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There are plenty of examples of clever design touches that make the Pershing 62 more than a muscle machine: the passarelle that doubles as a 770-pound-capacity tender hoist, the electrically tilting berths that make reading or watching TV more comfortable, and the intriguing, automatic inflatable cable-handling system for the tender that holds the anchor chain firmly in place when stowed and prevents it from tying itself in knots.
It’s only when you take all this into account that you begin to realize that the designers at Pershing are just as concerned with making boats comfortable and practical as with making them go. For all her horsepower and dreamlike handling abilities, the 62 is, in fact, also intended as a docile and trustworthy cruising machine. The sporting client that the designers have in mind is also a family man.
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So the V-berth cabin was clearly designed for children. The midship master stateroom, with its big offset double berth, giant hanging locker, leather benchseat, dressing table, and capacious head compartment, is ideal for Mom and Dad. Meanwhile, the second double stateroom, reached via a separate companionway at the aft end of the saloon, is as secluded and private as your guests could wish for. And between the main and forward cabins there is a roomy dinette and galley area, where you can easily imagine the kids hoovering up their Cheerios while the grown-ups enjoy a more civilized breakfast upstairs.
Of course, family boating doesn’t mean slumming it—unless you’re the paid hand, that is. Any 62-footer is at the limit of trying to squeeze in viable crew accommodations, yet the Pershing’s tiny single-berth cabin somehow manages to come complete with shower, head, and washing machine—as well as a bed. Getting down there is rather awkward, via steep steps from the port side of the cockpit. But this first 62 is a prototype, and Pershing reckons it can improve access on subsequent boats. In the same way, it will also address the lack of galley stowage on this boat, by making better use of the empty space under the helm console.
But these are minor issues. The Pershing 62 may have been conceived as a family cruiser, but it’s also an opulent and beautifully appointed motoryacht, and to judge from the quality of the interior fit and finish, I’d never have guessed this was the first boat. Below decks all paneling is polished pear wood, and the head compartments feature teak soles, white lacquer, and dark wenge hardwood cabinets. And the steel-framed glass partition between cockpit and deck saloon means that the upper deck can be effectively air conditioned. Alternatively, the side windows slide down, and the carbon-fiber roof panel opens at the touch of a switch. There is no excuse to be uncomfortable.
But there is also 3,100 hp below decks: two beautiful MAN common-rail diesels driving a pair of Arneson’s finest. I suspect most owners will also feel that there is no excuse not to put all this heavy-duty iron to work occasionally, for the 62 is a hugely rewarding driver’s machine, a sea-skimming missile that lives up to its name. Part cruiser, part motoryacht, and all muscleboat, this Pershing is no Scud.
Ferretti Group USA
(800) 695-5096
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This article originally appeared in the January 2005
issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.
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