Ferretti Yachts 860 Review (2022 Edition)

Whichever of the two MAN V12 engine options you opt for, the 860 will not be lacking in power. Most will forgo the 1,800hp versions and go for the 2,000s that were fitted to our test boat, which are good for a top speed of around 32 knots and a fast cruising speed of anywhere between 22 and 27 knots. With the 1,800s expect to top out at 28 knots and cruise at 24. 

Ferretti actually quotes the fast cruising speed as 27 knots and a range of 290nm and, though we weren't able to get a full set of our own figures due to the constraints of testing during a boat show, these numbers did tally up with what we saw on the test. The top speed was just shy of the 32 knots Ferretti quotes but that's understandable given there were about eight other journalists on board plus the boat's crew.

You won't find Ferretti underpowering its boats and much like Sunseeker and Princess, the boats are designed to comfortably top 30 knots, not just reach that speed. Considering the size of this boat the feeling of power and urgency as the throttles surge forward is absolutely remarkable. 

The 860 is fitted with Xenta's fly-by-wire steering system, which returns the rudders to the center automatically. This feels much like the power steering system in a car and it takes a little getting used to on an 80-ton flybridge cruiser but once acclimatized it makes the boat feel amazingly responsive and agile for such a large machine. It's not artificially light like IPS, either, so there is a nice weightiness and an appropriate amount of resistance when you swing the hefty metal steering wheel through your hands. 

Future Proof

The boat we tested didn't have it but there is a Xenta joystick available which offers a suite of features to make controlling the boat easier at slow speeds. It will combine the props and the proportional bow and stern thrusters to give 'push and twist' control of the boat and, much like Mercury's Skyhook or Volvo's Dynamic Positioning System, it will hold the boat in place using GPS. The X-AID (Adaptive Integrated Docking) system accounts for wind and tidal effects when coming into a berth and automatically holds the boat in place when the joystick is released. Xenta has even developed an autonomous berthing system dubbed X-SELF, which will move the boat in and out of its berth without human intervention and will be available on the 860. It's a technological tour de force from the helm station(s) but at its core, the 860 has the powerful, solid feeling through the water that is expected from Ferretti Yachts.

The Bay of Cannes didn't dish up much in the way of challenges for the 860's hull but it feels incredibly planted and shouldered away any wash we did encounter without batting an eyelid. There is a reassuring depth of engineering throughout the 860 and that solidity makes itself felt out on the water. With its RCD Category A rating (the highest in the EU) the 860 is certified to tackle waves up to 4m (13ft) so it should look after you if the swell kicks up. 

Ferretti's design language evolves at a leisurely pace so don't expect anything radical here. These are boats that age well and have a certain timelessness, even if they maybe aren't the most exciting to look at. But compare the 860 to the 850 that it replaces and you'll see some key changes, such as the orientation of the cockpit furniture, the transparent transom, and the significant increase in the amount of glass in the superstructure with open gunwales ensuring views out from the main salon isn't compromised. It's evolution, not a revolution, which is a terrible cliché but it's appropriate here. 

Solid Foundations

Ferretti has a reputation for quality construction and engineering and though it's difficult to assess that off the back of a quick sea trial during a boat show the 860 certainly feels like a high-quality machine from the gloss and thickness of its moldings, to its study mooring gear and the finish inside the engine room. You can tell quite a lot by the way an engine room is put together and on top of the finish that is as neat as they come — some thoughtful touches will make the day-to-day running of the boat a bit easier. Things like having fresh water wash down inside the space in case there is a spillage and a light on a reel that can reach and hang in all corners of the engine room so you don't have to rely on the light of an iPhone torch when working in the darker reaches.

The main salon is 27 square metres but it feels larger than that thanks to the vast floor-to-ceiling windows, which fire natural light into the space and deliver wonderful views. The open gunwales bolster the effect and create an unbroken vista out over the water when seated. This area feels more open and relaxed than the 850 thanks to its stylish art deco free-standing furniture and a more contemporary palette that includes two "moods", Classic and Contemporary. The former is a combination of darker woods and warmer colours, the latter more pale, modern and monochrome. Ferretti speaks of a "just like home" concept and the Classic palette of our test boat certainly had a warm and inviting feel. 

There are a couple of layout tweaks on offer but the basic layout, with the lounge aft, opposite a simply enormous 75in TV, and dining table forward is fixed. There is the option to have a longer dining table rather than the sqaurer, more informal one on our test boat and the galley can either be left open to the saloon or partitioned off, which is particularly useful if the boat has crew. There are also double sliding doors on the starboard side behind the table, so the salon can be opened up to the elements if guests are dining inside and there is another access point in and out of the main deck. The galley is nicely specified with a domestic fridge/freezer, a Siemens induction hob and an oven and plenty of storage dotted around the place. 

Opposite the galley is a day head with a toilet and sink, sensibly located close to the side access door so that guests can easily pop in from the deck space and use the facilities. 

Access to the cabins is via a helical staircase opposite the dining table; the forward companionway by the lower helm leads down to the crew accommodation.

Guests are catered for across three cabins: a VIP forward on the starboard side, another double ensuite aft of that, and a twin ensuite on the opposite side of the deck. The layout of these cabins is interesting. Because the crew accommodation occupies the forward portion of the deck, the VIP ensuite is located further aft with its bed running across the boat and the bathroom opposite on the port side. It's an irregular layout but it works well and doesn't suffer from the challenging shaping of the space that can come with having the cabin tucked into the point of the bow. The other benefit of this location is that if the boat is on anchor or tied to a buoy overnight, you won't hear the slap of water against the hull that you might get if the cabin is right at the forward end of the deck.

The other guest cabins are spacious and well-endowed with storage plus every cabin being served by its own ensuite means that privacy is excellent. 

The owner's cabin is another area where the design has been improved over the 850, specifically the position of the ensuite. On the 850 it was tucked in the corner of the cabin but the 860's runs behind the bed, sharing the full beam of the cabin with a walk-in wardrobe that is accessed on the starboard side of the bed. Not only does this deliver a far more spacious bathroom but it acts as a sound barrier between the cabin and the 4,000hp churning away on the other side of the aft bulkhead. As an option, this cabin can be specified as a cinema room with no bed at all so in this layout the VIP would become the master with two further guest cabins. 

The rest of the cabin is as spacious and luxurious as you would expect of an 85ft yacht and it is effortlessly stylish. I particularly like the TV that is cleverly integrated within the mirror on the forward bulkhead. 

Both helms suffer the same fate of being stylish and great to look at but a little compromised when it comes to ergonomics. The dashboard at the lower helm is an imposing structure topped by triple Simrad MFDs that display everything from charting software to boat system information, radar, and even the boat's instruction manual. The screens are a fair old stretch from the twin helm seats, though, and a lot of the instruments on the lower dashboard are mounted flat and are therefore pretty tricky to see when seated. Ferretti has always been a bit of a "you should stand to drive a boat" type of shipyard and the dash certainly works much better if you're standing in front of it using the seats to lean against.

The other slight issue here is that because the galley is directly behind the helm station and there is no side door at the helm, the aft view isn't great, so you have to rely on the crew to spot boats coming up behind you and to give the all clear when pulling a hard turn to port.

There are no such issues at the upper helm, though the lack of an effective windscreen does make things a little breezy when the boat is in full gallop. That said, the driving position is better and you sit much closer to the helm with the major controls in easier reach. Having two separate helm seats rather than a bench is a plus, too. It's not perfect but it works. 

The deck spaces on the 860 come together really well and offer three spacious, well-designed living areas. You could have a lot of guests on board this boat and they're going to easily be able to find their own space to relax and soak up the surroundings. 

Most boats in this sector have a decent foredeck lounge but the 860's is a great space with extended loungers positioned at the foot of the windscreen and an opposing U-shaped seating area with a table that has pop-up backrests that make it for more comfortable sunbathing. There are fiddles for loose items and cupholders dotted around the area so this really is the place to be if you're in the business of catching rays.

Despite the open gunwales, the side decks feel safe and well-protected thanks to the overhang above and the sheer height of the bulwarks, which came up to around armpit level on me at 6ft (1.83m) tall.

Ferretti isn't the first brand to orientate the cockpit seating along the boat's centerline rather than across it but it's an effective use of space. This arrangement means that half the party doesn't have to stare back into the boat and the use of glazing in the aft balustrade maintains the connection with the water in the same way the broken gunwales do so inside the salon. The practical stuff is on show, too, like dedicated slots for two boat hooks built into the base of the sofas. 

Underneath this deck, there is tender a garage large enough to hold a Williams 395 Sportjet and a two-seater jet-ski. It's a flooding garage so the top hatch opens and then the hydraulic platform drops down to flood the space and aids the launch of tenders and toys. 

Flying High

The flybridge feels absolutely vast and part of that is down to the open feel of its aft end. There's no fixed furniture here but the option to fill this space with whatever style of furniture the owner wants. The test boat has a pair of sunloungers, which seemed a sensible enough use of the space. Forward, the imposing hard top offers some shade over the dining table to port and bar opposite. There's a useful split in the dinette table so that guests can get in and out without having to shuffle the entire party off the end of the sofa. The bar is also split between cooking and cooling space and it's a well-specified area that has all the amenities to prep a decent meal on the top deck. 

There are three choices of sunroof for the hard top: fixed glass, slatted metal with panels that pivot like a Venetian blind, or a fabric roof that opens all the way back. Our test boat had the glass but I reckon the fabric roof offers the most flexibility.

Ferretti's are towards the higher end of the sector when it comes to cost but there is a price to pay for the obvious quality of finish and engineering that is on show here. The quality of construction is high and the same can be said for components. As has been covered above, Ferretti doesn't underpower its boats and it takes some serious machinery to make something this large do over 30 knots. There's an argument that some may yearn for a more exciting design for this sort of money but you can bet that this is a design that will age gracefully and hold up strongly on the secondhand market.