach club, the sea view terrace also disguises the private patio outside the saloon doors.

The private patio is outside the main saloon

The clever design, which Mancini used on the Grande S10, ensures privacy from prying eyes on the docks while moored stern-to, and on the Trideck the patio is big enough to fit a large, foldable table for eight. This area also benefits from bulwark cut-throughs that are covered by plexiglass to provide wind shelter.

The aft upper deck offers outdoor dining for up to 12

Azimut describes it as a private patio because the main alfresco dining area is aft on the upper deck. And what an area it is, with a huge table set lengthways that’s wide enough to sit two people at one end and can extend to fit 12. There’s also a bar to port and a corner sofa by the stairs up to the sun deck.

The sun deck is a gorgeous area, dressed on hull one with three sun loungers aft, as well as gym equipment. The covered central area features a circular lounge with two curved, facing sofas and a cabinet housing a TV that can rise and rotate. Forward is a tall bar with stools offering great panoramic views, including overlooking the forward barbecue.

The sun deck has a central lounge with TV, a bar with tall stools and barbecue forward

FLEXIBLE INTERIORS

With Grande sales driving an increasing amount of the company’s business, the Trideck was developed to satisfy demand for larger yachts, yet it was also designed to appeal to a newer, less traditional generation of owners – or clients who simply want more choice in how their yacht is configured.

Achille Salvagni has designed the interiors of all the current Grande models, but the Trideck is the first without a formal dining area on the main deck, based on the feedback that most clients typically eat outdoors unless the weather prevents them from doing so.

Achille Salvagni designed the interior, which features a main-deck saloon dedicated to lounging

Instead, the main saloon is classic Salvagni, with a huge J-shaped sofa, two coffee tables and two circular chairs, all custom designed and offering plenty of space to walk through or around the lounge, enjoying the full-height windows.

Salvagni is renowned for his curved furniture and lamps, and use of light, pastel colours, although the latter is offset by glossy dark-mahogany cupboards on each side. Rounded and oblong shapes and

cut-outs decorate the ceiling.

Aft view of the saloon, showing the bar at the entrance

With your eyes glued to the furniture and views, you can even miss a trick or two coming in. For starters, there’s a wide mahogany bar tucked inside the sliding door at the entrance, positioned to serve both the indoor and outdoor areas.

However, less expected is the enormous 72-inch TV that slides out of the aft starboard corner and turns the saloon into a roomy media hub.

The master suite is forward on the main deck

The starboard hallway for guests leads past the galley to the full-beam master suite, which starts with a dressing area with cupboards on two sides, while a seemingly floating curved desk and two chairs sit below the large window.

The bed is set on the port side and faces forward to the bathroom, where the sliding mirrored door housing the TV is flanked by stunning drawers that Salvagni designed to replicate the shape of samurai armour.

Drawers are inspired by Samurai armour; the bathtub is made of composite

Salvagni designed the bathroom for the door to remain open, when possible, as it offers an attractive view of a beautiful round tub that gives a spa-like ambience and sits beside the shower to port side.

This sense of a wellness area is deepened by textured Cardoso stone for the flooring and a smooth version for the twin-sink countertop.

Staircases by Salvagni

The guest hallway also houses the stairway that links to both the lower and upper decks but also allows Salvagni to show off some of his most beautiful design work, playing right into his love of curves and organic shapes.

The lower deck has two aft VIP cabins featuring the Samurai-themed drawers and two guest cabins, all with en-suite bathrooms.

The VIP cabins have the same designer drawers as the master suite

UP AND AWAY

Although there are side decks on the main deck, there are none on the upper deck, which means the upper lounge is almost full-beam. The standard layout includes a large semi-circular sofa and a rounded coffee table on the port side, plus chairs, table and retractable TV to starboard.

When desired, the lounge doubles as the indoor dining room, with the table elevated and expanded with the addition of extra leaves. Azimut does offer owners the option of having a formal dining area in this room – as it does in the main saloon – although most owners have chosen the standard upper-lounge layout.

The table in the upper lounge can be raised and expanded with the addition of extra leaves

Forward is the ‘sixth cabin’ in the six-cabin version, the room featuring elegant leather cases hanging below the port window. However, owners can also choose to use this space as a combination of both a captain’s cabin and an upper pantry that’s connected by stairs to the main galley below.

“The Trideck’s innovative layout and flow create a seamless luxury environment, but also offers plenty of separate spaces for owners and guests to enjoy the yacht the way they want to,” Grange says.

The pilothouse has plenty of companion seating

The impressive pilothouse has side doors that lead to the foredeck, which is a gorgeous outdoor area centred around a circular jacuzzi surrounded by flexible seating and sunpads, providing an infinity view over a forward seating and sunbathing area protected by a low screen.

As well as enjoyable outdoor spaces and stylish indoor areas, the Trideck offers an eco-friendly ‘hotel mode’ as an option, with lithium ion battery packs able to power onboard systems for up to four hours during the day or up to eight hours at night, when demands are reduced.

The foredeck with jacuzzi is forward of the pilothouse

The Trideck also offers impressive performance for a yacht of this size. As well as extensive use of carbon-fibre in the superstructure helping to reduce weight, the 125-footer features the second generation of the ‘D2P’, the displacement-to-planing hull with wave piercer initially developed for the Grande 35 Metri in collaboration with P.L. Ausonio Naval Architecture.

Improvements have been significant because despite being over 3m longer and 30 tonnes heavier than the 35 Metri, the Trideck has significantly less consumption up to 15 knots and similar economy for faster speeds.

Hull one is fitted with 2,600mhp MTU engines

Fitted with either 2,400mhp or 2,600mhp MTU engines, the new hull offers two ‘peaks’ for fuel efficiency, one at displacement speed and one at fast cruising, so satisfying demands for both types of navigation.

“One of the key features of Azimut Grande is that it offers superyacht levels of comfort and volume but still with full planing performance. In the case of the Trideck, that’s speeds up to 24 knots,” Grange says.

The Trideck ‘peaks’ at both displacement and fast cruising speeds

“However, for long-range cruising at slower speeds, she can still offer a range of nearly 2,000nm, which shows the efficiency and versatility of the design – equally at home as a fast weekend cruiser or as a long-range luxury cruiser.” As with many aspects of the Trideck, the choice is yours.

www.azimutyachts.com

www.azimutyachts.hk

Azimut to launch two new Grande models in 2022
Following the launch of its 38m flagship Trideck this year, the Italian shipyard plans to add the 26 Metri and 36 Metri models to its Grande Collection.

Bluegame BG72 builds on strong platform

Reviews / yachtstyle2020

Bluegame BG72 builds on strong platform

November 5, 2021
3:54 pm

For its newest model, Italy’s Bluegame has combined the huge aft platform and lower-deck saloon of its ground-breaking BGX series with the open style of its BG range. Welcome aboard the BG72, which offers the best of both worlds from a brand that’s growing fast in Asia.

The Bluegame BG72 showed at Cannes, Genoa and Monaco

For the BG72’s world premiere at this year’s Cannes Yachting Festival, Bluegame’s newest model was nestled with a BG42, BGX60 and BGX70 among an imposing selection of Sanlorenzo yachts ranging from the SX76 to as big as the SD126, a 38m superyacht with a volume of 314GT.

Although towered over by flybridge and trideck models from their sister brand, Bluegame boats sat proudly in the heart of the Jetée among the show’s leading exhibitors, with Azimut and Ferretti Group models along to the left, Princess and Sunseeker to the right.

The BG72 shares the same Lou Codega-designed hull as the BGX70

Having then shown at the Genoa International Boat Show, the BG72 even leveraged off Sanlorenzo’s muscle to appear at the Monaco Yacht Show, where she was the smallest boat on display in the world’s premier superyacht show.

In the same way Bluegame’s recent rebirth has been propelled by its mother company, so the brand is fast emerging in Asia under Simpson Marine, which has been Sanlorenzo’s exclusive partner in Asia since 2015.

The huge platform is even bigger than on the BGX70

After also taking on Bluegame last year, the region’s biggest dealer brought the high-profile BGX70 to Hong Kong to kick-start the brand’s presence, which has proved its worth. The company now has similarly high hopes for the BG72, which has many of the BGX70’s attributes but with an open-style main deck.

Nick Stratton, Sales Manager for both Sanlorenzo Asia and Bluegame Asia, says: “The BG72 shares aspects with the BGX70 like the iconic profile, plus the huge platform and the aft lower-deck saloon, which aren’t seen on any other brands. The beam and the social spaces, especially on the magnificent stern platform, provide a new way of life at sea.

Biminis can cover the main deck’s fore and aft areas

“However, like all models in the BG range, the BG72 has a spacious, bright and airy main deck. It’s a great boat, with enhanced circulation between the lower and main deck, and even more light in the lower saloon. Owners love the modern styling, and we expect it to be equally popular as the BGX70.”

BLUEGAME’S GROWTH IN ASIA

It’s a bold statement considering Simpson Marine has announced sales of three BGX70s, a unit of the BGX60 that debuted in late 2020 plus one and two hulls respectively of the open-style BG62 and BG42 that kick-started Bluegame’s rebirth three years ago.

Sanlorenzo had previously owned the brand founded by Luca Santella until the financial crisis of 2008 led to it being put on the shelf in 2012. The two-time Olympic sailor later became Design Development Manager at Sanlorenzo and worked with Zuccon International Project on the SX range.

Like the rest of the BG series, the BG72 has an open design

After Santella revealed designs showing how Bluegame could help ‘extend’ the SX concept to models smaller than the SX76, Sanlorenzo Executive Chairman Massimo Perotti moved to revive the brand.

“When Sanlorenzo re-introduced Bluegame as part of its portfolio, it marked a rebirth of an attractive niche brand for a specific kind of customer, but now the brand is growing very quickly worldwide and that also includes Asia,” Stratton said. “Bluegame takes advantage of Sanlorenzo’s quality and expertise in build, but addresses owners looking for smaller sizes.

Knowing Sanlorenzo’s reputation, customers feel confident about Bluegame, so growth is significantly quicker than introducing a totally new brand to the market.

View from the forward end of the platform

“It’s a brand that innovates, is different but also bespoke. The yachts look trendy and streamlined, have a very pleasant circulation and feel of spaciousness.”

While the BG42 and BG62 were updates of former Bluegame models, it was the BGX70 that made the brand a true influencer in the motor yacht world. Sanlorenzo’s SX88 and SX76 featured extralong swim platforms just a few steps from a clear-backed cockpit, providing more living space close to water level. However, the two-deck BGX70 took the concept to a new level.

Designed by Santella with Zuccon and with a hull by Lou Codega, it made the platform even longer and included an aft saloon on the lower deck, which also housed the guest cabins. The more conventional main deck features an aft cockpit, enclosed saloon, galley and helm, as well as an open foredeck.

REARRANGED LOWER DECK

The saloon benefits from light through the sliding doors and see-through stairways

The BG72 shares the same 18ft-wide Codega hull, housing the Volvo Penta IPS drives under the aft deck, but it’s a lot more different to the BGX70 than initial glances suggest. Among changes are an almost completely reconfigured lower deck with an aft master suite option, a completely new main deck befitting BG’s open style, while even the bow area has been redesigned.

In fact, even the huge platform has been lengthened aft, with the BG72 more than 3ft longer overall than the BGX70. Furthermore, instead of only starboard stairs to the main deck, there are also stairs to port.

The saloon features a lounge to starboard and a dining area to port

The hull shown at Cannes, Genoa and Monaco features the standard aft-saloon option, while the owner chose distinctive materials and colours, including Canaletto walnut wood plus leather and fabrics in light and blue tones.

Compared to the BGX70, the entrance is now on the port side, while the room itself has been extended and rearranged. In the absence of enclosed dining on the main deck, a dining area has been included on the port side, where it sits alongside the semi-enclosed, L-shaped galley.

The master suite is in the bow and has an aft-facing bed

The lounge is to starboard and has an improved layout, with an L-shaped sofa allowing views aft of the platform and water. There’s also room for chairs by the sliding glass doors, which provide more natural light than on its predecessor.

The central corridor leads to a hallway accessing the three en-suite guest cabins, starting with twins port and starboard. Forward are the stairs and the owner’s suite, which has an aft-facing bed against a mirrored bulkhead and an elegant bathroom to starboard.

The master suite’s elegant en-suite bathroom is to starboard

The BG72’s alternative lower-deck layout replaces the saloon with the master suite, which would offer the owners stunning views and the opportunity to wake up looking over the water to the horizon. In this option, the saloon, galley and a twin cabin are positioned midships, with the VIP suite in the bow.

BREEZY MAIN DECK

Accessible from either the exterior aft stairs or internal stairs up to the helm, the main deck has an open design that starts aft with a triple sunpad that’s not covered by the hardtop but can be by an attached bimini.

The main deck has a wide sunpads, facing sofas and wet bar forward

The sunpad looks forward to a sofa to port and an L-shaped sofa and expandable table to starboard, all offering a pleasant covered social area. There’s also the option of some informal alfresco dining as there’s a wet bar just forward of the sofas.

The impressive pilot house has a reverse-angle windscreen and is enclosed on three sides, while the aft doors can shut when the room needs to be fully enclosed, whether for privacy or bad weather.

The pilothouse can be fully enclosed

The double helm seat sits under a slatted sunroof and faces a nice display with three large Garmin screens, central throttle, joystick control and smart docking as part of the IPS system, which is renowned for fuel efficiency. Like the BGX70, the BG72 reaches 28 knots with twin 900hp IPS 1200s and 30 knots with the 1,000hp IPS1350s.

There’s easy circulation throughout the main deck and high bulwarks ensure safe passage to the foredeck, which features flexible furniture comprising a sofa and a large sunpad. As with the aft sunpad, this area can also be covered in a bimini, while the sunpad itself disguises the entrance to the twin-bunk crew cabin.

The foredeck features a sofa and a flexible forward sunbathing area

However, there’s one more sunbathing area, up on the roof of the hardtop. Accessed by a steep stairway forward of the port sofa, the simple sun deck features four adjoining sunpads across the hardtop, just aft of the sunroof.

There’s more to come from this brand next year with the BG54, which features many elements from the BG72’s open main deck and again shows a brand with a strong DNA that’s more than solely an extension of Sanlorenzo.

The ‘sun deck’ on top of the hard top offers another sunbathing area

“Bluegame is the brand of the future for an active, younger, curious and lifestyle-focused owner,” Stratton says. “We believe the brand will keep growing in Asia and are awaiting eagerly its new models to join our expanding fleet in this region.”

Bluegame is well supported by Sanlorenzo, but the little sister is growing up fast and starting to make a name for herself.

www.bluegame.it

www.simpsonmarine.com

Sanlorenzo, Bluegame stage debuts at Fort Lauderdale show
Sanlorenzo’s line-up at the Fort Lauderdale show includes the world premiere of the SL106A, while Bluegame stages the US debut of the BGX70.

Absolute 60 Fly: Silence is Green

Reviews / yachtstyle2020

Absolute 60 Fly: Silence is Green

October 28, 2021
2:11 pm

Showing its focus on a greener future, Absolute has included solar power on the first hull of its 60 Fly, a model with a clear cockpit and aft flybridge designed for modular furniture, as well as a memorable master suite located forward on the lower deck.

By Clare Mahon

The Absolute 60 Fly debuted at Cannes before showing at Fort Lauderdale

You’ve got to hand it to them: the team at Absolute Yachts never rests. Just about a year after launching their Navetta 64, they’re at it again with the new 60 Fly, one of the Italian builder’s two world premieres at this year’s Cannes Yachting Festival.

While the volume-maximising lines that characterise the shipyard’s look remain the same, there are lots of pleasant surprises aboard this new yacht. And one of them is completely intangible.

The cockpit is visually connected to the large swim platform, which is 5m wide and 2m deep

The Absolute 60 Fly continues the inland shipyard’s tradition of engineering for comfort, performance and quality of life at sea. Starting from a beach platform that’s over 2m long and almost 5m wide, you can sense the 60 Fly is going to have what it takes to make a great vacation.

With a hydraulically operated up/down mechanism, the platform is large enough to be furnished with lounge chairs, making it as suited for sunbathing as it is for swimming and launching the tender and toys.

The cockpit is clear of fixtures, accommodating modular furniture

Steps lead up from the beach platform to the aft cockpit where the chrome rails have glass panels under them, so the two areas are in direct visual communication. Due to modular furniture designed in-house and first used aboard the Navetta 64, the aft cockpit can be arranged to taste, ideally with the couches facing sideways over the water.

As the furnishings can be removed completely, use of the cockpit is flexible and adaptable according to different needs and uses throughout the arc of a day.

The cockpit shown when set up for dining

The cockpit is shaded by the overhang and can be fitted with privacy screens while the entire beach area can be shaded by a concealed awning, keeping the whole area private even in a crowded bay.

FORWARD AND ABOVE

Covered side passages lead to the foredeck, which is furnished with a couch, table and sun pads. Closer inspection of the sun pads reveals that they have headrests that easily flip around to become backrests in case the seating arrangement planned for this area calls for two couches.

The foredeck has a sofa, table and flexible sunpads

Breezy and open, the foredeck is perfect for lounging by day, enjoying a drink in the evening or even dining. This area can also be shaded by an awning.

From the yacht’s name you know the fly deck is going to be important – and it doesn’t disappoint. A stairway leads up from the port side of the aft cockpit. Like in the cockpit, the aft section of the fly can be set up with modular pieces according to need and taste, while the aft enclosure is in transparent glass so it doesn’t feel enclosed at all.

The flybridge’s aft area is free for loose furniture

Under the hardtop there’s a bar with a sink and grill to port and a U-shaped couch with an inlaid teak dining table to starboard. The helming area is convivial, with two seats by the wheel, sun pads right next to it and a banquette across the way. This is clearly a boat that is a pleasure to use in company.

SOLAR-POWERED SILENCE

But the best part of the flybridge isn’t visible even when you’re on it. Absolute’s engineers have been testing solar panel setups at their shipyard in Podenzano for the past couple of years. They finally found an arrangement that meets their standards and have installed it on the hardtop of the first hull of the 60 Fly, which will offer it as an option.

Solar panels have been fitted on hull one of the Absolute 60 Fly

Cesare Mastroianni, CCO of Absolute, explains: “We test everything in-house. Even the glass we used under the railings was crash-tested at the shipyard in the presence of RINA-certification technicians. We had wanted to provide a certain amount of renewable energy aboard our yachts, especially for running them in hotel mode with the engines and generators off, so we began testing solar panels a couple of years ago.”

The system installed on the 60 Fly produces 1.5kW, enough to run the fridge, water heater, entertainment system and more for hours without using the generators. Owners and captains can monitor energy consumption on the Garmin screens, so they always know how much energy is being used – and how much is left

Systems can be monitored at the main-deck helm, which has a side door

“Although the solar power on this model is not enough for running the AC, we installed windows and portholes that can be opened for natural air circulation through the yacht,” Mastroianni adds. “With this setup you can enjoy time at anchor in total silence with zero emissions, a real plus.”

AIRY INTERIOR

All this and we haven’t even visited the inside yet. The galley is to port as soon as you walk into the saloon, with a dining table to starboard. Drawers fitted for storing plates and glasses are concealed under the furnishings and open easily and silently with Absolute’s elegant leather drawer pulls.

The aft galley to port is opposite a dining table

The entire saloon has floors in roughly finished walnut and is on the same level as the aft cockpit, so with the large sliding glass doors open, indoors and outdoors are like one continuous space.

The window behind the couch in the comfortable living area opens for natural air circulation and there is an up/down TV.

The saloon benefits from huge windows all around

The twin-seat helm operates a Volvo Penta IPS propulsion system with joystick control that’s operated via intuitive Garmin touchscreen monitors. Absolute was an early adopter of this energy-efficient, low-vibration propulsion system as it chimed with their values of intelligent consumption and onboard comfort.

FORWARD MASTER

There are just five steps down to the full-beam master cabin, which is one of the yacht’s standout features due to its location fore on the lower deck.

The elegant master suite has large forward windows

The centrally placed bed is backed by a panel of velvet and gets excellent views through large panes of glass that include opening portholes for natural air circulation.

This is no plain vanilla interior: textured walls, dark and light contrasts and tactile, luxurious finishes abound. In the master bath, also full beam and fitted in stone, a testament to Absolute’s careful engineering is the way the shower floor follows the yacht’s hull shape, to the benefit of draining water quickly and efficiently.

The master suite’s dressing table to starboard

The en-suite VIP amidships is just as elegant and well-appointed as the master. Intriguingly, a secret door at the back of its large closet conceals … a large storage space.

Built where Absolute used to place a twin cabin, this space can be used for provisions, extra toys and equipment or anything else a seafaring family might want. An additional twin cabin has a bathroom that can also be used as a day head.

The VIP cabin to starboard has an inward-facing bed and en-suite bathroom aft

But there is still another cabin aboard, the two-person crew cabin accessed from the transom. Its separate access route guarantees privacy for the owners and guests, although could also make it a bone of contention for those who want to go out at night and sneak back in the wee hours undetected.

The Absolute 60 Fly has all the characteristics of intelligent construction, engineered systems and well thought out spaces that you expect from this shipyard with the added, yet intangible, plus of green efficiency. While the 60 Fly may not be the largest yacht in the Absolute fleet, it represents a big step towards their greener future.

http://www.absoluteyachts.com

Absolute to stage US debuts of 48 Coupé and 60 Fly
Italian builder Absolute will display its two newest models at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, having premiered the duo at the Cannes Yachting Festival.

Riva 68’ Diable tops new Open models

Reviews / yachtstyle2020

Riva 68’ Diable tops new Open models

October 21, 2021
3:51 pm

Presented at this year’s Cannes Yachting Festival, the new 68ft Open with built-in hard top is a blend of sportiness, liveability and classic Riva elegance.

Shown in Shark grey, the Riva 68’ Diable features a sporty exterior

The helm station is equipped with Simrad Command control, monitoring and navigation systems and has two 16in touchscreen monitors (the standard version only has one), including the engine panel in the innovative wide version from MAN-Boening.

One of Riva’s two world premieres at this year’s Cannes Yachting Festival, the 68’ Diable is a typically stylish addition to the iconic brand’s Open range. At 20.7m in length with a beam of 5.3m (over 17ft), the Diable is notable for its hard top, a new option introduced this year for the [48ft] Dolceriva and 56’ Rivale but otherwise not seen on the sleek Open range, even on the 76’ Bahamas and 88’ Florida.

Diable’s design has been led by Mauro Micheli, Chief Designer of Officina Italiana Design, the Bergamo studio that has designed all Riva yachts since 1994. Working on the project with Ferretti Group’s Product Strategy Committee and Engineering Department, Micheli is proud of how the hard top has been integrated into the superstructure.

The Diable reflects Riva’s new focus on hard tops for its Open models

“Let’s say that Diable is an Open that goes beyond the characteristics of its range, making a strong nod to the Sportfly range,” said Micheli, who co-founded Officina Italiana Design with Sergio Beretta, its CEO.

“The hard top is not merely aesthetically attractive but also functional as the superstructure it creates protects the cockpit area, providing guests with shelter from sun and spray underway. Also, the large side openings allow more air to circulate in the covered area but can also be closed when necessary.”

Riva has worked with Officina Italiana Design since 1994

Made of carbon-fibre and composite, the hard top is fitted with air-conditioning, while options include a sunroof featuring a two-way opening mechanism, forwards and backwards. An automatic bimini system aft can be extended to shelter the sofa and chaise-longue area in the cockpit, while additional shelter is provided by awnings over the open side area and the entire stern section.

SPORTY STYLE
The overall exterior styling reflects the new design direction charted by Officina Italiana Design, a sportier interpretation of luxury. The windshield made with spherical crystals features a slight counter-curvature that has become a typical Riva hallmark.

Forward view of the hard top covered area

Like all the models in Riva’s Open range, the 68’ Diable features functional design elements in mahogany and polished stainless steel. They include the aft wings and a mahogany band on the garage door, the steel side handrails around the superstructure and the solid-mahogany low table in the cockpit.

In the stern, the swim platform is integrated into the hull sides, forming a seamless whole that rises into the cockpit. The steps on the port side of the stern are partially submerged when the swim platform is lowered, revealing others in the hull and creating a convenient way to enter and leave the water. The garage can contain a Williams SportJet 345 tender and a Seabob.

The central area has two L-shaped sofas

The cockpit furnishings include two big sunpads, one at the water’s edge and another in the form of a chaise-longue. The entrance to the crew area, with a single cabin and separate bathroom, is on the port walkway in this area.

The central area contains two facing L-shaped sofas, with the port one acting as a dining area accommodating up to six people. On request, the dining area can be doubled up to include both port and starboard sides.

The lower-deck lounge

A 49in TV can be fitted behind the second helm station, while a convenient icebox is positioned behind the pilot seat.

The helm station, featuring carbon panels and premium polished steel trim, is equipped with both pilot and co-pilot seats. Safety is a special focus for Riva, as demonstrated by several functional details such as the positioning of the life rafts under the starboard sofa.

The master suite is midships

The lower deck features three guest cabins arranged around an open space containing a galley and a dinette for versatility and convenience.

The master cabin is midships, the twin cabin to port and the VIP forward, each with their own bathroom. The starboard bathroom is also used as a day head and the understairs area can be fitted out as a small laundry.

The VIP cabin (pictured) is in the bow, while the twin is to port

The materials used for the interiors include gloss-effect chocolate-coloured wengé wood on the first unit, paired with mirrored and satin-finish surfaces, both matt and gloss-effect steel and lacquer, and leather in shades of blue, white, and light and dark grey.

PROPULSION AND TECHNOLOGY

The first unit is fitted with a pair of MAN V12 V-drive engines rated 1,650mhp each, which provide a top speed of 40 knots and a cruising speed of 34 knots. The standard option is two 1,550mhp MAN V12 engines for a top speed of 37 knots and a cruising speed of 33 knots.

The Diable can reach 40 knots with 1,650mhp MAN V12s

The electro-hydraulic steer-by-wire system developed in partnership with XENTA offers a slew of benefits including greater comfort and steering precision due to outstanding rudder manoeuvrability and finely tuned turn optimisation in all sea conditions, even at high speeds.

A Seakeeper NG9 can be installed for comfort at anchor

The manoeuvring joystick includes docking mode functionality for easy handling in confined waters, such as when mooring alongside, with lateral movement obtained by the combined action of the main propellers and the proportional bow thruster.

In addition, the DPS (Dynamic Positioning System) keeps the boat in the same position even in strong winds or currents, ideal when waiting to moor or refuel, or for a bridge to open. The new model is fitted with Humphree dynamic trim interceptors, while a Seakeeper NG9 can be installed for comfort at anchor.
www.riva-yacht.com
www.ferrettigroupasiapacific.com

Riva adds Hard Top to 56’ Rivale
The 56’ Rivale becomes the second model in Riva’s iconic Open range to include a hard top option, with the first unit already delivered to America.

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