It’s coming up to nine years since Galeon debuted the 500 Fly at the 2015 Cannes Yachting Festival, where its drop-down sides and waterside bar provided not just a wow factor but expanded the ways guests could enjoy life on the sea on a 50ft boat.

MarineMax, the world’s largest yacht distributor, was quick to spot a good thing and four months later announced it was the shipyard’s US dealer. The move helped transform Galeon – now producing about 350 boats annually – into one of the leading brands in one of the industry’s most competitive segments.

Also in 2016, Asiamarine started representing Galeon on the other side of the Pacific and today is the brand’s official representative in Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand, while overseeing a regional network of dealers in other markets.

Since debuting the ‘beach mode’ concept on the 500 Fly, Galeon has continued to add layer upon layer of innovation in all areas of its flybridge yachts, which now range from 40-80ft. The design still feels ahead of its time, while the brand’s competitors in the flybridge sector have generally been slow to respond.

The line’s two largest models – the 680 Fly and flagship 800 Fly – don’t feature drop-down sides, but otherwise fold-down bulwarks have become a staple of new Galeon flybridge models, such as the 400 Fly (Review, Issue 56), 640 Fly (Review, Issue 64), and the new 440 Fly (Review, Issue 74) and 560 Fly that debuted last year.

The 560 Fly is Galeon’s second-largest model to feature the wings, yet the brand’s ‘transformer’ DNA has moved to a new level on the newcomer, with both the main deck and flybridge offering functionality, flexibility and space that hasn’t been seen on a monohull this size to date.

CASTRO DOES IT AGAIN

First things first. Among an overall length of 58ft 6in, the modelhas a 53ft 5in hull with a 15ft 10in beam, which expands to 22ft 4inwhen in ‘beach mode’.

Tony Castro, who has been designing for Galeon since 2001, has created a muscular exterior, with a tall band of dark glazing running from fore to aft along each hull side. Above, the saloon glazing is topped by a curvy superstructure, which is matched by flowing side supports for the hard top. Even before you board the 560 Fly, you feel like it offers ‘a lot of boat’.

The hydraulic aft platform can carry a RIB or tender and sets the tone for the fun to come with its ability to descend into the water while an integrated ladder to port unfurls to provide access for guests. The transom incorporates a fold-out sofa that’s good for putting on flippers or watching over kids in the water.

Port side stairs lead to the cockpit, which is covered by the flybridge overhang and features a large table on two fixed pedestals and an L-shaped sofa that reaches round to starboard. Stairs, again to port, lead to the flybridge.

The top deck has an open aft area that can include a couple of sun loungers, but otherwise Galeon has provided a fully fitted master class in maximising seating and lounging space on the fly.

Flanked by the hard top supports, the two-part outdoor galley includes an L-shaped set-up to starboard with a grill, sink, fridge and storage. To port is another wet bar, with either a fixed countertop or fold-up double grill atop storage and an ice maker. Both sides allow the cook or anyone grabbing drinks to face and converse with other guests.

Forward, the main social area features not one but two C-shaped dinettes that mirror each other. Each has a dining table that can fold out to adjoin the other and create one large dining table with seating on all four sides. It’s a remarkable option, although it’s advisable for anyone planning to sit at the forward end to visit the head first.

The transformations don’t stop there. The forward backrest of each sofa can be moved aft, necessary to create the bench-seat sofa for the helm to starboard. To port, moving the backrest creates matching companion seating that faces a long sofa under the windscreen. Throughout the fly, there’s storage under almost all the seating.

Look over the windscreen and you’ll see the foredeck, where a sofa faces a large sunpad that can fit backrests to create aft-facing seating and even has a small fold-up backrest at the forward end.

OPENING SALOON

Back to the cockpit and you’re at the heart of what makes this model different to any Galeon before. Even before the drop-down sides are lowered, they still allow access to the boat from either side due to an integrated boarding gate in the bulwark. When the sides are down, integrated glass allows you to see the water look through the floor.

The port bulwark allows access to the brand’s iconic waterside bar, where two stools can be inserted into the side deck and a foldout bar provides a platform for drinks and snacks. A huge open window allows easy conversation between the outdoor bar and those in the U-shaped galley and rest of the saloon.

The rest of the saloon is not so easy to define on the 560 Fly because a sliding door on the starboard side can completely open the aft half of the saloon, giving a clear view over the water when the bulwark is down.

This is already appealing but Galeon has gone a major step further by enabling the dinette to expand outside to provide alfresco dining for four. The starboard side of each seat can fold down to create facing bench sofas either side of a table that also unfolds to double its size. To port, a waterside bar; to starboard, waterside dining. It’s a winner.

With three sides of the aft half of the saloon open to the outside, Galeon has broken new ground in indoor-outdoor living in the sub-60ft flybridge sector. In fact, the enormous footprint and lack of barriers creates such a large sense of space that it’s easy to forget there’s more to explore inside.

It’s two steps up to the forward – or indoor – half of the saloon, where Galeon still manages to fit a C shaped sofa around a large table, which can electronically lower to seat height and be covered and converted into a double bed for extra guests. To starboard is a two-seat sofa that’s backed by a high low 50-inch TV. Both sides have large windows that can be covered by electrically actuated shades.

The starboard helm includes a bench sofa, while to port is storage below the large one-piece windscreen that also illuminates the central companionway and the hallway on the lower deck, which houses all the accommodation.

CREATIVE CABINS

Midships, the full-beam master stateroom has an en-suite, while the guest cabin to starboard and forward VIP cabin share a bathroom to port. The entrance to the master stateroom passes the door to the bathroom, which benefits from a massive hull window that even extends to the walk-in shower.

Two steps lead down to the bedroom, where the double bed faces a 50-inch television and is flanked by hanging cupboards in both aft corners and massive hull windows.

A hip-height storage cabinet – including a small fridge – runs along the starboard side, while to port is a desk cum vanity table beside a thick-cushioned seat, forward of which is a pull-out, two-level bottle drawer! There’s additional storage under the bed, under the TV and above the bedhead.

The guest cabin has a hanging cupboard and two single beds, with the inward bed able to be pushed across to create a double. The room also benefits from a huge hull window.

The VIP suite is impressively spacious considering its bow location and offers over 7ft of headroom at the bottom of the bed. It’s naturally bright due to big side windows and three skylights including a central opening hatch that provides the option of fresh air.

On both sides of the bed – which faces a 32-inch TV on the aft bulkhead – there’s storage integrated into stylish, curved joinery, which includes a hanging cupboard to starboard. To port is a vanity table with swingout stool, and the door to the bathroom, which is like the owner’s and has a huge window spanning across to the walk-in shower.

All the cabins feature smooth joinery, lots of recessed lighting and a nice variety of textures, especially evident in the attractive bedheads. And there’s even a twin crew cabin aft with access from the swim platform. Galeon’s forward-looking focus on flexibility and functionality shows no signs of slowing down.

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http://www.asiamarine.com

This article was first seen on yachtstyle.co

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