Despite the fact that the French authorities forbade the Cannes Yachting Festival, Europe's largest exhibition of yachts on water, to be held at the last moment, the World «Yachts Trophies Oscars» ceremony, traditionally held during the exhibition, was held on the same dates. We have already talked about the nominees for this award, ranging from 13 to 20 meters and from 20 to 24 meters. Now we offer to see the finalists in the size category of 24-30 meters. Each of the boats on the short list is undoubtedly worth the attention of potential buyers.
Best exterior design: AB 80 (winner), Mazu 82, Riva 88 Folgore.
The 24m AB 80 from the AB yacht shipyard was launched in July 2020. Designed by the Acube Design studio, this yacht was designed for the demanding owner who dreamed of sailing his boat himself, highlighting the AB 80's performance. She is capable of speeds up to 59 knots thanks to a combination of three water jets and three MAN V12 engines of 2000 hp each.
However, this boat, which is able to take on board up to 8 guests in four cards, got on the jury list not for its sportiness, but for its catchy appearance.
The yacht's exterior, however, perfectly represents its power: a streamlined superstructure with a short sports bridge, rushing hull and portholes lines... indeed we have before us the «sea incarnation of a Formula 1»bolide, as its creators describe it.
The boat is comfortable inside and the salon boasts 360 degree sea views.
The exact opposite of the previous nominee, the Mazu 82 is the embodiment of a different kind of power: brutal and militaristic, this 24.5 metre yacht is painted in matt dark grey and her superstructure is almost entirely made of bulletproof glass inch thick.
The aggressive look of Mazu 82 refers to spy films, but inside it is more like a welcoming apartment in a modern style.
Armed with three Volvo Penta IPS 1200s, the Mazu 82 accelerates to 40 knots and on cruise 35 knots burns about 600 litres of fuel per hour, so it can travel just under 400 miles on one tank (which is about 12 hours of sailing).
None of the nominations for the best looks can pass without the participation of a brilliant representative of the Riva family. And since under the wing of the Ferretti group, known for its lacquered wooden runabouts, the brand has adapted its classic designs to fit fiberglass superyachts, Riva has been a regular recipient of the XL size awards.
The Riva 88 Folgore is 26.8 metres of chic, inspired by the images of sports cars.
Carbon blends in here with traditional Riva elements of mahogany and steel. Not only is she beautiful, she also boasts several original designs that take comfort on board to the next level. The Folgore garage door can be lowered to or below the water level, providing an easy tender launch. The glass hardtop can be opened and moved either to the bow or aft, allowing fresh air to enter the cabin.
Best layout: Cranchi Settantotto 78, Princess Y 78, Sanlorenzo SL 96 Asymmetric (winner).
The 25-metre Cranchi Settantotto 78 was the star of the January Boot Dusseldorf exhibition. The largest Cranchi yacht in her 150 year history came out from under the quill of an Italian yacht design by Christian Grande.
Cranchi's first attempt to enter the superyacht segment has been a success: in addition to the famous Italian style in the exterior and interiors, Settantotto boasts a clever distribution of useful volumes, thanks to which it has everything that large customers are used to.
The bathing platform is set at different heights: it can be raised to the water level or lowered below by immersion. A spacious garage, when the almost 4m tender and jet ski are launched, becomes part of the beach club. When the garage is used for its intended purpose, it can be separated from the beach club, where the sunbeds are located, by a special partition.
There are two layout options for the cockpit - more traditional with a table and soft group and less typical with a cigar smoking area. The large lounge area on the nose is multifunctional: a C-shaped sofa, a large sunbed, table and the possibility to build a freezer turn the nose into an outdoor party area. However, it can be completely covered with an awning if you wish. The flybridge has a fully equipped windmill - apart from the usual stuffing, there is also a grill, dumpster and ice maker.
The areas and routes of the crew and guests are completely divorced, as on 50+m yachts. The kitchen is separated from the saloon and is located right behind the control station. Every last detail is provided. There is even a guest bathroom (day head) on the main deck, so guests do not have to go down to the cabins below.
Another Boot Dusseldorf 2020 star, the Princess Y78 is slightly shorter than Settantotto (24.7 meters). If the previous nominee is confined to cruising in comfort with a professional crew, «the Princess», on the contrary, is positioned as the largest yacht that the owner can sail independently without a crew. However, the Princess Y78 «has a crew cockpit with three berths just in case», making her attractive for charter.
The Princess Y78 is a separate personal staircase leading to the master suite in truly superyacht sizes.
Like all «Princesses», this boat has a large flybridge - big enough to store the tender and launch it with a crane installed there.
Sanlorenzo SL 96 Asymmetris is the younger sister of the SL102 Assymetric, which made its debut in 2018, carrying the concept of asymmetry, which is expressed by having on the main deck a single side passage from aft to starboard.
Playing out the asymmetry of the main deck, the designers have made a single passage from the flybridge to the bow - this time from the left side, making the yacht look balanced.
An interesting layout solution on the SL96 Asymmetric is a duplex master suite with bedroom and bathroom on the main deck and dressing room on the lower deck.
Innovation: Azimut Magellano 25 Metri (winner), Ocean Alexander 84 R, Princess X 95.
The Azimut Magellano 25 Metri could be on the list of nominees for the best exterior - so gracefully woven together in it the old and new great and powerful Ken Freivokh. But the «girl» turned out to be not only beautiful, but also smart: only the body, built on the patented Dual Mode technology, which is worth it. Wide sharp cheekbones reduce onboard swinging, long skegs guarantee stability on the course, vertical nose and extended waterline - smooth running. Rounded cheekbones along the longitudinal axis of symmetry work as shock absorbers, drives are hidden in tunnels.
In addition, the yacht has an air purification system based on NASA developments, and the flybridge, hardtop and garage door are made of light and durable carbon.
By the way, the design of the garage door itself is also innovative. Its upper part is the aft wall that limits the cockpit. This panel can be lowered, leaving only the glass parapet, and enjoy the sea views. The garage door can also be lowered and turned so that it plays the role of a swimming platform.
The changes have affected many of the yacht's systems. For example, electrical networks. At anchor there is no need to switch on noisy and bad-smelling generators: in Hotel Mode, all Magellano 25 Metri systems are powered by lithium-ion batteries and have enough power for six hours of daytime or eight hours of night time.
Ocean Alexander 84 R boasts an innovation that was first seen on her big sister 90R . At the touch of a button on the remote, her transom rises up and opens up a lurking beach club inside, turning into its roof with an integrated rain shower. The beach club can be converted to a specific owner. For example, it can be used to store paddleboards or fishing gear.
The glass doors to the salon can be opened by pressing a special button at the bottom - handy if your hands are busy with food or glasses.
Bridgдеk, where the only control station with good visibility is located, can be open or closed. Either way, there is an open area on this deck with large sun loungers that envelop the Jacuzzi on both sides. This is a rather rare option on 84-foot boats.
Overall, for its size, this model offers quite a few scenarios for use. It has open seating at the nose, stern, beach club area and bridge deck. There are two enclosed saloons - the lower main saloon and the upper saloon, where in addition to the control station there is a windmill with grill.
Last nominee in the compact superyacht category, the Princess X 95 has been included in this list thanks to its so-called super flybridge concept.
In total, the superflybridge stretches for almost 22 metres, more than twice the length of a typical flybridge on a yacht of this size.
It is no longer just a Jacuzzi on the bridge deck, but a virtually complete superyacht pool with even a glass wall - everything is like on large and serious superyachts.
There is also more interior space here than in the standard layout - as promised by the manufacturer, even 40%. The addition of useful volumes makes it possible to place five cabins, not four, on board the 95-foot boat. With this layout, the master suite is placed on the main deck, while on the lower deck there are four more cabins, one of which can play the role of an additional master.
