Brightwork gleaming in the dazzling South Florida sunlight, the Vicem 65 Classic looks as though it’s been here for decades, although it had recently arrived from the shipyard in Turkey. The graceful sheerline, rounded tumblehome and sleek lines recall a golden era of commuter motoryachts, but we’re far from Long Island Sound, amid the palm trees and tropical breezes of Miami Beach.
This latest build from Vicem Yachts is a modern cruiser with all the updated amenities and modern tech, but also cloaked in classic elegance and as tailored as a custom Savile Row three-piece for its owners.
The arrangement is social and intuitive. Aft, the teak-topped cockpit has L-shaped seating and a high-low dining table, with a grill and wet bar hidden to starboard. The rounded transom holds a garage for toys or a tender, and all fittings, latches and deck hardware are the highest quality. There’s also a cabin with a head belowdecks abaft the engine room, a nice touch for a captain, chef or crew, but also perfect for a teenager who wants space apart from the adults.
Heading into the salon via triple sliding doors, I found that the expansive glazing and warm yet contemporary finishes gave the vessel an open, residential feel. There are no bulkheads to intrude on sightlines all the way forward to the starboard-side helm.
The salon’s aft seating to starboard connects to an open transverse galley to port, keeping the conversations flowing while underway. Hull No. 1 has custom quartz countertops and Miele appliances.
Finishes are clean and current: teak soles underfoot, a central wood accent in the deck head, and pale oak cabinetry with light-reflecting, high-gloss accents. It all works beautifully with the 79 inches of headroom to produce a wow effect. A pair of pantograph doors allow easy side-deck access from the helm, which has side-by-side seating for two. The 18-inch-wide walkways allow safe passage fore and aft, complemented by full bow rails that hit me at midthigh.
Back inside and moving forward is the first of many custom touches throughout this 65 Classic. The owner chose to include an additional 3 feet of space between the helm and wraparound windshield, which has a single center mullion. The additional space overhead to port creates an atrium above the lounge seating, creating a second salon for entertaining or a quiet spot to relax.
The accommodations layout is flexible. The first hull has a day head to starboard, a forward en suite VIP, a guest stateroom with twins that convert to a double, and a full-beam master set amidships and down three steps. The master has a transverse queen berth, a vanity/desk area, and a spalike en suite finished in marble with double sinks, an enclosed shower and a separate head. The en suite’s location aft adds a buffer from the engine room for staying quiet underway.
Power is supplied via twin 1,400 hp V-12 MAN diesels. With straight shafts and shallow prop pockets, the 65 drafts 4 feet, 9 inches, perfect for the shallow sandbars of the Bahamas, a favorite destination for the vessel’s owner.
I took the helm upon exiting a bumpy Haulover Inlet, and the Vicem proved an adept, comfortable cruiser. It carries much of its beam forward, and trim attitude remains even as it rises on plane at around 13 knots, thanks in part to its low center of gravity. Visibility is excellent all around, even directly aft through those triple sliding doors.
With the Humphree auto-trim engaged, we found a sweet spot at 20 knots and 80 percent engine load, running at 1,800 rpm and burning 85 gallons per hour, according to the twin 16-inch Garmin multifunction displays. The 1,058-gallon fuel capacity, split among a central and two gravity-fed wing tanks, provides a range of 222 nautical miles at that speed with a 10 percent reserve.
Bumping the throttles up to 2,000 rpm produced a speed of 22 knots and a fuel consumption of 120 gph. We saw a few knots less while running with a 90 percent load of fuel against the wind and current off Miami Beach, but the vessel did produce a top hop of 30.1 knots at 2,260 rpm on its builder-delivery sea trials. That should be plenty fast to outrun threatening weather.
Handling was steady and predictable no matter which direction we turned in the 2- to 3-foot Atlantic chop. The Vicem is also a quiet vessel, with soundproofing in the helm deck. I recorded 73 decibels at cruise, the same level as normal conversation. And even with all the custom woodwork throughout, there’s nary a creak, shudder or groan while underway.
This new iteration of Vicems delivers on the shipyard’s reputation for bespoke customization from start to finish. At least two more 65 Classics are under construction in Turkey, each with its own custom layout, so the builder’s approach appears to be working. This yacht is a modern classic tailored to taste and built to order.
A Look Back
Vicem Yachts traces its roots to a small town on Turkey’s Black Sea coast. In the 1980s, Sebahattin Hafizoglu was inspired by the elegant Turkish gulets. Seeking to reinterpret these boats, he began building vessels using cold-molded wood and epoxy. The local venture quickly gained attention for design, craftsmanship and performance.
A Bespoke Builder
Vicem offers five distinct yacht classes: Classic, Cruiser, Vulcan, Sportfish and Center Console. From the first sketch to the final launch on the Bosporus, each vessel is shaped by the vision of its owner. Skilled artisans interpret every detail, resulting in yachts that are not only custom-built, but also rich in character and individuality.
Take the next step: vicemyachts.com
