Boat test for the 2004 Cantieri di Pisa Kaitos 76 including boat specifications, photo galleries, boat videos, boat layout diagrams, boat test numbers, boat test results, and boat speed graphs. Also includes pricing, engine test reviews, ratings, standard features, and gear for the 2004 Cantieri di Pisa Kaitos 76.

At every boat show there’s one boat that causes a stir above all others. She may not necessarily be everyone’s cup of tea, but she creates a palpable buzz and makes people talk. At last September’s Cannes Boat Show, that boat was the Kaitos 76 from the Italian yard Cantieri di Pisa, known for its stylish, finely finished Akhir line of motoryachts. But the Kaitos, an Arabic name for a constellation, is no motoryacht. She’s a big, open express—a runabout on steroids—with a reported top speed of 55 knots. That alone probably would have made her the talk of the show, but she also was rumored to have an unusual, ingenious interior.

I made an appointment to tour her on the show’s preview day, before all the beautiful people got aboard. Due to her locked-in location, however, I was unable to do a sea trial, so I arranged for our European editor, Alan Harper, to get aboard the 76 later.

As I approached the 76 on a bright fall morning, I wasn’t exactly blown away by her.

Don’t get me wrong: As you can see, she’s beautiful. But her outward appearance isn’t really unusual. This is your typical European play boat, on which the lucky owner gets to zip from utterly beautiful, painfully quaint Mediterranean port to utterly beautiful, painfully quaint Mediterranean port, while sipping champagne in a large, sun-washed, teak-sole cockpit, complete with dining table and expansive sunpad for the attendant nymphets. For stops along the way, he can avail himself of the tender (here a Nautica RIB with Yamaha 80) hidden beneath the sunpad in the requisite garage for a quick jaunt into town.

With playboy looks and impressive engineering, it's no wonder Cantieri di Pisa's Kaitos 76 has everyone talking.

It’s all well done on the Kaitos, including an efficient helm complete with networked Furuno electronics and three four-way-adjustable Besenzoni pedestal seats that provide plenty of comfort and good sightlines at rest. Whether you drive, sunbathe, or sip Moet up here, there’s a surfeit of sun for everyone. A bimini top is available, but it’s warranted to only 30 knots. If your inclination is to more speed and fewer rays, a closed-bridge version is available. Either way, it’s no sweat for those at the helm, as air conditioning here is standard.

Below decks it’s an entirely different story. The 76’s interior is daring. Starkly stylish, it’s an amalgam of bleached maple (bulkheads and soles), matte stainless steel, and red leather upholstery. Two semicircular skylights and a translucent bulkhead to port produce a bright space that can be further brightened or ventilated via ports artfully concealed behind translucent panels. The layout is in keeping with the way such boats are used: Owners and guests often party and snack but rarely sleep or dine aboard. So at the foot of the starboard companionway, an eight-person table beneath a large flat-screen TV and a L-shape eight-person lounge to port provide plenty of room for a sizable party to soiree. But should they need more room, there’s an innovative solution immediately aft.

PAGES:

1

2