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Wes Dickman thinks he smells a sea change among boaters. He thinks they've
become disenchanted with traditional boat styles-particularly the convertible-and are searching for something that better reflects the way they really use their boats. He thinks boaters are tired of spending more money to get more performance and more luxury out of a boat that was never intended for either. The convertible, he reminds us, was created as a fishing boal, and loday, for any number of rea on , a 10l of b at
buyers aren't particularly intere ted in fishing any more. So Dickman thjnks America is looking for a different kind of
boat, and he thinks he 's got it. Whether you buy his logic or not
and there are some pretty successful builders in New Jersey, North Carolina, and Florida who deflilltely do not-you have to at least listen to the man. He 's
done time in just about every area of the boat business, from brokerage (Great
American Boatyard) to engines (Volvo Penta) to builders (Hatteras, Bertram,
86 POWER AND MOTORYACHT • MAY 1994
and Wellcraft), and what he says has a certain logic: If you're looking for the sportiness of a convertible and the luxury of a motoryacht, where do you go?
Dickman hopes the answer is Fen·etti
and that if he can get these people aboard any of the four models (the 150, 175, 185, and 215 Flys), they' ll have an
epiphany-they'll take one look and say, " Wow! llis is the kind of boat I've wanted all along."
After having spent two hours at the Ferretti slips at the Miami Boat Show, I can te ll you a lot of people have srud just thal. And after spending the better part of a day aboard the Ferretti 185 Fly, I can
tell you that whether Dickman is a visionary or dreamer, he' s selling one remarkable boat. It better be because he, the Ferretti family, and a Greek investor have a lot riding on the success of Ferretti of America.
If the market Dickman envisions exists, the Ferretti 185 Fly is surely a boat that can fill it. For one thing, this is not
one of those Italian imports from the 80s where you step aboard and everything feels alien. It is a measure of Ferretti's
commitment to the U.S. market and its respect for Dickman's input that II major items have been deleted from the Italian version of the 185 Fly and 26
The lower station offers room for electronics and engine instrumentation.
Left: The saloon features acres of flawless mahogany. The gaIley, in the right foreground, has been moved here specifically for the American market. Right: The owner's stateroom is fully forward. Note the two pullout stools in each corner of the berth.
others have been added to make the yacht more appealing to Americans. Ma
jor systems bear names Americans are comfortable with: Hynautic, Marine Air,
Racor, Kohler, Raritan, Furuno, Ship
mate, Autohelm, and Navionics. Ameri
canization includes a llO/220-volt elec
trical system, wiring for TV and water,
spare shaft and props, disposal, battery
charger, and isolation transformer. But the biggest measure of Ferretti's
commitment to America is the 185's
Americanized layout. Enter the saloon
and you find the gal ley to starboard,
down two steps, which keeps the cook
part of the action. (In the Euro version,
the galley is well down and well for
ward, purposely isolated.) Abaft the en
gines is room for both 8-kW and l5-kW
Kohler gensets because the Euro "sailor
cabin" has been removed.
Acceleration is surprising for a boat of this heft, and she turns
like a sportboat.
Unchanged are the superb joinerwork
and stunning detai ls that have always
been the hallmarks of an Itali an yacht.
For instance, the transom platfolm is
wide enough to carry a dinghy, and so it
has its own dav it. It 's a structural part of
the hull and an extension of the running
bottom, so there's deep stowage inside it
beneath its hatches. (I counted 38 stow
age compartments aboard the 185, and I'm sure r missed a few.) The swim lad
der extends and retracts electricaJly, and
the transom door opens paralle l to the
transom instead of swinging out, thanks
to a hinge system that i itself an engi
neering triumph. The spare shaft nestles
in a special comp,utment accessed by a
plate on the tran om.
In the cockpit, inwale compartments in each aft comer conceal a small sink , a
cleat, and a c<UlYas bag to hold excess
dock line. A boathook hides inside each
cabin side, easily at hand when you need
it. The sole is covered with teak, as are
all exterior decks on this level. III its
center is the engine room hatch, flanked
by two more hatches that cover stowage
bins. Below, things are tight-especially
outboard of and atop the engines. (This
is characteristic of Italian yachts-they
must hold mechanics in the same low regard they do cooks and crew.) Yet the
cockpit sole attaches with angle brack
ets, so remove a dozen or so bolts and it
lifts off completely, providing access
sufficient even for- heaven forbid- an
engine removal.
Batteries are eas il y accessible, con
tained in long boxes inboard of each in
board stringer. Yet there 's plenty of
room to walk and decent headroom.
Most ervicing of the I,OOO-hp MTUs
will be a snap, since all major service
points have been moved inboard. (This is a V -drive boat, so the engines are " back
wards.") This includes the expansion
tanks, which are plumbed directly to the
freshwater sy. tem so you don 't have to
struggle with pouring water into them.
Forward, twin fuel tanks feed a small
day tank with raised fuel pickups, so
MAY 1994 • POWER AND MO TORYACHT 87
sediment and water accumulate on the
tank bottom and are not ingested by the
fuel system. The tank has a drain so you can periodically remove the sludge.
Entrance from the cockpit to the sa
loon is via a massive stainless steel and
glass sl iding door; a large window to port flips up to open the entire saloon
cockpit area. A matching stainless steel
and glass cockpit table is available for
outside dining and entertaining. Its legs
(no doubt designed by the same guy who
did the transom door hinge) fold com
pletely into its frame, allowing it to hang
unnoticed on the outside of the bulkhead
when unneeded. Enter the saloon, and after you recover
from the oceans of mirror-like mahoga
ny, you notice that here (and everywhere
else) light switches are on the overhead
at the entrance to each room, so you
never have to hunt for them. In the gaI
ley, the countertops are real granite, the
Miele dishwasher (the only non-Ameri
can appliance brand aboard) is stainless
steel inside (not porcelain), and a solid
mahogany door completely conceals the
door of the full-size GE refrigerator.
Two more steps down and forward take you into a utility room, with separate
full-sized washer and dryer, GE micro
wave, and about a dozen stowage cabi
nets and drawers.
Two more steps down toward the cen
terline you find a stateroom with a twin
bed and half bath. In spite of its some
what isolated location, a port keeps it
from feeling claustrophobic. It 's a per
fect place for kids.
Back up on the main deck, a console
separates the lower station from the sa
loon. In board il holds a 5 ' 10" electrical
distribution panel of superb design. It 's
hinged at the b llom and latched with
two barrel boilS at the lOp. all owing total
accessibility . Outboard lhe cons Ie holds
stairs to the flying bridge (there's also a
ladder in the cockpit). On its fo rwa rd
face is the helm seat, which fo lds away
completely for stand-up operati n.
The helm provides excellent sightlines
forward, a full complement of YO
gauges, and room for electronics and
88 PO WER AND MOTORYAC HT • MAY 1994
While things are undeniably tight in the engine room, the entire overhead is easily removable for total access.
PMY TESTED: FERRETTI 185 FLY Boat type: express cruiser Base price: each boat individually priced Standard power: 2I1,000-hp MTU 12V183TE92 diesel inboards Optional power: 211, 150-hp MTU 12V183TE93 diesel inboards Notable standard equipment: Marine Air MC; 15-kW main and 8-kW standby Kohler gensets; two davits; extra battery for VHF and SSB; foredeck freshwater outlet; Raritan ice maker; TV antenna; isolation
SPECIFICATIONS 17'11" to arch
transformer; custom bedspreads, shams, and towels; custom framed art; Furuno 48-mile radar and SSB; Autohelm 7000 autopilot; Shipmate VHF; Navionics GPS/plotter Notable optional equipment on test boat: none Hull type: modified-V, 13° dead rise Designer: Ferretti Craft Construction: Aramatlfiberglass with anti-osmosis resins
DRIVE TRAIN LOA: 57 '10" Maximum saloon head· Test engines: 2I1 ,000-hp
Propellers: Radici: 29.5x39.5 4-blade Nibral Beam: 12'6" room: 6'8" MTU 12V183TE92 diesel
Draft: 17' 8" Fuel capacity: 887 gal. inboards Approx. displacement: Water capacity: 243 gal. Transmission: ZF w/BPM 70,780 Ibs. (dry) Sleeping capacity: 7 V-drive Bridge clearance: Reduction ratio: 1.54:1
Steering: Hynautic Controls: Hynautic Trim tabs: BCS
TEST RESULTS: Conditions: temperature: 80°; humidity: 79%; wind: 10 to 15 knots; seas: 4 to 6 feet; load: 500 gal. fuel , 243 gal. water, 4 persons, minimum gear. 1.4 7.5 3
1000 8.4 1248 64
1250 13.7/(11 .9) 20.6 652 66
1500 15.8/(13.7) 33.4 0.5/(0.5) 464 70
1750 21.8/(18.9) 41 .2 0.5/(0.5) 519 71
2000 27.1 /(23.5) 60.0 0.5/(0.4) 442 75
2250 32.21(28.0) 80.4 0.4/(0.3) 393 75
2500 35.0/(30.4) 101 .8 0.3/(0.3) 337 80
1\ 1.3
11
, ~ 1.0
D.' 0.8
0.7
0.' 0.5
0.4
~ , ."
~
~ .L \)11
J
~
IL IJ"
32.5
'" 2 7.5
2
22.5
20
J- -"'. J L--"""'" 1
~ 1
7.5
2.5 ~ ~'
1 ~3 0
! ~ 10 12.5 15 17.5 20 22.5 25 RPMK 100
Speeds are two-way averages, measured with Decatur digital radar gun. Fuel flow obtained from DZL fuel-flow meters. Usable range is 90% of total advertised capacity. Decibels measured on A scale using GenRad GR1565-B acoustical meter (60 dB is the level of normal conversation).
Ferretti and Dickman make no secret of the fact that they see a void here and intend to fill it.
The flying bridge console has repeaters for most instruments and superb sightlines.
controls for the Vetus bow thruster and
Sanshin spotlight. A supplementary
e lectrical panel with the most frequently
used switches and a comprehensive
alarm system is on the cabin side. Be
neath it, behind break-to-activate plastic
panels, are emergency fuel shuts and
manual fLre extingui sher activators. A
door leads to the side deck- li ke the
swim ladder, it operates e lectrically.
The three massive windshie ld panels
are swept with city bu -s ize articulated
wipers (the ir switches have a "mist"
setting just like your car) and washers
plumbed to the freshwater tank. (To give
you some idea of Ferretti 's obsession
with detail , the wiper motors are con
cealed and contained in fiberglass boxes
that drain overboard should the ir gaskets
ever leak.)
Forward un der the wi ndshie ld til'
stowage eU'eas, ro m for more e lc t ron
ics, and a nag I ' k 'r into who,' cov 'r i1>
tched the leg 'nd f r ea 'h nag. si
person din'tt(; ,it1> to \ tarboard of th'
h'lm.
The main aecomll1 datioll s area,
down IWO steps, in ludes three tate
r In., two with tw single berths and
the master, with a queen-s ize berth. All
have hanging locker , ports, and private
bath . Th baths have mahogany lids for
the t ilet (and in the ma ter, the bidet)
and a un iq u . three-panel c ircular shower
enclosure tha t re tntets comp letely when
it 's not nee led. The master gets two
hanging locker. , drawers on b Lh ides
plus under the berth , a hal 'h, and a pair
of stools that lide und 'r the berth wh n
they're not needed.
A measure of the eri usne. s with
which Ferretti takes safety is the stan
dard ground tackJe: There are tw identi
cal systems, each with a Lofrans wind
lass, Bruce anchor, full chain rode, and
line stowage compartment. Be twe n
them is a third roller in case you want to
deploy a really big anchor. Two deep
foredeck lockers provide stowage for
fenders and other gear.
Both windlasses can be controlled
from the portside console on the fl ying
bridge, which also provides the best
sightJines. There 's a couple of huge sun
ning areas up here, too, an icemaker/
refrigerator, a large seating area, a davit,
and room for a second tender.
As you expect from an Italian boat,
performance is exhilarating. Top speed
is just under 30 knots, and crui ing at 27
knots is effortless. The 185 i respon
sive-her standard trim tabs rea lly make
a difference-and quiet, thanks to under
water exhaust with idle bypasses on the
swim platform. T here is no V -dri ve
whine and no exhaust rumble.
Itali an designers arc obs ssed with
maintaining a SI11(xJlh. uncluttered exte
rior by hiding things from view. On the
185 Iy. ev(; thing seems to be con
cea l d 'v'rything but th company 's
r s Ive about the .. market. Ferretti
und ickman make no secret of the fact
tha t th 'y !,'e a void here and intend to fill
it. ' I har lhey intend to do so with such a
love ly creation as the 185 Fly makes
th ' ir e ffo l1 all the more intriguing. 0
For more information, contact Ferretti of America, Dept. PMY, 2300 E. Las Olas
Blvd. , Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301. '8
(305) 527-1126. Fax: (305) 527-5809.
(Or circle Reader Service No. 248)
MAY 1994 • POWER AND MOTORYACHT 89