Picture an 18-foot (5.6-meter) megayacht tender taking guests out for watersports fun, capable of a top speed of 30 knots, too. This is just the beginning of the requirements of a project in build at JFA Yachts. It’s the LuXplorer 560. The name hints at the level of fit-out and the intended usage.
The French shipyard may strike some as an odd choice for a tender. It particularly has staked a reputation over many years for building custom and semi-custom superyachts, including the Long Island range of catamarans. However, the management team asserts that custom projects such as the LuXplorer 560 require similar skills, and further are among what clients want. The client who commissioned this has a 164-footer (50-meter).
JFA Yachts joined forces with Monaco-based naval-architecture studio Spark Marine Projects for the design. The LuXplorer 560 shows off simple yet sporty styling, with a few subtly elegant lines, too. A deep-V hull and 170-hp Yanmar inboard will aid performance and comfort for a total of eight guests and one crewmember. Comfort additionally comes in spreading out amid the 6’8″ (2.07-meter) beam.
With fiberglass construction, too, the tender better suits the owner’s desires than a RIB, the style that tends to dominate in this size range.
Upon delivery, the tender will mark the second so-called small boat from the shipyard. Just last year, in fact, it delivered Lion, an all-electric dayboat for Vita Yachts. The 34-foot (10.5-meter), high-performance craft participated in Monaco’s Energy Boat Challenge last summer. She is further the first in a series.
JFA Yachts jfa-yachts.com
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