The largest Sportyacht to date from Palmer Johnson tasted water for the first time this week.
Referred to simply by her build number, PJ-501, the yacht is also the first of the PJ 170 Sportyacht series. If you’re familiar with the smaller superyachts of that genre delivered by Palmer Johnson in recent years, you’ll recognize the styling. It’s from the drawing boards of Nuvolari-Lenard. Palmer Johnson believes the extra LOA makes the profile appear more aggressive, and I certainly agree.
Built for a repeat client, PJ-501 marks a few notable accomplishments for Palmer Johnson, including being the first of any of the Sportyachts to feature dual gyro stabilizers. This eliminates the need for the traditional fins of other stabilizer setups. In addition, the yacht marks the venerable builder’s re-entry into the 50-meter-plus (164-foot-plus) realm. Recall that Palmer Johnson’s Wisconsin yard delivered the 195-foot La Baronessa in 1998. (On a side note regarding La Baronessa, she was also the largest American-built yacht at the time since the 1930s).
After delivery, PJ-501 will spend the rest of the summer in the Med. Meanwhile, two more PJ 170s are under contract, as are two other Sportyachts that will eclipse this series in length: They’re the first of the 210-foot series. Look for them to debut next year.
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