New Fairline Squadron 53

[petem]

As some of you will recall, Fairline were due to launch the new Squadron 53 at the Jan 2016 London Boat Show. At the start of this year, new Fairline (Yachts) purchased the design and prototype (which was at a very advanced stage) along with the other assets. This boat was essentially a Targa 53 with a Flybridge added and thus inherited the layout from that model. One of the first things that the new owners did was to take the sensible decision to design a completely new superstructure and modify the hull to fix some of the criticisms that had been aimed at the Targa 53. Today Fairline released the full information pack for the new Sq 53 to their dealers and updated their website accordingly.

Renderings and specifications can be see here:

http://www.fairline.com/en/boats/squadron/53
http://www.fairline.com/en/boats/squadron/53/specification
http://www.fairline.com/en/boats/squadron/53/deckplan

HenryF will be delighted that the new model features a flat floor throughout the cockpit & saloon and a flat ceiling throughout mid master cabin with 6’4” headroom at the foot of bed. Phew!

Drive is via shafts (so MapisM won't have to buy one "over his dead body") with a choice of three engines (VP or Cats) . The boat also includes foredeck seating with sun shade option, a variety of layouts (including galley up and down), crew cabin and an optional gyro. I'm sure that joystick trickery can be supplied for newbies that need some parking help.

Those of you who are observant, will see some interesting new styling cues too .

Pete

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

Some interesting aggressive styling cues added in the mix. Excellent mix of internal layouts, good that some of the old criticisms has been ironed out.

Will they change the 53 Targa or leave it how it is. Some design details look very Tony Castro, is he consulting or working with them.

 

[Whitelighter]

Some interesting aggressive styling cues added in the mix. Excellent mix of internal layouts, good that some of the old criticisms has been ironed out.

Will they change the 53 Targa or leave it how it is. Some design details look very Tony Castro, is he consulting or working with them.

As I understand it the Targa 53 and Granturismo 53 will remain as they are. The Squadron 53 shares the hull but the topsides (it's significantly taller) and deck are completely different.

In fairness to fairline they have still limited resources and feel as a sportier derivative the T/GT53 can find buyers, and that there is a market for a sportier/sleeker boat and for the new company it's a low cost solution. Ideal? Maybe not but they have to be practical.

They have decided to through considerable resources at the Squadron 53 to address criticism that previously it was just a GT53 with a deck stuck on the top. Make no mistake, the SQ53 is a significantly different beast

 

[petem]

Some design details look very Tony Castro, is he consulting or working with them.

No it was from the MBY Design Studio (me, Jez, Jimmy the Builder, Deleted User, Rafiki and JRudge). Now that we've got that one under our belts were moving on to a 150 footer .

 

[MapisM]

Drive is via shafts (so MapisM won't have to buy one "over his dead body") with a choice of three engines (VP or Cats).

I'm afraid I have bad news for you and for the folks at FL, P: propulsion choice aside, I must also deal with a not unlimited budget....

Anyway, it's interesting to see the 12.9 as one of the engine choices, which is actually a fine piece of IT technology, behind the Cat label...
...hang on a second, must put my helmet on before LS1 will see this!
Makes me wonder what sort of performance they could achieve by sticking the higher power version of the same engine in the e/r (1000hp IIRC, anyway surely more than the 850 which should push her at 34 knots, according to their webpage).

 

[rafiki_]

For completeness, the original plan for the 53 Fly was to graft the Fly from the 48 on the the 53 GT hull. This was semi built when the business went into Admin last year. This would have been a truly horrible compromise. The new Fairline Co must be congratulated for scrapping this mongrel, They have done a proper job on the new 53, correcting the compromises that the previous company had resorted to, through lack of investment cash. When we visited last month, the first boat was partially built, so we could not clamber over it, and as Pete has said, the new Management has listening ears, and are intent on doing things right. Good on them!

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

I still think that the flybridge overhang doesn't stretch far enough back over the cockpit. IMHO many potential flybridge buyers are looking for both maximum flybridge space and maximum shade over the cockpit. Otherwise I think that Fairline have covered all the layout bases very well. The aft galley layout with it's forward dinette and 4 cabins below looks to me like a winning combination and would certainly be the one I'd favour

Lets hope that the mouldings for the foredeck seating don't make the boat look too bulky but I do understand that foredeck seating is now de rigeur on modern boats

If Fairline can execute this design to a more elevated quality level than their recent offerings and keep the price competitive with the Princess 52 they might be on to a winner

I wouldn't want to be the crewperson though having to sleep in a tiny box on top of the gyro at anchor

 

[Cheery]

Without extending the flybridge with weight why not employ the same method as on Predators and have a fold out canopy.

 

[benjenbav]

Without having an opinion on the merits of these renderings I was quite interested to read the first few words of the brochure: "Built to order..."

Does this mean that they won't have sufficient funds to build stock and will be reliant on customer commitments before building? If so, it's quite an ask.

 

[MapisM]

Without extending the flybridge with weight why not employ the same method as on Predators and have a fold out canopy.

That's a possibility, but only covers the second of the "AND" features Deleted User mentioned, I reckon.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Without having an opinion on the merits of these renderings I was quite interested to read the first few words of the brochure: "Built to order..."

I guess it depends on their dealer network ordering boats for their own stock as to whether boats are available to customers from stock. I think it would be unrealistic to expect Fairline, in their current position, to build and hold boats in stock. Without going into too much detail, I believe that this was one of the factors that damaged the company in the past. Not only does holding stock consume cash but because of that, the temptation is to shift that stock on to customers or dealers at stupidly low prices with little or no margin

 

[benjenbav]

I guess it depends on their dealer network ordering boats for their own stock as to whether boats are available to customers from stock. I think it would be unrealistic to expect Fairline, in their current position, to build and hold boats in stock. Without going into too much detail, I believe that this was one of the factors that damaged the company in the past. Not only does holding stock consume cash but because of that, the temptation is to shift that stock on to customers or dealers at stupidly low prices with little or no margin

I'm sure you're right, but it does beg the question of who is going to be brave enough to stump up for a model which may turn out to be #1 of #1.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

I'm sure you're right, but it does beg the question of who is going to be brave enough to stump up for a model which may turn out to be #1 of #1.

Maybe the right kind of buyer who would see it as an opportunity to get more involved with the design and construction than he/she might be allowed to be if they bought an off the peg 53 footer from another builder?

 

[petem]

I don't think thats an issue. The first two Sq53's have been ordered by dealers and will used for European and American press launches and boat shows.

 

[henryf]

I'm sure you're right, but it does beg the question of who is going to be brave enough to stump up for a model which may turn out to be #1 of #1.

I don't think there is any problem in funding the first boat or finding someone to buy it even if it means offering them a never to be repeated deal. Hull #1 is a short term petty cash issue. It's what happens once that boat is out there for all to see that matters.

After the train wreck of the Targa 53 launch I'm not going to comment on this yet, I'll wait until I've seen it in the flesh. I agree with some of the comments made thus far but let's see what happens come Southampton? when it gets launched. The variety of layouts available will either be all things to all men or a series of compromises. If they can get it right and it's a great boat then they potentially cover a broad sector of the market from possibly 45ft to 55 or even 60ft.

It's critical that they achieve the internal volume which Princess seem to have patented over the past few years.

I know Princess build a physical mock-up of their boats for evaluation and fine tuning allowing input from different sources and disaster to be nipped in the bud.

Let's see what turns up at on a pontoon near you in the not too distant future and I say that with an optimistic tone

Henry

Edited to say: typed whist Pete was posting.

 

[rafiki_]

I know Princess build a physical mock-up of their boats for evaluation and fine tuning allowing input from different sources and disaster to be nipped in the bud.


Edited to say: typed whist Pete was posting.

Henry, not the best way to do things in this day and age. ��

 

[benjenbav]

I don't think thats an issue. The first two Sq53's have been ordered by dealers and will used for European and American press launches and boat shows.

That's good news. I really do wish them well and don't want to sound negative.

 

[henryf]

Henry, not the best way to do things in this day and age. ��

I disagree wholeheartedly. There is nothing to beat being physically inside a space. You won't realise that step is just too high or you catch your hip on the edge of a surface when wearing your virtual reality goggles. This is particularly the case when dealing with a small complex space like a boat.

You're a braver man than me if you bet your mortgage on a boat and the first time you see it in the flesh is when punters ike me crawl all over it. You put yourself at a massive disadvantage if you only have virtual reality but your customer has reality.

I suspect that was the problem with the T53. Had there been a plywood space to clamber round it wouldn't have been signed off.

Henry

 

[Cheery]

That's a possibility, but only covers the second of the "AND" features Deleted User mentioned, I reckon.

Deleted User posted a query recently regarding the weight limit of his flybridge. On a 53' that is surely more critical from a pro rata point of view. Give the shade with a canopy but take away the temptation to overload the overhang.

I disagree wholeheartedly. There is nothing to beat being physically inside a space. You won't realise that step is just too high or you catch your hip on the edge of a surface when wearing your virtual reality goggles. This is particularly the case when dealing with a small complex space like a boat.

You're a braver man than me if you bet your mortgage on a boat and the first time you see it in the flesh is when punters ike me crawl all over it. You put yourself at a massive disadvantage if you only have virtual reality but your customer has reality.

I suspect that was the problem with the T53. Had there been a plywood space to clamber round it wouldn't have been signed off.

Henry

I was having the same thought reading the previous posts before I read you last post and I agree. Not that the Targa 53 headroom would be a problem for me as I am only small but it's not particularly attractive from an aesthetic point of view.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

It's critical that they achieve the internal volume which Princess seem to have patented over the past few years.

Ahem, I think you'll find that Ferretti patented this many years ago by the simple expedient of making their boats fatter (without making them taller) It was the chalk and cheese comparison between a Phantom 46 v Princess 45 v Ferretti 46 that made us buy the Ferretti some years ago. I see that Princess has gone down the other route by making their boats taller to achieve greater internal volume and I'm not sure thats as good an idea