Click for Nordhavn Click for Abeking Click for MotorCheck Click for Cross Click for JetForums

Best Luxury Flybridge Manufacturer 50’-70’

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by tader2112, Jul 5, 2021.

You need to be registered and signed in to view this content.
  1. Liam

    Liam Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2010
    Messages:
    634
    Location:
    Malta
    I would say Ferretti up till 2005/6 was a step above the other European builders. Today it is a very even battle in between all of them.
    So I would put it in this order Fer-Pri, MCY, Ss-Azi, Fairline, then Absolute-Sessa, Cranchi, then Prestige-Beneteau. If you are considering 23 meters plus Sanlorenzo is the best name to go for.
    Azimut has always been a design leader. They have changed how a cruiser and yachts functions since the eighties from ten to fifty meters. And at today still do so. For that alone they deserve huge praise.
    I think in the last ten years Azimut have improved quality wise. I was on a 2018 53 Magellano the other day and was impressed how everything was labelled and accessible.
    They have started the carbon revolution which now everyone is using for the super structure.
    As a healthy financial company few are as good as Azimut. In the USA I think depends where you are located, as some areas have good Azimut dealers others less to others.

    Ferretti in the 80s and 90s was super quality and I think at some points with some models they where very close to a Sportfish in systems.
    Small work-bench in engine room, double to all important systems, fuel tank with decentralized systems, more fuel capacity, cock to make engines pull water from engine room, Gianneschi industructable pumps etc etc. Today due to a cost exercise this has change, and Ferretti is doing a product in similar specs to the other main stream European builders, which is also competitive in cost.
    In that time Ferretti used to cost 10-20% more in price depending the size, to a Prin-SS-Azi.
  2. tader2112

    tader2112 New Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2021
    Messages:
    8
    Location:
    New York
    Sorry all - I should’ve clarified! I’m up in New York and most of my boating is in the sound. There’s usually 6-10 of us on the boat at a time. Definitely prefer the more euro style of the Azimuts and Sunseekers over the fishing style of a Viking. Definitely want a flybridge and want a high-quality boat that will have no issues lasting >10 years.
  3. RER

    RER Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2009
    Messages:
    1,532
    Location:
    Newport Beach CA
    No issues? lol ...how do you define no issues?
    LARRYH, gr8trn and MBevins like this.
  4. tader2112

    tader2112 New Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2021
    Messages:
    8
    Location:
    New York
    Haha good question — I mean not having to worry about the boat falling apart. I’m ok with normal maintenance and wear & tear. But I guess I want to avoid brands that are known for having more issues than the norm.
  5. tader2112

    tader2112 New Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2021
    Messages:
    8
    Location:
    New York
    I guess comparing same sizes across the board: Azimut 55, Princess F55, Ferretti 550, Sunseeker Manhattan 55 are the four I’m weighing most. Sanlorenzo’s are gorgeous but a little too big for my wallet. I’ve heard bad things about Carver, Prestige, and Fairline, so those are out for me.
  6. German Yachting

    German Yachting Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2010
    Messages:
    1,943
    Location:
    West Coast
    Does Viking also handle the repair in New York like they do in Florida of the Princess’s?
  7. Fishtigua

    Fishtigua Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2007
    Messages:
    2,937
    Location:
    Guernsey/Antigua
  8. tader2112

    tader2112 New Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2021
    Messages:
    8
    Location:
    New York
    A little more traditional style than I typically like. I really do love the modern euro designs these days.
  9. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 29, 2008
    Messages:
    8,118
    Location:
    Miami, FL
    I agree about carver but you should look at Marquis. 59 and 65 I think. While rebadged carvers they were built to higher standards, kind of like Lexus / Toyota.

    my beef with European built boats is that often they are not adapted to the US market. Many don’t have run rails since they don’t have wooden pilings in Europe and when they do they are often thin.

    Worst is boarding. Many euro built boats especially do not have side boarding gates since they rarely have high finger piers like we often do. Boarding often requires acrobatics made worst by stylish rounded curvy sections. Sunseeker is often one of the worst in that area.

    same with many azimutts from a few years back which all had slippery curved areas just outside the platform making it dangerous to step on from a floating dock. Most new owners had to rush to Home Depot to buy non stick tape so they would not be accused of trying to kill their mother in law :)
  10. tader2112

    tader2112 New Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2021
    Messages:
    8
    Location:
    New York
    Didn’t Marquis stop making those yachts in 2016?
  11. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2013
    Messages:
    7,132
    Location:
    Fort Lauderdale
    Yes. Cruisers now owns the facility. Marquis does show an M44 model on their website.
  12. bernd1972

    bernd1972 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2011
    Messages:
    301
    Location:
    Flensburg, Germany
    If you consider european built boats you might as well check what Canados (Cantiere Navale die Ostia) has in its portfolio that meets your requirement and budget. Very nice and well-built boats with excelent interiour quality...
    I´m not sure about that, but don´t expect them to have a US dealer.
  13. dcwjd

    dcwjd New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2016
    Messages:
    23
    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    They better be. It's over 3m for an M60.
  14. RER

    RER Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2009
    Messages:
    1,532
    Location:
    Newport Beach CA
    They better be? Okay. What do you expect a 2022 top market 60’ Motor Yacht should cost?

    A 2022 Taiwan built Horizon PC60 is over $3M
  15. dcwjd

    dcwjd New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2016
    Messages:
    23
    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    In the 2's as 3 million seems a bit much. Perhaps that's why there are so many m60's available throughout the country on yachtworld.
  16. RER

    RER Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2009
    Messages:
    1,532
    Location:
    Newport Beach CA
    So many? ...lol. There are 3. There’s a 2019 under contract and two others that are around 10 years old. The other 6 listings are nothing more than Hatteras dealers looking for clients to commission a new build.
  17. dcwjd

    dcwjd New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2016
    Messages:
    23
    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    Maybe when i'm 70 I would like the look of a Hatteras but for now it doesn't appeal to me at all even though it's the best made flybridge boat. I'd rather a Sunseeker 55 Manhattan or Princess F55. The Hatteras also has an 18 beam which is a huge issue where I boat out of.
  18. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2013
    Messages:
    7,132
    Location:
    Fort Lauderdale
    Why is that a huge issue in Long Island? We've cruised there with larger beams so just curious as to the specific area and issues.
  19. dcwjd

    dcwjd New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2016
    Messages:
    23
    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    South shore of Long Island specifically Fire Island which is where most Long Islanders go on their boats do not have 20 foot wide slips to accommodate an 18'2" beam boat like the Hatteras. Even 16' is pushing it where I go with mine and I have a Sea Ray 48 DA with a 14'8" beam.
    Last edited: Jul 26, 2021
  20. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2013
    Messages:
    7,132
    Location:
    Fort Lauderdale
    Ok and if that's where you must keep your boat, I understand. But very close to there you can find 20' slips to make your home base and when cruising, it seldom matters, as transient boaters have access to side ties on transient docks and are seldom impacted by beam.

    I point this out only because we've enjoyed boating in the Long Island Sound and had a 21' beam or greater. Look carefully at marinas. Before we did the loop, we heard all the admonitions. Some said you'll never find docks for a boat over 50'. Some said 60'. Well our LOA was 69'4" and we had no problems. No, we couldn't dock at every marina on the loop but we didn't need them all. At any location we wanted to visit, we only needed one of the marinas there and always found at least one.

    I'm not telling you to get a Hatteras 60 MY. But it's a heck of a lot more boat than a Sunseeker or Princess 55. If you wanted to go a step up on Sunseeker Manhattan's, you'd go now to the Manhattan 68. First a cautionary story on the 68. It's no bigger than the 66 it replaces which is no bigger than the 65 it replaced or the 63, which was the 65 but galley down. Our 65 was 69'4" LOA. The 68 is 69'1". We chose the Sunseeker over the Hatteras but the 68 has a 17'3" beam. The 65 was 16'10".

    I love the Sunseeker Manhattan 55 and only you know your cruising plans. If they're 95% in the Sound and 95% 2-4 people then it's a great size. However, if you want to cruise the entire coast and run outside and carry 6 or 7 people on a regular basis, then you'll have to face the bigger boat, wider beam issues. Just don't be close minded to beam limitations. Decide on the boat you need and then evaluate marinas.