Westport Yachts began in 1977, when brothers Rick and Randy Rust were building commercial salmon-fishing boats in the northwest. A changing economy prompted them to apply their knowledge of hardy sea-going vessels to the production of luxury yachts. Their technical expertise and yacht industry contacts, plus experience as businessmen helped in the transition. Then came orders from experienced yacht designers such as Ed Monk, Jr. for a 70-footer. The Rusts invested $100,000 in the first automated fabric impregnator for yacht-building molds. With new designs coming from Jack Sarin for 76-footers, then during the mid-1980s a 112’ model, and the nationally acclaimed 98’ Golden Delicious, a Miami Hatteras dealer ordered yachts based on the design; a relationship which lasted into the 1990s. Westport Yachts was on its way.
Today, Westport is one of the first to use labor and cost saving innovation -- Modular Construction. Not new, the technique was pioneered by Henry Kaiser with Liberty ships in WWII, but its use in composites is a step forward in yachts. The entire boat can be built in four basic components. The hull, main deck, upper deck, and flybridge is each nearly completed before the components are assembled. That means fewer joints and seams, and can pare production times as much as 50%. It also allows simultaneous work in separate locations, spreading the work out so the crews are spread and not congested in one area. Westport is currently one of the largest producers of 95” to 164’ fiberglass yachts.
Westport hulls are built of laminated fiberglass mat and roving, which is applied by automated overhead impregnators – the result of a detailed building plan and synchronized fabrication. Every component and sub-assembly is scheduled and documented by process flow charts tracked by engineering teams. At any one time, a series of four, six or more yachts are processed with quality and efficiency, which would be virtually impossible in a strictly custom build. Westport’s Washington State facilities are in Westport and Hoquiam, as well as in Port Angeles.
YachtForums’ first review of the Westport 112 goes way back to July of 2005. While styling has been modernized, this iconic design maintains its platform of success with seakeeping ability, impressive cruise speeds and comfortable styling. With the recent launch of hull number 64 in the Westport 112 Raised Pilothouse series, YachtForums is proud to revisit this updated model and present it to our community. So what makes this Westport 112 review different? Somewhere between spoiler alert and full disclosure, this review is virtual. Wait! Don’t hit the delete key yet. Hate to burst your belief in the written word, but when we first began reviewing yachts, we were troubled to learn the frequency of yacht reviewers that never stepped foot aboard a boat, none-the-less taken the yacht out for a sea trial. As much as we reviled at the inexcusability, we have now joined the ranks of those computer-generated reviewers. But, we have a valid excuse: this YF review is being written as COVID 19 numbers are once again increasing in Florida and the prudent approach is to not expose, nor be exposed.
When does a ready-made, full size “Production Yacht” rate a reputation to make it
the favorite of yacht lovers by the dozens? And the envy of builders worldwide? The answer
is Westport’s 130’ Tri-Deck. With 28 delivered since 2001, this handsome design displays
as more striking than ever, amplifying its growing list of delighted owners.
The popularity of a yacht design registers an explicit influence for future owners. Throughout the yachting fraternity, while sparkling new one-offs garner strong applause – with good reason – a few excellent and imaginative duplicate models gain followers year after year. Here, seemingly miscast as a “production yacht,” its buyers - yachtsmen and women - are excited about their choice, without waiting two or more years for slightly differing custom designs. “Classics” in any venue, go on forever, sporting universal appeal. This near impossible recipe is never easy to predict, but almost immediately recognized. This is sacred stuff. This is the Westport 130' Tri-Deck.
Its name is an immediate and explicit clue to the extraordinary
creativity which marks this grand new Westport 164. Billed as a production
yacht -- and two others have already begun their turn on the ways -- this
singular design surpasses many previous efforts in custom naval architecture.
Attention to detail and interior embellishments easily elevate it into a class by itself.
Nearing the halfway point of 2005, Westport Shipyard reports that the company’s schedule of launches and confirmed orders points to a record year, eclipsing its best-ever performance in 2004. This is no surprise to many boaters that cruise through marinas where yachts reside, as Westport’s are among the most popular yachts around. In South Florida alone, which is an area usually dominated by names like Broward and Hatteras, you are likely to see a number of Westports ranging from 98’ to 130’ on any given day.
The Westport 130' offers an attractive time advantage... she is an already finished yacht. Constructed by the builder, rather than commissioned from a buyer (who then must wait two years or more for the completion of most yachts), the 130' along with its siblings, the Westport 112' and 98', are custom production yachts that are Ready To Cruise... or "RTC". This is practically unheard of in the yachting community, especially on a scale this large.
Without having owners onboard, American builder Westport Yachts is starting construction on not 1 but 3 Westport W135 yachts on speculation. The 41-meter model is one of the newest models from the yard but they are confident in being able to find buyers during the build process. "The decision to initiate spec builds on these three 135 motor yachts underscores Westport’s confidence in the demand for premium, high-performance vessels in the luxury yacht market," said Westport Yachts.
Westport Yachts has launched the 9th unit in their W125 model overall. It is a sistership to yachts like "Seas the Day" and "Lion's Den". However, hull 9 is actually slightly bigger than her sisters coming in at a length of 40.99-meters compared to 38.1-meters of Seas the Day. The design on the exterior and interior is in-house by Westport.
One of the latest models, the W-117 from Westport Yachts is currently under construction and the yard provided a brief update on its progress. They say this yacht will make its debut at the 2024 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) and we are now getting an early glimpse into its formation. The W-117 is a good 'step-up' yacht for customers who have experienced the Westport 112 before, both in terms of length and altitude. This Raised Pilot House (RPH) yacht features a 2-tier sundeck with the flybridge helm a few steps above.
"Seas The Day" is the latest yacht to be launched by American builder Westport Yachts. The vessel is a member of the Westport 125 line and overall represents the 8th hull to have come from the 38-meter series. Five cabins are onboard for guests where the owner has a full-beam abode and guests have four cabins to choose from on the lower deck. Five crew can also be slept in three cabins. Hull #8 is seen below, having been recently launched. Hull 9 of this series is also being worked on and is forthcoming.
Westport Yachts started construction on a 35-meter yacht from their Westport 117 line in early 2020 but was promptly halted as the Covid 19 pandemic took hold across the United States especially in Washington. The yacht would have been completed this year if construction was not interrupted but now that some restrictions are being eased in that state work has recommenced on the build. The revised timeline for delivery of the new W117 is 2022.
Westport Yachts splashed another W112, the latest in a long line of yachts from this venerable builder. To date, this W112 (named "Miss Anna") is hull #63 in the W112 model. At around 207 GT there is decent internal space for owner and guests to enjoy. The owner themselves should be taking delivery of this new yacht very soon, in fact towards the end of this month if all goes according to plan.
Renders of the currently under construction Westport 117 have now surfaced giving a visual reference to what the new vessel will look like when completed. The GRP build will feature a raised pilot house design with a sleek Westport Glass bridge. The vessel is being built to ABS Classification and will still appear very familiar to Westport fans!
Westport Yachts has been relatively quiet but they recently took the veil off their new 52-meter flagship which in essence is a 2-meter stretch on their previous 50-meter platform. Of course the new yacht has been restyled so it doesn't exactly look like the Westport 164s that we are accustomed to from this yard but still pays homage to that model. The extra 2-meters in length allows them to incorporate a proper beach club which definitely will be a stellar feature on this new yacht.
When the new Westport W125 was launched back in 2016 with the unit called "Black Gold" most were raving about the newly restyled exterior aspects of the yacht. Two years later, the same W125 is getting a makeover on the interior. There are three W125s sailing around at present with hull 4 and 5 under construction. The new interior option is an Italian one so Westport can potentially appeal to a wider European base. They turned to Italian designer Giuseppina Arena to make a new range of Italian interior styles. Below you can see the new interiors.
American yard Westport Yachts has been building the W112 model for well over a decade and the time has come for a an exterior refresh, bringing it current with the rest of the Westport line-up. Westport Yachts announced that they were going to restyle the W112 model but up until this point we have only seen renders of the proposed re-design. If you were at the recently concluded Miami Yacht Show, the yard had an example at the show called "Lyons Pride".
