TYACHTS BECOME ART
J Craft makes iconic yachts, unique pieces, hand-made by expert artisans. Building these craft involves almost obsessive attention to detail, ensuring the yard can provide stellar levels of quality and dedicate itself totally to every owner’s needs. This year J Craft celebrates its 25th anniversary, and the latest model to take to the water, Aquila III, is the first boat to be delivered to the USAl
by Paola Bertelli ph. courtesy by J Craft
hrough Sweden, land of vikings, discoverers, creators of nations, sailors, but also home to architecture, design and technology. This is the home of J Craft, an artisanal boutique shipyard that has been producing super-exclusive runabouts since 1999. Their great charm is linked to head-turning retro design, the beauty of the materials used, the skills of their workforce, impeccable details and cutting-edge technology. The first craft built by J Craft was Polaris, an 11.6 m (38 ft) Cabrio Cruiser, for King Carl XVl Gustaf of Sweden, who still uses it
for sailing in the Mediterranean.
The Polaris model was then developed and in 2010 the yard began producing the Torpedo 42’, an iconic craft with a sensual hourglass shape that can reach a top speed of up to 47 kn. It takes around 9,000to 10,000 manhours of work to produce a Torpedo. This means 1 man will take almost 5 years to produce 1 Torpedo. The yard constructs one or two Torpedoes a year, lavishing almost obsessive care and attention on these builds.
While the yard’s team of artisans handles the materials in old-school style, the J Craft design team supports owners in the process of personalising their yacht. Every Torpedo is different, reflecting its owner and emotions he or she seeks to experience and share. The mahogany and teak woods used to veneer the fibre glass hull and deck, are all from sustainable and rainforest-free sources, and the way they are worked are the keynotes of these yachts. The planks are steam bent using the same technique the Vikings employed, the mahogany is varnished and then lacquered 18 times to achieve the desired gloss finish, and the steel and the leathers used to finish the cockpit surfaces are all hand made and Swedish sourced. The hull and keel are designed to mount Volvo Penta IPS engines (IPS 500,600-R
or 650-RS), providing superior performance and manoeuvrability, no matter the level of expertise by the captain.
This year J Craft celebrates 25 years of activity with the delivery of Aquila III in Key Largo, Florida, the first Torpedo 42 built to conform to American standards and requirements.
Although we’re more used to seeing Torpedoes cutting through the Mediterranean off St Tropez, Portofino, Ibiza, Monaco, and Sardinia, they are now starting to appear off the New England and Florida coasts in the case of AQUILA, with an unmistakable dark blue hull, a gleaming mahogany veneered deck, and a cockpit covered in red and blue Ralph Lauren inspired tartan upholstery. There is more glossy mahogany inside, complete with Hermes finishes. Styled in homage to after the first Torpedo new line, “La Decadence”, AQUILA sets new standards in every aspect of its technology - it’s powered by two Volvo Penta IPS 650 engines, has a range of 300 miles and is the first Torpedo equipped with Volvo’s Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) and the Garmin Solid State radar system. Both systems are integrated into the Volvo Glass Cockpit whose screen, when not in use, retracts so as not to interrupt the classic lines of the instrument panel. The boat also features a Seakeeper gyroscopic stabiliser and an extended life lithium battery pack that enables Aquila III to spend a day at anchor with fridge, air conditioning and music player all running without the need to turn on the generator, providing exceptional comfort and eliminating extraneous noise.
J Craft motorboats are cult objects destined for enthusiasts. With the order books full for 2024 and 2025, the next delivery slot is available for the summer of 2026. j-craftboats.com
A cult object destined for a select few, the Torpedo 42s are all different, all utterly unique. It takes around 9,000 hours of work to make a single Torpedo – the mahogany alone is lacquered and varnished 18 times to achieve the desired gloss. Aquila III (opposite page) is the most recent Torpedo 42 built by the J Craft boutique yard, and it is the first to be delivered to the USA
