Spitfire

Eleven hours is how long her diesel-electric hybrid system can run in near silence within a single day, drawing on generators and batteries rather than the main engines. Bannenberg & Rowell designed Spitfire, with naval architecture by Lateral Naval Architects. Ares Yachts is building her at 50 metres in Antalya, Turkey, for delivery in 2027.

Build and provenance

She is a custom-built, 499 gross tonne displacement motor yacht on a monohull. Variable-speed generators and batteries give her diesel-electric system its silent running, doing the work main generators normally would.

Layout and accommodation

Ten guests are accommodated across five staterooms, with a crew of nine to run the boat around them, a ratio that leaves plenty of hands free even at full occupancy. The owner's Boss Quarters sit forward on the bow, a private terrace with its own jacuzzi set apart from the guest decks. An open wheelhouse sits on the upper deck.

Performance and engineering

Two MAN V12 2000 engines give her a 22-knot top speed and a 10-knot cruise, secondary to the diesel-electric system that lets her run in near silence for up to eleven hours a day. It reads as a hybrid built for calm nights at anchor as much as for the passage there.

On deck and at anchor

On deck, the beach club opens and fold-down terraces widen the living space once she is anchored. Inboard, a gym and a convertible Fun Store, usable as lounge, cinema or gym depending on the day, sit ready for whichever the guests choose.

Where she lies and how to see her

Spitfire is under construction in Antalya, Turkey, and will lie there through her build. Boatcrowd represents her sale and will arrange a viewing once she is far enough along to show, standing alongside a buyer for the survey and sea trial that follow an accepted offer.