Trade-A-Boat — February 2018

A

ustralia’s

natural

wonders are

still fresh in

the minds of

West Australian big-boat

entrepreneur John Farrell

and his partner John

Silverthorne as they jet off

for their appointment in

Italy with Ferretti Yachts.

Brothers Alessandro

and Norberto Ferretti

founded the yard in 1968

and their deep love and

passion for the sea and

their story is not dissimilar

to that of John Farrell. He

is the man responsible

for the internationally

sought-after Oceanfast

luxury superyachts built at

Henderson, just south of

Fremantle.

Farrell also has a deep

respect for the ocean and as

a boat engineer has much

in common with his host

Norberto, who is still very

much at the coal face of his

empire. The former likes to

spend more time cruising

Australia’s coastline these

days than being at a desk.

But his thinking is still

locked into that “superyacht

mode”.

“Australia is a big country

so you need a big boat,” says

Farrell. “It’s no good if you’re

days from your nearest port

and something goes wrong

or you’re getting low on fuel

and you want to explore up

that river, round the next

bend. You need to ‘think big’

and that’s where the Ferretti

881 RPH comes in.”

So when he and

Silverthorne decided to

open JW Marine Western

Australia they wanted one

of the world’s biggest and

best on board – the Ferretti

Group. The flagship Ferretti

881 RPH made its Australian

debut at the Mandurah Boat

Show, sporting a price tag of

$8.5m.

RPH stands for Raised

Pilot House, making the

flagship bigger than the

standard 881, and gives the

skipper commanding views

over the forward section of

this 27m luxury boat.

More welcome, though,

is the greater space it has

created elsewhere – namely

the galley, one of the most

used areas on any craft.

Heading down to the main

deck and the ‘official’ dining

area, you’ll find a nine-piece

suite, and walking astern

you enter the huge saloon

where the timber only goes

to waist height because huge

windows grace both sides.

Down a curved staircase

to the lower deck and

towards midships is the

master stateroom, the

king-size bed running

athwartships. Towards the

front of the Ferretti 881 and

down a couple of steps are

two more cabins, the VIP

guest quarters in the bow,

while back on the main

deck, a rear staircase leads

to two crew cabins.

The Ferretti 881 RPH is

a “go anywhere” boat and

to suit Australia’s remote

locations Farrell ordered

more fuel capacity. An

additional 1500lt gives this

boat a total of 11,500lt.

The Ferretti 881 RPH is

fitted with twin 2200hp MTU

engines capable of 31kts,

whilefor long-distance

cruising reduce the throttle

to 11kts and 120lt/h.

The pilothouse is located a

good 6m above the waterline

and at the wheel adjusting

the course direction while

still on autopilot, the boat

responds immediately and

you’re really oblivious to the

true conditions on the water,

thanks to the twin gyro

stabilisers fitted below the

engineroom.

STUNNING ITALIAN LUXE LINER

Ferretti 881 RPH

quick specs

Ferretti 881 RPH

PRICE AS TESTED $8.55m

MATERIAL Fibreglass

LENGTH 27.07m overall,

22.35m waterline

BEAM 6.72m

ENGINE 2 x 2200hp MTU 16V

2000 M92 turbo-diesel

FUEL 11,500lt

WATER 1320lt

FOR MORE INFO

jwmarine.com.au

STORY BARRY WISEMAN

PHOTO SUPPLIED

tradeboats.com.au 65

Archive Tests