Ferretti have designed and built their largest-ever planing boat, the Ferretti Yachts 960. While Ferretti as a group build bigger boats under their Custom Line and Pershing brands, this is their biggest Ferretti Yacht, and is the new flagship for the brand. At 96ft in length overall, with a beam of 22ft, there’s plenty of room – so much so that it sits somewhat oddly with this otherwise sporty top-performance speedster.

It’s a very quick boat indeed, if you choose the biggest engines on offer: twin MTU 16V M94 2,638hp diesels. Cruise at 27kts and enjoy the maximum speed of 31kts while the stabilizers reduce roll whether under way or at anchor. Even the standard engine offer, the twin MTU 16V M84 2,218hp diesel package gives you a very respectable maximum of 27kts and a cruising speed of 24kts.

Passenger accommodation comprises up to four identical double cabins on the lower deck, each ensuite, amidships. Crew berths are forward, accessible directly from the galley above, with two twin-berth cabins for the crew and a single-berth ensuite cabin for the Captain. The owner’s cabin, on the other hand, is on the Main Deck, just forward of the galley. This cabin can also be fitted-out as a “playroom” – a sitting-room with its own TV/HiFi and sofas – as an alternative to the equivalent towards the rear of the lobby-like saloon, just behind the 8-12 seat dining area.

Reaching further stern-wards we come to the cockpit, the true center of activity on the Ferretti Yachts 960. Not only the usual whole-complement banquette, but also another 8-seater dining table set forward amid the plentitude of circulation space for cocktails, once the anchor’s down.

The two gangways lead forward, to the foredeck; the port gangway providing private access to the galley and the crew quarters. The cockpit also gives access to the starboard rear gangplank, the engine room, the garage and the flybridge.

The flybridge can also be accessed from the forward main deck helm station, itself placed on a mezzanine above the main deck proper. The large sub-cockpit garage and it’s sinking floor are used to store the tender. This leaves space to spare on the flybridge for everyone on the sofas, the sun-deck and in the Jacuzzi, should you wish to have one. The Flybridge of the Ferretti Yachts 960 is sheltered by a hard-top with a sun-roof opening panel. Almost needless to mention: the bar area with the fridge, ice-maker, grill and sink, and the cupboards for handy things like glasses and extra bottles.

On a boat this size, with engines as powerful as these, there’s space and power enough to carry substantial sound-proofing for the cabins and living spaces in the form of multi-layered bulwarks. The crew will also be grateful not to be crammed up against the engine-room, as on many smaller vessels. Some of this capacity is made available for the internal finishings too, with extensive use of glass, oak and leather. The saloon and cabins all feature substantial glazing, full-length in the saloon, and the external views look close enough to touch.

Once upon a time, the cockpit was where you put things. Now we put them under the cockpit, and there is a substantial garage on the Ferretti Yachts 960. The whole stern between the two access stairways lifts up as a gull-winged doorway, and the central part of the swim-platform drops to partially flood the garage, thus enabling the tender to float in and out. A great saving on hoists and hoisting power. The space is large enough for a 4.5m RIB or a jetski and there’s room for diving equipment and other bits and bobs.

Specifications

LOA: 29.2m (95’ 10”)
Beam: 6.7m (22ft)
Fuel capacity: 9000lt (2378 U.S gals)
Water capacity: 1320lt (349 U.S gals)
Standard Engines: 2 X MTU 16V 2000 2218hp/
1630kW at 2450 rpm
Top Speed: 27.5kts
Cruising Speed: 24kts

Other engine configurations are available.

For more information: www.ferretti-yachts.com

Story Credits
This story first appeared in Yacht Style Magazine.