New Model: Prestige F4

Prestige has launched in the midst of Summer 2023 its new F4 model, a flybridge cruiser just under fourteen meters in length, with an important beam to size ratio.  Prestige F for flybridge bread and butter range has in recent times seen little novelty, with its last new model the F690 coming in 2021.  Looking at the details the Prestige F4 seems based on the 2017 launched F520, identical beam but also a similar layout, with a one meter shorter length. It will be interesting what the F4 will replace in the Prestige range, so far both the 460 and 520 are present in the website, but I do think that in the long run this replaces the 520 so expect a new F5 model in 2024 which goes in the fifteen to sixteen meter size and a similar styling to this new model. Many reviewers are giving the Prestige F4 top marks and calling her a segment re-inventor for its spaces and important beam to length ratio, which re-imagines the space inside by the width. Probably Prestige here has got a couple of lessons while developing its power catamaran range in the last two years, but I also think that it looked at the Absolute 470 which has an identical beam and a similar layout below with owners suite forward.  Still thanks to the important beam the Prestige F4 offers probably a best in class main deck layout here offering a spacious L-shaped dinette and galley on the main deck.  Down below the Prestige F4 offers a three double cabins layout, with an owners cabin forward which is in a mid high level area giving similar space to that of a midships level stateroom.  Also thanks to the beam the two guest cabins at midships offer more space then usual with the starboard cabin being particularly spacious, and offered with moving berths which become a double.  The F4 can also be fitted with an optional crew cabin aft.  Other details in the Prestige F4 are the near bulkhead free flybridge, protected by stainless steel railing, and the option to have a vertical seating on the aft deck for an open view aft, in lieu of the standard L-shaped lounger.  The Prestige F4 is powered by twin Volvo 480hp with IPS pod drives for top speeds up to 28 knots and a cruise of 22.

Technical Data:

LOA - 15.18 m (49.9ft)

Hull Length - 13.4 m

Beam - 4.49 m

Draft - 1.17 m

Displacement - 15100 kg light, 19700 kg loaded

Fuel Capacity - 1300 l

Water Capacity - 586 l

Accommodation - six berths in three cabins, optional one crew cabin berth

Engines - 2 x Volvo D6 480hp

Propulsion - Volvo forward looking IPS650 pod drives

Speed - 28 knots max 22 knots cruise

Range - 250 nm at 22 knots

Project - Garroni exterior interior, Valentina Militerno de Romedis interior, Michael Peters hull, Prestige engineering

Certification - CE B

www.prestige-yachts.com

Project: Rio Le Mans 50

Rio have started to tease for a Le Mans 50 project set to debut in 2024.  The Rio Le Mans 50 looks set to be part of its Coupe collection, sitting in between the thirteen meter Sport Coupe 44, and 58 models.  From this first rendering tease the Le Mans 50 is also be a bridge model in between the two ranges, with features coming from the Open models, see low free board aft, looking similar to that of the Daytona 50.  

www.rioyachts.net

Cannes 2023 Boat Show Preview

Europe's fall boat shows start again with one of the most important to the World, Europe and the Mediterranean sea exhibition, the Festival de la Plaisance of Cannes which since 1977 has has been pivotal for the motor boating market.  The 2023 Cannes boat show addition starts on Tuesday twelfth and ends Sunday seventeen September. Cannes is a unique venue located in one of the yachting meccas of the world, the Cote d'Azur offering the opportunity to preview new models by many respected European builders with yacht owners and buyers from countries around the world gathering in this show to see the latest models in the Mediterranean play ground of the "Old" Port and the large yacht area in Port Pierre Canto. The 2023 Cannes celebrates its 41st edition continuing a trend for a favourite place where glamour and luxury meet. Last year numbers showed 54000 visitors, over 700 boats in water, and 610 exhibitors from all round the globe. Cannes 2023 novelties are the following; Arcadia A96, Azimut 60 Magellano and Fly 72, Bluegame BGM75, Canados Oceanic 143 Tri-deck, Cayman 540WA, Centuno Vespro, Fabbrica Italiana Motoscafi 440 Regina, Ferretti InFynito 90 and 1000 Skydeck, Frattelli Aprea Lancia 52, Greenline 58 Fly, ISA Yachts GT45, Manda Yachts S07, Marex 440, Maori 46, Mazu 92DS, Ocean King 120 Ducale, Pershing GTX 116, Prestige F4 and M8, Princess Y80, Rio Daytona 45, Riva 82 Diva, Sanlorenzo SX100, Sialia 57, Sirena 48, Solaris Power 52 Open, Wally Why150,  Windy 40 Camira and probably some more which are as yet unannounced.
www.cannesyachtingfestival.com

Motor Yacht Sinking in Belleair

A 23 meter motor yacht titled Christmas Spirit, partly sank near Belleair boat ramp, in Tampa on the afternoon of third September.  United States Coast Guard and Police Community Support Officer went to the scene to assist the boater and evaluate the scene.  The boater sustained no injuries and during inspection it was seen that the yacht was leaking fuel in the sea, and was later surrounded and protected with a hard boon and absorbent pads.  The motor yacht had to be left boomed till Tuesday fifth September when a cleaning up process had to be made.  

M/y Christmas Spirit is a 1992 Lazzara 76.  Produced from 1992 to 2002, Lazzara build 48 units of the 76, which offered a five stateroom layout and two important options; wide-body deck house and enclosed skylounge flybridge.  Lazzara made thirty in each of these versions.  The Lazzara 76 was powered by twin MTU 1150hp for speeds in the mid twenties. The Lazzara 76 was replaced by the 80 in 2003. 

Unfortunately the last twelve months have been tough on m/y Christmas Spirit, which was sold as salvage from the aftermath of Hurricane Ian from end September 2022, the worst hurricane to hit Florida since the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935.

New Model: Nordhavn 71

Hull #1 of the brand new Nordhavn 71 model was launched at the Ta Shing factory at the end of July, marking a milestone in the modern era of famous explorer yachts name. With the Nordhavn 71 comes a luxurious ocean crossing masterpiece, meant to be owner-operated. She is being shipped to Seattle in the moment to owners who have put their faith and trust in the Nordhavn brand the past twenty years, creating memories aboard their prior three hulls: a 50, 57 and 68. Soon they will take delivery of the N7101 and explore the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. The N71 was conceived and designed by Nordhavn’s Chief of Design, Jeff Leishman, in early 2021, followed by mould construction and a steady progression of hull builds. Currently Nordhavn is building 71 hull three. N71 represents the further development of the third generation Nordhavn designs, incorporating a subtle elegance of styling evolution based on her longer waterline and plumb bow. Beneath her skin, the N71 is packed with leading edge technology and includes features as the bulbous bow, based on 45 years experience of owner feedback, and creating and evolving Nordhavn models. With a twenty meter waterline and generous six meters plus beam, the Nordhavn 71 is beautifully spacious and has the room and feel of larger boats, and at over one hundred tons and carrying just over 18,000 litres gallons of fuel, there is no mistaking her capability.  The Nordhavn 71 is powered by twin John Deere 285hp engines.

Technical Data:

LOA - 21.9 m (71.9ft)

Waterline Length - 20.8 m

Beam - 6.85 m

Draft - 2.08 m

Displacement - 103.5 t

Fuel Capacity - 18234 l

Water Capacity - 2271 l

Accommodation - six berths in three cabins, or eight berths in six cabins

Engines - 2 x John Deere 6068SFM85 285hp

Propulsion - line shaft with ZF Ni-Alum-Bronze four bladed S-class propellers

Construction - solid bottom with Gurit G-80 pvc core vacuum bagged hull sides, three coats of Vinylester resin and Isphotalic gelcoat

Project - Jeff Leishman

Certification - CE A

www.nordhavn.com

Project: ISA Yachts Granturismo 50

ISA yachts present the project for the Granturismo 50. Streamlined profile, straight bow, typical set back superstructure and fully balanced volumes are the hallmarks of the Granturismo range, which since announced in 2012 has already sold three units, the 66 designed by Vallicelli delivered in 2012, the 45 in 2022, and the 80 flagship currently under construction. The Granturismo 50 is designed by Enrico Gobbi Team for Design for both exterior and interior, with naval architecture in house by Palumbo super yachts. Build in aluminium she will have a volume of 499 gross tons, which will offer an interior of five of six double guests cabins. Crew accommodation is for eleven crew in seven cabins, including a captains room behind the helms bridge. The ISA Granturismo 50 is to be powered by twin MTU 2600hp for a top speed up to twenty knots, a cruise of fifteen, and an economic of twelve which gives a range up to 3500 nautical miles.

www.isayachts.com

Super Sport Yacht Burns Down in Sydney

A 28 meter super sport yacht titled m/y Andiamo burned down in Woolwick Dock, Sydney at 20:10 hours of Saturday second September.  The yacht was reported unattended at the time of the fire, and took New South Wales Fire and Rescue teams some hours before it could be fully controlled and extinguished.  The fire took longer then expected also because the yacht was carrying over four thousand litres of fuel. Investigations on the cause of the fire are ongoing, although the case is not treated as suspicious.  Azzurra as the picture above shows became a total wreck after the fire, but no further damage to nearby yachts was made, thanks to the intervention of the fire fighting crew. 

M/y Andiamo is a Azzura 28.7 meter build in 2010 to a design of One2Three, a one off project with a carbon fibre hull and fiberglass super-structure, reaching speeds up to forty knots, and an interior of four double cabins and two crew rooms.  Built and designed in Australia, this Azzura super sport yacht was first commissioned by Sandy Oatley, the son of the late Bob Oatley who with his Wild Oats maxi sailing yachts won the Sydney Hobart race nine times.  

Founded by Iain Murray, Azzura Yachts from Australia was the power boating arm of Azzura Marine, who also owned Marten and Sydney Yachts.  Azzura build three other super yachts from 26 to thirty meters in between 2002 and 10, with Andiamo being its last build.  Azzura Marine entered receivership in 2009, and was liquidated in 2019.

Classic Yacht Sinks Then Recovered Near Caprera Island

A classic seventeen meter motor yacht titled m/y Vintage was recovered in Maddalena Island, near Caprera to the East of Sardinia on the morning of Saturday second September.  According to news Vintage had a structural plank collapse in rough seas, opening a hull breach at about 06:50 hours of Monday 21 August and then sinking in about forty meters of deep sea.  On the morning of second September a detailed operation in recovering the classic yacht, with a team by Marina di Porto Massimo, and Costruzioni Marittime e Edile from Olbia and assistance and monitoring by the Guardia Costiera and Harbour Masters of Olbia was organized.  This was a difficult job, with two tug boats and three water craft, towing the yacht to a boat yard in Palau in Sardinia some five nautical miles from the point of sinking.

M/y Vintage is a Cantiere Navale di Chiavari Paraggina 1000 build in 1968 and delivered in 1970.  17.20 meters in length and built in triple planking the Paraggina 1000 was designed by Gino Solari, with an aft cabin layout of two double guest suites, and a two berth crew cabin forward.  The Paraggina 1000 was powered by twin GM 480hp for top speeds up to 22 knots.  Gino Solari will evolve the Paragina 1000 looks into the larger Portofino twenty meter.  Cantieri Navale di Chiavari was founded in the eighteen century, building about seventeen boats a year in the sixties Italian pleasure boating renaissance and closing its doors in 1975. 

According to reports m/y Vintage is the last Cantieri Navali di Chiavari Paraggina 1000, receiving an important refit in 2023.  For details of this refit I am leaving a link in the comments section.

New Launch: Feadship 118m Hull. 1010

Feadship has in the end of 2022 launched its hull number 1010, its largest build to date, surpassing the 2018 launched 110 meter motor yacht Anna, hull number 1007 by eight meters.  Feadship hull number 1010 is designed by Espen Oino for exterior with interiors by Francois Zurretti, and naval architecture by Feadship engineering arm De Voogt.  A unique feature of 1010 is the curved glass for an observation area on the top deck. Largest Feadship to date, although not for long as hull 821 to be launched in 2024 is to be seventy centimetres longer.  Hull number 1010 had to be titled Katyusha, a name which suggests a Russian ownership although we have no confirmation about this.  Still half year after its completion hull. 1010 has not been delivered yet, renamed to NB1010 and since completing her sea trials in October 2022 has not moved from Harlingen in the Netherlands.

Technical Data:

LOA - 118 m (387.1ft)

Beam - 19 m

Displacement - 4999 gt *volume

Propulsion - line shaft

Speed - nineteen knots

Hull Shape - displacement

Construction - steel hull aluminium super structure

Project - Espen Oino exterior, Francois Zuretti interior, Feadship De Voogt naval architecture

www.feadship.nl

The French Experiment

Beneteau Group has really grabbed its Prestige motor yacht brand, turned it upside down and starting experimenting with it in the last three to four years.  It all started with the X wide body range presented in 2020, and continued with the M for multi-hull introduced in 2022 with the M48 model.

The Prestige brand has been the most consistent and successful of the giant French Group motor boat portfolio. For example the Prestige 550 introduced in 2013 sold over 150 units in its first three year production run, with other previous smaller models as the 46 Fly and 34S from the noughties selling two hundred and five hundred plus respectively.  The other Prestige models in its traditional Flybridge and Sport lines have also been successful, a well deserved success to be fair, as I think Garroni has done an impressive job on the design of these, mixing modern lines, latest amenities with conservative looks and the competitive good quality-price point the French Group is known for.  

It would be interesting to know what made Prestige do this hard-turn in its strategy.  May be its previous innovative and nice Prestige 750 flagship launched in 2013 never sold as expected, but then in that fifteen to 25 meters, is not an easy size to enter and compete against long standing Italian and English names.  Reality is when you compete in that higher quality market it is difficult to enter, even if you offer a product with the same quality, and probably Beneteau Group knows this the most as it seems to be giving up on its Monte Carlo Yachts brand, which it debuted in 2010 with MCY76, and has seen no new models in over two years.  

The Beneteau Group has strong sales in 2023, an increase of a whooping 43% and today its motor boating lines leads at 57% its sailing yacht division, so on numbers alone they are right on what they are doing.  But the Prestige motor boat brand which was started in 2001 as part of a Jeanneau model line, and became an independent brand in 2009, changes in direction seem odd as an outsider, considering the legacy and sales Prestige generated in the last twenty years.