The new 77-foot Evo Yachts V8 is a head-turning, three-stateroom cruiser jammed full of fresh ideas. Some of them, it seems, work better than others.
Flagship of the Evo fleet, the V8 is the brainchild of Valerio Rivellini, a young designer working with the Naples-based builder. He says he wanted to inject some innovative thinking into the power cruising world.
Starting aft, bulwarks fold out from both sides of the aft deck to create extra social space; no surprises there. But open a hatch on the port side of the teak deck, and you’ll find a tender; open a matching hatch on the starboard side and you’ll find a crane that unfolds to launch and retrieve the tender.
Moving forward a bit, there are two large sailboat-type wheels, one on each side, meant to act as wing stations with joysticks to help with stern-to docking. Then you can unfold a ladder with teak steps that drops down from the flybridge. Oops, the company doesn’t call this a flybridge. It’s a Roof Top.
The lines of the Evo V8 are so low that you might not realize the flybridge/Roof Top is up there. But it’s an upper sunning space with several sun lounges, plus an upper helm with controls that flip up from “a vanishing console.” Evo built some mahogany-capped side rails up there so you won’t fall off.
The interior is highly customizable, but on the main deck all the windows in the salon drop down to provide fresh air and ventilation. There’s also a high-tech touch in the aft window. It’s made with smart glass for privacy, and it can be used as a projection screen so you can watch videos from inside the salon.
On the accommodations deck below, the VIP cabin is in the bow, a smaller guest cabin is a bit aft, and the owner’s suite is well aft with a private lounge so the owner can walk directly out to the aft deck.
The new Evo has a moderate-V hull and is powered by twin 1,000-hp Volvo IPS1350 pod drives. Cruising speed is 19 knots; top speed is 24 knots. Evo is part of the Blu Emme Yachts organization.
Specs.: LOA: 77’9”; Beam: 23’6”; Draft: 4’11”; Disp.: 64 tons; Fuel: 913 gals.; Water: 209 gals.; Power 2×1,000-hp Volvo IPS1350 pod drives. Read more at http://evoyachts.com and see the video below:
