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Yachts

15 Magnificent Motoryachts

Check out these 15 Motoryachts Yachting has recently reviewed.

September 26, 2015

A quick glance aft confirmed what we were all expecting. Strong northerly winds of 25 knots, gusting to 30 knots, had whipped the Gulf Stream into a wild washboard of 6- to 8-foot waves, every other one cresting into a white foamy top that approached the stern of our Lagoon 630 Motor Yacht with a growling sound that cut through the rise and fall of the wailing breeze. To read the full feature, click here.

If you’ve been watching the semicustom megayacht market in recent years, you may have noticed an interesting development. Increasingly, shipyards are giving owners more input. They’re realizing that some of today’s buyers aren’t satisfied with only having a choice of wood veneers, or whether the master suite will go on the main deck versus the upper deck. Indeed, these buyers are voicing concerns about fuel efficiency, for example, and some want to be as actively involved as their captains and engineers in selecting systems and equipment. As a result, a handful of builders have undertaken studies on leading-edge solutions and put forth proposals to attract these buyers. To read the full feature, click here.

Decades ago, I owned an Alfa Romeo Giulietta, which I thought was the ultimate Italian driving machine. Then one day I saw its sister, the Alfa Montreal. It was sleeker, sexier. The object of my passion shifted. I wanted that Montreal. That’s how I felt when I saw the first Ferretti 650 HT (hardtop) to reach North America’s shores. She took my thoughts to the old country. I’ve loved the Ferretti 620 from the day she was introduced five years ago, but one look at the 650 HT was, like that new Alfa, breathtaking. I’m still catching my breath. To read the full feature, click here.

To be competitive in today’s marketplace you need to build market-specific yachts, meaning you can’t take a European model and simply ship it to America or China and expect strong sales. To that end, Azimut Yachts is debuting its Grande 95 Raised Pilothouse with options to create a Dragon version for Asian owners and an American version for stateside yachtsmen To read the full feature, click here.

A north wind was honking around 25 knots outside. Inside at the marina, a fresh breeze pinned the Ocean Alexander 100 to the dock, sideways. I’ve seen larger yachts remain tied up in conditions like this, but not today. Capt. Steve Wegner effortlessly maneuvered the craft with the help of the 45-horsepower Side-Power bow thruster and twin 1,950-horsepower Caterpillar C32 ACERT diesel engines. The magnitude of this 100-footer was readily apparent. To read the full feature, click here.

WHEN THEY BUILD A bigger Hatteras , I’ll buy it.” Those words came from the owner of Mr. Loui, the builder’s first 100 Raised Pilothouse (RP) and the owner’s seventh Hatteras yacht. Clients with that sort of brand preference are a builder’s fondest dream. It’s a level of loyalty that can only be earned. To read the full feature, click here.

Something wonderful happened as the Arcadia 85 idled out of her Palm Harbor Marina slip in Palm Beach, Florida. I was walking from the pilothouse, far forward, through the spacious salon when the captain slowly pivoted the yacht 90 degrees in the fairway. The near-noon light flooding into the salon, parsed by the grids of solar cells sandwiched between the low-emission glass overhead panels, rotated with the motion of the boat. It was a moment of transitory beauty, almost theatrical in the way it redefined all of the Poltrona Frau Group furnishings and the varied surfaces it touched and changed as it moved. To read the full feature, click here.

Bespoke. Say that word in America and you’ll get a quizzical look in response. But drop it to an Englishman, and it will conjure visions of engraved Purdey shotguns, pinstriped Gieves & Hawkes suits and custom shoes from James Taylor & Son, which advertises itself as “bespoke shoemakers since 1857.” Bespoke is so far beyond “custom” that it defies definition. It is the difference between wearing Walmart and wearing Gucci. If you were to enter a bespoke tailor shop on Savile Row in London and ask for a purple suit with chartreuse polka dots, the tailor would smile deferentially and ask, “And how large would those dots be, sir?” The Hargrave 76 Wide Body is about as close to bespoke as you can get in the yachting world without sitting down with a fully custom, supersize yacht builder. To read the full feature, click here.

Sanlorenzo ’s company motto says it all: “Made to Measure.” So a test and review of a yacht from this Italian builder is rarely about standard features because, well, the features aren’t really standard. We like to think of Sanlorenzo as an Italian tailor, which made our introduction to O, the name of the first SD112, all the more revealing. To read the full feature, click here.

The effects of owner feedback are obvious when you step aboard the Horizon E84. Certain features stand out as if they’ve come directly from those who would use the yacht on a regular basis — which is the point exactly. For example: To read the full feature, click here.

Almost all yachts over a certain length these days are referred to as custom, but many are based on a series design with a few exterior tweaks and an interior that is more custom in decor than in arrangement. The 120-foot Trinity Finish Line is different. She is truly custom, designed from the waterline up to meet the cruising requirements of her owner and his captain. To read the full feature, click here.

When my grandmother baked cookies, she’d let me lick not just the bowl or the spoon, but both. That’s what grandmas do. Serve sweets. Take you to the toy store for a splurge. Let you stay up past midnight. Build a 94-foot yacht. What, your grandmother didn’t do that for you? To read the full feature, click here.

Some yachts are like an Architectural Digest layout: cool and elegant. Others are as friendly and inviting as a warm puppy. With the Ocean Alexander 90 Motoryacht, designer Evan K. Marshall managed to create a yacht that blends all of these elements. To read the full feature, click here.

For many Americans, British boatbuilder Princess Yachts may be a relatively unfamiliar name, but it has actually been building high-quality yachts since 1965. With a fleet ranging in size from 42 feet to more than 130 feet, Princess’ name is well known in Europe, particularly since it’s now under the luxury corporate umbrella of Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH). To read the full feature, click here.

One of the delights of reviewing a new Hargrave is the titillation of expectation, the excitement of seeing what is new and wonderful. I am always like an eager child going into a candy shop for the first time. But with Sassy, the new Hargrave 101, my wildest dreamings left me totally unprepared. This is a completely fresh and original Hargrave. To read the full feature, click here.

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