Ferrettis have an aura. They conjure up daydreams of turquoise water and azure skies. It helps that they’re usually white, or cream, so even on a dull day they seem to be sitting in a patch of sunlight. It’s as if the weather’s always perfect.
They’re also big, confident, and luxurious, and not ashamed to look it. You never get the sense that the designers try too hard to disguise their sheer bulk.
That is, perhaps, until now. Streamlined and sleek in profile, this handsome new 800’s curvaceous flybridge molding and dramatically raked glass chimes perfectly with its promised 31-knot performance. Ferrettis have always been sporty, but they have seldom looked the part quite so convincingly.
Aficionados of the brand can, however, rest secure in the knowledge that under the skin it’s still very much business as usual, which means a high-quality fit-out, space-efficient layouts that prize straight lines over curves, and plenty of headroom: some 6 feet, 8 inches in the deck saloon, and not much less anywhere else.
The 800’s layouts themselves are comfortingly conventional, with a midships master down below, a roomy VIP in the bow, and a pair of twin-berth cabins between them which both feature sliding beds. All are ensuite, and all are reassuringly rectangular, with no wasted space. Plenty of attention has been paid to stowage space too. It’s still not enough, because no boat ever has enough, but it’s better than most. The master’s walk-in wardrobe and spacious head are set across the aft bulkhead to provide extra sound insulation from the engine room. For anyone who knows the marque, this will all feel familiar.
The winds of change have been allowed to waft gently over the main deck, though, which is laid out in superyacht style. The galley and wheelhouse occupy a separate crew area forward, secreted behind a bulkhead with a sliding door. Another door from the galley out to the side deck allows your butler to distribute canapés to the cockpit, foredeck, and flybridge without going through the saloon, while a sliding hatch opens for service to the dining table.
On bigger yachts, this kind of layout; designed to keep crew and guests apart, can make sense—for the crew, mainly—but on an 80-footer the necessary layout compromises do tend to lessen its value. Thanks to the complicated real estate of galley, wheelhouse and bulkhead, there isn’t space for an internal companionway up to the flybridge, for example. While your guests might not mind that, they’ll probably be nonplussed to discover that it’s not just the day head that’s on the other side of that bulkhead, but also the stairs down to their cabins. Awkward.
The saloon itself has enormous and spectacular side windows, and is offered with either a sideboard or a sofa to starboard, along with an optional glass door out onto the side deck. Two interior décor schemes are available: “classic,” seen here with its earthier tones, and “contemporary,” which has more of a maritime flavor.
Exterior spaces are the 800’s strongest suit. Sliding glass doors open up the saloon and cockpit, while wide, secure side decks lead along to an excellent forward lounging area, shaded, if desired, by an awning rigged between carbon poles. A sofa folds down from the transom, making the swim platform another place to relax. A safe set of steps takes you from the cockpit up to a vast, full-beam flybridge, all 430 square feet of it. This too offers a seductive combination of sunlight and shadow, its expansive hardtop fitted with either louvered slats or fixed glass.
The 800 exemplifies what Ferretti has always done well. It’s a supremely comfortable and capable cruising machine. The superyacht aspirations of its layout might not convince all owners, however, and that sleek external styling also comes at a price, impairing visibility from the wheelhouse. Most yachts this size have a pretty compromised view aft from the lower helm, but the 800’s problem is the thick mullions and minuscule windows that seriously limit the view to the sides as well. It could make things difficult, particularly in congested waters.
So unless well out to sea, smart skippers will helm the 800 from upstairs only, whatever the weather. Luckily, the weather is always perfect.
Ferretti 800 Specifications:
LOA: 80’3”
Beam: 19’5”
Draft: 7’3”
Displ. (loaded): 180,779 lb.
Fuel: 1,849 gal.
Water: 370 gal.
Power: 2/1,550-hp MAN V12; or 2/1,800-hp MAN V12
