Cottage-sized yachts coming to Boat Show
Luxury, 60-foot powerboat shows off all of its bells and whistles,
“Picture yourself, in a boat, on a river ... ” or — with a nod to the great John Lennon’s lyrics — picture yourself, instead, in a luxury yacht on an Ontario lake.
Specifically, a $3.8-million, 60-foot Azimut S6 outfitted with a $175,000 seakeeper for stability, a $10,000 sunbathing sofa in the bow, and an adjustable swim platform.
Add 1,650 horsepower to propel the whole package, and a C-suite sailor is ready to make waves on provincial waterways.
“It’s exceptionally wellequipped,” said Kevin Marinelli of Ontario’s Pride Marine Group, which is exhibiting the Italian-made vessel at the Toronto International Boat Show, Running Friday to Jan. 26 at the Enercare Centre, Exhibition Place.
Marinelli, a broker and product specialist with Pride Marine Yachts (a division of the company), has both piloted the sleek yacht and has slept in the “beautiful master suite” where you can lie in bed watching the water.
“With the sun coming in … I’m speechless,” said the lifelong boater who’s loved the sound of lapping water since he was a child.
“It’s intimate, it’s wonderful,” he said of outings on the water.
With three cabins and two bathrooms, the Azimut S6 is designed for a family. As well, it can easily accommodate 15 to 20 people for events such watching the fireworks in Toronto Harbour, cruising the Thousand Islands near Kingston or exploring Georgian Bay, Marinelli said.
The equivalent of a floating two-storey cottage comes with its own “personal beach,” he said of the large, rear swim platform which lowers for swimmers to enjoy the water or for loungers to dangle their legs.
Sporty-looking and angularstyled, the S6 boasts the best in al fresco living with a lounge and dinette on the flybridge, an open-air saloon for breakfast or cocktails, and a large dining area on the main aft deck.
No comfort or convenience is lacking: There’s a satellite dish and four TVs, Miele appliances, central vacuum, smokeless electric barbecue, $3,400 worth of bed linens and a bidet in the master head. There’s even a washer/dryer “so you can wrap someone you love in a warm towel,” Marinelli pointed out. (Optional sets of towels cost $800 each.)
The interiors by luxury yacht designer Francesco Guida are described as “cosy minimal,” featuring soft, rounded forms and ample storage space.
With triple Volvo engines, the yacht “positively bulges with power potential,” presenter Justin Ratcliffe says in Azimut’s video on YouTube. “It’s impossible not to smile when turning into the curves.”
The rewards of owning such a high-end boat are “phenomenal,” according to Marinelli, who counts the ever-changing “best views you can imagine” among them.
Slightly smaller than the S6 — but no less posh — is the $2.12million Princess V50. Made in Plymouth, England, it’s almost 51 feet long and sleeps six.
“It’s a gorgeous yacht” with a traditional styling, Marinelli said. “The handcrafted woodworking and finishing is beautiful on it.”
Both boats will be on display at the Toronto International Boat Show. Personal tours are available by appointment to serious would-be buyers.
As big as they are — the Azimut S6 is the largest in the show — yachts represent only a small portion of the 1,200 watercraft at the show, which include paddleboards, canoes, fishing boats, wake boats and even a tiny craft pulling Twiggy the Waterskiing Squirrel.
Boating activities will take place on the world’s largest indoor lake, created in the CocaCola Coliseum by melting the 56-by-26-foot ice rink that’s home to the Toronto Marlies and filling it 3- feet deep with one million gallons of water.