FERRETTI INFYNITO 90

Ferretti Yachts is diversifying into the long-range fast-displacement market. But can its debut model justify the hype?

- Phil Draper

For the past four decades, Ferretti Yachts has maintained its position as a builder of premiumgrade planing motor yachts. But at last year's Cannes Yachting Festival, we got to see a new side to the Italian yard in the shape of its first fastdisplacement model, the tri-deck Infynito 90, and to hear of plans for bigger and smaller sisters.

Ferretti bills the Infynito 90 as a long-range motor yacht and is making a lot of its ecocredentials, such as its ethically sourced timbers, bamboo fabrics, regenerated leathers and water based paints. The design of this new-age explorer is deliberately a little chunkier than its planing cousins, thanks to a bluff bow, forward-raked bridge windows and fashion-plate buttresses on its main and upper decks.

It's an imposing, rather than a particularly pretty, yacht but the design does allow for almost 100m² of exterior deck space and 140m² of interior. Ferretti claims this adds up to a total volume around 25% greater than the market average.

The Infynito name, which rather cleverly includes the brand's 'FY' initials, is said to be suggestive of a seamless connection with sea and sky and a 'visual continuity between interior and exterior. This certainly rings true for the Infynito 90's unique selling point the partially enclosed foredeck area, which Ferretti calls the 'All-Season Terrace. The idea is a logical progression of the current trend for foredeck lounges. Having once just been somewhere to put another sunpad, foredecks have gradually evolved into versatile outdoor lounges with seats, tables, lights and sunshades so it's not so surprising that some clever soul decided to take that to the next level with a roofed solution.