Whitehaven 7500 Sports Yacht: Review

Our experience with Whitehaven Motor Yachts dates back to their previous life as New Ocean Yachts. The first boat, the 640 Sport Yacht, was the creation of well-travelled and highly experienced boating identity Keith Hanson. The year was 2010 and the owners, Denise and Ray David, were based in Darwin. Now that footloose couple are back, but in a new Whitehaven dream boat encapsulating a wealth of knowledge and many great ideas.

There’s been plenty of water under the bridge, or rather lower helm, in the lead-up to this Darwin couples’ new creation, the flagship Whitehaven 7500 Sports Yacht, a purpose-built semi-custom adventure cruiser that’s even more capable than their previous well-travelled 64 footer.

The pair said they needed a bigger boat to explore places like The Kimberley and they've stuck with the brand that's served them so well in the harsh Top End environment.

The passage of time — and plenty of it spent at sea on their previous boat — has led to a long wishlist for this footloose couple and their creation, the aptly christened Finito. While there is no such thing as the perfect boat, this 75 footer has a wealth of experienced laid up in its hull, deck, design and décor. And that, essentially, made for a great reunion.

A 2500NM DELIVERY
When we set foot aboard on the Gold Coast, the cruising couple were preparing to leave for Darwin, an eventual 2500nm voyage. With a planned departure of December 1, 2016, they were heading for the Sandy Straits, Lady Musgrave, Hamilton Island with the extended family flying in, then Cairns, Thursday Island, across the Gulf of Carpentaria for a 350nm run, then to Gove and Darwin.

After 13 months in build and a red-carpet Gold Coast launch, time was running short on their pre-delivery checklist, so we hooked a ride to the fuel wharf.

The Garmin guys were calibrating the autopilot, so there were more important matters than my Spanish Inquisition. But we shared a steak sandwich on deck chatting with the owners, while the boat took on 7500 litres.

Therein the first big modification, adding a 10,000lt fuel tank for a 1500nm range at 10 knots hull displacement speed.

The boat has a pair of 1150hp Caterpillar C18 ACERT engines for a top speed, we experienced during our fleeting run, of 23.1 knots. At cruise of around 19 knots, you are burning 320lt/hr in total, which drops back to 60lt in total at that 10 knots maximum displacement speed and 1500nm range.

INBUILT REDUNDANCY
Naturally, there was a lot of inbuilt redundancy on this boat. This included 13kva and 28kva generators, 5kva inverter system, twin water pumps, back-up hydraulics for the SidePower bow and stern thrusters, hooked up to an EJS docking system, and the heavy-duty anchoring gear, while a vector fin stabilising system takes the rock out of your roll for one sweet passage.

Designed by naval architect Jason Kaom with input from Ryan Hanson, Whitehaven boats are built with solid GRP for the running surfaces and foam-cored sides and decks. The hull is vacuum-bagged to the chines, with bulkheads glassed in, and there are access points to all the plumbing and wiring runs.

Meantime, this boat’s maxi garage hid something else — a Haines Hunter Sea Wasp tender with 30hp Honda that won’t get chewed in half in croc country. There’s a big shaded aft lunch centre above the garage, while a second recessed dinette and lounge grace the bow.

The tropical-strength air-conditioning extends to the engine room, where there’s full head height. Of course, there’s a water maker for autonomous cruising, but the refrigeration and freezer capacity is almost as big.

Besides the 120-bottle beer fridge at the outdoor bar, alongside the electric window and saloon door, there’s a fish and bait freezer in the lazarette, and an upright domestic fridge/freezer in the lower breakfast room, besides all the drawer fridges in the aft galley.

INTERIOR COMFORTS
Denise added her great interior styling, pulling off a coup d’état with this home-away-from-home. The especially deep saloon windows frame the views as you sit on the comfortable lounges. This is cruising at its best — the boat isn’t introspective but outward looking and salubrious.

"The best thing about this boat is the vision. From the lounge I can see everything. If you're going into the ocean, you need to see and be part of it," Denise says with great conviction.

The sandblasted white oak joinery and contrasting Wenge trim adds to the smart finish, while the latest Besenzoni high-backed luxury helm chairs front the dash, with triple 16in Garmin navigation screens, and satellite communications from KVH.

Pop-up charging stations, hidden televisions, pull-out appliance drawers, bow storage lockers, two-pack hull paint instead of chalky gelcoat, non-skid roofing, washing facilities, a lower laundry and second mini galley/breakfast room… it’s all the product of experience.

A Darwin expert fitted the digital switching system with iPad control, Sonos sound and systems integration. You can run and drive this boat off your device.

LIVING ABOARD
Accommodation spans three cabins and three bathrooms, including a full-beam owner’s en suite. In all bathrooms, the integrated sloping Corian sinks in the vanities and the fittings are right on trend.

Unquestionably, this 7500 Sports Yacht is Whitehaven’s magnum opus, bound for Darwin and the biggest DockPro SeaPen ever made, with a starting price of $5m. Expect to see more and more maxi sports yachts and sedans in coming seasons. At this size, with this kind of freeboard, you really don’t lose out on vision.

In fact, with Cat power, boosted fuel, endless water, power on tap, big refrigeration, you’re right to go around Australia.

"Flybridge boats don’t do anything for me. I just like the one-level living. Otherwise, it’s like the blokes around the barbecue, whereas this boat brings everyone together," says owner Ray David, as he pulls into the fuel wharf from the aft docking station with the gentlest of kisses, and we fill her up for 90 minutes before departure.

"We'll be home for Christmas in 20 days," Ray says, with a wave.