2022 Horizon FD80 Skyline review

The Horizon FD80 belongs to the brand’s growing family of “fast displacement” motor yachts featuring semi-displacement hulls optimised for fast cruising.

In production since 2019, FD80 builds globally are now into double digits as buyers fall for the hull’s surprising interior volume afforded by its strong vertical lines.

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The first Australian delivery of this new line of Taiwan-built motor yachts arrived in April 2019, but we’ve had to wait for the arrival of hull no.7, making its debut at the 2022 Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, moored between its 75-foot and 90-foot siblings, before we could jump aboard.

This particular build includes the first fit-out of Horizon FD80’s open galley design on the main deck, and includes the "Skyline" enclosed bridge. Owners also have the option of specifying the Horizon FD80 with a semi-enclosed "Skylounge" bridge deck.

Ironically this test was almost 20 years to the day I reviewed the first Horizon 80 to arrive in Australia. More than my hair colour has changed in those 20 years, and Horizon's clever use of space and ship-like construction that was evident in 2002 has evolved into what can only be described as state-of-the-art luxury.

Horizon Yachts Australia can help to make the Horizon FD80 Skyline yours for around $12 million. While that may be a stretch for most of us, it is exceptional value for those who can afford it, particularly when the FD80’s volume and features read like those for a 100-footer. 

Even comparing the Horizon FD80 Skyline with the circa $15 million Horizon FD90, you’d be hard pressed to justify the extra $3 million for what is essentially an extra stateroom.

Twin 1800hp Caterpillar C32 V12s make the Horizon FD80 sprightly for a boat this size, even if those 24 cylinders at WOT get you there quickly but somewhat lighter in the pocket. 

While it’s nice to have power on tap to outrun a storm or show off to your mates, more sensible owners will run at around 10 knots, burning a far more practical 30 litres an hour per engine. With a 10,200-litre fuel capacity and trailing gearboxes that allow the Horizon FD80 to cruise at up to 10 knots on one engine, you can pretty much point the bow in any direction.

This also helps minimise engine wear and tear and maximises service intervals.

Owners who prioritise range over speed can choose smaller V8 powerplants that free up enough space in the engine room to increase fuel capacity to around 15,000 litres.

Key features of this build include Sidepower stabilisers; bow and stern thrusters; Delta-T engine room ventilation system; Zipwake Interceptor trim tabs; a 900kg hydraulic swim platform; Steelhead 900kg hydraulic davit; Maxwell VWC3500 windlass; Reverso FPS210 fuel polishing system; Dometic XTCII 1800gal/d watermaker; twin Onan 27kW generators; Miele appliances; HEOS/DENON audio-visual systems; and Garmin navigation system incorporating three 22-inch multifunction displays.

At this level of boat ownership, motor yachts such as the Horizon FD80 are highly customisable, meaning owners can always get the internal layout that suits their needs.

The Cor D. Rover/Horizon Yachts-designed FD80 is part of Horizon’s fast displacement series featuring models ranging from 75 feet to 125 feet. 

The Horizon FD80 eschews classic motor yacht design for modern looks that enhance onboard space, but may not be everyone’s cup of tea, aesthetically speaking. 

However, no one buys a motor yacht to look at it from the outside. Once onboard you’ll soon forget to care what it looks like from another vessel. Fortunately, Horizon still has several traditional motor yacht designs in the fleet for those that prefer more old-worldly lines.

The Horizon FD80 Skyline’s hybrid hull shape featuring shaft tunnels and a wave-piercing bow reinforced with stainless steel plates all contribute to efficient cruising speeds and excellent stability.

Horizon uses world-class construction methods using ABS/DNV type-approved fibre and resin, and sandwich core material. It has developed its own patented one-piece hull infusion technology, called SCRIMP, that is used for the skeg and longitudinal girders and results in more strength for lighter weight. 

The Horizon FD80 Skyline’s engine room is as good as it gets with plenty of room to move around those big CATs. 

This is the first Horizon FD80 to be fitted with a Sea-Torque shaft system. The shafts are not exposed, and instead are encased in a fibreglass tube filled with oil, removing the need for anodes and reducing vibration. The ZF trailing gearboxes we mentioned previously are a smart addition for long-range cruising. 

I was really impressed with the Delta-T automatic engine room ventilation system. Even after we had run the boat for a couple of hours the room was quite comfortable. 

The engine room houses three water-cooled reverse cycle aircon units. Two 27kVA Onan gensets keep up the AC requirements producing around 115 amps each, and a Dometic triple membrane watermaker is good for 280 litres of potable water an hour. 

This Horizon FD80 Skyline features an on-deck master stateroom and three guest cabins below, all with well-appointed ensuites. 

A crew quarters aft includes an ensuite and laundry facilities. A clever inclusion is an all-weather internal staircase from the crew cabin to the saloon.

Aft of the crew quarters is an impressive beach club that opens via a full-width hydraulic door on the transom onto a huge height-adjustable swim platform.

Formal dining can take place on the aft deck or in the saloon. The flybridge features a compact pilothouse that leads onto a huge semi-open lounge with stacking side windows that make the most of natural light and ventilation, a bar, dining area and a jacuzzi. 

The aft boat deck has room to fit a 5.0-metre tender.

The forward deck features another large seating area and sun pads. It also has large storage lockers for fenders and the like, with easy passage forward to access the windlass.

Walking into the saloon through the large sliding doors off the aft deck feels like walking into a luxury apartment. 

Floor-to-ceiling windows provide endless natural light and an amazing view of the passing scenery, while the saloon’s open plan adds to the sense of spaciousness while also ensuring everyone is part of the action.

A large L-shaped leather lounge is located on the port side with a magnificent marble-topped coffee table. 

Directly opposite the lounge on the starboard side is a cabinet housing a retractable 55-inch TV, as well as a breakfast bar that converts to a dining table – great use of space that would otherwise be taken up by a large table.

Electric curtains allow you to quickly block out external light if required. 

Port and starboard access doors with flyscreens open from the forward end of the saloon to the walkaround side decks. They provide quick external access to tend a midship cleat, as well as bug-free natural airflow.

Any home chef in a multimillion-dollar apartment would be proud of the galley, which features an island bench with an Italian tile stone top as its centrepiece. It also ensures the chef can continue to interact with guests while cooking. 

Galley highlights include a full-height Miele fridge and freezer, convection oven, microwave, induction cooktop, dishwasher, rubbish compactor and more. Did we mention fully customised crockery and cutlery? 

Then there is a wine cabinet, cooler and glassware cabinet that should house enough supplies for extended voyages.

An internal staircase takes you from the forward end of the saloon directly into a pilothouse described as a “neo-bridge”. Some may think it is small for a vessel this size, but personally, I think Horizon got it just right. 

The pilothouse includes a day head and small dinette but makes use of the Horizon FD80’s wide beam with an expansive helm featuring three 22-inch Garmin multifunction displays mounted in series. Better still are three Stidd helm chairs that ensure comfortable passage-making for those on watch. 

Other helm features include controls for the ZF gearboxes and Sidepower Zero Speed stabilisers; 53hp Sidepower bow and stern thrusters; twin anchoring system; Delta-T engine room ventilation system; Zipwake trim system; generator remote start panels; raw water alarm system; C-Zone electrical systems control, and wiper controller.

While the forward-raked windows on the bridge aren’t the sexiest feature on a boat of this calibre, I am a big fan. 

This is a feature designed on practicality rather than looks, as they offer better vision, more volume and provide much better sun protection by reducing glare on the electronics. They can even help to lower the temperature inside the bridge, reducing the need to run the aircon flat out. 

Pilothouse doors to port and starboard provide access to wing stations – not a common feature on smaller motor yachts – that protrude from the side decks to give good forward and aft vision when pulling alongside. They’re a nice touch from Horizon that makes life a little easier when the time comes to put her in a berth. 

The portside pilothouse door also provides access to the foredeck.

Open the sliding door aft of the helm and you can see why the Horizon FD80 Skyline is renowned for its internal volume. 

I can see this space, referred to as the Skyline, getting good patronage both at anchor and underway – while cruising, the captain and guests can interact while at anchor, what more can you ask for than a bar, lounge/dining area and jacuzzi?

The bar to starboard features a teppanyaki grill, bar fridge and ice maker. Opposite is a dining and lounge area with a coffee table that folds out to form a dining table or drops down to form an outdoor daybed. 

Storage space is tucked underneath the seating, and large sliding stacker windows improve natural ventilation when conditions allow. A big TV can angle to face the lounge or the jacuzzi.

The jacuzzi is the centre stage of the boat deck. The Horizon team says once you’ve had a jacuzzi on a boat you can’t live without one – the closest I’ve come is a live bait tank.

Aft of the human live bait tank is room to accommodate a tender, jet ski or even water toys using the 900kg davit.

The foredeck has access from the port side of the boat deck. A wide walkway takes you past the port side wing station before opening up to another large seating area with dinette tables and sun pads. 

From here, a teak-laid walkway leads to the bow and access to twin pocket anchors and windlasses. A washdown hose is an appropriate addition if you anchor in some mud. 

A spotlight is mounted in the most practical position ever – right on the bow with no chance of reflection from shiny surfaces. So many are mounted on flybridges or radar arches where they are all but useless. 

A clear winner on the Horizon FD80 Skyline is its on-deck master stateroom. If you’re an owner-operator it makes total sense to sleep at saloon level rather than below, with great vision via deep hull windows, no annoying slap of water on the hull, and quick deck access in an emergency, such as dragging an anchor.

The on-deck master is the size and style you’d expect in a vessel of this calibre, and just like the galley, this bedroom would be right at home in any luxury apartment. 

Equally impressive is the ensuite featuring a shower with a view. 

Quality fittings, superb styling, endless storage, and intricate attention to detail is evident not only in the master but also throughout the guest cabins.

Below decks are a forward VIP stateroom, a large queen guest cabin to port, and a third guest cabin to starboard featuring twin singles that can push together to form a double. All cabins are finished in the same luxury styling as the on-deck master and include large ensuites.

Storage is impressive, with guests given enough space to store everything out of sight. More storage is under each bed, and motion-sensing lights in all the cupboards and on the walkways mean no fumbling for unfamiliar light switches in the middle of the night.

The atrium houses a concealed washing machine and dryer, and a large linen cupboard.

The Beach Club is the place to hang out when it’s time for watersports. The swim platform can raise to become a diving board or lower to become a bathing platform. 

The Beach Club, which can double as crew quarters, has its own galley with fridge and freezer, microwave oven and a cooktop. 

The space has two twin cabins with generous bunks, and another full-size bathroom that is handy for showering after a swim 

It also has a washing machine and dryer for the crew, as well as direct access to the saloon via an internal staircase.

Calm seas and mild swell off the Gold Coast are never going to test a boat’s seakeeping ability, so we’re going to have to trust that the Horizon FD80 Skyline will live up to its claims. But it did give us a chance to test the 3600hp at its disposal.

We touched 25 knots at wide open throttle but let’s be realistic, you will rarely if ever, drive this boat at that speed. 

Most long-range cruisers are happy sitting on 10 knots, ticking off the miles en route to exotic locations featuring few people, clear water, calm seas and great fishing and diving.

The Horizon FD80 Skyline’s automatically adjusting Sidepower stabilisers and Zipwake trim tabs take much of the guesswork out of driving, pretty much making the motor yacht a point-and-shoot boat to drive once out of the berth. 

Back at the marina, a Yacht Controller wireless radio control system combined with bow and stern thrusters makes berthing much easier than bumping in using just the wheel and throttles.

Many boats compromise living space and practicality for looks, mixing classic lines and sweeping curves with a traditional length-to-beam ratio. Sacrifices sometimes need to be made. 

I feel Horizon has gone the other way with the FD80 Skyline, making it first about volume, practicality, and usable space first, and worrying about external design second. After all, you’ll spend your time on the inside looking out, not the outside looking in.

Sitting in the spa, anchored behind the Great Barrier Reef and watching the sunset with a cocktail in hand all suggest you won’t care what others think.

Priced from: $11,950,000 including four staterooms including a full-beam deck level master suite, Beach Club, and the choice of a semi-encloded or enclosed bridge deck.

Price as tested: $TBA including Sidepower stabilisers; bow and stern thrusters; Delta-T engine room ventilation system; Zipwake Interceptor trim tabs; a 900kg hydraulic swim platform; Steelhead 900kg hydraulic davit; Maxwell VWC3500 windlass; Reverso FPS210 fuel polishing system; Dometic XTCII 1800gal/d watermaker; twin Onan 27kW generators; Miele appliances; HEOS/DENON audio-visual systems; and Garmin navigation system incorporating three 22-inch multifunction displays.

Supplied by: Horizon Yachts Australia