Austin Parker 64 Fly S

CAPRIO’S FIRST IMPRESSION: Austin Parker began by using the humble Maine lobster boat for inspiration, but in the 64 Fly S’s design, I don’t see the remotest connection. This boat shines on her intrinsic merits—European flair combined with an old-fashioned sense of seakeeping and immunity to passing trends.

Austin Parker began life at the end of the 1990s and was the first Italian builder to create a line of boats influenced by the renowned Maine lobster boat. In 2008, a group of entrepreneurs with strong yachting traditions bought the company and reinvented it. This group turned to designer Fulvio De Simoni to reinterpret Austin Parker’s original mission and help establish the yard’s identity. The AP 64 Fly S is the latest offering.

De Simoni has drawn a clean and harmonious exterior for the 64. Her sheerline, which breaks subtly about a third of the LOA from the transom, resembles that of a sportfisherman. Remove the flying bridge from the profile, and we see a roofline that resembles the cabin of a modern grand touring car.

Following the trend in interior spaces, De Simoni has given the Austin Parker 64 Fly S an open main deck. Sightlines extend from the helm through the saloon to the bench seating at the transom. The L-shaped settees in the cockpit and saloon—both on the starboard side—are placed outboard, leaving plenty of room to move around. Also on the starboard side are the helm and galley. A mirrored-glass partition and door close the galley from anyone seated in the dining area on the port side. This treatment is elegant and increases the main deck’s feeling of spaciousness.

Belowdecks, the Austin Parker 64 Fly S has a full-beam master stateroom amidships, a twin-berth guest stateroom on the starboard side immediately forward, and a VIP cabin in the bow. All of these are en suite and open onto a foyer at the bottom of the companionway stairs—very superyacht in concept. Placing the queen-sized berth in the VIP at an angle from the port side makes the best use of space, allowing easy access to both sides of the berth, the settee opposite, and the hanging locker. In the master, we find a thoughtful walk-in closet and very large head to the port side of the centerline berth. The vanity is open to the main part of the cabin.

The interior’s neutral shades of oak and leather will not go out of style any time soon. This pleasingly understated yacht ought to keep her owners happy for many years. Stay tuned for a full test of this boat in an upcoming issue.

Austin Parker; www.austinparker.it