Swedish boat builder J Craft Boats debuted their newest model, the Torpedo, last year at the Monaco Yacht show, and they will be taking her on a tour of the Med this summer, stopping off at high-profile events including the Monaco Grand Prix, Sardinia’s Loro Piana Super Yacht Regatta, and the Venice Film Festival. The Torpedo measures just over 41 feet in length, and has sleeping accommodations for five (four guests and one crew). The builder says the twin Volvo IPS 500 engines give her a cruising speed of 35 knots and a maximum speed of 45 knots, with a cruising range of 350 nautical miles at 43 knots — not too shabby. More than 8,000 man-hours go into each build, from polishing and varnishing the mahogany deck to finalizing the fit and finish of the interior. For more on this vessel, and to check the dates of the Torpedo’s European tour, visit www.j-craftboats.com.
The new Swan 80, an impressive cruiser/racer from venerable British builder, has taken to the seas. The guiding principles for Swan when approaching this build were to produce a high-performance sailing yacht that would be fast across the finish line and across the ocean, while still ensuring the vessel was easy to sail, with a high level of comfort and luxury. Swan offers three layout options for the 80 — the owners cabin can be situated aft, forward, or — in the four-cabin layout — eliminated altogether. In all three designs the crew quarters are located forward, and a full-beam salon is located just forward of amidships. Below, the main entertainment area features a dining table for eight to port, a settee and coffee table to starboard and ample natural light thanks to four interior windows, deck hatches and coaming ports. Topside there are two cockpits in which to enjoy the fresh air — the aft cockpit situated behind the steering positions which has room for relaxing in the sun, and a second cockpit amidships with a semi-permanent table and access to the main companionway.
The 80’s hull is made with foam-cored carbon fiber reinforced construction, using the pre-preg layout, for superior strength. For ease of handling, all halyards run from the mast aft through gutters to six hydraulically operated winches that provide push-button sail adjustments. Two winches are located near the mast and the other four are just forward of the aft cockpit. The mast and swept-back spreaders are all carbon fiber, and there’s an option for a high-modulus carbon mast with composite rigging. The central hydraulic system controls rig adjustment, jib cars, halyard and primary winches, mainsheet and backstay. The mainsail boasts 188-square-meters of sail area — 20 square meters larger, and 6,000 pounds lighter, than that of the Swan 82S. For more on the Swan 80, visit www.nautorswan.com. To see more of the Swan 80 visit our photo gallery.
Last month at the Boot Dusseldorf boat show in Germany, Grand Banks Yachts announced the launching of their newest and largest yacht ever, the 76 Aleutian RP. The 76RP features a seaworthy Tom Fexas-designed hull complemented with a new, more European styled interior. The four-stateroom layout features a much larger salon than the previous models thanks to an expansive deckhouse. Outdoor living space abounds on two levels, and the covered aft deck and sheltered flying bridge provide alfresco entertaining, rain or shine. Grand Banks plans to launch the 76RP sometime in mid 2011. www.grandbanks.com
