The sight of a colossal rooster tail shooting out the back of a streaking yacht is the telltale sign of a performance-geared craft. And Otam’s sleek and chic, deep-V-designed 80 HT is a vessel with a need for serious speed. How fast? The builder reports the 80-footer’s current top hop is an impressive 54 knots — but it’s still dialing in the yacht’s Rolla propellers and believes that this cheetah of the sea could hit speeds of 55 to 58 knots at wide-open throttle.
To get that kind of velocity, you need substantial iron in the engine room, and Otam offers the 80 HT with several MTU and Caterpillar diesel engine options.
For the aforementioned maximum output, there are four MTU or Cat diesels, at 1,620 hp apiece, coupled to Trimax drives. The extra muscle offsets any weight gained by the supplemental diesel engines, and all four motors can be synced and run via a single-lever control. For slow-speed and close-quarters handling, only the outboard motors engage.
Standard setup is twin 2,600 hp motors matched to Arneson surface-piercing drives, which provide a top end of about 50 knots and a 45-knot comfortable cruise speed.
Accentuating her aggressive ability underway is an equally pugnacious profile sans handrails or obvious appendages that could affect her sinewy lines. The hardtop features a dramatic rake starting where it meets the foredeck and extending up and over the pilothouse, salon and cockpit overhang.
To handle the rigors of regular offshore running and to keep the 141,000-pound vessel relatively lightweight, this yacht’s hull and deck are built with vacuum-bagged Kevlar.
Performance is this lady’s forte, but it wasn’t achieved at the cost of comfort and luxury. If you want to spend extended time on board, the 80 HT sports four cabins and four heads for her owner and guests, plus a crew cabin and head should you have a captain and mate along.
Additionally, a sun pad for four or more sits atop the roller-equipped tender garage and is a great spot for catching some rays on the hook. Stairs flanking the sun pad offer easy water access for that refreshing dip in the salt. And the salon, with its opposing leather settees (one straight, one L-shaped), is the place for evening cocktails and an engaging conversation.
If I had to guess, I’d say the hot topic of the night might be go-fast boats.
