This year Hargrave Yachts took a leap by bringing to the market models designed to appeal to a new breed of owners. The Hargrave 125 with its contemporary design and all-American layout got our attention and, best of all, that of potential yacht owners.

Story Cecile Gauert Photos Marc Paris

The new Hargrave 125 Raised Pilothouse is full of surprises, as I found out when Hargrave Yachts’ CEO Mike Joyce showed me around the new model. The yacht was docked at Roscioli Yachting Center along Marina Mile in Fort Lauderdale a few days before the Superbowl of the yachting world—the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. As usual in preparation for the big unveiling, there was a flurry of activity on board.

Interior-design-firm owner Shelley DiCondina was on deck, unwrapping artwork and custom-built furniture in the main salon and dining area. She opened the door to the dayhead. “Mike, did you see the faucet?” I stole a glance as she opened the door. It took me a couple of seconds to realize that the narrow nickel slope above the dayhead’s glass bowl–shaped sink was, in fact, a snazzy 39-inch wall-mounted faucet made by Graff.

This is a new and edgier look for Hargrave Yachts. Facing, like everyone else, a changing market, Joyce decided to go back to the drawing board. At FLIBS he showed this new 125 and a 114-foot yacht. Both were developed in-house and finished top to bottom, down to the most minute details. Debuting at the show, they were designed to appeal to a new breed of yacht owners, unwilling to wait months for a custom yacht and looking for a certain pizzazz. With this in mind, particularly on the 125-footer, the builder paid close attention to both exterior and interior styling. It had to be both neutral enough not to scare people away but be memorable as well. “Yacht Interiors by Shelley went for the wow factor, and I think they got it. We had very positive reactions at the show,” said Joyce when we met again after the event.

Part of the modern twist is a color scheme that favors a strong contrast between light-colored fabrics and darker woods. The primary wood is walnut with a gloss finish that highlights the dark chocolate-color grain. Accents in polished steel, mirrors, frosted glass and zebra veneer create a pleasing symmetry.

The team at Hargrave Yachts took all its experience, all the feedback it has received over the years from owners and from crew, a design legacy dating back to naval architect Jack Hargrave, and summarized it in the kind of yacht they think most likely to appeal.

Before bringing this composite yacht with a full-displacement hull and styling by Ted Black to the marketplace, they went through various designs. What would owners want from this beamy yacht, the team wondered as they contemplated interior designs: More cabins or more space? The design team went with one of the true luxuries you can find on a yacht—space inside and out: wide entranceways, high ceilings, and plenty of windows and portholes. To top it all off there is a full-size sun deck with large hardtop and exterior helm station.

As you move from the bright salon/dining area, past the dayhead with the snazzy faucet, another surprise awaits. The corridor leads to an enormous country-style galley with a massive cooking island that could handle any big event on board. It is a professional galley, yes, but also a beautiful space where guests will likely congregate. Food and cooking, in case you haven’t noticed, have become a social experience. On land, it seems the kitchen is taking over the ground floor, sometimes covering hundreds of square feet. On the Hargrave 125, this galley—which includes a comfortable settee surrounded by windows for casual dining with a view—occupies nearly half of the indoor space on the main deck. And, as an additional nod to the gourmet yachtsman, high-end appliances include a 132-bottle climate-controlled wine cellar.

Steps lead to a private cabin with a king-size bed and plenty of closet space, forward. The other spacious cabins are accessed on the port side via a central carpeted staircase with white leather–encased banister. An attractive marble lobby provides a grand entrance to the master stateroom aft and two other ensuite cabins with king-size beds. The Hargrave design team wanted all rooms to be comparable in size and comfort. The king beds in the guest cabins can be set as two twin beds.

In a departure from many yachts in this size range, Hargrave decided to build its new 125-foot yacht as a raised pilothouse model, rather than the more frequently found tri-deck layout. A single helm chair faces an array of easy-to-read displays and comfortable settees invite guests to partake in the act of navigation. At anchor, this is a wonderful perch where guests can curl up with a book or a Nook. Many of the systems are duplicated on the exterior helm, which is equally as inviting with two benches equipped with footrests. Just behind are a comfortable lounge, bar, an outdoor kitchen and a hot tub. There is room left over for lounge chairs and a big tender of the owner’s choice. The shaded aft main deck also is fully equipped for entertaining with an attractive second bar, a large high-low table from Aritex and a comfortable settee.

Hargrave’s yachts do well on the charter market, and one of the reasons they do is that the company pays attention to not only the guests but also the crew. The Hargrave 125’s crew quarters are finished with the same grade walnut wood in a high-gloss finish, and each cabin has its own bathroom. There is a dining table and nice banquette facing a compact but adequate cooking station with microwave and refrigerator.

The trademark polished stainless steel door engraved with the Hargrave logo leads from the crew quarters to the engine room where two 1,875hp Caterpillar C32 Acert diesel engines fit neatly between the generators. Fuel capacity is 8,000 gallons, giving the yacht a range of 4,000 miles with a 10 percent reserve. And that’s not all. There is much more to know about this elegant and complete yacht. The specifications occupy 11 tightly typed pages.

If Hargrave Yachts’ CEO Mike Joyce is taking a gamble with this new model, he has stacked the deck in his favor.

For more information, hargravecustomyachts.com

LOA: 125ft. (38.1m)
Beam: 25ft. (7.62m)
Draft: 7ft. 9in. (2.36m)
Type: raised pilothouse
Hull material: composite
Superstructure material: composite
Displacement: 190 tons
Engines: 2 x CAT C32 Acert @ 1,875hp
Gearbox: ZF 3150 transmission
Propellers: 5-blade bronze
Speed (max.): about 19 knots
Speed (cruising): about 15 knots
Fuel capacity: 8,000 gallons (30,283L)
Freshwater capacity: 700 gallons (2,650L)
Range @ 8 knots: about 4,000 nm
Stabilizers: Naiad 525-2.50 Roll stabilizers
Generators: 2 x 40 kW CAT
Naval architecture: J.B. Hargrave design
Interior design: Yacht Interiors by Shelley
Exterior styling: Ted Black/Hargrave
Guest cabins: four
Crew cabins: three
Builder: Hargrave Custom Yachts
Year: 2013