Small firm's grand feats

The $30 million Salperton took four years to complete. Photo / Jeff Brown/www.superyachtmedia.com

Its hard to believe that a company just 12 years old and based in the relative outpost of Taranaki is now one of the major players in the world of luxury superyachts.

Yet that is exactly what New Plymouth-based Fitzroy Yachts has achieved. Established in 1997 as a division of Fitzroy Engineering, the company successfully competes against the long-established superyacht builders of Europe and the United States. What's more, they often win.

They win contracts (the rights to build multimillion-dollar vessels) and they win awards. The 44m fast cruising sloop Salperton III, launched in March 2007, won the Best Sailing Yacht, 30-40m class, at the World Superyacht Awards in April last year and then followed that, two months later, by winning the coveted Best Sailing Yacht, 30-45m Class, at the Showboats International Awards in June.

Competition for these awards and for the rights to build these vessels is fiercely contested. Bidding is often intense as a single contract can mean several years work for the winning company, their staff and suppliers.

There are many influences: the ability of the yard to deliver the expected build quality and to do so on time and within budget; the opinion of the designer, the skipper (if he has been with the owner for a while), the project manager; and that of the owner.

Some are relatively hands-off, trusting to their advisers. Others, especially those who have owned such vessels before, tend to be more involved.

This, it appears, was the case with Fitzroy's latest offering, the 45m Salperton IV. Her European owner, Barry Houghton, returned to Fitzroy for this, his latest vessel, after the success of his previous yacht, the Fitzroy-built Salperton III.

It is his fourth superyacht (all named Salperton after the family's estate in the Cotswolds). The first was built by Perini, the second by Auckland's Alloy Yachts.

Like its predecessor, Salperton IV is an Ed Dubois design with the interior designed by the Adam Lay Studio.

According to Fitzroy's managing director, Rodney Martin, building a second yacht for the same owner gives the company the opportunity to create "exactly the right vessel for the client's needs".

In other words, not a major redesign, but more a tweaking; intense attention to detail in areas where the client was maybe only "almost completely" satisfied before.

Good examples: a larger bimini awning over the cockpit with built-in mini sofas rather than chairs; carbon-fibre and teak outdoor furniture to complement the carbon-fibre handrails, wheel and other fittings in the cockpit.

The new Salperton has also been designed for better sailing performance and with sleeker aesthetics than those boasted by her award-winning predecessor.

She is constructed entirely of 5083 marine-grade aluminium, although this seems unlikely when one looks at her graceful curves.

She is a metre longer than Salperton III, has a generous beam of 9.3m and a fixed draft of just 4.75m.

The extra metre on deck gives her greater cockpit area and a more spacious engine room and lazzerette below.

Capable of long-range cruising, Salperton IV is also able to move quickly through the water under power. Her 875hp Caterpillar C18D diesel engine gives a top speed of more than 15 knots.

The yacht is fully air-conditioned, has its own sewage treatment station, can make up to 15 tonnes of water a day and carries 30 tonnes of fuel.

She is also a sophisticated beast. An integral part of her ergonomic design is the many automated systems (complete with touch of a button controls) that are installed throughout the vessel. A good example: the pneumatic pop-up helm stations.

Despite her impressive 45m length (148ft for the metrically challenged), this is no floating dormitory. Salperton has just the owners' cabin and three guest cabins, one of which converts to a gym; while up forward, three more accommodate the six crew.

The now seemingly obligatory spa pool is in a well on the forward deck.

There is, as one would expect, much to admire about the interior. Fitzroy takes pride in constructing as much of a vessel as possible on site in New Plymouth. Where items such as the door latches, light switches and saloon sofas are imported, these often get a custom treatment.

The carefully crafted detail of the walnut cabinetry is a feature throughout. So, too, is the beautiful waxy-coated, oyster oak flooring, the first time this product has been used in a superyacht.

Solid marble in the owner's bathroom was selected by the owner from the quarry in Italy and was purpose-cut in Auckland.

The expanse of skylights over the large saloon area has been retained from Salperton III. Martin says these skylights - some of which open - send the sense of light and spaciousness down the stairs to the lower levels and connect indoors and out.

"We have also used fake portlights in the cabins. These are a pane of glass with a light behind. They simulate a porthole effect in the cabin without the need for visible portholes on the exterior."

While Salperton is undoubtedly a fine superyacht, with all the luxury and appointments that implies, she is also a spectacular sailing boat. Her 61m Southern Spars rig includes the latest Future Fibers PBO rigging, while her boom is also a step up in profile from Salperton III's, making it easier to hoist and furl the 573sq m main sail. Salperton total sail area is an impressive 3752sq m.

Salperton IV is Fitzroy Yachts' biggest and most expensive project yet. Their eighth superyacht, the $30 million yacht took two years and more than 250,000 hours to build. When she was launched, three cranes were used to lower the 45m, 215-tonne vessel into the Tasman Sea off Port Taranaki's Blyde Wharf.

That was in April. Commissioning has since been completed and Salperton IV is part way through a three-month cruise in the Pacific Islands and, earlier this week, was in Tahiti, where the accompanying photos were taken.

She will then cruise the Caribbean and Mediterranean becoming, in the process, another wonderful floating advertisement for the skills and commitment of the team from Fitzroy Yachts in New Plymouth.

Contact Marine editor Mike Rose on (09) 483 8284; 021 735 015 or email: mrpr@xtra.co.nz.