The hits keep coming—a phrase that is all too accurate for what usually would be a bustling fall boat-show season, but instead is seeing yet more cancellations due to COVID-19.
So, we’re choosing to look at the phrase differently this year. Because the truth is that the hits—as in star-quality creations that leave us grinning—also keep coming from builders unveiling and launching new models filled with innovation and beauty.
Indeed, the good stuff is now arriving in all market segments, from motoryachts to power catamarans to bluewater-ready fishing machines and re-imagined classics. No matter what form of yachting suits your fancy, there’s a new model out there that’s ready to get you on the water in style. The following pages offer a look at some offerings from builders hitting all the right high notes.
The Benetti Diamond 145 is the first launch in a new class of yachts for the builder. Exteriors on the fiberglass yacht are by Giorgio M. Cassetta, with interiors by Benetti’s in-house team. Accommodations are for 10 guests in five staterooms, including a full-beam owner’s space on the main deck forward. The sun deck has a dining area, there’s a pool at the bow on the upper deck, and the aft space is focused on guests with the garage off to the side. According to Benetti, the Diamond 145 has a top speed of 11 knots and a range of 5,000 nautical miles, thanks to twin 1,400 hp MAN engines.
The Aquila 54 is the new midrange model in the builder’s line of luxury power catamarans, which also includes 44- and 70-foot models. The 54 can be ordered with three, four or five staterooms, as well as with the galley up or down and with or without skipper’s quarters. The flybridge can be open or fully enclosed with air conditioning. In all versions, the master stateroom spans the full beam forward, with windows that allow for panoramic views. Before the first hull of the Aquila 54 even hit the water, the builder says, 15 purchase orders for the yacht had already been placed.
CRN Yachts, part of the Ferretti Group in Italy, has delivered M/Y 137. It is a fully custom yacht with a steel hull and aluminum superstructure. Nuvolari Lenard developed the concept as well as the interior and exterior styling. Six staterooms accommodate 12 guests, with the upper deck serving as the owner’s personal retreat. The yacht is the first from CRN to earn IMO Tier III certification, meaning nitrogen oxide exhaust emissions have been reduced by 70 percent. Three more custom builds are expected next from CRN, at lengths overall from 196 to 236 feet.
The V-46 joins 33-, 37- and 41-foot models in the Valhalla lineup from builder Viking Yachts. It’s available with quadruple Mercury V-8 450Rs, Mercury Verado 400s or Yamaha V-8 425s. That power, combined with a 694-gallon fuel capacity and a double-stepped hull by designer Michael Peters, should make the V-46 a contender for getting out to the canyons fast. The console, accessed through a portside door, has air conditioning and 6 feet, 7 inches of headroom. A head is inside, along with a galley and a convertible dinette for overnights on the hook. Up top, a tower is optional.
To create the Wheeler 38 from Wheeler Yacht Company, Bill Prince Yacht Design reverse-engineered the Wheeler Playmate made famous by author Ernest Hemingway. The design allows the boat to be built today from mahogany, using modern epoxy cold-molded construction techniques that didn’t exist in Hemingway’s day. Brooklin Boat Yard in Maine is bringing that design to life, with the Wheeler 38 reportedly being capable of hitting 30 knots. On board the classic-looking beauty are air conditioning, an autopilot, Sub-Zero refrigeration and other 21st-century amenities.
The Ocean Alexander 32L is part of the builder’s Legend series, which also includes the 36L. The 105-foot 32L has a main-deck master among its five staterooms and can be ordered with an open flybridge or a sky lounge. Use of aluminum-beam engineering allows for the extensive use of glass shown in the image below, creating wide views of the surroundings from most spots on board. Draft is about 5 feet, 6 inches, making the 32L an option for Bahamas cruising. Fuel capacity, according to Ocean Alexander, is 4,000 gallons, which should allow for long-distance passages.
