ROMA, 85ft High Performance Cruising Yacht

Designer’s Notes

In early 2003 an Italian client and his project manager approached us. Their directive, "create for us a fast yet elegant performance cruising and racing design of approximately 86' in length". What is evolving is our design 535. There have been many attempts by others at this size of yacht, but our client felt that most were lacking in elegance above the waterline. His directive was to create a vision that was not broken up by combings and overly aggressive deck saloon type styling that seems to dominate today's designs arena. Sleek, simple, and elegant were our marching orders. The staff at Farr Yacht Design has attacked this eagerly and what is developing promises to be a yacht of uncompromising beauty not only in front of the fleet but at the dock as well. Key features of the yacht will include a lifting keel with a minimum 2.9-meter depth, a five stateroom layout, and a signature Farr Yacht Design hull shape that guarantees performance. The attached preliminary rendering images are our attempt to capture your request for a simple, clean, and elegant fast cruising yacht. Our preliminary concept pulls heavily from modern race boat design in its sheer line, stem slope, and overhangs. The deck in profile is sleek and well blended with its parent hull shape. On deck, clean rounded shapes are blended to enclose two cockpit areas while maintaining common styling character throughout. At the front of the yacht we've started with a stem slope and knuckle shape derived in basic proportion from recent racing boat projects. We've combined that stem with a sleek and elegant sheer line capable of producing the target headroom dimensions. The sheer line and stem have been rounded with a generous radius continuing the hull-coloring scheme up around the deck edge for an integrated and aerodynamic look. At the aft end of the boat we've combined a generous overhang with a clean and simple sloped cylindrical transom. On deck we've started with moderate deck camber, which balances well with the basic curvature of the hull topsides. We've added to that camber a sleek and simple cabin geometry intended to house dodgers, halyard line tunnels, hydraulic headsail control systems, and other equipment in order to keep the surrounding deck area as clean as possible. The cabin's geometry is composed of aggressively sloped sides and generously rounded intersections, which produce a clean and modern looking surface. We've echoed those same themes in a character coaming, which encompasses the deck's two cockpit areas with a stylish and functional surround.