Ugly Betty

A crew of two looking after six guests is a small team for an 86-foot yacht, and that is the point: Ugly Betty is built for owners who want to run their own boat rather than hand it to a full crew. Circa Marine built her in 2017 as part of the FPB series, a design meant for weeks aboard rather than a night at anchor, backed by a dedicated workshop and generous storage below.

Build and provenance

Steve Dashew designed her, and Circa Marine built her in New Zealand as the final hull in the FPB series, a lineage built around aluminium hulls and long, efficient passages rather than top speed. Her listing describes her as continuously upgraded since delivery, the kind of ongoing care that keeps an aluminium expedition hull sound for a long working life.

Layout and accommodation

Three staterooms sleep six guests, with the full-beam Owner's cabin set apart for extended stays and two further guest cabins each holding their own ensuite. A Great Room folds the salon, the dining area and the helm together into one light-filled space, so life aboard stays centred in a single room rather than split across decks. An owner's office and a dedicated workshop below give her the working spaces a long-range yacht needs.

Performance and engineering

Twin John Deere engines rated at 231 hp keep her modest on paper but built for endurance: a 10.5-knot cruise, a 13.3-knot top speed, and a listed range past 6,100 nautical miles, figures that point to a passage-maker rather than a fast cruiser. A 17kW Onan generator and stabilisers working both at anchor and under way support the same brief: steady systems for weeks away from a marina rather than a fast sprint home.

Where she lies and how to see her

Ugly Betty lies in San Francisco. We can put a viewing together whenever a buyer wants to see her in person, and we are there alongside them for it. Once an offer is accepted, the next steps are a survey and a sea trial before anything is final.