SUPERYACHT #501
January 2004
Article selected from our quarterly magazine dedicated to the largest
and most luxurious boats with information, interviews, technical
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Article by
Lino Pastorelli
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ALALUNGA 85 OPEN
The name Spertini Alalunga has been linked to the image of
elegant, marine yachts for over forty years. Who could forget the
famous Sport Fisherman series, a real "must" for Italian anglers
in the seventies, or the speedy Panthers, or again, the classic
Alalunga 72' motor yachts still in production?
That is the inheritance handed down to this sporty Alalunga 85
Open, presented at the last Genoa Boat Show by the Lavagna
boatyard. Let us say right away that this is a pure open where the
covering of the external living area is a soft-top or awning. Few
compromises with regard to a direct relationship with sun and sky:
a terrace on the sea at 40 knots.
The philosophy behind the
division of space is explained by architect Carlo Galeazzi,
creator of interiors and exteriors: ".this boat was built to meet
a specific client request involving maximum respect for the
privacy of the owner, guests and crew. So the different areas had
to be separated, which meant maximum exploitation of available
space." This was achieved by the adoption of a double lower deck,
fairly unusual on a boat of this size. The companionway beyond the
sliding door on the starboard side of the bridge leads to an
initial access area where we find, in line with the principle that
life on an open must be lived outdoors, the two service areas
nearest to the external deck, a daytime bathroom and, on the port
side, the galley. Proceeding forward you go down to the lower
deck, the "guest area".
The double VIP cabin forward has staggered levels of low furniture
that create an effect of depth, further accentuated by the puppet-
theatre style framing of the portholes.
The materials, in a
contrast of sober tones, are the same ones used in both the
guests' and the owner's quarters: the furniture in pale maple with
wenge shelves, brown leather for the bed surrounds, panelled
cupboard fronts and bedheads, ceilings partly varnished and partly
in Ultra Leather, and dark wenge floors.
In the bathroom a rare
Portoro marble, black with gold veining, matches with the ceramic
washbasin and the delicate varnishes on ceiling and walls. The
shower is in a separate compartment with a multi-function column
and classic teak duckboard. The second guest cabin, with the same
level of finish and accessories, has twin beds. From the
distribution area, if we may call it that, you go down aft to the
owner's quarters. At the bottom of the wenge companionway, where
courtesy lights and an illuminated handrail emphasise the
vanishing points, there is a conversation lounge with a roomy sofa
for those all-important moments of relaxation, away from the
dazzling Mediterranean atmosphere, where you can enjoy what the
sophisticated on-board entertainment system has to offer on the
wide plasma screen. Opposite there is a study, equipped with
latest generation satellite communication instruments.
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TECHNICAL DATA
Overall length.: 26.10 m
Beam: 6.20m
Draft: 1.10m
Displacement: 48.000 kg
Engines: 2 x MTU 12V2000 M91
Transmission: Arneson ASD 14
Maximum speed: 40 knots
Cruising speed: 36 knots
Water tank: 1.500 litres
Fuel tank: 3.000 litres.
For further information you can contact the shipbuilder directly:
CN Spertini Alalunga, Via dei Devoto, 171- I 16033-Lavagna (GE)
Italy tel.+3901853040000, fax +390185308365 e-mail :
info@alalunga.it
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The owner
makes extensive use of this splendid commuter, a fully functional
office being vital to him. In the case of different requirements
the same space could be another cabin. In any case the sofa can be
turned into a bed. In the owner's cabin, with a slight alteration
to the entrance walls you can create space for bookshelves and a
large TV, the latter of course facing the bed. The tooled leather,
a modern version of button tufted leather, the contrasting tones
of wood, the wenge Venetian blinds and the soft colours all
combine to create a sensation of roomy intimacy. And it should not
be forgotten that this is a full beam cabin. really wide, with
space for a dressing table and several fairly large wardrobes. Six
oval portholes in unbreakable glass let natural light into the
space, as in the study and the saloon. The bathrooms also reflect
these proportions: there are in fact two identical, symmetrical
bathrooms linked by a Multishower space, which is to say with
multifunction column and sauna. A quick word about the crew's
mess: reached by going down from the galley to the deck
immediately below it is really cosy, and it is commendable to see
less Formica and more well-finished wood. From their dinette,
equipped with TV, DVD and stereo, the main deck can also be
checked by video. Descending to the lower deck you come to the
captain's single and the crew's twin cabin while the bathroom,
with separate shower area, is in the same materials as the others,
which is to say ceramics and Portoro marble. This area also houses
the other service rooms: laundry, freezer and pantry. The galley
is practical in design, as is the rest of the boat: a 550 litre
fridge plus freezer, electric and microwave ovens, dishwasher,
glass-ceramic hob and good work surfaces. The main deck is the
real living area of the '85 open. The two divided dining areas
virtually converge towards the steering zone, where the backrest
of the bridge seat contains yet another (raiseable) plasma screen.
The sundecks, following the current, fairly logical trend, can be
arranged with mini armchairs and chaise-longues, thus getting away
from the rigid pattern of large predefined areas solely for sun-
worshipping. However there is also an area of this kind forward,
with space for about ten people. The awning over the cockpit,
where speedy intervention is vital should the weather turn bad,
resulted from insight on the part of Pietro Mussio, the boatyard's
young architect. Astern there is a spacious platform, accessible
by way of symmetrical stairways. Apart from its obvious purpose as
access to the sea for swimming, it also permits handling the
tender on davits and the movement of the retractable hydraulic
gangplank. The tender is a three and a half metre inflatable
dinghy with a high-power hydrojet.
To give an idea of the part below the waterline that corresponds
to these elegant topside lines, here are the words of Andre
Bacigalupo, creator of innumerable fast hulls (Mangusta, Leopard,
Panther etc.) and designer of this boat's bottom and overall
structure: ".the Alalunga 85 Open has a bottom specially designed
for use with surface screws: this means that the after half is
monohedric, with suitable volumes, of which the screw bosses are
almost a continuation, with three support runners to increase lift
and directionality and a protrusion angle of 15°. A good
compromise between excellent seaworthiness and the power necessary
for outstanding performance." Bacigalupo also mentioned the
various solutions employed to reduce noise and vibration, from the
special underwater exhaust outlets to the use of Rubber Design
joints that permit optimum alignments. Not forgetting the matter
of weight distribution, fairly delicate on a boat that must never
be too bow heavy. The large 1060 mm diameter 5 blade Radice Mibral
screws, mounted on an Arneson ASD 14, have proved to be the ideal
trait-d'union for offloading the 3000 HP of the MTU engines into
the sea, achieving a cruising speed of 35 knots even in not wholly
calm seas. We were told of a problem-free Sicily Channel crossing
in force 5+ conditions at an average of 28 knots. There is now a
Hard Top version of the Open 85: a slightly different philosophy
of use, but the same high quality.
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