New horizons
The 2018 Horizon Open House saw the debut of two new custom models from Taiwan’s premier shipyard.
Photography by Horizon Motor Yachts
28 January 2018
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Friends, clients and selected media were invited to Kaohsiung, Taiwan for Horizon’s 2018 Open House. After a spectacular year in 2017, coinciding with the company’s 30th anniversary, Horizon Yachts started off 2018 by unveiling their latest models, the FD87 Skyline and the Horizon V68, at the Horizon Open House at the Horizon City Marina.
The FD87 Skyline has been designed at the owner’s requests, having been fully customised to cater for his particular needs. The owner was so enamoured with the FD85 at the 2017 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, he immediately sought out world-renowned designer Cor D. Rover, who he had previously used to design his pervious yacht. Taking inspiration from the FD85, the owner and Cor D. Rover completely redesigned the yacht in a collaborative experience.
What resulted was the magnificent FD87 Skyline. The series name was inspired by the owner’s own name for the yacht, Skyline. It was so named for its striking blue hull, which represents the yachts connection to both sky and water.
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The sky lounge, so dubbed by the owner, is one of the FD87’s most exciting features. At the owner’s request a fully enclosed bridge with a helm station was installed to provide additional indoor entertaining, which extends out to the sky lounge, an outdoor entertaining area with a bar and spa.
Walking around this expansive yacht one notices the vast 23’ 3” beam, where all space is used to its potential.
Its large on-deck Master, with four further guest staterooms and two crew cabins on the lower deck, never feel too enclosed, using every corner to expand out the rooms. The custom designed lighting in the lower deck demonstrates the care and attention to detail from the owner and design team.
Floor-to-ceiling windows and cleverly installed reflective surfaces in the saloon and dining areas create space and let in natural light into the interior. On the bow, a seating area is accessed through a Portuguese walkway on port, which wraps around to stair access to the helm on starboard. The FD87 also has a spacious beach club and hydraulic swim platform that is unique for a yacht this size.
The FD87 Skyline features Horizon’s new High Performance Piercing Bow (HPPB) hull design and has been equipped with stabilizers for maximum performance and comfort. Powered by CAT C18s of 1,136hp each, the FD87 Skyline boasts a 3,480-gallon fuel capacity yielding a 1,780 nautical-mile range at 10 knots and reaches a max speed of 16.6 knots. The new FD87 Skyline will make her U.S. debut at the 2018 Palm Beach Boat Show in March.
Also on display was the Horizon V68. The philosophy behind this model was creating the largest yacht Horizon could build that could be easily handled by minimal crew. They found that a yacht under 70 feet delivers the accessibility and ease of a motoryacht, while maintaining a ‘superyacht attitude’. Designed by Jonathan Quinn Barnett (JBQ), the V68 allows owners to embark on long-term cruising in a custom yacht.
Horizon yachts pride themselves on being able to offer owners a range of options in their layout, a fact that is especially true with the V68.
This model comes with a number of customisable options. Owners are given the choice of at least two layout options for each deck. The open flybridge, which is the standard configuration for this model, features a bar with dinette seating under the hard top, with a spacious sunbathing and dining area found further forward on the bow. The flybridge can be enclosed and equipped with a dayhead, and removable seating can be added to the boat deck. For the main deck, an open salon flows into a large joined galley and country kitchen. The galley can be moved aft to create a space for outdoor entertaining, the preferred option in Australia which is becoming more popular in other markets, or can be moved forward to accommodate formal dining.
Entering the saloon, the main deck flows into a large joined galley and country kitchen. The main deck layout can also be configured with a country kitchen or lower helm forward. There is also an option to have the formal dining area towards the centre of the saloon, with the galley forward.
The V68 has modern interiors, with a focus to give it a smooth, sleek design. The galley has stainless steel, stone counter tops and dark wood finishes. The galley window has unique curved glass, with a fibreglass frame.
The yacht takes full advantage of its 19’ 6” beam, giving it a nice open layout. The main cabin has large windows, extended headroom and floors that are near flat, giving the cabin extra room. The other cabins are also spacious thanks to wide windows and wide beam. The plumb bow design increases headroom without affecting the yacht’s low profile.
The plumb bow design on the V68 was a critical element that allowed the design to accommodate a longer waterline and better beam to length ratio. The design team wanted the most volume while still maintaining performance. With 18 knots cruising speed, 24 knots top speed, the plumb bow reduces drag at lower speeds and makes for greater stability. the engine room is equipped with twin Caterpillar C18 ACERTs of 1,136HP each. The V68 will make her U.S. debut at the 2018 Newport Boat Show in California.
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