Pershing 80

When a boatbuilder wishes to unveil ‘something special’ to the world’s boating press, they choose a location that is equally as impressive, and in a joint promotion, Pershing and their distributor Venturer Yachts found the magnifi cent Port De Mallorca on the Mediterranean island of Majorca to debut their brand spanking new Pershing 80. The craft had only been completed a week before its arrival in Palma and being number one off the production line, we might have expected a few ‘last minute’ adjustments. However, this was not the case and the Pershing 80 is yet another superb example of the Italian company’s build quality. What makes a Pershing super yacht stand out from the rest is its unique combination of awesome performance and opulent luxury without being garish. Even so, for those looking for a traditional mode of waterborne transport, look elsewhere as the 80 is anything but. This is a product of the electronic age where almost everything is operated by buttons and joy sticks. Pershing designers have created an eighty footer with the interior space of a vessel considerably larger. The two engines are installed at the rear of the hull leaving acres of room forward for the spacious accommodation of either a four or three cabin layout. Boat number one featured four cabins comprising a sumptuous VIP guest room with king size double berth situated at the forward end of the craft which boasted en-suite bathroom, digital air-conditioning and audio system. Between the VIP guest room and owner’s stateroom are two guest cabins on either side of the corridor and both are fi tted with twin single berths. Again each cabin has its own air-con, audio system and a separate guest bathroom. A twin bed guest cabin is replaced by a small dining area in the three cabin version of the eighty. The owner’s stateroom is a delight and occupies the full beam of the craft, and as one would expect, the cabin features luxuries that will fulfi l the demands of even the most fastidious owner. This cabin also enjoys extra light as the large hull window midships is for the owners benefi t. Owner’s and guest bedrooms are accessed down a wide staircase at the forward end of the deck saloon. The deck level dining and lounge area can be either open plan or, at the press of a button the deck saloon becomes enclosed. This facility has been produced by Besenzoni, famed for their electric lifting gear and slide-away boarding platforms. A two piece, reinforced glass partition lowers into the fl oor at the touch of a button when an open space area is required, and when the partition is in the raised position the saloon area becomes an enclosed dining room and lounge. The partition is in two sections and one side slides open for access. The saloon has a dining table with seating for eight and a large L shaped sofa. A Plasma television appears at the touch of a button together with audio system. Pershing has perfected the sliding hardtop in their larger craft and the 80 features two. A hardtop above the outside dining area on the aft deck and another directly above the triple helm station…. all operated electronically. As one would expect, quality is evident throughout and the interior furnishings have been designed by celebrated Italian designer Poltrona Frau who uses leather extensively and unsealed oak timber. The foredeck is reached by two large fl ush fi tting doors on either side of the deck saloon and this private area accomadates a vast settee-sunbathing-dining area which is upholstered in white vinyl and a manually operated bimini provides protection when the sun is at its hottest. A staircase on the port side of the deck saloon leads to the ‘business’ section of the 80 – galley, engine room and crew’s quarters. The kitchen is very efficiently laid out with every facility for the most demanding chef, and is again finished in oak. While the crew’s berths, dinette and bathroom are adequate, they are not quite what you would expect on a craft as it looks like not a lot of thought went into the layout. However I understand that modifications in this area are being considered. The engine room, home to two MTU V16 2000 M91 engines, each producing 2030hp, is a work of art. The power is transmitted through twin Arneson ASD 15 drives fitted with 5 bladed nickel/aluminium/bronze propellers, while lift is also provided by hydraulic trim tabs. Just about every item of equipment to make life aboard, self sufficient is fitted within the engine room, yet the area does not feel overloaded or cramped. For regular maintenance, engineers can work in relative comfort and the engine room can also be reached through a hatch on the deck. There are many design features and innovations on this magnificent craft, like the toy cupboard, or garage on the after deck, big enough to store a jet ski, RIB and windsurfer’s gear, but it’s the Pershing 80’s performance that will ensure this latest product from the company is a winner. The skipper’s domain is three sumptuously upholstered seats overlooking the impressive dashboard which houses a television screen with pictures beamed from the engine room. The captain has a choice of a wheel or joystick to steer the craft with traditional single lever throttle and gear sticks, and directly in front of the helm is trim tab controls and bow thruster buttons. With around fifteen guests aboard it was time to fire up the twin MTU’s and head for the open waters of the Mediterranean. Despite being moored stern on, in a very confined space between two other craft from the Pershing range, the eighty effortlessly slid out of the berth with a little assistance from the bow thruster. Once clear of the inner harbour, power was applied and we were ‘up and away’. The craft feels so at ease despite 47 knots registering on the speedo. This is where Pershing excel, high performance together with comfort, so I was surprised that a journalist should ask our helmsman to carry out an acceleration test. From a stationary position full power was applied and the scribe set his stop watch, but I was unclear what this would achieve. Despite having around 4500hp under the bonnet, the Pershing 80 weighs in at around 60 tons so we were not going to scorch away like an F1 powerboat. Once up and running the eighty returned everything that was expected of it and even in the tightest of turns there was not the slightest sign of cavitation from the Arneson drives. As mentioned at the beginning, this was the first Pershing 80 off the assembly line and despite very little test time the craft made its maiden voyage from the Pershing headquarters in Mondolfo, Italy on the Adriatic coast to Palma, Majorca, a distance of approximately 1100nm, stopping off in Montavecci for refuelling. The crew reported no problems and although they enjoyed favourable conditions for most of the journey, they did encounter the odd ‘lumpy’ sea and the craft ploughed through it with ease. Pershing, like every other builder of Super Yachts are in a very competitive market and potential owners have a wide choice. It’s fair to say, the eighty footer from Pershing ticks all the right boxes and this newcomer can top the ‘magic’ 50 knot milestone, which is lightning quick for a craft of this size. Pershing are also renowned for their colour schemes which have a very metallic appearance. Any potential buyer of a Super Yacht of this size would be well advised to book a ride out and I can guarantee you will not be disappointed.

Length overall ISO 8666: 24.50m – 80 ft 5 in.

Construction length: 23.98m – 78 ft 8 in

Construction height from keel to radar arch: 5.50m – 18 ft 1 in

Minimum transport height from keel: 5.36m – 17 ft 7 in

Maximum Beam: 5.50m – 18ft 1 in

Draft at full load: 1.4m – 4 ft 7 in

Displacement without load and dry: 51 t – 112436 Ib

Displacement at full load: 60 t – 132498 Ib

Fuel tank capacity: 5950 ltr.- 1572 US gals

Water tank capacity: 1300 ltr – 343 US gals

Generators: 2 x 20 KW – 50Hz

Engines: 2 x MTU 16v 2000M91 – 2030mhp

Propulsion: 2 x Arneson ASD 15

Maximum speed at light displacement: 44 knots

Range – at cruising speed: 370 nm

Cabins: 4

Bathrooms: 3

Crew cabins: 2

Crew bathroom: 1

Maximum people on board: 16

Safety equipment: 12 (3)

Homologation certificate: A

PERSHING 80 VITAL STATISTICS

The performance data produced in the specification refers to a craft with standard equipment with a displacement of 54 tons which is the equivalent to a one third load and the data was taken in a calm sea, no wind and air temperature of 25 degrees with a clean hull. However the performance figures of the boat we tested in Majorca produced a higher speed with a full cargo of guests but the amount of fuel aboard was not recorded.