Fairlie Yachts. Timeless and out-of-common yachts inspired by Fife & Sons

Fairlie Yachts – P55

What happens if you love the work of the historic Fife & Sons yard so much that you create a line of boats inspired by them? The result is Fairlie Yachts: modern-classic, timeless and out-of-common boats. (Pictured above: the Fairlie P55, 16.8 m long and 3.5 m wide. LWL: 11.6 m).

Fairlie Yachts, the modern classic yachts inspired by William Fife

If you’re looking for a timeless and out-of-common yacht, Fairlie Yachts is the right option for you. The shipyard, in fact, manufactures beautiful modern classic “custom-made” yachts in its Southampton-based headquarters.

Duncan Walker’s sense for Fife & Sons

Many of you will already have caught the spirit of these boats in the name of the yard. Fairlie, in fact, is the name of a small village on the west coast of Scotland where the legendary William Fife & Sons shipyard was based, which between the Victorian era and the Second World War built the most beautiful pleasure boats in the world.

Duncan Walker, CEO of Fairlie Yachts, has a boundless love for Fife projects and has Scottish roots – his grandfather came from a village south of Fairlie.

The beauty of the hulls designed by the Fife, and specifically by William Fife III, has bewitched Duncan Walker, CEO of Fairlie Yachts: “After graduating in production engineering, I was a sailor for a few years. I was lucky enough to sail an 89-foot Fife, then I got involved in the restoration of Altair (Fife III’s historic 108-foot schooner from 1931, ed.) and I fell so much in love with these boats that, after founding Fairlie Yachts and spending 25 years restoring these masterpieces, I decided to pay tribute to them by creating a line of boats inspired by their designs”

Nothing is better than wood

This was the starting point for Fairlie Yachts’ “shipbuilding” adventure, which ten years ago built its first modern classic, inheriting important aesthetic elements from Fife and merging them with modern wood construction techniques (“there’s nothing better than wood when it comes to building a boat”) and up-to-date keel and sail plan layouts.

Il più piccolo della gamma Fairlie Yachts è il V45 (13,9 x 3,2 m). Sarà varato nel marzo del 2022.

Voyager and Performance

Today, Mr. Walker told us, “there are two ranges in the production of Fairlie Yachts, although, in fact, each boat is unique and built using the best craftsmanship in Southampton. There’s the ‘V’ series, where ‘V’ stands for ‘Voyager’, with 45, 49, 53 and 65-foot models, ideal for long cruises in total comfort. Then there’s the ‘P’ line, Performance, boats that can also perform well in races – especially in modern classic events – as well as cruising: P55, P66 and P77, the flagship of the range”.

The interior of the Fairlie P77, the flagship of the range (23.50 x 5.00 m).

Every Fairlie Yachts is a unique item

As these are one-offs, Walker continues, “as a yard we try to work with one owner at a time, so we can follow the design and construction as closely as possible. On a design level, our partner is Paul Spooner, who shares my love of Fife. A love that, if you can argue with us, emanates from all Fairlie Yachts’ boats..”

Eugenio Ruocco

For further information about Fairlie Yachts:

www.fairlieyachts.com
Italian importer: Casteras Yachts, casterasyachts@gmail.com