Ferretti 580 Review (2023 Edition)

Even though this boat is propelled by Volvo Penta engines, with options ranging from D13 900hp to 1000hp, you won't find Volvo componentry on the dash. Instead, Ferretti Group has collaborated with Xenta to deliver a fly-by-wire steering system and joystick control - a partnership that has been in place for quite a while.

This system combines the shafts and thrusters, allowing the boat to follow suit with commands from the joystick. Beneath the deck, there’s a hefty combined 2,000hp at your disposal. With 11 people on board during our test, there was a slight lag when burying the throttles, but she jumped up nicely to 20 knots in no time. Expect to top out around 31-32 knots, depending on the load, with a comfortable cruising speed at 25 knots.

Consumption is held at a combined 250 litres per hour, which translates to a range of approximately 300 nautical miles—a healthy distance for extended trips. The helm position is a pleasant surprise. Ferretti hasn't always been lauded for its ergonomics, but its done well here. The seat is comfortable and high-backed, positioning you close to the wheel. Everything is within easy reach, and the steering wheel feels lovely in your hands.

Despite the wheel's hefty feel, the steering itself is light and responsive, thanks to that fly-by-wire system. Swinging the big wheel from side to side, the Ferretti reacted smoothly, cutting through the water easily. Even in a light chop with some wash from other boats around, it remained planted and comfortable, thanks to the V-drive shafts.

The helm station itself is clear and classy, although a bit breezy as the low windscreen is set far forward. While this might be a bit different in Northern Europe, it’s perfectly fine for a warm day in the Med. You can also opt for a navigator seat alongside you if you'd like company at the helm.

The Ferretti 580’s lower helm provides a refuge from the weather, but it's not without its issues. The sleek window line, while stylish from the outside, creates some visibility problems. The windscreen is rather shallow, so I felt an immediate need to stand for a clear view. The plush cushions adorning the foredeck, while nice for sunbathing, unfortunately, obstruct sightlines in the lower helm.

On the plus side, the standing position is comfortable thanks to the bolstered seat - providing a pleasant lean and a great view of the dash. The 3D-printed section adds a touch of modernity to the helm, and the MFDs are perfectly positioned for easy viewing. However, you do find yourself leaning forward a fair bit to operate everything.

Seated driving is even worse, as the single-piece windscreen has thick mullions and significant blind spots. On the plus side, the Ferretti 580 is well insulated, with V-drive engines positioned further back, ensuring a quiet ride at a comfortable 22-knot cruising speed. It's a trade-off and could be worth it if quiet cruising is your primary focus.

Unlike some of its rivals, this yacht doesn't have a side door but it compensates with a manual window at the lower helm, allowing for some natural ventilation and you can easily bark commands at your crew as you come in to moor.

That being said, you're probably not going to spend much time slow-speed manoeuvring from the lower helm. Instead, you'll likely find yourself up on the flybridge, where the all-around view is much better. There's an option for a third docking station in the cockpit as well, good for mooring stern-to - an option worth ticking on the list.

If you like your flybridges on the sportier-looking side then the 580 will be right up your street. It has the tightest proportions of anything in this size range but maintains that ageless Ferretti style that will still look good in 20 years' time. It doesn’t have the invention of the Galeon 560 Fly or Absolute 56 Fly but its refined will styling will suit those who don’t want something quite as shouty. The Princess F55 comes from a similar school of design. 

It doesn’t lack intelligent design touches, however, the convertible dinette/sun pad in the cockpit is a clever touch as is the typical Ferretti touch of a disappearing window between the aft galley and cockpit. This one drops into the counter, however, and doesn’t hinge up to the cockpit overhang. 

The owner’s cabin is a real standout feature with a layout that is totally unique in the class; more on that later.

All of this is underpinned by Ferretti’s rock-solid engineering. The medium-vee hull is mated to traditional shafts with either 900hp or 1,000hp turning through them courtesy of a pair of Volvo Penta D13s. Crucially, the 580 is RCD Category A (for 14 people), the highest rating in the EU, and one of the few boats that is in this sector, which tells you much of what you need to know about its quality and attention to engineering. 

The low profile means that the salon doesn’t feel as spacious as the likes of the Princess F55 or Absolute 56 Fly but the cabin spaces still hit the spot.

Engine Room

The engine room is accessed via a hatch in the cockpit and it's finished with Ferretti's usual impressively high standards. As they're on V-drives, the engines are mounted a little further back in the space compared to a straight shaft but access to the couplings and gearboxes is still pretty good. Access to the inboard areas of both engines and daily service items is good though it's less easy to get to the outer edges of each block. 

The (optional) Seakeeper is mounted below the ladder that leads down from the deck above and there's even the option to have a water maker fitted, not something you always find on a boat of this size/type. Other nice additions include an auto-reeling shore power cable, so you don't have to detach and store it every time you leave the dock. 
 

Ferretti was one of the first to include a top-hinged window to connect the salon and galley but on the 580 the window is eclectic and drops down into the counter below. The effect is the same and with the cockpit doors open creates a great link between the galley at the aft end of the salon and the spacious cockpit, which can be converted from dinette to day bed by dropping the table (also electric) and adding some cushions. 

The galley is a practical U shape with high countertops so it’s easy to wedge yourself in if you’re using the area when the boat is on the move. A bar return adds both additional counter space and useful bespoke storage for crockery and even individual pieces of cutlery so nothing is going to slide around or rattle when the boat is underway. With the space under the counters given over to space for storage, the oven and an optional dishwasher, the domestic fridge/freezer is on the opposite side of the salon, just inside the cockpit doors. 

There are Classic and Contemporary interior decor choices, the former more traditional in its palette and the latter cleaner and more modern looking. On top of this choice, the customer can also specify wood and upholstery colours. 

Though the glass area is still a reasonable size the salon is the place where the 580 feels less spacious than its immediate rivals. The shallow windscreen doesn’t offer a great view forward and though the side windows are a good size their frames are very chunky and diminish the feeling of space. The boat is actually slightly wider than the Princess F55 but it doesn’t feel as though it is because of the chunky furniture and narrow passageway through the salon. 

The seating is very comfortable though and it’s neat how the aft end of the dinette is a moveable squab that can me moved around the deck to create an extra perch if necessary. The twin sofa to starboard with pop-up TV behind is standard but you can have a larger fixed TV in this position if you’re willing to lose the sofa. The quality shines throughout this interior and there are some lovely touches like the trio of stainless steel clocks mounted above the companionway to the lower deck. 

And So To Bed

The three-cabin arrangement on the lower deck is standard but there is the choice to have two or three bathrooms. I would advise the two-bathroom arrangement because this leaves space for one of the stand-out owner’s staterooms in this class. The mezzanine style study/bureau that overlooks the main cabin as you walk in adds a real big boat feel and sets this space apart from anything the 580’s rivals can offer in terms of look and style. It elevates the space from cabin to living space and it’s all the better for being allowed to breathe rather than having three bathrooms on the lower deck. 

There is some lovely playful detailing, too, and the TV that is set into the mirror on the forward bulkhead is a particularly cool idea. Opposite the entrance to the owner’s cabin is a comfortable twin, which in the two-cabin guise shares a bathroom with the VIP stateroom, forward. The benefit of the three-head layout is that every cabin has its own private bathroom but, unless you intend to have every berth occupied on a regular basis, we would go for the luxury of the extended owner’s suite.

The lobby includes a floor-to-ceiling cupboard large enough to accommodate a washer and drier in a good position for all cabins to have easy access to it. Often these are mounted in the owner’s cabin, which isn’t as useful. 

The VIP is a good cabin with plenty of storage, good headroom and lots of the same cute detailing that the owner’s suite enjoys. It’s a little lacking in natural light given there is no skylight but there are a couple of ports in the side windows to allow some fresh air in. The space between the end of the bed and the door is a little cramped, though, the addition of a pocket door would make more of the space.

Ferretti’s helm stations have long been a blot on their copybook. Stylish? Most certainly. Ergonomically sound? Often not. Things are different with the 580, though, especially at the upper helm, which is both attractively designed and intelligently laid out. It’s a compact pod-style station that is clearly laid out and easy to get comfortable at, despite the lack of adjustment on the seat and wheel. The throttles are an easy reach to the left of the wheel and the optional Xenta joystick, which combines the shafts, bow thruster and stern thruster, is on the opposite side. As an option, you can have a third station in the cockpit, which is useful if you moor stern-to on a regular basis. 

The lower helm is evidence that old habits do indeed die hard because we’re back to an arrangement that leaves everything a bit too much of a stretch with many screens and controls mounted flat on the lower dash. The 3D-printed pod at the back holds a pair of MFDs and one can only assume this is but a taste of a build technique that will be rolled out across many of the smaller mouldings across the boat. 

At both helms the second helm seat is a (no cost) option and I’d definitely recommend it for the lower helm. There aren’t many forward-facing seats in the salon so this will be a popular spot when the boat is on the move. Then 580 lacks the side door that other boats in this sector have but it does at least have a manual open that can be popped open for some fresh air. 

In comparison to boats like the Galeon 560 Fly and Absolute 56 Fly, the 580’s deck spaces lack invention but there’s an unmistakable lustre to the mouldings and bright work that stands out. Aft there is the usual hydraulic bathing platform with built-in steps and there is a useful ‘boot’ built into the transom, ideal to stow lines, fenders or wet items of kit.

There is access up both sides of the transom into a spacious and well-protected cockpit. There is covered mooring gear on both sides with chunky cleats, a winch and drained bins to coil rope tails into. The table is mounted on an electrically adjustable pedestal and drops to deck level to convert from dinette to sun pad with the addition of some cushions. 

The side decks are wide and edged with deep toe rails and solid-feeling guardrails but the navigation lights - stylish as they are - are set at shoulder height and therefore all too easy to bang yourself on as you head past. The foredeck is a great space with a day bed at the base of the windscreen separated from the sun pad by a smart teak-laid walkway. The backrest on the four-person sun pad can slide to either create an aft-facing bench or a headrest for those lapping up the sun. Teak-topped storage bins and cup holders take care of drinks and loose items. 

The 580 is available with or without a hard top. It seems a shame to disturb those lovely lines with a hard top but the market demands it these days. That said, the electro-hydraulic bimini offers the same amount of shade and can be dropped out of the way in seconds; I’d go for that (it’s cheaper, too). 

Aft, L-shaped seating is served by a handsome teak table with a wet bar forward that includes the usual grill, sink and fridge arrangement. Forward it’s all about sunbathing space, which curls around the helm pod and offers plenty of space for those who want to catch some rays to stretch out. 

Access is via a big hatch in the cockpit deck with a teak ladder offering an easy pathway down into the space itself. Away from the hatch headroom drops down to a level where those of 6ft (1.82m) will have to stoop their heads but it’s easy to get around both engines and the installation itself is incredibly impressive. This will largely be an owner-run boat so the ease of daily engine checks is a real advantage and there are some helpful touches like the freshwater wash down that means you can swill out any spills from within the engine room.