Ferretti 570
I feel like a proud parent at the college graduation of his child. At times, I wondered if the child would ever grow up, ever get through those awkward years.
But I’m not talking about a child: I’m talking about Ferretti Yachts. Like that proud parent, I’ve watched Ferretti since the first of these Italian yachts arrived in North American waters. From those clumsy first efforts, I’ve watched Ferretti as they grew into the 570 that I find so delightful today.
Oh, those first boats — so innocent, yet with the assertive belligerence of a hungry baby. I remember when the early models arrived, and there were no TVs aboard. Not just no TVs, but no wiring, no speakers, and the crowning touch was no place to put them!
“Hey,” said the Italian builders, “our European customers don’t watch TV on our boats. They party, they drink, they sun, they eat and they boink. They don’t watch TV.”
Over the years, wiser heads prevailed, and today’s Ferretti 570 is a yacht perfectly tailored to American tastes. The new 570 also reflects the Ferretti goal that owners and guests are always “connected to the sea.”
Step into the salon and you’ll see the epitome of this concept: large windows with no mullions to break up the view of the sea, capped by an immense one-piece windshield that is an achievement on a yacht of this size. Bright, airy and very connected to the sea.
The layout also supports that theme by placing the galley aft, which encourages use of the protected cockpit for alfresco entertaining. The large window abaft the galley hinges up and, with the sliding door open, you have an outdoor kitchen complete with two counters for buffet or drink service.
The lower helm is equally delightful for several reasons, not the least of which is the chocolate-colored leather upholstery on the double-wide helm seat. The skipper enjoys a 360-degree view, minus a degree or two for the refrigerator in the far after corner, so there are no constraints on running the yacht from the protected interior. Our test boat hadn’t been sold so it had just a single Furuno NavNet monitor, but there was plenty of room in the brushed aluminum dash for two.
If you liked the airiness of the salon, you’re going to love the master suite. Placing a large settee on one side of the owner’s cabin is so common as to be de rigueur, but add a huge picture window next to it and you have a wonderful nook for curling up with a good book. There is an equally large window on the opposite side above a bureau, and waking up to this view further underlines the Ferretti connection with the sea.
An en suite guest stateroom is forward and, again, notable for oversize windows that give it both a view and a lightness not usually found in cabins built into the pointy end. Tucked to port between the two staterooms is another guest cabin with, no surprise, a large window, twin berths and direct entry to the day head, which has a circular Lucite shower.
With no inside access to the flying bridge, Ferretti chose to create a secure stairway from the cockpit with gentle steps and good handrails. Once on the bridge, you’ll find that it’s large and nicely arranged, with a wrap-around lounge area and table to port for entertaining. Within reach is a console with fridge, optional grill and sink. The skipper gets a double-wide helm seat, with ZF shifters and controls for the Side-Power bow thruster that are comfortably placed. The entire area from the helm to the venturi windscreen is a giant sun pad encircled by steel rails.
A low arch is just abaft the seating area, and, once again, I’m at odds with placing a powerful radar transmitter at head level where your guests will be sitting, but, as long as you remember to keep the radar turned off while using the bridge, you won’t microwave any brains.
Test power was a pair of optional MAN 900-horsepower common rail diesels, and these are the engines I’d choose. That extra 200 horsepower over the standard package gives you a good turn of speed when you need it, but you don’t have to leave the hammers down to reach a comfortable cruise. We topped out at a shade above 33 knots, with a “sweet spot” at about 2000 rpm and 25 knots that gave us about two gallons a mile and was below the 80 percent load on the engines. The engine room isn’t huge, but access is good to all the normal maintenance points and there is still space for the Kohler 20 kW genset in a sound box.
As I said, I’m as proud as a parent to see how Ferretti has managed to create a yacht perfectly suited to the American market, but without sacrificing the Italian zest for design and style.
LOA: 57’2″
LWL: 49’5″
Beam: 16’3″
Draft: 5’0″
Displ.: 70,227 lb.
Fuel: 819 gal.
Water: 188 gal.
Test Power: 2 x 900 hp MAN V-8 diesels
Standard Power: 2 x 800 hp MAN V-8 diesels
Base Price: Approx. $2,500,000
Ferretti Group of America, 954-462-5527; www.ferretti-yachts.com
