Third FD87 moved to drydock ahead of final testing

Taiwanese yard Horizon Yachts has moved the third hull in its FD87 Skyline series to the drydock ahead of final testing.

The yacht, which is the first enclosed-bridge model sold to the European market, had a build time of less than seven months and is expected to be delivered at the end of October.

The FD87 is Horizon Yachts’ first 26.5-metre (87-foot) yacht to boast a new walk-around deck design on the flybridge. The fast displacement yacht is the latest in Horizon’s FD range, which also features the FD102 and FD85 models. The first model in the FD87 series, named Skyline, was delivered to her owner at the start of the year.

Exterior styling comes from Dutch naval architect Cor D Rover, while the yard’s in-house team created the high-performance, wave-piercing bow and interior décor.

Accommodation on board is for up to 10 guests split across five staterooms, including main deck owner’s cabin, three double suites and a twin room. The crew quarters allow for a staff of up to three.

In a statement, the owner disclosed that they were attracted to Horizon Yachts because of their strictly in-house practice.

“On my visit, what impressed me most was Horizon’s professional in-house naval architect and interior design team, and the one-stop manufacturing service,” they said. “These are rarely seen among global yacht builders, and this makes me feel comfortable putting my trust in Horizon as a manufacturer.”

Horizon’s U.S. marketing director Elise Moffitt revealed the launch of the FD series, and its consequent “global appeal”, has played a significant part in the yard’s strong performance in 2018 so far.

“The FD yachts are going to the U.S., Australia and Europe and having models that have such global appeal means we are now consistently busy. There’s huge momentum moving forward, especially from the FD series.”

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