Futuristic features and a striking race-ready profile have the fully carbon fibre SAY 42 turning heads, but with 860 horsepower it’ll be gone before you know it…
When it comes to day boats, new models need to be exceptional to make some headway in today’s market. We’ve pretty much thought of everything; from amphibious tenders to fully electric vessels – it’s safe to say that we’re spoilt for choice when it comes to super-cool day boats and superyacht tenders.
Yet, there is something the superyacht market just can’t seem to resist; carbon fibre. Ultra-light, and of course, super fast, carbon fibre day boats are among the hottest property in the day boat world, especially when you’ve got F1 technology behind the build.
Sitting in Puerto Banus for her Marbella debut and for the launch of SAY Marbella, the latest outpost in the SAY Carbon family, the 13 metre boat in question is the SAY 42, a glimmering beacon of sharp lines, a wave-cutting bow and race-ready profile. She may be tied up beside a 50-metre superyacht in the marina, but it’s the SAY 42 that’s drawing a crowd of onlookers, having been inspired by supercar aesthetics.
Brainchild of SAY Carbon CEO, Karl Wagner, the design is intentionally futuristic with a striking red paint job and eye-catching carbon fibre accents around the vessel. The entire project oozes luxury with a futuristic edge with digital displays, hand-stitched leather seats and an immaculate teak deck. Hailing from Carbo Tech, one of the largest producers of carbon-fibre-reinforced components for the automotive industry, few people on earth could demonstrate such experience with the material, making this a particularly exciting inclusion in yachting spheres.
Wagner won the contract for the worldwide first carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) monocoque for road cars, and worked with Sebastian Vettel on his inaugural victory driving for Scuderia Toro Rosso at Monza in 2008, in a monocoque produced by Carbo Tech. At 21, he was the youngest ever to win a grand prix.
Performance is where SAY 42 comes into her own. Equipped with two certified ultra-low emission v8 engines with 860 horsepower, the SAY 42 is designed to consume up to 50 percent less fuel than your standard day boat. Weighing just 4.5 tonnes, the ultra-lightweight carbon monocoque-styled design takes off with face-melting acceleration up to 50 knots, and thanks to its stabilisers, it’s not your typical plaining experience as the SAY 42 simply glides though the waves and corners as if on rails.
Once out of Puerto Banus’ no-wake zone, there is no holding back, and with no slamming, and little pitching on a non-perfect sea state it’s an extraordinary sensation of speed. There isn’t a need to kill the power to bank either, as with the help of the vessel’s stabilisers, the SAY 42 rips around on the waves without a hitch, though you’ll want to ensure the tables are clear, as she head up at quite the angle at hard-over turns. All 12 passengers on board, are comfortably seated around the 13-metre rocket; raring for more, but it’s the enthralling sensation of acceleration that has proved the most exhilarating and we kill the speed and open up the throttle a number of times.
"They are carbon masterpieces,” says Sacha Falk, managing partner of SAY Carbon Yachts Marbella. “Pioneers of lightness that allow this incredible acceleration akin to a sports car, and they are made from the most luxurious materials and offering the highest comfort. It is modern and timeless; it really is a piece of art.” Falk, who come on board to launch the Marbella dealership, sets up the new outpost alongside his full-service property company, the FRD Group.
It was the futuristic material, the speed and the sustainability of the project that drew Falk to SAY Carbon. A keen yachtsman himself, the excitement on his face is infectious and he is visibly just as excited by its speed and performance as the rest of us, who are testing out the boat for the first time.
But, with all this performance, you may be thinking there must be a compromise on space. But as the 12 of us on board discover, this is simply not the case. Through a hatch on the helm, carbon fibre steps lead to a double cabin and a surprisingly large head – plenty of space to spend more than a day on; it’s a weekender, not merely a day boat. Up on deck a large central table comfortably sits eight, and when you aren't thundering along at 50 knots, there is plenty of space to lounge on board.
Powering up one more time for a final burn along the coast, we soon close into the no-wake zone once more, killing the speed to join the superyachts in Porto Banus. The crowd on the quay has doubled in size from when we set off, confirming that the ride must have looked as exciting from the shore as it did on board. Reluctantly stepping off, it is clear there are cameras angled at us. The SAY 42 is a true showstopper.
The SAY Carbon story certainly isn’t finished either, as Falk has already put the wheels in motion to introduce SAY Carbon Yachts to Dubai, with the first boats arriving in Dubai harbour in October 2022. They’re also elevating their offering with the SAY 52, a new 16-metre hybrid vessel that’ll be hitting the water in autumn 2023.