The first ever Sessa flybridge is certainly a stylish number, and they've packed in some IPS II drives
Sessa’s first ever flybridge boat, the Fly 54, is pitched against some of the very best British and Italian names in the business. Yet looking at its dramatic styling and its sinuous black hull and superstructure, it’s clear that Sessa did not draw their inspiration from other builders.
Instead they trod their own very distinctive path, and the Sessa Fly 54’s innovative, bold styling is unlike any other flybridge boat we’ve seen from a mainstream builder. Inside and out, it again diverges from the 54ft norms, with an exceptionally large cockpit and bathing platform weighed against a smaller than average galley and a modest third cabin which obliges you to accept bunk beds. It offers a choice of saloon layouts – again unusual – one with a dinette, a second with a big bar in its place.
Powering their inaugural flybridge boat with Volvo’s second-generation IPS was a bold move, too. Sessa’s IPS-powered sportscruisers have won awards, and they are familiar with the benefits of tank testing, but they did not have a huge pool of existing IPS-friendly flybridge hull shapes and associated test data to draw upon; in fact they had none at all of their own.
Despite that, they’ve pulled it off brilliantly, conjuring up a sporty boat that handles well with no obvious vices, at least not in our calm test conditions in Varrazze, northern Italy.
Pros
- Handling, low noise, large cockpit, good crew cabin, low-speed manoeuvring, saloon layout options, tidy engineering
Cons
- Unyielding cockpit cushions, steep steps to flybridge, obscured engine gauges
Price as reviewed:
£860,000.00
Verdict
The Sessa Fly 54 is a boat that attracts attention - how wonderful to find something genuinely different.
Details
Displacement: 23.0 tonnes light; 25.3 tonnes loaded
Top Speed: 32.3 knots
Cabins: 3
Fuel Capacity: 440 imp gal (2,000 litres)
Beam: 15ft 5in (4.70m)
Cruising Speed: 25.3 knots
Water Capacity: 141 imp gal (640 litres)
Air Draught: 14ft 5in (4.40m)
RCD Category: B (for 14 people)
Length Overall: 53ft 10in (16.40m)
Engines: Twin Volvo D11, 700hp @ 2,350rpm, 6-cylinder 10.8-litre diesels
Range: 217 miles @ 25.3 knots
Boats for Sale: Search for a Sessa Fly 54 for sale
Reprints: Buy the full review
Contact: Sessa
