Tony Watts

This Yacht Has Everything You Want For a Second Home

July 9, 2021 • Tony Watts

Had you stepped aboard a yacht in the 1970s, you would’ve been greeted with dark, gloss-finished mahogany, blue and white striped textiles, and dim interiors with tiny portholes ruled the waves as they had for decades.

From its first yachts, Ferretti started to break these established norms with exterior and interior designs that reflected the lifestyles of their owners. With the launch of the new Ferretti 1000 – the yard’s largest yacht to date at 30.13 metres – the legendary Italian yachtbuilder takes that ethos to even higher levels.

Ferretti claims the yacht is the result of 40,000 hours of concept development, and it shows. The main deck is where most of the on-board living will be done. The cockpit, saloon, dining area, galley and owner’s cabin are all on the same level, and full height windows in the saloon and dining areas flood the spaces with natural light.

Here, freestanding furniture from Minotti, embraces Feretti’s ‘just like home’ values of ‘comfort, Italianness, timeless design and craftsmanship’. Two colour palettes are available – Classic and Contemporary, with the former featuring warmer tones, and the latter a cooler, more modern feel.

The different moods come with different furnishings too: the L-shaped modular sofa in the Classic theme features more rounded contours than the one in the Contemporary theme. Likewise the 10-place dining tables come with wood and glass tops respectively.

Even with a 75-inch television in the saloon, the furnishings are kept to a relatively low profile, ensuring uninterrupted views through the extensive glass areas of the outside world. On request, Ferretti can fit opening mechanisms for the glass on both sides, effectively creating a terrace on the sea.

Forward of the dining area, the large galley on the port side connects to the dining area through an electrically-operated partition to form a servery. The galley is free to be equipped with the latest generation of appliances, including a double oven, a side-by-side fridge with a capacity of over 500 litres, a wine cooler and a built-in coffee machine.

On the starboard, a hallway passes the internal stairway to the lower deck, the owner’s access to the separate wheelhouse, and a day head, leading to a spacious owner’s suite forward. This full-beam space features a walk-in robe, bathroom with separate shower and toilet and twin sinks, a king-size bed, and a desk area. Large glass on both sides imparts a comforting sense of light.

Forward of the galley is discreet access to the crew’s quarters on the lower deck in the bow – featuring two twin crew cabins, a captain’s cabin, two heads and a kitchenette – as well as crew access to the wheelhouse above. The wheelhouse features a leather pilot seat designed by Poltrona Frau and a sofa and small table.

From the main deck, access to the four double guest suites in the hull midships is via a parquet stairway adjacent to the galley. A lobby area leads to two cabins forward and two aft.

With large hull windows, each of the four ensuite cabins is as bright and carefully detailed as the other living areas. The two forward cabins can be fitted with double beds or two singles, for maximum family flexibility.

The exterior spaces are laid out with no less attention to detail than the interiors. On the main deck, a spacious covered cockpit has facing sofas and a teak table that can be raised and used as a dining table or lowered and used as a coffee table.

A glass parapet to the aft connects this area to a superyacht-style beach club, accessed by stairways both sides. Here, aft-facing sun pads look out over a swim platform that can be lowered into the water, with an ingenious (Ferretti Group patented) system that unfolds three steps either side for easier access for swimmers when the platform is underwater.

A tender garage large enough to accommodate a Williams Dieseljet 445 tender, a three-seater jet ski, and even two Seabobs, can be accessed through an independent entrance on the starboard side without having to open the main door. The sundeck – accessed by stairways both sides of the cockpit – truly lives up to its promise, extending all the way from above the transom to the bow.

In the bow area there’s a massive sun pad forward of the wheelhouse, and a separate area forward with two L-shaped sofas and tables that can also be converted to a sun pad. Walkways both sides lead back around the flying bridge to an enormous sundeck area aft that owners can configure to their requirements.

The 55-square-metre flybridge has two electrically adjustable Poltrona Frau pilot seats at the helm-station starboard and two copilot seats to port with access to the wheelhouse between. A dining area under the carbon-fibre hardtop features a sofa in steel, teak and custom Ferretti fabric, two tables in steel and teak that can be joined to form one, and a double bar unit opposite, with a sink, fridge and the option of a grill.

The sundeck is arguably the place for wind-in-the hair yachting, and aboard the first Ferretti 1000 launched, that’s a fair amount of wind: Fitted with twin 2,638 horsepower 16-cylinder MTUs it reaches a top speed of 28 knots and a cruising speed of 24 knots. The standard twin 2,217 horsepower MTU configuration is still capable of a 24-knot top speed and 20-knot cruise, which are impressive figures for a yacht this size, though after 4,250 hours of naval design this sort of performance shouldn’t be a surprise.

Since its first builds, Ferretti has been at the forefront of using the latest systems of production, technology, materials and clever design to create beautiful, distinctive yachts. The Ferretti 1000 continues and builds on that tradition as a stylish, comfortable motor launch. One that feels just like home.

A version of this story originally appeared in Davison Vol. 2 #2.

Moto Storia

April 27, 2017 • Tony Watts

Looking at the mix of motorcycles on the roads today, it is difficult to believe that there was a time when European brands battled it out with Japanese brands for supremacy, both in the showroom and on the racetrack.

Why Japan came out on top is open to debate, although one contributing factor was that European marques tended not to have the same international focus as their Japanese peers. Arguably, timing and marketing also played their parts.

Honda, for instance, started to compete in international racing not long after several Italian manufacturers withdrew, setting up a titanic battle between themselves and MV Agusta which Honda eventually won.

But there were other, smaller, brands that threw their hats into the ring – Moto Morini being one of them.

In some ways Moto Morini’s successes came too early – winning races when the Grand Prix season featured a small number of meetings confined to Europe in the 1950s.

In 1963, after some success in the Italian Championships, Moto Morini decided to take on the best in the world in the 250cc World Championship, with Tarquino Provini only losing the title in the final race of the season in Japan to Jim Redman riding a Honda.

Potentially Moto Morini’s focus on the smaller capacity classes did it fewer favours in the eyes of the motorcycle-buying public than success in the larger categories would have done, and its similar focus in road bikes may be one cause for its undoing.

In the 1970s, Moto Morini released a range of innovative V-twin 350cc road bikes, with belt-driven camshafts, six-speed gearboxes, and electronic ignition – all quite rare in the motorcycling world at the time. The capacity was chosen because at the time in Italy larger capacity machines were hit with a punitive 38 percent tax rate.

Unfortunately, the bikes cost a similar amount as the now mighty Honda’s CB750 – making them something of an esoteric choice in markets outside Italy. That and the reversed foot controls – with the gear change on the right and rear brake on the left – which would certainly have limited its appeal. Some other 500cc models launched in the 1980s failed to excite buyers as well.
Eventually the company went into decline and was sold on, and as seems to have happened to so many of Italy’s great motorcycle brands, it has taken a fairly bumpy road back to financial health.

Small-scale production, though, may not prove the challenge for Moto Morini that it once did.

Take the new Corsaro 1200 ZZ, announced at EICMA Milan motorcycle show in late 2016.

Moto Morini aims to start deliveries in the second quarter of 2017, and claims that it will be customizable to the point that the company will even attempt to gain type approval for any modifications that would affect its road legality. The company reckons no two Corsaro 1200 ZZs will be the same.

What customers get is a street naked with a steel trellis frame wrapped around a 1,200cc V-twin engine.

Sounds familiar?

The engine itself is unique, and was designed by Franco Lambertini, an engineer who apprenticed with Ferrari before moving to Moto Morini in 1970. He was the man responsible for the original 350cc V-twins, so there’s some nice continuity that he is also responsible for the Bialbero CorsaCorta 1200cc engine found here.

Moto Morini claims the hand-assembled Corsaro is as Italian as it gets, with 99 per cent of components sourced from Italian manufacturers – a goal that may seem unachievable, until you consider how many Italian companies supply race teams of the world.

For braking duties the choice was fairly straightforward, with four-piston monoblock radial-mount Brembo calipers, on twin 320mm discs at the front, and a 220mm disc and two-piston Brembo caliper at the rear. The brakes feature dual-channel ABS, which can be disabled via a handlebar-mounted switch.
Wheels are 17-inch forged alloy items.

The exhaust, with its underseat silencers – another Moto Morini solution that harks back to earlier models – is from Zard

The APTC slipper clutch should help tame the big V-twin’s torque for easier and safer riding, and is from yet another Italian company; ADLER.

Mupo, a company that supplies suspension components to World Superbike teams, is responsible for the suspension. The front fork legs are machined from billet, diamond-like carbon coating on the fork rods reduces friction, and adjustment is available to tweak preload, compression and rebound damping. At the rear is a single-shock absorber adjustable for compression and rebound damping, length, plus a remote hydraulic preload.

The dash is a race-style five-inch TFT display from AIM, with various rider choices for configuration – only the gearshift position remains on every screen.
Top-quality components are used throughout, including indicators which are machined from billet. All the lights, from indicators to brake lights to the double reflector headlights, are LED.

Plus, there are nice touches such as a 12 volt socket for running a satellite navigation system.

Because of its low-volume hand-built nature, it is highly unlikely you’re going to see more Moto Morinis on the roads than Hondas, but these days that sort of individualism is seen as a valuable thing. As is a venerable brand name like Moto Morini.

An Embodiment of Nautical Style

March 7, 2017 • Tony Watts

Quite probably, the image of the French Riviera in the 1950s is overly romanticised, though what is undisputed is that for the international jet-set of the time, it was the place to be seen.

Times change of course: Jet-set means little in an age when everyone can fly; and fame these days is frequently sordid – in this age of social media, there are too many celebrities for whom tawdriness is a sole attribute.

In the ‘50s though, celebrity meant something else. Certainly, beauty was a part of it, but talent counted a great deal too, and with those came fame and money. But the A-list of the time stood out for something else: style.

At a time when celebrity endorsement was generally a B-list activity and product placement was a mere twinkle in a Madison Avenue advertising exec’s eye, the jet-set chose for themselves the accouterments suited to their stylish lifestyles, and in boats, that meant Riva.

Prince Ranier of Monaco owned one, as did Aristotle Onassis, Sophia Loren, Richard Burton, Peter Sellers and Brigitte Bardot. The most stylish people on the planet owned the most stylish boat.

While celebrities come and go, what has remained constant since then is Riva’s unmistakable style.

The new 76’ Bahamas is a great example. Based on the technical platform of the 76’ Perseo, the Bahamas expands on the popularity and function of the convertible 88’ Florida and coupé 88’ Domino Super, by combining the charm of the convertible and weather protection of the coupé into one yacht.

The key is Riva’s patented “C-Top” system, the basis of which is a retractable carbon fibre roof. Twin carbon fibre struts on each side pivot the roof from its coupé position – connected to the windscreen forward and the roll hoop aft – forward over the windscreen to cover the bow dinette area. The whole process takes around 90 seconds.

The usual roof-mounted antennas, radar equipment, and navigation lights are mounted on the roll hoop.

While the layout of the technical areas such as engine room, crew cabin, tender launch and retrieval systems, and movable beach platform are carried over from the Perseo, the layout of the other spaces and the interior styling are all-new for the Bahamas.

Aft of the base of the roll hoop, the cockpit features a large sofa to starboard and a chaise longue to port, as well as a large sunpad aft overlooking the beach platform. Access to the beach platform is via stairs either side with clever integrated gates for safety while underway.

Access to the forward deck is via gangways either side, with a large dinette area ahead of the windscreen – available when the roof is in coupé mode – and a sunpad at the bow.

The salon is the main entertaining area on board, with an L-shaped sofa and table for eight on the starboard side and a cabinet to port with a sink, grill, ice-maker and refrigerator.

The helm station is to starboard, with pilot and co-pilot seats mounted on a stainless-steel bridge – an interior styling decision taken to improve the feeling of lightness in the area. To port there’s a matching seat and a dormeuse deckchair facing aft.

Between the two and under the sweeping double-curved laminated glass and polished stainless steel-framed windscreen is a sliding hatch for access to the lower deck.

Here a lounge area with L-shaped sofa and glass-topped dining table faces a mirror-panelled bulkhead with a television screen. The galley is on the starboard side.

The full-beam master suite is aft, with a small lobby area with storage and washer/dryer units. The bed faces forward towards a wardrobe, while on the port side the large ensuite bathroom is divided into three spaces.

A twin cabin with ensuite is located forward of the galley, and there is a double VIP cabin with ensuite in the bow.

Crew accommodation is aft of the master and accessible from the cockpit through a compartment under the port side sofa, and features a double bunk and bathroom.

Power is courtesy of a pair of 1,550hp MAN V12 engines driving VIM adjustable-pitch propellers through V-drive transmissions for a maximum speed of 32 knots and a cruise of 28, or buyers may opt for 1,800hp engines and a 37 knot top speed and 32 knot cruise.

Also on the options list is a Seakeeper NG16 gyro-stabilizer for increased comfort at anchor.

What comes standard, however, is a sense of style like no other yacht. The polished stainless steel, teak, obsidian varnish, rift-cut white veneers and leather are combined perfectly to reflect a modern aesthetic that only Riva can achieve. It transcends fashion or fads, and will surely stand the test of time as well as the classic Rivas of the 1950s.

Riva 76’ Bahamas
Length overall: 23.25 metres
Beam: 5.75 metres
Draft: 1.98 metres
Unladen displacement: 52,300 kilograms
Fuel capacity: 5,600 litres
Water capacity: 840 litres
Power: Two MAN V12, 1,550hp/two MAN V12 1,800hp
Max speed: 32/37 knots
Cruising speed: 28/32 knots
Cabins: Full beam owner’s cabin with ensuite; one twin guest cabin with ensuite; one VIP cabin with ensuite; one twin crew cabin.

Life Size

February 28, 2017 • Tony Watts

If there is a long-running trend in the yachting industry, it is of building ever larger vessels. In part, this growth is driven by the egos of mega-yacht owners wishing to outdo everyone else on the water. Another part can be attributed to improvements in technology, construction techniques, and materials, especially in the production-yacht sector.

Two decades ago, production yachts typically didn’t get much larger than 18m, while these days it is not unusual to see them 10m longer. And why not? With modern construction techniques, today’s Ferretti 550, at 17.2m, is lighter, faster and more comfortable than a 14.6m Ferretti Altura 52 from 1990. In these circumstances it just seems to make sense to build a larger yacht offering more space.

But along with the improvements in construction technology has come improvements in design, meaning better space functionality – yachts these days just seem to have more room on board than their predecessors. So it makes sense for Ferretti to downsize and offer a yacht in the 14m range that will satisfy upgraders from older yachts in terms of useable space and also attract new customers to the brand.

At 14.2m, the new Ferretti 450 is the brand’s first offering in the sub 50-foot range for nearly a decade. The advantage is a yacht that shouldn’t be too overwhelming for new owners to manage, and an optional joystick system should make maneuvering and mooring even easier.

Downsizing though, does not mean missing out on all the good stuff that makes Ferretti such an aspirational brand.

Exterior and interior design were both handled by Studio Zuccon International Project – the team behind Ferretti’s new 850, amongst others. Unsurprisingly, the 450 shares design cues with its larger brethren, imparting a sense of sportiness. With the 450 that sense is enhanced by the low profile of the flybridge hardware – it is likely that most people wouldn’t even notice it has a flybridge at first glance. Set back on the coachroof and cantilevered over the cockpit, the flybridge is a surprisingly spacious and sociable space. The sun deck features a dining area and bar unit at the stern, and a helm station on the port side forward with a large sunpad on the starboard side. A retractable sun canopy provides comfort for guests in the heat of the day.

On the main deck is a covered cockpit with an aft sofa and a table. The galley is situated to the port side, and conveniently located between the cockpit and central living area. It features walnut furniture and an innovative nanotechnology worktop surface. A fridge and freezer is concealed in a leather-upholstered cabinet on the starboard side.

The main salon is up a step and continues with the same parquet flooring as the galley. There is a U-shaped sofa on the port side around a dining table and another sofa and television unit facing it, and a well-equipped helm station forward on the starboard side. Glazing all around floods the area in natural light.

The lower deck is also surprisingly bright thanks to plentiful hull windows. Buyers are offered a choice of two- or three-cabin configurations here. Both feature a spacious full-beam master cabin midships with ensuite bathroom.

Forward, there is another VIP cabin which has a vanity and extra storage in the
two-cabin layout, while the three cabin layout adds a cabin with bunk beds. The bathroom functions as a day head to which forward cabin has its own entrance.

The furnishings were developed by the Ferretti Group Engineering Department and feature a sophisticated blend of woods, lacquered surfaces and fabrics that fuse a contemporary style with renowned Ferretti workmanship and seaworthiness.

Other nice touches that may be unexpected on a yacht of this size are a swimming platform with a tender lift that can be used as a submerged beach club in addition to serving as a platform for a tender up to 2.8m.

Power is courtesy of a pair of Cummins QSB 6.7 engines, which can be specified in 425hp or 480hp trim for top speeds of 29 and 31 knots respectively. Cruising speeds are 25 and 27 knots.

Space, speed and comfort are big selling points, but Ferretti quality and design really makes the 450 stand out. It will, without a doubt, be a key highlight when Hong Seh Marine showcases it at the Singapore Yacht Show, April 6-9, 2017.

Ferretti 450
Length overall: 14.20 metres
Beam: 4.34 metres
Draft: 1.25 metres
Unladen displacement: 16,000 kilograms
Fuel capacity: 1,400 litres
Water capacity: 600 litres
Power: Two Cummins QSB 6.7, 480hp/two Cummins QSB 6.7, 550hp
Max speed: 29/31 knots
Cruising speed: 25/27 knots
Cabins: Two cabin layout: Full beam ensuite master suite; double VIP ensuite cabin. Three cabin layout: Full beam ensuite master suite; double VIP cabin; twin cabin.

Zest for Life

February 24, 2017 • Tony Watts

Arguably the first impression people will have when boarding the new Cranchi Z35 will be that of a surprising amount of space. In this instance it may be a classic case of under-promising and over-delivering, because despite the Z35 model name, this boat is actually just shy of 38 feet long overall.

Being an open boat – yachting’s equivalent of a convertible – possibly adds to that sense of spaciousness in the cockpit, which is where owners and their guests are likely to spend most of their time on board.

The cockpit area is laid-out in a practical manner with a large C-shaped sofa on the port side offering seating around a table, with a wet bar opposite on the starboard. The cockpit table can also be lowered to create a large sunpad. Access from the swim platform is through a small transom gate that features integrated storage for the wash hose.

A ‘roll bar’ supports electronics, and provides the structure to which the bimini top that covers almost the entire cockpit is attached.

The helm station is up a step on the starboard side, with a sunpad opposite for a little extra sociability while underway. Clearly a lot of thought has gone into the ergonomics of the helm station, with a sensible relationship between seat, wheel and engine controls.

Access to the bow – which features another large sunpad – is by the usual gangways around the cockpit, or for extra safety, up some steps and along a teak walkway through an opening section of the windscreen. It’s a feature found in many smaller motorboats, but makes a lot of sense in this application too.

Family safety was obviously a priority in the design, with sensible high rails around the bow, which feature integrated storage for six fenders – a smart space-saving idea for a boat this size.

Below decks is also surprisingly spacious, with plentiful headroom and two comfortable double cabins, and lots of natural light with hull windows for all cabins as well as four opening portholes midships and ceiling hatches in the dinette and forward cabin.

It is difficult to say which should be considered the master cabin – the forward cabin is a double berth only, but the midships full-beam cabin features a pair of single berths and an infill cushion that converts it to a double as well. In the forward cabin there is access to both sides of the mattress, though if you were expecting a noisy night at anchor then the midships cabin may be the preferred option.

Between the cabins is a dinette that can double as another berth with its collapsible table and there is a well-equipped galley opposite. The one bathroom is shared.

For most Singapore-based boaters the Z35 offers a very sensible design – the open cockpit and spacious bow area is ideal for cruising and entertaining with up to 12 people on board, and a couple of berths for those occasional overnight trips for up to six, or simply to shelter from our occasionally inclement weather offers that extra bit of practicality.

Performance-wise she is also an ideal fit, with dual Volvo Penta D4 260hp diesels providing enough power to see a top speed of around 34 knots (with fuel consumption at 98L per hour), and a more comfortable cruise speed of 26 knots (for a more reasonable 67L per hour fuel use). Plus with the high freeboard it should offer a dry ride in the cockpit too, despite that open top.

And as with all luxury yachts, it is the details where the Z35 stands out, from the anchor wash in the bow to the Cranchi-designed crockery, to the quality of the woodwork and hardware, you are always aware that you’re on a yacht that benefits from the experience of a yard that traces its history back to 1870, but that hasn’t rested on those laurels – Cranchi invests heavily in research and development and cutting-edge production technology.

The result is good things – whether they come in 60-foot or even 38-foot packages.

See this for yourself when Hong Seh Marine showcases it at the Singapore Yacht Show, April 6-9, 2017.

Cranchi Z35
Length overall: 11.70 metres
Beam: 3.53 metres
Draft: 1.00 metres
Unladen displacement: 7,250 kilograms
Fuel capacity: 600 litres
Water capacity: 190 litres
Power: Two Volvo Penta D4 3.7-litre diesels, with Electronic Vessel Control and DPH Duoprop drives, 260hp ea.
Max speed: more than 30 knots
Cabins: Double bow cabin, full-beam twin/double.

Single-Handed

February 17, 2017 • Tony Watts

In the motoring world you may choose to occupy the rear seat and be chauffeured around, or to take the opportunity of taking the wheel yourself when the occasion is right. Probably the biggest influence on that decision is the machinery; the back seat is the more obvious choice in a Rolls-Royce Phantom, while in a Maserati Grandturismo, the driver’s seat is where you would want to be.

For superyachts, nearly all owners would choose the chauffeured option – hiring experienced captains and crew to do the hard work, while your guests and you, the host, relax and enjoy the experience.

As in the motoring world, the size of the yacht plays a big part in this – helming an 11.88m Rivamare is likely to be a more engaging pursuit for an owner than steering a 30m displacement yacht, for instance.

And in the sailing world, there is the headache of sail-handling, which necessitates a lot of manpower. Comanche, the 30m supermaxi that won line honours in the 2015 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race carried a total of 21 crewmembers. Even a 10m racing yacht may need a crew of six to manage. Cruising yachts tend to need less manpower than racers, but for the most part yachts in the over-30m range are likely to be fully crewed.

But in today’s world of automation, things are changing, and at the forefront of this movement is Perini Navi’s newly-launched 38m sloop Dahlak.

Named after the Red Sea archipelago where the owner sailed as a boy, Dahlak is a step up from his previous 18.3m sailing catamaran. In an unusual move – one which reflects his passion for sailing – the owner obtained an RYA Yachtmaster Certificate of Competence in order to enjoy sailing his new yacht himself. And with the Perini Navi Automated Sail Handling System where controls are integrated into the carbon-fibre helm stations, it is well possible.

The system features Harken deck winches and three semi-automatic electric captive winches engineered by Perini Navi. The 388-square-metre mainsail furls into the carbon fibre boom with the halyard on one of the captive winches. For headsails there is the choice of 357-square-metre blade, a 210-square-metre working jib (both on individual captive winches) and 68-square-metre storm jib. An 850-square-metre asymmetrical rounds out the sail inventory. The mast is a 51.4m carbon-fibre unit from Southern Spars with EC6+ standing rigging.

The owner wanted to be able to sail in silence, so Dahlak is fitted with an EST-Floattech 136kWh marine lithium polymer battery system, that handles both hotel loads and the sail handling system without the need to run the generators for up to eight hours of silent, emission-free running.

Unlike the sister ship P2, launched in 2008, the weight and positioning of the battery system on Dahlak replaces P2’s water ballast system. The Philippe Briand Yacht Design silhouette of Dahlak is very similar to P2, with only the deckhouse raised by 15cm to open up the salon interior without drastically affecting the sleek lines. The increased space is enhanced by a skylight running the length of the coachroof which fills the deckhouse with natural light. All the glazing in the salon has been specially treated to filter out infra-red and ultraviolet rays. The white lacquered ceiling and leather furniture surfaces here provide a light and airy ambience, which will surely make it a popular entertaining location.

The other main difference between Dahlak and P2 is that the former is made entirely of Sealium 5383 marine grade alloy, whereas P2 employed composites for the superstructure. Both feature a lifting keel that varies the draft from 3.5m to 5.5m, and there’s a surprisingly large transom garage, than in Dahlak’s case houses a 16-foot Castoldi jet tender.

In the hull there’s accommodation for up to eight guests, with a spacious full-beam owner’s stateroom and an ensuite cabin to the aft, and another en-suite cabin forward that is ideal for children with Pullman bunks, though there is a single bed on slide rails that creates a double.

There is crew accommodation in the bow, with three ensuite cabins – one double and two Pullman – for up to six crewmembers, plus a crew mess.

Perini Navi is responsible for the interior design, featuring bleached teak veneers with high-gloss teak accents and brushed stainless steel detailing, while the floors are satin-finished teak with white caulking, for a clean and uncluttered look that will surely age gracefully.

Arguably with the owner at the helm though, the focus of activity on board will be on deck – specifically the cockpit area, which is replete with versatile dining and seating options, and weather protection in the form of a deployable dodger and bimini top. The guest areas here are safely separated from the dual helms and sail-handling for family-friendly entertaining.

“The owner was insistent that Dahlak is a family boat in every sense of the word,” says Burak Akgul, managing director of sales, marketing and design for Perini Navi. “By that he meant not only his own family, but also the Perini Navi family. We feel enormously privileged that he entrusted us to build his new sailing yacht to explore the world in complete safety and comfort.”

What is clear is that he’s a keen sailor who is willing to plot his own course.

Perini Navi Dahlak
LOA: 38.15m
Beam: 8.36m
Draft: 5.5m/3.5m
Construction (hull and deck): Marine Grade Aluminium Alloy (Sealium 5383) 
Total sail area: 1,873 m2
Fuel: 7,000l
Engine: Caterpillar C12 400kW @ 2,100rpm
Power: Two Caterpillar 40kW generators
Naval Architect/Exterior styling: Philippe Briand Yacht Design
Interior design: Perini Navi
Cabins: One owner’s suite, two ensuite guest cabins, three ensuite crew cabins.

Rocky Mountain High

February 14, 2017 • Tony Watts

The French word for Scotland – Ecosse – seems a somewhat odd name for a small-volume motorcycle manufacturer from the United States, but there is more to the name than meets the eye.

Ecurie Ecosse was a privateer race team from Scotland that won the grueling 24 Hour of Le Mans against the factory teams and almost all odds in 1956, and again with first and second places in 1957. (Coincidentally, the winning 1956 Ecurie Ecosse D-Type Jaguar is up for auction in August this year and is expected to fetch a record price for a Jaguar.)

It was the spirit of the privateer team however, that inspired Donald Atchison to adopt the Ecosse Moto Works name for the motorcycle company he founded in Denver, Colorado, in 2001.

Atchison, a lifelong motorcycle enthusiast and mechanical engineer, had spent years travelling for work as the business development manager for a manufacturing firm, sketching ideas for the perfect motorcycle in departure lounges and on flights along the way.

Later, while enrolled in the MBA program at the University of Colorado Boulder, Atchison went back to his sketches and considered developing the bike as a project for his university course, but the idea evolved into another concept: an exclusive motorcycle boutique that included rare high-end furnishings, lighting, apparel, timepieces and motorcycle accessories.

Eventually though, despite the success of the business, frustration with the manufacturers and distributors and the general state of the motorcycle market at the time led Atchison to revisit his plan, and Ecosse was born.

Its first project – aptly called The Heretic – came about after three prototypes had been built and tested, including feedback from an ex-AMA Superbike Champion test rider.

Befitting Atchinson’s engineering background, the Heretic was far more than just an assemblage of off-the-shelf parts. Before any metal was cut, the bike was designed and thoroughly tested using three-dimensional modeling software and Finite Element Analysis. The ergonomics were determined after a lengthy design process that entailed several different body types and load differentials to ensure maximum comfort for leg position, shifting, seat height and reach.

The best materials were chosen including aerospace-grade aluminum and carbon fibre for their strength-to-weight ratios, and 4130 chrome-moly for the frame for its high fatigue limit. And as much as possible was fabricated in-house, including tooling and pouring urethane seals, vibration-damping supports and chain guides; designing and machining bolts; machining the sprockets; and cutting, bending and TIG welding the intricate frame.

The end result was a limited run of 100 customer motorcycles, with no two exactly the same, thanks to the range of options chosen by the buyers.

After that came the Iconoclast. With some of the Heretic’s unique engineering, and more hand-built American V-Twin power from the enlarged 2.0-litre engine, this machine was even more exclusive, with only 11 examples being made.
And now Ecosse offers the Titanium series.

More than just a name, titanium is the material used for the frame, the beautifully welded and hand-polished tubes of which are used for routing engine oil, aiding in its cooling.

And it may well need cooling. In the top-of-the-line Founder’s Edition, the thumping 45-degree fuel-injected V-Twin displaces 2,150cc, and with the aid of an Ecosse supercharger with intercooler delivers more than 200hp and 271Nm at the wheel, according to the factory.

Burnouts could well be the order of the day.

The engine is courtesy of G Squared Motorsports, and is a twin-cam pushrod design, with cylinders machined from billet and stress-relieved and a pressed assembly crankshaft, all assembled by hand, blueprinted and dynamically balanced for smooth operation.

The gearbox is a six-speed close ratio unit, though with this much torque that many gears seems like overkill. Top is a final overdrive, however. The frame, swingarm, sub-frame and exhaust are all in hand-crafted titanium (the latter even includes titanium baffles in the silencer and ceramic coating in the headers), while any bodywork is hand-laid carbon fibre. The fuel tank is carbon fibre with Kevlar and has a 15.9-litre capacity, so hardly designed for long-range touring.

But then the Titanium is hardly a touring machine. The front suspension consists of fully adjustable Öhlins MotoGP-grade TTX Gas forks, and the rake can be set at anywhere between 25 and 29 degrees, depending on rider preference. The clear-coated carbon fibre front wheel rotates around a titanium front axle. At the rear there’s another carbon-fibre wheel and Öhlins fully-adjustable TTX shock along with ride height adjustment.

Comfort is not forgotten either. The seat pads are gel technology and made according to customer requirements; there are 12 available footpeg positions, again depending on buyer preference; and even the titanium sidestand is customised according to the seat height.
Then again, when customers are willing to fork out around US$300,000 for a motorcycle (in the case of the Titanium Founder’s Edition) they probably expect a degree of customisation. It’s a testament to Atchison’s original idea that Ecosse has continued production for 15 years – clearly there are enough customers in this part of the market with money to spend on something they see as truly unique.

Obviously there’s not much of a Scottish or French connection with the Ecosse beyond the name, but a small garage taking on the establishment is a familiar story, particularly for fans of Le Mans history. Arguably the old ‘shoving a large American engine into a chassis that handles’ has echoes of a different Le Mans legend, one that took the name of a snake that isn’t native to the US either, but the spirit is definitely there.

Specs
Ecosse Titanium Founder’s Edition
Engine: 2,150cc 45-degree supercharged V-twin
Power/torque: More than 200bhp/271Nm
Dry weight: 199kg

High Flyer

February 2, 2017 • Tony Watts

Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Pershing – Ferretti Group’s performance yacht division – has introduced another yacht that not only looks to the future, but pays homage to the brand’s roots.

Back in 1985, Pershing’s first ever yacht was a 45-footer that performed like a powerboat while offering the luxury and comfort of a motor-yacht—a revelation at the time.

The Fulvio De Simoni-designed Pershing 45 established the brand’s reputation, and it looks as though the new 5X – also penned by De Simoni – is set to cement said reputation. Six sales were confirmed even before the yacht’s preview in Monaco prior to its September Cannes Yachting Festival official launch.

As with all Pershings, performance is high on the agenda.

The 5X is available with two engine options, starting with twin turbo- and supercharged Volvo D11 units offering 750hp each, coupled with forward-facing IPS 950 pod drives with counter-rotating propellers. This option provisionally offers cruising speeds of 30 knots with a 36-knot top speed, all with smart IPS boat-handling characteristics.

Alternatively, buyers may wish to follow a more traditional Pershing path and choose the twin CAT 12.9 option, which are also turbo- and supercharged, but offer two extra litres of capacity for 1,000hp each, coupled to Top System 75X surface drives.

The latter combination offers cruising speeds of 41 knots and tops out at 45 knots, all with that telltale surface-drive rooster tail and surprising efficiency – the range from the 2,200-litre tanks is actually just a fraction better with this engine option.

If a 54-footer with a top speed in the mid 40-knot range isn’t quite impressive enough, the 5X does it all with style.

Passenger comfort is a priority, along with adaptable social spaces, and quality finishing. The cockpit, a natural centre of attention, is protected from the sides with ‘wings’ that should ensure comfort even when underway at speed; as well as under all weather conditions.

There’s also a large sunbathing area with storage underneath, and a height-adjustable coffee table with bench seating on three sides. The starboard side is left clear for access to the salon, and the concealable gangway to the swim platform aft.

The transom can be lowered to 60cm below the waterline for easy tender handling while a removable rail arrangement converts it into a shallow and safe seawater pool. Access to the tender garage is via the lowered transom.

There’s another large sunpad on the deckhouse forward, accessible via gangways to the sides. A nice touch here is the decorative lines through the salon windows that double as handrails.

The salon and cockpit are separated by two glass sections; one can be manually raised towards the cockpit ceiling, while the other opens to the interior. The glass roof of the cockpit can also be removed electrically with an ‘up-and-over’ arrangement.

There are similar arrangements in the salon, with a sliding glass roof over the helm station forward, and the option of fixed glass aft for even more light. Both glass sections can be fitted with integrated curtains and mosquito netting.

The aft section of the salon is a living/dining zone with lounge seating and a large table, while to the port side opposite the helm station there’s a small sofa and chaise longue. The lower deck is dedicated to sleeping spaces and the galley.

For the first time on a sub-60 foot Pershing, there is a full-beam master cabin with an ensuite bathroom midships. The VIP cabin is forward, with a bathroom that also functions as a day head.

Owners have some options for the space between the two. The first hull has a dinette area that doubles up serves as a reception space. However, this can be replaced by a guest cabin with bunk beds that share the bathroom of the VIP cabin, or with a crew cabin with bed, wardrobe, head with shower, and its own discreet entrance to the deckhouse for extra guest privacy. The galley is situated under the helm station to the starboard. With four hull windows each side, with integral elliptical portholes, the lower deck is also flooded with natural light.

Pershing reckons the letter ‘X’ has been borrowed from the aerospace industry, as it represents extreme performance and technical innovation. It may well also be used to describe the extra space that this yacht offers over other speedy 50-footers.

The Italian manufacturer also claims the 5X is the first of its new ‘X Generation’ yachts, so there’s plenty more to come from the brand. Watch this space.

Pershing 5X
Length overall: 16.51m (54ft 2in)
Beam: 4.38m (14ft 4in)
Draft: 1.35m (4ft 5in)
Construction: GRP
Fuel: 2,200l
Water: 500l
Unladen Displacement: 20,860kg
Laden Displacement: 25,000kg
Sleeping capacity: up to 6 in three cabins depending on layout.
Engines: Twin Volvo D11, 750hp ea/twin CAT 12.9, 1,000hp ea
Top speed: 36/45knots
Cruise Speed: 30/41 knots
Range: 285/290nm

Cigarette Racing’s Need For Speed

November 25, 2016 • Tony Watts

Photos: Cigarette Racing

Is it the journey or the destination?

For some yachtsmen the sound of halyards tapping against the mast and the wind whistling through the stays is nirvana, while for others the sitting around involved is quite the opposite.

Getting to the destination before anybody else is what drives some – what they lose in tranquility on the journey, they gain by reaching an anchorage before anybody else. And getting there fast can also be a thrill – especially when fast means speeds up to 117 knots or 217km/h.

Okay, there’s a little cheating with that top speed. The Cigarette Racing 50’ Marauder AMG GT S, announced last year, was fitted with twin Mercury Racing 1550 QC4v sterndrives, and the big V8s only make their rated 1,550hp when running 112 AKI race fuel. Otherwise owners of the US$1.2m boat have to make do with a mere 1,350hp from each engine running 98 RON petrol.

For 2016, the Marauder 50’ and 50’ SS have been updated again, with the cockpit moved further back to make that foredeck look even more like an aircraft carrier. The v-bottom hull is stepped, naturally, for more speed.

Standard engines are from Mercury Racing, with twin 1100s or twin 1350s. Either way, performance is not going to be an issue, but if buyers are worried their Cigarette isn’t the fastest in the region, Cigarette Racing can fit the 1550 engines to order. Top speed with the 1350s should be around 96 knots, or 177km/h, so you’re still going to get wherever you’re going rather quickly.

Whichever engine is chosen, the basics are the same: a 9.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8, with quad overhead camshafts, four-valve heads, dry sump lubrication, and peak power at the 6-6,500rpm redline. The 1350 version requires minimum 98 RON fuel, while the 1100 can run on 95. The 1100 makes use of the Mercury Racing NXT6 stern drive, while the 1350 requires the more rugged M8 unit. Both feature surface-piercing propellers designed with high performance in mind.

In order to keep the hull profile relatively narrow, the engines are staggered, with the port side engine mounted further forward. An additional benefit of this layout is improved weight distribution.

Interestingly, Cigarette Racing has achieved better performance with the twin-engine configuration than it used to get with the triple engine configuration that has been the performance option for the Marauder model since its debut a decade ago.

Partially, this is thanks to weight reduction in the engine bay – the 1350 QC4v engines weigh-in at 782kg each – and partially thanks to the use of composite materials, which has also improved vibration dampening and structural rigidity.

Plus, the QC4v engines pump out more power than the units they replaced. A new engine-bay hatch provides more fresh air for those hungry engines as well.

Offshore racing speeds necessitate heavy-duty hardware, particularly for passenger safety, so the powered bolsters are CNC machined billet alloy, as are the grab handles on the passenger console and bolster backs. The driver and front passenger also get CNC machined billet footrests with rubber tread inserts.

Rear seat passengers don’t miss out on all the fun, with speedometers mounted on the rear of the front seat bolster backs.

Information for the driver and front passenger is more detailed, with twin Garmin 8212 helm displays, with 12-inch high-definition touch screens and full system integration. Alongside those are twin 4-inch Mercury Marine VesselView displays for engine information and diagnostics. Plus there’s an LED trim tab and drive indicator, dash-mounted battery switches and carbon-fibre dash panels and gauge cluster. Throttles and shifters are digital items from Mercury Racing, and the stainless steel helm is adjustable for tilt.

It’s not all about performance – there’s a custom-designed audio system from JL Audio, with a Bluetooth interface to the Garmin system, a freshwater transom shower and a shorepower connection with mains voltage outlet in the cabin.

The custom paintjob – a Cigarette Racing specialty – is included in the purchase price, and while that often means a fairly busy design in red, white and blue, it really is up to the buyer how far to go with it.

The Marauder is neither shy nor retiring, and neither are most of the paintjobs commissioned, though it is interesting to note that this is not because of ostentatious American buyers – most sales are made to Europeans. Cigarette originally launched the 50’ Marauder model to satisfy European demand. Luca Formilli Fendi, scion of the Fendi luxury fashion house and offshore racer, owns one, for instance.

Born in the offshore racing world in the 1960s, Cigarette Racing began production of customer boats in 1970, and counts world leaders and royalty as customers, which is somewhat ironic given the Cigarette name was borrowed from an outlaw rum-running speedboat from the prohibition era.

But along with Cigarette Racing’s acceptance in establishment circles has come refinement, and greater attention to quality and luxury, even if speed is still its raison d’être.

This story was first published in Davison Vol. 32.

Yachting’s Green Revolution

November 18, 2016 • Tony Watts

Photos: Manufacturers

While hybrid fossil fuel-electric technologies are only just getting established in the automotive world, they’ve been around for more than a century in the submarine industry with internal combustion engines being used for surface running, as well as charging batteries for underwater operation.

This system, familiar to most hybrid vehicle owners, is known as a parallel hybrid, in which either (or both) internal combustion engine and electric motor act on the propeller shaft.

Later submarine designs used a series hybrid arrangement, with a separate generator powering an electric motor that turns the propeller, in a similar manner to a BMW i3’s range-extending engine, just predating it by a good 90 years.

The plus side of the latter system is that it eliminates the need for clutches and gearboxes, plus the generators can be acoustically disconnected from the hull, making operation quieter. And the generators can be run at optimal speeds, further improving efficiency.

So what is the pleasure craft industry waiting for?

Surprisingly, hybrid systems are available for smaller pleasure craft, and have been for some time.

Austrian builder Frauscher Bootswerft launched what it claimed was the world’s first hybrid recreational motor boat in 2008, running a parallel hybrid drive system by Steyr Motors.

Given the relative thirst of such pleasure boats, a hybrid instinctively makes sense for those wishing to reduce their footprint. But that assumes hybrid drive equates with efficiency. And while that may apply in a road car where a hybrid system recovers energy under braking, in the nautical world that’s a moot point – one hopes pleasure boating doesn’t involve stop-start traffic in the first place, and because braking isn’t exactly something you do with a motorboat either.

The advantage, however, is in specifying a smaller engine, and using the extra torque of the hybrid system for acceleration, while enjoying better efficiency. Plus there’s the option of silent running at marina speeds.

The 750 St Tropez here is Frauscher's flagship electric model. — The 750 St Tropez here is Frauscher’s flagship electric model.

Frauscher goes a step further and offers fully electric speedboats – the beautiful 750 St Tropez (pictured), being their flagship electric model.

The 750 St Tropez is available with a choice between two drives, starting with a 10kW unit, and going up to a Torqeedo i80, 80-horsepower equivalent. Range at top speed – 15km/h and 30km/h respectively – is only 23.8km for the former and 27.6km for the latter, though if you motor along at 10km/h that improves to 111km, and 70km respectively.

Clearly electric drives won’t be a choice for hardcore offshore boaters, but for a weekend at the Southern Islands, it’s more than enough. And if you could convince your yard to install solar panels to charge you up during the week you may well go boating with no power bills whatsoever.

On larger yachts hybrids make a lot more sense, particularly when you take all the consumption of the house systems into account.

The Mochi Craft Long Range 23 (pictured above) was the first yacht in the world to attain RINA Green Star Clean Energy and Clean Propulsion certification. The 75-foot yacht featured twin 70kW synchronous electric motors attached to the diesel engines, and a lithium-ion battery bank. All this hybrid technology, allied to the FER.WAY (Ferretti Wave Efficient Yacht) trans-planing hull, was supposed to reduce the yacht’s overall environmental impact.

Unfortunately the launch coincided with the global financial crisis, so the Long Range 23 was a victim, though five hulls were launched. And the Engineering Department of the Ferretti Group continues its research into efficiency – particularly hull efficiency – citing Custom Line’s Navetta range as an example of innovation in terms of performance and consumption in response to owner needs.

But every time you visit the marina you’ll see hybrid yachts: Anything with a sail and an engine is, by definition, a hybrid, though the 190-foot Royal Huisman yacht Ethereal – available for charter through Y.CO – does take it to extremes.

Nearly three years ahead of the launch of Ethereal (pictured above), recognised experts in all the yacht’s systems were gathered to conceptualise the most efficient yacht of this type. Interestingly, it was the house systems – those dedicated to the comfort of the guests – that were the first to attract attention.

Captain Andrew Barry says “reduction in demand is what drove the design.” Efficiencies were sought everywhere, from the design itself, with a lot of natural light; to something as simple as white painted external surfaces and effective insulation; to a ducted heating/ventilation system without the usual fan-coil units; to energy recovery systems on the watermaker discharge (which saves an astonishing 4kW); to induction stoves in the galley; to heat recovery from the gensets for water heating; to dimmable LED globes that were designed and manufactured for this yacht.

Ethereal is equipped with parallel hybrid drives too – twin 715hp Caterpillar diesels attached to 300kW Combimatic electric motor-generators. Intriguingly, the 1,500mm controllable-pitch propellers were designed to be used as ‘windmills’ under sail, thus producing power at the expense of speed, but it is a system yet to be commissioned, because it considers that getting to a destination faster may actually be more efficient. But even those large propellers spell efficiency, requiring lower revs to drive.

Captain Barry is highly enthusiastic about the system, particularly where it relates to passenger comfort. “If you aimed to just save fuel with it, you could well do that,” he says. “Our range could be as little as 3,000 miles if we were full revs on both engines the whole way, or it could be 8,000 miles if you did it at seven or eight knots,” he says, “or 50,000 miles if you were going to wait for the wind!”

“From a guest perspective, we see the benefit of the batteries with no emissions coming out of the hull,” he says. It may seem a small thing, but on a still evening those sundowners are going to be that much more pleasant if you’re not choking on generator emissions. Plus there’s the silent running and fine control under electric power, which allows for virtually any propeller speed. “We can leave a dock with silence. The main engines are quiet anyway, but when we do leave the dock in that low velocity mode, guests are able to sleep through.”

“I can vouch for the fact that it has huge benefits, particularly for long distance cruising,” says Captain Barry.

If saving fuel is your goal, then a hybrid may help, and on a large yacht it can equate with passenger comfort. But the common theme seems to be that if you really want efficiency, you can easily do that in any yacht simply by throttling back.

This story was first published in Davison Vol. 31.

Tony Watts

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