FRom heR LAyout to heR Look, hARgRAve`s 101

american
splendor
From her layout to her look, Hargrave’s 101-foot Sassy is
fully customized for her owners. by chris caswell
44 A P R IL 2014 / yach ting
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O
The design cues on the Hargrave 101’s bulkhead in the formal dining area (far
left) are continued in the palatial master suite (center). Sassy’s country
galley (above) is a cheerful and inviting location for casual meals and entertaining.
Hargrave is the titillation of expectation,
the excitement of seeing what is new and
wonderful. I am always like an eager child
going into a candy shop for the first time.
But with Sassy, the new Hargrave 101,
my wildest dreamings left me totally
unprepared. This is a completely fresh
and original Hargrave.
Of course no two Hargraves are alike
because, though they start from molds like
a production yacht, each one is fully customized to suit an owner’s needs. And this
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isn’t just changing the upholstery color,
either. Go ahead and move a bulkhead,
add a cabin, modify the exterior lines and
make this your yacht. When CEO Mike
Joyce took over the Hargrave brand, he
made the comment “We’re looking for clients who want to do interesting projects.”
And he has found them ... in droves.
For me, surprise number one was seeing Sassy at the dock. The transom is not
the usual classic perpendicular of Hargrave tradition. No, it curves forward,
leaving an ample swim platform, and it
also curves athwartships. And the flybridge overhang cleverly mirrors that
same form. Together it makes the stern
appear youthful and classic (think of the
beautifully curved sterns on the commuter yachts of the 1930s), and with a
transom door into an immense stowage
area, it gives Sassy a look of eagerness.
That was only the prelude, because
surprise number two was stepping into
the salon. I was struck by the sheer size.
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courtesy Hargrave
ne of the delights of reviewing a new
The area seems to stretch off to the horizon, utilizing the full 21-foot beam. (The
crew gets narrow side decks for hanging fenders.) Contributing to the sense of
space are the huge windows on each side
that rise from behind the low couches
and chairs nearly to the tray ceiling,
which, by the way, allows more than 7
feet of headroom.
Designer Shelley DiCondina of Yacht
Interiors by Shelley in Fort Lauderdale
took to heart Joyce’s request for an interior that was “clean and crisp.” To that,
DiCondina added “energetic,” and Sassy
www. y a c h tin gm a ga zin e . c o m is a yacht that appeals to a broad range
of clients from young to, um, seasoned.
Adding to the airiness is the choice of
European or sweet cherry, a fruitwood
that is unusual in yacht interiors. With
a wonderful grain that the Hargrave
craftsmen have carefully end-matched
and a tawny color, it makes you want to
smile when you enter the salon. From the
intricate overhead design to the design
cues that DiCondina used throughout,
this is a happy yacht.
Much can be seen from the photos
of the arrangements: four staterooms
with a huge full-beam master, a spacious VIP forward and two mirror-style
guest cabins, all with en suite heads. Forward of the salon and down a passage
with an elegant day-head is the country-kitchen-style galley, which fills the
forward portion of the house and creates a casual dining setting to balance
the salon’s formal dining area.
Which brings up an important point
about Sassy: This is an American yacht,
not an Americanized yacht. There is a
difference, and an essential one. Many
European builders import ­A mericanized
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yachts, in which they change the electrical system and do a few superficial
upgrades. But Sassy was built from the
keel up for the way Americans use their
yachts. European-owned yachts may
never leave the dock, while 1,500 to
2,000 miles a year isn’t unusual for an
American-owned 100-footer.
Take the galley, for example. Euro­
peans hide the galley (and chef) away,
while Sassy opens it up for a family
atmosphere. And Joyce specified all GE
appliances because, when you’re in a
place where folks can’t pronounce most
European appliances, you can usually
get GE service in an hour.
Another clear indication that Sassy was
created for Americans is the crew area.
European yachts often have crew quarters that make Guantanamo Bay cells
look palatial. Aboard Sassy, the captain
has his own en suite stateroom with a
queen berth. Two more crew members
share a second cabin with a head, and
there is a comfortable crew mess with
dinette, mini-galley and washer/dryer.
Access is secure at sea via stairs from the
main deck or, at dockside, through a big
clamshell door in the transom. Best of
all, the finish is to the same standards as
in the guest areas. Expect a waiting list
of crew applications.
Surprise number three was the flybridge, which, like the salon, makes the
most of its beam. The helm has all the
same essentials as the raised pilothouse
just a few steps down, and there is a
­double-wide companion seat as well. But,
oh my! This is a bridge meant for entertaining. A full bar with pedestal stools is
to port, and a pair of comfortable lounges
with tables are aft and to port. But here’s
the thing to notice: The tables don’t crowd
the seats. When you have five people on
a settee around a table, the inner person
always has to go to the bathroom. It’s a
rule of nature. So everyone has to move.
Not on Sassy, because they left enough distance so insiders can get out.
That attention to detail is best illustrated by “The Book” that Joyce acquired
with Hargrave. The Book is Jack Hargrave’s take on the measurements for
everything from settee heights to backrest angles to door widths to, ahem, the
proper height of a toilet. If you’ve ever
spent a few hours on a couch that was
almost, but not quite, comfortable, you
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Specifications:
LOA: 101’0” BEAM: 21’0” DRAFT: 5’8”
DISPL.: 202,802 lb. (dry) FUEL: 3,200 gal.
WATER: 600 gal. DEADRISE: 12 degrees
ENGINES (std.): 2 x 1,700 hp Caterpillar C32
diesels PRICE: Upon request
know how invaluable such a book can be,
and it is referred to in the planning and
construction of every Hargrave.
Finishing off the flybridge is an outdoor galley that would put some land
kitchens to shame, with grill, fridge,
sink and everything you need for alfresco
meals. Opposite is a large hot tub complete with its own bar and stools so guests
can soak or just hang out. And this still
leaves room for an 18-foot tender and the
optional Quick Lift davit with rotation.
Here’s another way Sassy will satisfy
Americans: There is stowage space.
Acres of it. We are a tribe of pack rats,
and we take everything with us, but few
boats have enough stowage. The guest
berths aboard Sassy rise on gas lifts to
provide space for the inevitable suitcases.
Every nook and cranny has a cleverly
hidden door, and some open to massive
spaces. You could create a mother-inlaw suite in one locker on the bridge, and
another under the pilothouse could easily
absorb several hundred cases of Cristal
Champagne and leave room for a dozen
cases of Sassicaia Super Tuscan reds.
I haven’t mentioned the engine room,
entered from the crew quarters, but, like
everywhere else aboard Sassy, the finish
is to a high level. There is lots of service space around the engines, which
are 1,700-horsepower Caterpillar C32
diesels that push Sassy to a top sped of
22 knots and to a cruise of 17 knots.
ZF V-drives give a flat shaft angle that
reduces draft to less than 6 feet, giving
this yacht access to thin-water areas
inaccessible to many 100-footers.
I liked the seamanlike engine room,
from the huge stainless-steel sea chest
to the tidy manifolding of piping. This
brings up another point about Hargrave:
It equips the yacht right. Going down a
long list of options is as irritating to me as
having to pay for parking when staying
in a $2,000-a-night suite at The Savoy.
Hargrave doesn’t nickel-and-dime its
clients, and it puts together a thoughtfully
chosen package of standard equipment.
A second 34 kW Phasor genset is standard as are Naiad stabilizers and bow
and stern thrusters. The list of entertainment equipment runs four single-space
pages, and the navigation/communication gear runs another four pages.
In fact, the only optional items on Sassy
are the tender, the life raft, the davit and
the watermaker, all of which were dictated by owner preferences.
So there you have Sassy, a new page
in Hargrave history, one that brings an
original and innovative look and style.
She, and her future sisters, are likely to
continue the Hargrave tradition of raising the bar for other builders.
Like that kid in a candy shop, I cherished everything I saw, and so will you.
Hargrave Custom Yachts, 954-463-0555;
hargravecustomyachts.com
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