This boat wants to run like a Tp 52 and also go cruising. PHOTOS and VIDEO

Neo Yachts “raises its sights” above 50 feet, announcing the start of construction of the Neo 570, a sporty 57-footer that will have the ambition of being as fast on the water as a Tp 52 without sacrificing the possibility of cruising use as well.

An ambitious but concrete boat , as concrete has always been the brand founded by Paolo Semeraro (former Finn Olympian , America’s Cup sailor, master sailor and now also CEO of the newly established Neo Yachts shipyard in Bari), who has already produced the Neo 400 (later to become Neo 400+ in the latest version as we tell you below), and the Neo 350.

The design of the Neo 570, which is already under construction and scheduled to be launched next year, aims to put a hull on the water that can keep up with the Tp 52s on most sailing points and in all wind conditions, but , thanks to the lifting keel, with a shallow enough draft to get in and out of normal harbors and with fairly easy handling even non-professional sailor and family cruising enthusiast.

To achieve these goals, the choice of designer could not be random and fell to Shaun Carkeek, of Carkeek Design Partners, one of the most current and up-to-date interpreters of the sport boat world. The design of the boat has among its salient features , in addition to a Light displacement with high readjustment , flaring of the broadside and an inverted bow, as seen on the latest generation of racers, for example on the Maxi 72 Cannonball designed by Botin or the Fast 40 Ran designed by Carkeek himself. The choice of these particular volumes in the front part has aerodynamic reasons , of reducing turbulence on the headsails but also and especially structural with a saving of about 300kg of structure.

Why was Palma’s design firm chosen? “We wanted new ideas from a relatively new name. Shaun Carkeek is a young guy, but with a proven track record.” Semeraro explains. “For example, I was impressed by the performance of his Fast 40 project, RAN, and his track record in the Fast 40 class is excellent: each new boat has been significantly faster than the last.” .

An ambitious project absolutely in line with what has been the young history of the shipyard, as Paolo Semeraro recalls again: “The story begins in 2014, when I built a 40-foot carbon for bet….that it could have cruise interiors , but make 26 knots and I used it to win the Middle Sea Race,” he says, and many thousands of miles. We stretched the prototype to make the 42-foot-long, semi-custom Neo 400+, and sold three of them. Last year we launched another project, the Neo 350 two boats launched to date a third under construction. One of which was fifth overall in the world championship ORCì 2019 one week after its launch. During rehearsal, the 350 itself, with huge and comfortable interiors, has already reached 18 knots of boat speed with the same wind force. And now we have started the big boat project. Some investors came on board and financed the development of Neo 570. The first boat has already been sold.”