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Additional
detective work resolved the issue some three weeks later. Croft called
me with a two-part explanation. First, he’d discovered that temperature
sensors in the throats of the turbos on both engines had been contacting
metal instead of air. Thus they’d been sending incorrect signals
to the ECMs, restricting fuel flow, and limiting rpm. Croft said he’d
fixed the glitch with a pair of needle-nosed pliers. Second, he’d
also discovered that filters on the air intakes of both engines were too
restrictive—they were literally strangling the engines at the top
of the rpm register. The solution? Croft had switched to larger, less-restrictive
units.
Searles
docked the 80 with slick efficiency at Lazzara’s facility in Tampa,
thanks in part to a gutsy 20-hp, 48-volt Imtra electric bow thruster and
an equally gutsy power source—four Group 27 AGM batteries with their
very own Charles Marine battery charger. After helping with lines and
shore power cords, I began checking out the interior, starting with the
superbly crafted engine room. As you’ll notice from the accompanying
photos, the mains are the real stand-out feature here, thanks to a candy-apple
red paint job, a sweetly rigged maze of Trident braided stainless steel
fuel and other hoses, and a backdrop of shiny perforated-aluminum paneling
on walls and bulkheads. Little wonder our 80’s owner is Jeff Burton,
a popular NASCAR driver with an obvious penchant for glamour, top-shelf
equipment, and solid engineering.
The
interior itself was gorgeous—it compares favorably to anything I’ve
seen on European motoryachts in the same size range, both in terms of
detailing and design. The layout gets high marks for an ample and separate
crew’s quarters forward—distinctly and democratically American.
I also liked the choice of three large staterooms on the lower deck, instead
of four smaller ones—the full-beam master benefits from this with
additional space for a walk-in closet almost as large as the head, which
is huge in its own right.
One
other thing that warmed the cockles of my heart was the abundance of nifty
touches Lazzara drops almost invisibly into the decor. Granite countertops,
for example, are perfectly veneered and bullnosed over corrugated-aluminum
panels to save weight, hot water is instantly available from every faucet
thanks to a continuously circulating circuit, and the proprietary Integrated
Ship’s Information System (ISIS) constantly and electronically monitors
and records a host of parameters. While this last feature facilitates
diagnostics as well as preventive maintenance, the extra TLC it promotes
also reduces insurance rates and boosts resale value.
And
finally, get this: In addition to a standard equipment list that’s
really turnkey complete, new owners are offered a three-day course on
handling and maintaining the 80, courtesy of Lazzara Yachts University,
an institution of higher learning offering classes and simulator exercises
right at the Tampa facility. A small thing perhaps, but one that underscores
the very essence of Lazzara Yachts—a philosophy of total, don’t-let-a-single-detail-slide
commitment.
Lazzara
Yachts Phone: (813) 835-5300. Fax: (813) 835-0964. www.lazzarayachts.com.
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