A few weeks ago, I briefly mentioned a new model that Lazzara Yachts unveiled at the Yacht & Brokerage Show. Finally, here’s a look at it.
Called the LMC 76, for Lazzara Motor Cruiser 76, she might strike some of you as being too small to be considered a megayacht. However, given her novel triple pod propulsion, which frees up about 10 percent more usable space than traditional powerplants, she rivals 80- to 85-footers in her accommodations.
Specifically, the 76 will feature Cummis MerCruiser Diesel’s (CMD) Zeus 3000 Series. Not only does the triple-pod arrangement mark a first in the motoryacht market, but the usage of Zeus is a first for the megayacht market, too, as it so far has been used on a variety of production boats to about 50 feet. CMD president Alex Savelli says that his company was considering a quad-installation concept and met with Lazzara nearly a year ago to see what the two firms could do together. The result is this project, which will feature 600-hp engines.
Similar to Volvo Penta’s IPS pods, which Lazzara uses on its LSX series, Zeus increases fuel economy (reportedly by 30 percent), allows independent operation of each engine, and features an intuitive joystick control. Owners should be able to spin the yacht within her own length by using the joystick and even walk her sideways without the need for bow or stern thrusters (therefore the yacht won’t feature them). But Zeus does have a few differences. One is Skyhook station keeping, which incorporates GPS technology to allow you to hold the yacht’s position and heading despite wind and current. Another difference: rear-facing propellers mounted in tunnels.
As for how this impacts the LMC 76, the engines’ smaller footprint means a smaller engine room, allowing for the creation of crew’s quarters or a larger stateroom, or something else an owner can conceive.
The first yacht in the series is being sea-trialed at Lazzara’s Tampa, Florida, headquarters and should reportedly see a top speed of 28 knots. Even on two engines, she should be capable of 18 knots, and if they’re throttled back to 10 knots, the 76 is expected to see a 1,000-mile range.
Speaking of seeing, if you live along the East Coast of the USA, you’ll be able to see the four-stateroom LMC 76 this summer, since Lazzara plans a promotional tour before her official debut at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.
But rather than continue to tell you about the LMC 76, I thought I’d give you a virtual-reality tour of some of her spaces, courtesy of Lazzara’s in-house team.
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