Nakupenda V80

The sea trial was pubblished on Superyacht 47 – Autumn 2015    

Vismara has always been the synonym of fast cruising, and the brand new V80 certainly does nothing to belie thisaxiom.

But this time there’s much more: We are in fact looking at an actual new concept of cruising under sail. We need only note that the cockpit of this yacht is blithely described as a “flybridge”. Certainly not to catch the eye of a powerboat clientele with a vessel of traditional and reassuring flavour but, on the contrary, to better specify that here we are talking about an actual flying bridge: a wholly new and unusual space on a high performance sailing yacht which identifies the area where guests get together, totally separate and functionally perfect for outdoor life in symbiosis with the bridge but at the same time quite apart from it and distinct, with windshield and systems of protection from wind and sun that take nothing from the sporty and aggressive character of the whole.

And this is only one of the thousand innovations in this vessel, which in some ways is “visionary”.

That the hull and deck were created completely under vacuum in carbon fibre is nothing new for Vismara Marine, but the fact that from the aft cockpit, which gives directly onto the sea, you can reach the main saloon by way of a curved glass fully openable access door is not so common. Just as there is a wholly innovative and sophisticated plant management system to run on board installations and entertainment which has been rechristened, not at random, “vismotica”. By means of strategically positioned touchscreens it controls everything from navigation parameters to lighting scenarios, air conditioning and all the onboard systems.

What is most striking however is that the technology is at the service of the user and not vice versa. In fact the owner chose to use the best in electronics with the best possibilities of communications and sound systems; but being a great music lover he wanted to equip every space with integrated stereo, top quality but independent. The aft dinette moreover has a sound system hooked up to a piano which is also connected to the two outdoor cockpits. In this way the owner aimed at an entertainment rig that would pamper all his guests without conditioning them with alienating activities typical of our digital era. Following the same logic, the classic digital TV and internet connection in the guest cabins were abolished with view to favouring real socialising, between people, without the mediation of machines…

Analysing the interior layout of this boat, which of course perfectly reflects the owner’s desires, we note that the spaces are designed to accommodate eleven guests and a crew of three in clearly separate areas. The general style of the furnishings and interior design was dictated by the owner who well understood the innovative spirit of his yacht by requesting sobriety and refinement through a minimalism of substance which leaves most of the structures in view, perfectly finished but not overloaded with useless and heavy panelling.

Going into greater detail we find some gems typical of Vismara Marine production, such as the Vismara custom retractable anchor. This system developed by the yard more than 15 years ago and fitted to many 40 to 80 feet vessels means you can have a reverse bow without the complications of the span of the anchor which fully retracts into the bow.

At the other extremity of the yacht there is another detail that should not be neglected, the retractable stern boarding ladder in carbon, now standard on all Vismara models, which folds and retracts into the cockpit sole, integrating perfectly with the teak deck.

As for seagoing qualities, we have to say that the most impressive thing is indubitably the range under power alone, 1600 nm, thanks to 2700 litres of diesel and the Yanmar 240 HP, at a cruising speed of 9 knots. Coherently with this philosophy of no-limits sailing, the freshwater tanks have a capacity of 2800 litres and the desalinator does 100 litres/h.

Lastly, the performances are emphasised by a sail plan that is powerful though its management is simplified to the maximum, aided by a keel plan which exploits the greatest innovation available, which is to say a wing-keel that can supply, with minimum draught and relatively modest ballast (10,500 Kg as against 36,000 total displacement), the maximum righting moment and hydrodynamic efficiency.

This too, which may seem an “old” solution, going clearly against the widespread use of the canting keel, bears witness to Vismara Marine’s attention to the owner’s requirements, opting for the optimisation and maniacal refinement of a solution which, without sacrificing comfort and performances, reduces costs and frees interior spaces, maximising the owner’s enjoyment of the boat over the years. Or to put it in another way, increasing its “use value” and its possibility of being a “place to live”..

For further information: Vismara Marine

by Massimo Franchini

The sea trial was pubblished on Superyacht 47 – Autumn 2015