“I love my Hargraves because of one thing,” says a serial Hargrave owner on his third yacht. “Mike Joyce never says no.”
Joyce is the CEO of Hargrave Custom Yachts, whose latest 105, Irresistible, exemplifies numerous ways the builder tailors its designs to what each owner wants.
Irresistible, for instance, has a raised pilothouse, creating an all-weather backup to the flybridge helm. The bridge is open, but it’s shaded by the fiberglass hardtop, rather than having a sky lounge on board. That’s already a lot of personalization based on the starting point of a new Jack Sarin-designed hull that tops out at 21 knots and cruises at 18 knots. In addition, this owner was planning 1,000-nautical-mile voyages, so he opted for twin 1,600 hp Caterpillar C32 Acert diesels. Irresistible reportedly has a 2,000-nautical-mile range at 10 knots. Based on my time aboard, I can report that the hull is also comfortable in Gulf Stream lumps.
The yacht has a widebody design, so the salon spans the full 23-foot beam, allowing for a formal dining area forward and an entertainment space aft, all with 7-foot-2-inch headroom. The salon connects through oversize sliding doors to the aft deck, where alfresco dining and lounges await.
The country-kitchen-style galley—a design feature on many Hargraves—is forward with seating for guests. The marble countertop stretches 7 feet, 6 inches for meal prep and plating.
The pilothouse is likely to be a gathering place underway and is fitted out with an L-shaped settee and table, plus an office for the skipper.
Curving stairs from the salon lead to the full-beam owner’s suite, which has a California king berth (6-by-7 feet) and an 11-foot walk-in closet more than 4 feet wide—plus two more closets. The feeling is that of a liveaboard second home. Off the foyer are two guest staterooms, one with twin berths that slide together and the other with a queen.
There is a VIP stateroom forward, with stairs from the galley. The VIP has a queen-size berth and, like the other staterooms, an en suite head with a shower large enough that Joyce notes with a grin, “You can pick up dropped soap.”
The bridge is likely to be an alfresco salon for entertaining, with a dining table, a bar with four stools and space aft for a hot tub. This still leaves room for a pair of PWC or a tender launched via the Quicklift 2,000-pound hydraulic crane.
Irresistible’s crew quarters are abaft the engine room. The captain has a double berth in a private cabin with an en suite head, while two crewmembers are in another cabin, also en suite, where, at 40 inches, the berths are wider than twins. There’s also a crew mess area with a galley and dinette/lounge.
Speaking of crew, they will have space in the engine room to maneuver around the big Cat diesels and the pair of 38 kW Northern Lights gensets. There are full diamond-plate walkways like the ones aboard yachts 30 feet longer. Built to DNV and American Boat and Yacht Council specifications, the yacht’s systems are readily accessible and labeled. Any exposed fiberglass clearly shows the yard’s expertise in laminating the foam-cored hull and superstructure.
Irresistible was built with a 13-page list of standard equipment ranging from triple Glendinning shore-power cords to Naiad stabilizers and bow thruster to a decor from Yacht Interiors by Shelley of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I found Irresistible, well, irresistible as a long-legged offshore cruising yacht or a second home.
It’s no surprise that more than 50 percent of Hargrave owners are on their second, third or even fourth build. When Joyce says, “Sure, we can do that,” he means it.
Take the next step: hargravecustomyachts.com
