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Best Luxury Flybridge Manufacturer 50’-70’

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

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  1. tader2112

    tader2112 New Member

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    Hi All - looking at a flybridge yacht and have come across several manufactures: Azimut, Princess, Ferretti, etc. Is there a clear ranking when it comes to build quality and prestige for boats in the 50-70 foot range? Any other brands we should be considering?
    Chris229 likes this.
  2. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    No clear ranking.

    Sunseeker. Hatteras. Grand Banks/Palm Beach. Ocean Reef. Horizon. Cheoy Lee.
  3. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I'd have to say Hatteras leads as far as quality goes. When you take a look at both new and 10-15 year old ones, they fair extremely well as they age. The wiring is routed extremely well, plumbing, paint, no caulking all over, thick teak decks, welded stainless rails and not the ones that go into cups with set screws that bleed rust all of the time, structural, fiberglass fuel tanks instead of aluminum. etc. etc.
  4. mapism

    mapism Senior Member

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    Just reverse the order, and you've got the ranking among those builders, at least as far as build quality is concerned.
    Prestige is harder to qualify instead - I'm not even sure of what it really means to be honest, 'cause it's not something I'm interested in.
  5. jsschieff

    jsschieff Senior Member

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    Definitely consider Palm Beach and Grand Banks. Same company, quite high quality boats. A family member has had two PB's and very happy with both of them and with PB post-purchase service.
  6. German Yachting

    German Yachting Senior Member

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    Seems like OP is considering a Euro style design so the Hats, PB, GB, etc don’t really fit that mold (albeit the GB performance is impressive). Could also consider Monte Carlo and Sunseeker but not sure how those would fall on the rankings.
  7. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    The OP didn’t bother telling us where he is... he only mentioned euro brands so he may be in Europe.
    I guess we re supposed to guess...

    It makes a big difference

    Hatteras has gone euro style with most of their boats. I don’t think many production builders come close in quality
  8. YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    Not to veer, but Hatt plotted the wrong course when it entered euro coordinates.
    leeky and RER like this.
  9. Strypes

    Strypes New Member

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    What about Viking? Or the Viking Princess if you want Euro flare?

    I too think that Hatteras is the best mainstream boat out there.
  10. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    I agree. The 64MY looks like a carver. The 80MY (2000s till 2015?) is pretty nice though. And top quality
  11. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    The 75' Hatteras MY is an extremely well laid out yacht with a ton of space for it's size and it's a monster. A good sea boat with a lot of capability. The 60' MY is very roomy for entertaining, but only 3 staterooms and no crew stateroom........so depends on what your needs are, but has a ton of range and storage and capability for it's size.

    I would agree that Feretti is one of the best of the Italian bunch (but would favor Sunseeker over it), however they just cannot figure out how to build a YACHT. In this size segment, they have no headroom, a ton of steps, and those darn toe killing 1" sills you stub your feet on entering every single stateroom, ohhhh and limited refrigeration. They build a boat for a 30 year old owner that's 5'9.
  12. German Yachting

    German Yachting Senior Member

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    Problem with Sunseeker is the brand has a big cloud over it. Do they even have a US dealer these days?
  13. mapism

    mapism Senior Member

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    The next time you are going to criticize any of the "Italian bunch", you'd better omit your preference for Sunseeker.
    It just weakens the whole judgement credibility, you know... :D
  14. Natuzzi

    Natuzzi Member

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    Also check Absolute, been on the new 60 Fly and was quite impressed, don't know how the older models are though...
  15. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    They have many U.S. dealers. Nautikos in Miami, Grande Yachts in Fort Lauderdale, a big dealer in the Great Lakes.
  16. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Sunseekers are a great sea boat, pretty much their entire lineup. Quality, while not a Hatteras, is good to very good. What you're not understanding, is Feretti build quality is no Hatteras either, it's quality is good to very good, and they too are a good seaboat, but that's where it ends. But the design as a yacht, they suck. Azimut in comparison does a much better job at designing a yacht, but their quality isn't great. Very low head room throughout the boat, nobody wants their hair and sunglasses touching the headliner or to feel like they're in a cave. The galleys are generally terribly small, the 1" door sills on every cabin door, are a complete accident waiting to happen that everyone stubs/breaks their toes on. A million steps throughout the boat. In my eyes and many a yacht over 60' should be all one level throughout the entire salon level without any steps.......or maybe one step. This is without mentioning the radar mounted so low on the flybridge that it fries anyone if you're running the radar and people are on the flybridge. On a Feretti under 70' you feel like your camping and not on a luxury yacht due to the low headroom everywhere and steps everywhere.

    Case in point, go to the Feretti website and look at the interior photo's of the 670' flybridge. You have 2 short/steep suicide steps in the middle of the salon with nothing to hold onto if walking aft and in 3' seas, and everything bunched together with a narrow walkway. Now go to the Sunseeker site and look at the interior of the Sunseeker 68' or 66' manhattan......focus on headroom, walkways, and steps......The Feretti's under 70' feel (and are) cramped inside, not spacious and luxurious feeling.
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2021
  17. mapism

    mapism Senior Member

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    I don't need to go to the Ferretti website to know how their boats look like - as well as S/skrs.
    And with the latter, imho one expression which you frequently used in the past springs to mind, i.e. all sizzle and no steak.
    BTW, did you ever notice how this expression sort of reminds Sunseeker also from an onomatopeic standpoint? :D

    Anyway, I was mostly arguing with your qualification of a whole industry, while taking the opportunity to throw in your usual Sunseeker suggestion (yawn...), more than anything else.
  18. Zud

    Zud Senior Member

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    Real happy with my 2002 Neptunus 56...Maybe not a "luxury" brand but well built and very servicable. Anyway aren't yachts always considered a luxury ??
  19. f3504x4ps

    f3504x4ps Member

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    Tader2112 profile states from New York. So in the US.

    What are you looking to use the boat for, LI sound, ocean. Can you tell us what your wants and needs are?
  20. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Well in the 50-70' range as far as best quality goes, Hatteras is the leader bar none. Everything in their build is on point (Structural, paint, machinery, plumbing, electrical, access, interior furnishings, etc. etc.). They would be the bench mark.