Ferretti Yachts consistently combines elegance and practicality. The brand’s all-new 860 is an evolution of the concept, with a lot of eye-catching glass in the hull and superstructure, including full-height picture windows that extend along both sides, broken only by a bold railing cap that carves a bright, horizontal line.
Flybridge designs are fundamental to the Ferretti Yachts DNA, and this one sticks with the winning formula. The after half of the flybridge is open to interpretation, with a hot tub option, while the standard layout forward includes a dinette for eight guests, a sun pad to port, and a wet bar and two-seat helm station to starboard. Three sizes of hardtop are available, the largest one even bigger than the hardtop on the flagship Ferretti Yachts 1000.
Alfresco real estate also includes a 120-square-foot foredeck terrace with low, forward-facing, deep-seat armchairs and low booth seating. The detailing in wood and stainless steel is very smart.
Aft, a glass balustrade makes the 860’s 325-square-foot cockpit an open, attractive hangout. It also enhances the connection to the sea and to the hydraulic swim platform for relaxing or launching toys. The garage accommodates a 13-foot jet tender as well as a two-seat personal watercraft.
The main salon occupies approximately 290 square feet of real estate and is as bright as can be. All that glazing, coupled with cut-down bulwarks, delivers unobstructed views. The space is flexibly furnished (in Hull No. 1’s case, with Poltrona Frau furniture). I’m a big fan of free-standing furniture, which can be moved around and refreshed down the line. Even the salon’s 75-inch flat-screen TV stands on the sole. Owners also can choose contemporary or classic decor with light or dark hues.
The forward end of the main deck is a solid example of flexible yacht design. The whole boat can be left open, or can be closed off in several ways to create privacy for guests and crew alike. Sliding doors close off the starboard-side galley and portside day head, or the forward bridge area and nearby booth seating for guests. Or both.
Hull No. 1 had the galley fully enclosed, but it didn’t feel cramped. There’s 8-foot-10-inch headroom and a door to access the starboard side deck. There’s also an option of another door just abaft that one, to further aid crew and guest circulation.
A helical staircase descends from the main salon to the guest accommodations, flooding the lower lobby with natural light. There are four en suite staterooms, all accessed from a corridor offset to port. The full-beam owners’ stateroom is near amidships with a forward-facing, king-size berth, a sofa and shower room to port, and a vanity and walk-in closet to starboard. The VIP stateroom is forward with a double berth. Headroom is generous in the accommodations space, just about 6 feet, 8 inches everywhere.
Quarters are for four crew. A pair of twin-bunk cabins are tucked into the bow with their own stairway beneath the 860’s single-pane windshield. The booth to port of the lower helm should serve nicely as a crew mess aboard a more formally run yacht.
From the outside, the 860 looks like it has a conventional raised pilothouse, but that’s not actually the case. The bridge area beneath the windshield is raised by one step. The console is to starboard with two helm seats. Bridge ergonomics aboard Ferrettis are always excellent, and this boat is no different. The standard layout includes three Simrad-Naviop displays, and owners can choose screen sizes.
There are also two choices of MAN engines: twin 1,800 hp or 2,000 hp V-12 diesels that spin out via vee-boxes. At full throttle, approximately 2,350 rpm, the larger MANs aboard this 860 delivered 32 knots at around one-third load, which is respectably fast for a flybridge design just shy of 90 feet length overall. The 860 has a 25- to 28-knot fast cruise between 2,000 and 2,200 rpm. At these speeds, theoretical ranges are around 280 to 300 nautical miles given the yacht’s 1,849-gallon fuel capacity. At planing speeds, expect fuel consumption to be about 6 to 7 gallons per nautical mile. Alternatively, drop things down to 10 knots, and the drivetrain burn virtually quarters to around 1.75 gallons per nautical mile, which should mean nonstop cruising up to 1,000 nm.
For those less interested in sprinting, the top speed with the smaller engines is reportedly 28 knots, with a fast cruise of 23 to 24 knots. There are also two choices of stabilizers: a Seakeeper gyro and/or Sleipner’s Vector Fins. Xenta’s Adaptive Integrated Docking system is also an option that is worth considering.
Ferretti builds yachts for owners who want a home away from home. Based on the day I spent aboard Hull No. 1 of the Ferretti Yachts 860, it will serve well in that capacity for the cruising family ready to make the move up to the crewed-yacht lifestyle.
The Fly Life
Ferretti Yachts 860 owners can fine-tune their flybridge experience with three hardtop options. The two-tone lid can be outfitted with fixed glass, opening glass or shading blades, which enable users to dial in the amount of sunlight desired.
Little Sister
For owner-operators, Ferretti Yachts recently launched its 580, filling the gap between the builder’s 500 and 670 models. Slated for a world debut at Boot Dusseldorf next month, the three-stateroom yacht can have two or three heads, twin 900 hp or 1,000 hp diesels, and, like the 860, contemporary or classic interior decor options.
Take the next step: ferretti-yachts.com
