A Whole Lot to Like

The first journalists to test the numarine 60 flybridge find her to be a worthy smaller sister to the popular 78 and 70 models. 

FOR MANY, AND WE INCLUDE OURSELVES, the opportunity to put a new boat through its paces is an exciting prospect. To learn that you will be the first folk to do so makes the whole deal seem a lot sweeter somehow.

Arrive at a marina in an exotic port of call to find not one but two different versions of what is at first glance the same boat and we think we have gone to heaven. Surely, here is the dream assignment.

Numarine has not just laid on one of the all-new 60 Flybridge models to test, but two – one with a conventional shaft drive and the other featuring the oh-so-clever IPS system from Volvo.

The boats are docked at Pendik Marina not far from Tuzla, which is essentially a suburb of Istanbul. It lies within easy cruising distance of the delightful Princes’ Islands. We have been here before, on board the then all-new big sister of this yacht, the 70 Fly. We loved that boat and found her to be an exciting drive that handled well and offered a vast amount of on board space.

On that occasion we were testing the yacht in the company of other journalists, but today we are on our own.

The 60 Fly made its world debut at the Eurasia Boat Show in Istanbul (Feb 13-21), and the first hull in Asia arrived in time for the Hong Kong Gold Coast Boat Show (Apr 29-May 2), where regional distributor Asia Marine Yacht Services (AMYS) held a cocktail party with live jazz music to celebrate its arrival. In Thailand, the dealer is Asia Marine - Phuket.

It is difficult for us to choose which one to try out first. Both measure 18.4 metres overall,with a 5.15m beam. They have the same bold styling common to all the Turkish yard’s line of products, with a sporty design that respects the exceptional Owner space available.

Conceived to have the highest volume in the 60-foot category the lines of this boat have been drawn by designer Can Yalman, who has been responsible for the concept, lines and interiors of many of the company’s range.

“With the 60 Fly, and the upcoming 60HT, I continued the evolution of Numarine’s signature silhouette, emphasising taught muscular lines in a sleek profile that incorporates extensive glazing for maximum transparency with surprisingly generous interior volumes found usually on larger boats,” Yalman says. “This is the latest baby Numarine, but with all the features of its larger Numarine siblings it is one of my favourites!”

Umberto Tagliavini handles the naval architecture while Gurit is in charge of structural engineering. It is this last point that makes this boat so very competitive in her class. Numarine’s construction techniques and Gurit’s know-how ensure light weight and strength are guaranteed by vacuum infusion composite construction.

That is important if you seek to achieve a top speed of 35 knots and a 28-knot cruising speed. Lighter boats allow for the use of less powerful engines, which helps to keep fuel consumption and maintenance costs down and gives her a very competitive price.

“The hull design of the 60 Flybridge is derived from Numarine Owner Omer Malaz’s needs and requests for an innovative boat designed around the IPS-Volvo propulsion systems,” Tagliavini says. “The challenge was even more interesting considering that it was also desirable to mount an in-line transmission for the markets that are still attracted to the more traditional system.

At the dock in the early winter sunshine there is not much other than the hull colour to differentiate the two. Toy lovers that we are, we opt first for the IPS version said by Volvo to be superior to inboard shafts in handling, comfort and performance.

The joystick is perhaps the most well known feature of the IPS – making it possible to get on and off the dock in a completely intuitive way. This version has two integrated buttons: one for docking mode, the other labelled high mode that makes it even easier to get off the dock, which we do with alacrity.

Clearing the breakwater, we point the bow of the grey-hulled yacht towards the Princes’ Islands and open her up. But as we top out at 30 knots we are overtaken by the white-hulled shaft version.

“What is this?” we ask. “Do we have to choose between performance and handling?” Well yes it would appear so because try as we did, we could not get the pod-driven boat to catch up with her shaft-driven sister that appeared to have at least five knots on us.

Both the hard top and the fly feature a large and comfortable cockpit that like her big sister the Numarine 70HT is asymmetrical in that the only way to get to the side deck on the starboard side is to go round the bow or via the swim platform.

Truthfully we are not sure whether we really like this design feature, but can fully appreciate the comfort and security it offers. We like the Numarine trademark hideaway cleats used for mooring the stern and adore the way they become fully accessible when needed, yet remain hidden away neatly except when you need to adjust the mooring lines.

Because the boat was designed to use IPS, the space required for machinery is smaller than on conventionally driven yachts. Less engine room equates to more passenger space and here this boat wins out, big time.

Clearly comfort and bonhomie were the guidelines employed when designing the internal layout. The three guest cabins, well fitted out with plenty of storage space, each have their own bathroom that is very much larger than you would expect in a boat of this size.

The full-beam Owner’s suite, with its huge picture windows at water level, fills the cabin with light and the view it offers to those lying in bed (165cm wide) that is positioned athwart ships will be breathtaking.

This is the first of the builder’s range of yachts to be totally illuminated using LED lighting, but having perfected the choice of colour warmth, the designers assure us that all future yachts coming out of the build facility outside Istanbul will be so fitted.

The potential versatility of any yacht’s ventilation is not often appreciated by those who like only air-conditioned interiors, but throughout this yacht there is the ability to let fresh air circulate through the boat by flipping open hatches in the windows or by electrically lowering the forward side windows in the main saloon – a nice and welcome feature.

The decor of the yachts interior is clean and refreshing, and relies heavily on the use of glass, leather and stainless steel to give it a contemporary feel. We particularly like the tactile feel of the leather coated interior hand and holding rails, a first for this builder.

With a galley incorporated into the main saloon and divided by a useful bar that is just at home laden with a buffet lunch as it will be when serving cold ones from the fridge, this is a boat that is clearly designed to be used by those who like to go boating rather than being looked at when parked at a marina slip.

Volvo will tell you that boats between 10m and 30m fitted with the IPS system offer 30% reduced fuel consumption, 30% lower CO2 emissions, 50% lower perceived noise level, 40% longer cruising range, 20% higher top-speed, safe and predictable handling.

We had the joy of testing two identically hulled boats at the same time and agree with many of these claims. We might, however, beg to differ when it comes to sound levels and vibration. Somehow, the smaller engine and its pods seemed to produce more shudder when at low revs, while the bigger MAN beasties felt somehow smoother and sounded infinitely more powerful.

Yes the pod drive was economical and yes it was great fun to put on and off the docks, but we confess to feeling somewhat pleased with ourselves when we plonk the shaft-driven boat on the dock just as easily using prop wash effect and not even touching the bow thruster switch.

We believe that in whatever version she appears, the Numarine 60 is a welcome addition to the Turkish builder’s repertoire and will be a worthy smaller sister to the already popular 78 and 70 models.

www.numarine.com
www.amysasia.com
www.asia-marine.net