Boat test for the 2004 Ferretti 880 with boat pictures, boat specifications, and boat test results. Includes pricing, videos, engine test reviews, and ratings for the 2004 Ferretti 880.

But Ferretti didn’t reserve the extra space planning solely for accommodation areas. For example, there’s what Ferretti terms a “systems compartment” between the engine room (aft) and crew’s quarters (forward). Akin to an engineer’s room onboard a 150-foot-plus megayacht (albeit without a window into the engine room), it’s a long, narrow space containing everything from the main electric display board to a workbench (positioned atop the freshwater pumps). I’ve been aboard many yachts in this size range, yet this is the first time I’ve seen this.

It’s also the first time I’ve seen what Ferretti calls a “teak beach” on a yacht below the 100-foot-size range. More than just a tender garage, it’s a fully teak-lined bay; even better from a practical-use standpoint, the large bay door folds down, not up, transforming into an enormous swim platform. (Although there is one drawback to the layout: The steering gear concealed below steps leading from inside the bay to the platform partition would be more easily accessible if the tops of the steps were designed to be lifted out instead of unscrewed.) Ferretti leaves it up to owners to accessorize the garage as they wish, perhaps with a dive compressor and related gear as well as a RIB. But I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone taking a cue from the builder’s display at the Yacht & Brokerage Show in Miami, Florida, last February, where a pair of Harleys gave new meaning to the term hog wild.

While the speeds the 880 achieves aren’t exactly hog wild, they are impressive for a yacht this size. Due to technical difficulties with our radar gun during our test, we used a Northstar GPS installed at the upper helm to measure a top speed of 34.4 mph, or 29.9 knots. (Ferretti says the 880 will hit 30 knots or more, which seems credible for two reasons: In our experience radar guns typically read instantaneous speeds slightly higher than GPS equipment does, and our test boat had some propeller problems.) Courtesy of twin 2,000-hp MTUs and a variable-geometry hull with 12 degrees of deadrise aft, our 880 accelerated smoothly throughout the rpm range and responded well to the helm, whether we were carving turns or idling along with the trolling valves engaged as we returned to Ferretti Group USA’s docks on the New River.

Varela explained that even before the first layer of fiberglass was laid, Ferretti’s in-house design and engineering teams had “tested” the hull. He explained that proprietary software allows engineers to simulate things like the way the water spreads over the hull’s surfaces; by adjusting the shape and weight of the hull in the computer, the team can virtually optimize the design. Of equal importance, particularly in these days of heightened awareness about carbon monoxide poisoning, Varela says that the team was able to minimize the low-pressure area aft that creates the “station-wagon effect” and draws exhaust fumes into the living areas.

Regarding the engine room itself, there is access to the MTUs on three sides; reaching the outboard sides requires climbing over equipment. I was pleased to see that the entryway features a Plexiglas shield over the shut-off switches for things like fuel, air intakes, and batteries; all are readily accessible, but protected from being accidentally bumped into and activated.

Having exported its yachts to American shores for a little more than a decade, Ferretti has a good grasp of what U.S. yachtsmen want. The 880 in particular gives cruisers the high style they’ve come to expect without sacrificing space to spread out and relax for a few hours or even a few days of island-hopping. Even a petite person like me needs room to zoom.

Ferretti Group USA
(954) 525-4550

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