LEXUS LY 650: FROM CARS TO YACHTS

After teasing the boating world with a 42-foot prototype sportboat in 2017, Lexus (the car guys) have collaborated with Marquis/Carver (the boat guys) to produce the Lexus LY 650, a production 65-foot luxury yacht that is, as Lexus says, “Where Road Meets Water.” Drawing on the Marquis team and Italian designer Nuvolari Lenard, the yacht has strong Lexus DNA, from the L-shaped air vents to the clear-coated carbonfiber dashboard.

As the first journalist to sea-trial the LY 650, I can report that this is no cocktail cruiser, but a quite serious contender in the fast but seaworthy category occupied by the likes of Princess and Sunseeker. Our test, in rough Gulf Stream conditions, dissuaded any thoughts that it is only for turning heads in quiet harbors.

Lexus devotees may be momentarily disappointed to find that the racy Lexus 5-liter mills in the 42-footer have been replaced in the LY 650 with a pair of muscular Volvo IPS-3 1,000 hp pod drives, but they push the boat easily to 31-plus knots.

The exterior is all bling with the (optional) silver and gold hull colors, while inside, Lexus is evident in the posh leathers and book-matched eucalyptus joinery. Three staterooms (including a full-beam master suite), three heads, and a separate crew cabin are enhanced by comfortable salon seating, a spacious command bridge under a swoopy fiberglass hardtop, and more seating/ dining areas in both the cockpit and on the foredeck. Built with carbon fiber to maximize strength while minimizing weight, the LY 650 will set you back about $3.5 million in change. —Chris Caswell