Spanish builder Astondoa doesn’t buy into cookie-cutter yacht designs, and it never has since its founding 100 years ago. At the company’s centennial celebration in Santa Pola, Spain, it unveiled the 655 Coupe, a yacht smartly in line with the brand’s design-forward philosophy.
Blacked-out, deliberate-looking, angular swaths define the hullside windows while accentuating the inverted hull shape at the bow, akin to a seaplane’s bottom. There’s a moderate hull taper to the waterline at the bow, resulting in more usable interior space. The stern has a swim platform designed like the after end of an alien spaceship.
Why the dramatic windows and angular features? Because Astondoa styled the 655 Coupe as a sports-themed race boat. The helm seats have wraparound, body-hugging contours and curved backrests, and will keep you in place in most seas and at most speeds.
The self-contained (not molded into the dash) standing helm console houses twin Garmin displays plus a Schneider Electric display to monitor and control ship’s systems, making all critical data easy to spot when throttling up the standard twin 900 hp Volvo Penta IPS1200 diesels. Other power options include twin 1,200 hp MAN V-8s or twin 1,150 hp Caterpillar C18s. Cruising speed is 25 knots, and top-end speed is 33 knots.
The fold-down side decks to port and starboard are a cool feature and a perfect spot for that sunset cocktail. As David Galante, chief operating officer of Astondoa’s Americas dealer, G Marine, says, “The side decks offer a mega-yacht feel.”
When the party grows, the 655 Coupe lets you blend areas. The aft deck — with three-person sun pad, L-shaped settee, table and grill — flows into the salon thanks to the retractable aft door and window. Wide side decks make for easy transit to the foredeck sun pad, which follows the gently sloping foredeck. That sloping foredeck has an additional benefit: unobstructed visibility from the helm through the single-pane windshield.
Inside, a U-shaped settee to port doubles as a dining area thanks to twin fold-out, rotating tables. Or you can use the tables individually for a café feel. A retractable sunroof over the helm ushers in cool breezes, adding to the interior’s open ambience. The galley is forward and down, with appliances including a full-height Vitrifrigo fridge/freezer, Miele stove/oven and Miele dishwasher.
The accommodations level (with real windows, not tiny portholes) includes a forepeak VIP stateroom with centerline berth and a second guest stateroom with twin berths. The full-beam master with en-suite head is amidships, just abaft the galley.
Her modified-V hull form (15-degree aft deadrise) performs well in a seaway, and her space-age look is sure to turn heads in marinas from Maine to Mexico.
If you’re looking for a yacht that embodies a century’s worth of knowledge and experience, all in a thoroughly modern package, then the Astondoa 655 Coupe warrants your attention
