SAY 52: the carbon yacht built to be light
Almost everything on the SAY 52 is carbon, down to the cup holders. Heigo Paartalu walked through it for YachtWay Spotlight.
"Some say you need a lighter boat, and this might be the lightest 50-footer that you will find." That is how Heigo Paartalu opens the YachtWay Spotlight on the SAY 52. The full walkthrough premieres on Saturday 31 October. Here is what makes the boat different, and what he found on board.
Built light
The SAY 52 is 15.95 m (52 ft) long with a 4.40 m beam. SAY gives its dry weight as 7.5 tonnes, about 16,500 lb, and that includes a Seakeeper 3 gyro stabiliser.
- 15.95 m52 ft length
- 7.5 tdry, with Seakeeper 3
- 45 kntop speed (builder)
- 12guests
"Everything you see on this boat, pretty much 100%, is made of carbon fiber," Heigo says. "Even the cup holders themselves, just to keep the weight down."
The hull, deck, table, hatch lids, drawer inserts and even the back of the helm seats are carbon. Where carbon is not used, the material is still chosen for weight: the cabin countertop is cork.
Why light matters
Less weight means less power for the same speed. SAY quotes a top speed of 45 knots and a range of 300 nm on 1,200 L of fuel. The hull uses the patented Petestep design.
"It gets you to speeds right around 45 knots. That is over 50 miles an hour," Heigo says. "Doing that on a 52-foot day boat is quite remarkable."
Weight also sits low. "This table, you guessed it, made out of carbon fiber," he says. "Super light, just to keep the centre of gravity as low as possible."
Power options
Source: SAY Carbon Yachts.
Hidden in plain sight
"It is the James Bond style of boat," Heigo says. "Hidden little tricks and cabinets within plain sight."
- A push button under the step opens the panel for the fuel and waste gauges.
- A Seabob bay sits in the starboard aft corner, ready to launch.
- The whole locker under the aft sunbed lifts at the touch of a button.
- The carbon shade poles stow in slots in the deck.
- The cockpit table lowers to make a second sunbed.
- The passerelle doubles as boarding steps, and a powered ladder runs down into the water.
Not just a day boat
Below deck there is a bar with a sink and a wine cooler, a separate shower with a bench, and a double berth with windows just above the waterline.
Heigo calls it "not just a day boat." In his words: "You can easily go out for a whole weekend on board the SAY 52." On the berth: "You feel like you are literally sleeping on the water."
The boat in the video
The SAY 52 in the Spotlight is for sale on YachtWay through ASIAMARINE FRANCE in Saint-Tropez. It has twin Volvo Penta D6 480 hp engines and 50 hours, and is listed at €2,356,000 (VAT not paid). This owner also fitted Garmin 360 surround-view cameras for docking.
Specifications
Sources: SAY Carbon Yachts, YachtWay listing.
Watch the Spotlight
The full walkthrough premieres Saturday 31 October on YachtWay Spotlight.
