Advertisement

Smooth Operator: Horizon E75

The Horizon E75 continues the company’s tradition of building serious cruising boats with an eye toward fun.
Smooth Operator: Horizon E75 Jim_Raycroft

It’s always struck me that perhaps as well as as any other builder, Horizon understands its owners’ wants and needs. Every Horizon I’ve ever been aboard — and that’s quite a few of them at this point — has been well-thought-out in the design phase and well-constructed in the build process. These yachts simply feel safe, solid and ready to take you far, far away, while never sacrificing that other tenet of yachting: This stuff is supposed to be fun.

Horizon E75, Motoryacht
LOA: 77’6″. Max Beam 18’6″. Jim Raycroft

Her cruising range is 280 nautical miles at 22.5 knots.

The E75, which made her debut at the Sydney ­International Boat Show, has all those traits in spades, plus a sleeker profile than you might be used to seeing out of Horizon. Longtime Horizon designer John Lindblom drew the E75 as an evolution of the builder’s E73, though stylistically she perhaps cleaves a bit closer to her larger sister, the E88, also a Lindblom design. The two models share distinctly European lines. It’s a look that extends indoors, where light anigre accented with high-polished walnut meshes well with the side windows to create an airy feeling.

The E88 is a much larger boat, clocking in with a 94-foot LOA compared to the E75’s 77 feet 6 inches. The essential difference is that the E88 would almost always require a crew, whereas the E75 can be owner-operated by an experienced yachtsman.

Advertisement

The E75 does have crew quarters aft with twin berths, though knowing Horizon’s clientele, I suspect this space will most likely be used for stowage or housing sundry kids and grandkids, or perhaps that brother-in-law. (You know the one.)

Horizon E75, Motoryacht
Note the amount of space aft on the bridge deck. It can house a tender or act as an entertainment area. Jim Raycroft
Horizon E75, Motoryacht
A plush settee in the master exemplifies Horizon’s commitment to both livable comfort and modern design. Jim Raycroft

The fact that the engine room is a high point on board the E75 should come as no surprise. Horizon is one of the more technically focused builders in its class. Its factory in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, draws as much from the aerospace industry as it does from the marine industry. While once a disciple of the SCRIMP method of shipbuilding, the builder now uses a tech-forward resin-infusion method known as VARTM (vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding). It simultaneously pushes and pulls resin throughout each build (more traditional methods only pull resin), while also monitoring resin pressure and flow, creating boats with strong and light pieces. Additionally, this method produces remarkable consistencies among vessels — something for which every builder strives.

Another thing that’s sure to be a main talking point about the Horizon E75 is her master stateroom, which spans the 18-foot-6-inch beam. There’s an island king berth as well as a his-and-her head and a locker aft, in between the sleeping area and the engine room for extra sound insulation. The master also has its own washer/dryer — one of two sets on the boat, again hinting at her long-range capabilities.

Advertisement

The E75 has a fuel capacity of 1,800 gallons, which, at a cruise speed of 22.5 knots, translates to a leggy range of 280 nautical miles. Notably, she can also get up and go, to the tune of 27 knots at full throttle, no small feat for a boat that displaces a cool 62.6 tons.

Features that point to this being a yacht you’d drive yourself include a settee with a table in the sky lounge, giving the captain an option for plenty of company during the long passages this vessel was designed to take. The helm itself has a stainless-steel steering wheel, three 17-inch Garmin GPSMap screens and access to the optional ABT-Trac stabilizer controls. Sightlines are clear, and the leather on the Stidd helm seats — I couldn’t keep my hands off it. It defines buttery soft, and I’d have to think it would be a continuous delight for any owner as he chugged off for some far-flung port.

Horizon E75, Motoryacht
We could think of worse places to catch the big game than on the outdoor flat screen in the E75’s cockpit. Jim Raycroft

Wide side decks with beefy bulwarks provide safety when docking or when walking up to the foredeck underway. That foredeck, by the way, has a settee of its own, as well as a sun pad large enough for two.

Advertisement

The engine room has dual entry through a hatch in the cockpit and through a door in the transom. It’s predictably spacious with 6 feet 1 inch of headroom — Horizon is known for this sort of thing — and there is easy access to the twin Onan gensets (available in 22.5 kW or 29 kW iterations) as well as to the 1,600 hp Caterpillar C32 ACERT engines. A white finish helps anyone doing maintenance spot splatters, and the beefy handgrips are a welcome feature. (Why don’t all boats have these?)

And as for the aforementioned fun part of boating that Horizon always manages to remember, there’s a country kitchen-style galley available either amidships or aft in the salon. Either arrangement is highly amenable to entertaining. Up top on the bridge deck is another cooking and dining zone, this one outdoors with a grill, refrigerator, ice maker, stowage and three bar stools to boot. That’s a nice option because, really, who wouldn’t want to dine alfresco given the destinations this yacht is meant to see?

Another option is a hot tub abaft the bar. That’s not a choice you see available on every yacht in this class, but when it comes to Horizon, you’d be wise to expect the unexpected.

Advertisement
Horizon E75, Motoryacht
Side windows help highlight the open layout and light color tones of the salon. Jim Raycroft
Horizon E75, Motoryacht
The spacious galley on board the Horizon E75. Jim Raycroft

GENERAL STORE
Horizon doesn’t just build its yachts for Intracoastal Waterway sundowners. These yachts are meant to go places. Want to check out the Bahamian Out Islands? You can do that on the E75. She has the range and space, and she has the stowage. Walking through this yacht, every time you put your hand on something, there’s stowage behind it. A spice rack is ingeniously wedged between the fridge and the oven, and loads of space lie beneath the stairs and under the seats. If you move the right book on the right shelf, a secret passageway to the Bat Cave might be revealed. You never know.

SISTER, SISTER
Horizon Yachts showed off its new RP120 at Yachts Miami Beach this past February — complete with an Italian-designed interior and a fleet of rubber duckies in the flybridge hot tub. That boat, as well as any other, shows the builder’s evolving style as the brand adopts a more European look while managing to stay true to its own aesthetic and DNA. At the Palm Beach International Boat Show in late March, Horizon unveiled its latest offering, the E98 motoryacht. That yacht and the RP120 were docked alongside the E75. The triad comprised a noteworthy fleet, indeed.

Advertisement
Advertisement