When Ferretti Yachts introduced its flagship 1000 at the Venice Boat Show in Italy in summer 2021, there were a few audible “aahs” from the docks. First of all, the 1000 was the largest Ferretti Group yacht in Venice. It also is the biggest vessel ever from Ferretti Yachts. Most noteworthy is the interior: 1,800 square feet, which almost makes the 98-foot-10-inch length overall seem secondary. The exterior offers another 1,400 square feet. This boat is big and open, in that order.
Comparing images of the Ferretti Yachts 920 with the 1000 makes it clear that architect Filippo Salvetti succeeded in keeping the family resemblance from model to model. From the bow on, the 1000 appears rounded, which can’t be avoided with such large volumes, but Salvetti also gave the 1000 a racy, almost-thin look in profile. He employed a sharp forefoot, long windows and a thin superstructure, in keeping with the rest of the Ferretti Yachts family DNA.
The team behind the 1000—including Salvetti, other in-house designers and outside firm IdeaeItalia, which drew the interiors—estimates that they spent about 4,000 hours working on the concept and final design over three years. Ferretti designer Céline Julien-Binard says the team measured every area “to the millimeter” to create optimal guest spaces. “Technically, it was also a very complex yacht because of its size,” she adds. “Some of the systems installations were very different than what we’d done on our smaller yachts.”
Designers on the team constantly use the word “flow” to describe the yacht’s design. This flow starts at the transom, with flanking stairways that lead from the swim platform to the cockpit, along with another set of stairs that proceed up to the flybridge. There are 48-inch-wide passages on both sides of the yacht, allowing for plenty of room to move.
The pilothouse has three exits, creating free movement for crewmembers, who can transit outside via the portside door or on an internal stairway connecting to the main deck and galley. (The captain of Epic, the premiere 1000 at the Venice show, said he was happy with the pilothouse; it has a single chair abaft an uncluttered helm with four consoles and a rear lounge for guests.)
Flow continues across the main salon, with a rear lounge and a forward dining area. Nonstructural bulkheads and cramped spaces were verboten throughout the yacht, and the cockpit stairs were created to avoid building a stairwell inside the salon.
“The sense of a space to live in prevails,” Salvetti says. “The relationship with the surrounding environment is intensified by the large, full-height windows that accentuate the feeling of contact with the water and let natural light flood in, while the free-standing furniture delivers lightness.”
Ferretti offers the option of fully opening, full-height windows. Those windows, along with glass doors aft and along the two sides, not only drench the area in natural light but also provide access to the cockpit and side passages. With the after doors open, there’s a seamless transition between the inside and outside.
IdeaeItalia created two interior styles: classic and contemporary. They mostly employ the same materials but with different finishes. On Epic’s classic version, walnut is the interior’s main wood, with subtle striped patterns for the bulkheads and bold flame-colored hues on the dining table and other furniture. The woodwork is simple and elegant, from the walls to the teak decks.
The full-beam master stateroom forward has that same muted look, with side windows offering natural light. On the lower deck, four en suite staterooms sleep eight guests, and there are quarters for four crewmembers. Abaft this space are the engine room and tender garage. Ferretti says the garage’s square footage is 64 percent larger than many competing models.
The Ferretti Yachts 1000 has two power options: twin MTU 16V 2000 M86s or larger MTU M96Ls. With the M86s, the yacht has a reported top speed of 24 knots and a cruise speed of 20 knots. The M96Ls push the top speed to 28 knots and cruise speed to 24 knots, according to the builder. Those are breakthrough speeds for this new Ferretti Yachts flagship.
Expect to see this type of high-volume design continue at the shipyard. While at the Venice show, Ferretti Group’s chief commercial officer, Stefano de Vivo, called the 1000 a “crucial” design that “will be a template for other models going forward.”
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