6 minute read
The Owner Experience
HORIZONS DEFINED
OWNER EXPERIENCE
Advertisement
Two first-time Horizon owners share the reasons that led them to choose Horizon and how this build and purchase experience has differed from previous.
FD80 HULL THREE Well Done
(A Job) Well Done
It was the on-deck master, ample space for entertaining and the
option for owner operation that drew these rst-time Horizon owners to the FD80 Hull ree. But it was the yacht’s engineering quality, detailed design and the Horizon sales and service teams that tipped the scales. Delivered in December 2020, the FD80 Skyline – christened Well Done – features four staterooms, an enclosed skylounge and a spacious beach club.
“We’ve owned Hydra-Sports, Sea Rays and an Ocean Alexander, but the redundancy of the systems in the Horizon was so simple yet world class in terms of engineering,” says the owner. “Nothing was redundant on our last boat. Take the accessibility of the tv system, for example. People love to watch the game on the boat, but the tv boxes go out all the time. On our last boat it would take an Act of Congress to access the box – no ventilation, the cables were tight – then you’d have to put it all back together and there was no air ow.”
©RICHARD TARANTO
Highlighted by the expansive windows, Well Done’s main salon is bright and airy, with a contemporary décor and functional amenities such as the convertible dining table that o ers formal dining for larger groups and folds into a breakfast bar to maximize space. e spacious galley is separated from the salon via privacy doors and a Hi/Lo island partition.
Forward, the spacious master features the same large windows that extend throughout the main deck as well as a large en suite and a seating area with a sofa and built-in vanity. ree additional guest staterooms are situated on the lower deck – one VIP cabin in the bow, one large guest cabin amidships and a twin cabin. On the upper deck, Well Done’s enclosed skylounge o ers a dayhead and a relaxed dinette area with low co ee tables. Doors to port and starboard provide access to the semi-walkaround side decks while the aft boat deck features a bar alongside the inviting Jacuzzi and grill area. Uniquely, this yacht also features a spacious beach club in addition to her crew quarters for two.
MASTER STATEROOM
“Horizon did a beautiful job on this boat,” says the owner. “ e FD80 gives you as much room as a 100ft Italian build. It’s well thought out – the water dynamics, the way the hull works; the stainless quality is second to none… in short she’s just beautiful.” e owners had the boat wrapped with a ceramic coat – an added value feature, says the owner. “We bought a lot of boats” he says. “You’ll always have
Each exterior space is designed for entertaining.
a problem with something mechanically, and sometimes the manufacturer or the dealer won't x it. But having people that you can count on to x it is the di erence. Some vendors don’t always respond, but the Horizon people have been there and never asked a question. So, from our perspective, Horizon’s service, warranty, superior design and engineering is the di erence.”
E81 HULL TWO Valiant
A Valiant Effort
“ is is the second boat we have done as a semi-custom build, but the experience has been quite di erent in that Horizon has bent over backwards to deliver what we want.” e second hull of the new E81 model has been designed to accommodate her experienced owners’ cruising lifestyle, with spacious exterior areas, a three-stateroom-plus-o ce layout and a modern interior décor. “Our last build enabled us to make some cosmetic changes, but this time we were able to make structural and functional changes that I believe make for a better boat,” says the owner. “For example, the rst E81 has transom access to the engine room and crew quarters, which means opening the deck hatch and climbing down a ladder. at was a non-starter for me, so the team at Horizon customized the boat and gave us stairs from the deck to the crew quarters and thus the engine room. is yielded much better functionality.” Spanning the yacht’s 20’ 6” beam, the main deck aft will feature a xed dining table and a bar area. Walkaround side decks lead to the foredeck, for which the owners speci ed a spacious entertainment area on the bow to include a large U-shaped settee and sun pad. “ e sea stairs are always an issue, particularly where to store them when not deployed. ey tend to be heavy and ngers can su er!” says the owner. “A cabinet was built on the main deck to accommodate the stairs and should make for easy deployment and storage. On the opposite side of the deck, we also had a custom cabinet made to store the deck chairs. Both units provide a nice counter top too!” Working with Horizon Yacht USA and the yard’s in-house design center, the owners speci ed a modern aesthetic for the interior, which features an expansive salon with an open galley and country kitchen arrangement out tted in two-toned white/silver oak, with light quartz surfaces and steel blue and grey accents. Contemporary design elements such as wood slats in the co ee table and waterfall edges for the galley counters will feature throughout. e owners describe the experience as, “We went to the beautiful new Horizon USA o ce in North Palm Beach and spent six hours with Elise, picking fabrics while she was a few weeks away from delivering her baby. Karl did a site visit armed with fabric books, elevations, etc… while we were on a family vacation. e yard did a Zoom call with us late one evening –
OFFICE/LIBRARY
The bright, airy and modern interior exudes a calm sophistication.
and not to mention the 100s of emails that began with ‘Happy Monday’, ‘Happy Friday’ and always ended with ‘a pleasure’, ‘no problem at all,’ and ‘anytime’! Honestly, they all deserve a medal for patience and customer service!” While the standard E81 arrangement o ers four staterooms on the lower deck, the owners opted for a fullbeam master suite with a re ned head and shower, a large VIP ensuite forward and a twin guest stateroom to starboard. In the space normally occupied by the fourth stateroom, the owners speci ed an o ce/library with a built-in workspace and cabinetry. Handling all of the details from afar was handled as e ciently and e ectively as possible, say the owners. “We would have visited the yard in Taiwan, but 2020 provided a hard roadblock to that adventure!” they say. “ e Horizon team has had a lot of patience with us. Picking and choosing from afar allows for second guessing oneself frequently. Let’s face it, it’s a big investment and we don’t want to have regrets.”
THESE PAGES
Now in build, the E81 Hull Two is on schedule to deliver to her owners in Fall 2021.
