The Mangusta 165 has finally arrived in the United States. Among her assets are amazing spaces and a speed allowing her to reach the Bahamas from the Southeastern US Coast in two hours or less.

Story Jill Bobrow Photos Alberto Cocchi

If speed turns you on, then the Mangusta 165 will be the seductress you cannot resist. Handily achieving speeds of up to 40 knots, she is the world’s fastest fiberglass open maxi. Even standing still, this snazzy yacht created quite a buzz during her debut at the 2012 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. Launched in spring 2012 at the Overmarine Group yard in Viareggio, she is another Stefano Righini tour de force. The launch of Hull No. 7 took place five years after the model was introduced. Hull No. 1, Salvaje, was at the Monaco Yacht Show in September 2007, but this is the first Mangusta 165 to be shown in the United States.

Her active owners previously enjoyed a Mangusta 108 and a Mangusta 130. They worked with Overmarine’s in-house design team to personalize their largest Mangusta to date to reflect their family’s taste and active lifestyle. The result is a luxurious and inviting yacht. “The boat epitomizes the Mangusta philosophy—she is both glamorous and a fun family yacht,” says Overmarine Marketing Manager Isabella Picco.

For an open (or express cruiser) yacht, the Mangusta 165 has an enormous amount of volume and headroom—equivalent, in fact, to what you could expect on a tri-deck yacht. The main salon is one vast open space with no dividing walls between the living area and the wheelhouse. Sharp, clean lines emphasize even further the yacht’s impressive volume, evident as soon as you climb aboard.

Bleached teak floors, limed oak paneling, hammered marble and accents of stainless steel create a contemporary feel. Colors are a medley of browns that would be right at home in a gelateria as espresso, nougat and caramel. Furnishings include a convivial gathering of sofas and armchairs, a game table and marble bar concealing a large-screen TV. Four skylights and large windows bring in the views. Plus, with the push of a button, a roof slides open to reveal a starlit sky. Still, the yacht’s centerpiece may very well be an eye-catching display of large screens and commands located forward on the main deck. The pilot seat has built-in controls to assist in navigation, and two guests can enjoy the ride in two comfortable leather-upholstered companion seats. Just behind the seats is a custom-made table that seats 12.

Overmarine Group creates everything in-house at its Viareggio-based shipyard, from hull molds to lamination, and from the interior design to fine woodwork. The shipyard has produced to date a long list of Mangustas in various sizes, each with individual décors reflecting its clients’ varied tastes and desires. Whether their owners have relied on personal decorators or not, the yachts’ interiors are invariably stunning and perfectly finished.

The lower deck on this 165 is home to a hunker-down lounge with a cozy sofa area facing a large screen TV—an elegant version of the American “rec” room. Also on this level is a gym with a treadmill, elliptical trainer and weights. While the yacht can accommodate five staterooms, the owners wanted only four on their yacht. The full-beam owner’s suite includes a large study, walk-in wardrobe and his-and-hers bathrooms divided by a shower that can also be used as a steam room. Guest accommodations include two double cabins with various bed configurations suited for adults of children. Guests can adjust light, temperature and sound in their personal spaces through a special iPad app custom designed by Overmarine.

The crew area for nine, adjacent to a sizable galley with ample freezer storage and a comfortable mess, provides discreet and convenient access to guest accommodations.

The yacht’s impressive size (including a beam of more than 30 feet) leaves plenty of room for entertaining outdoors. The main deck houses a Jacuzzi, a dining table for 14 and a retractable flat screen for an outdoor movie experience, plus a second salon and large sunpads forward. A special diving board affixed to the bulwark and an inflatable slide satisfy youthful thrill seekers once the yacht has dropped anchor. The large garage, accessible through a stern door operated by a hydraulic system, also houses Jet Skis and diving equipment.

One of the beauties of the M165’s design is the well-concealed flybridge. While small enough to blend into the sporty profile, it is large enough to accommodate a lunch area and sunbathing space, plus a second wheelhouse, convenient for maneuvers and thrilling at high speeds in open water, up to 40 knots in optimal conditions.

The yacht owes her speed to triple 4,610hp MTUs (painted fire- engine red) coupled to two KaMeWa waterjets and a KaMeWa booster.

Large-capacity fuel tanks provide power for short bursts of speed, but dial back the speed to about 25 knots (using two engines), and the range is around 600 nautical miles (and fuel consumption roughly 396 gallons per hour). After taking delivery in June, the family spent nearly 45 days aboard, hitting all the hot spots from Malta to Saint-Tropez to Barcelona before the yacht was shipped to the United States.The owners just love the flexibility the 165 offers.

On the spur of the moment, they can decide to lift anchor and spend the afternoon in the Bahamas.

Why would you go slow, when you can go fast?

Mangusta Growth

The Balducci family has owned Overmarine since 1985 and has built more than 10 Mangustas (named after the fast-striking mongoose) a year since inception. The yard traditionally has built composite yachts in the open style, ranging in size from 72 to 165 feet, but the more recently announced Mangusta 205 is to be built in aluminum. A few years ago, the company added a tri-deck displacement yacht to its offering, the Mangusta Oceano 148, but speed remains a popular choice for Overmarine’s clients. Francesco Frediani, the company’s sales director, recently announced the sale of the eighth Mangusta 165 (Moonraker) and two new contracts on the Mangusta 94, an updated version of the successful Mangusta 92. The Overmarine Group has premises near Fort Lauderdale and a network of dealers strategically distributed across the globe, including Asia. In the United States, Overmarine has partnered with Marine Max. It has also expanded its facilities by purchasing a new facility near Pisa for the construction of metal yachts as large as 70 meters.

LOA: 163ft. 9in. (49.9m)
Beam: 30ft. 2in. (9.2m)
Draft (max.): approx 6ft. 5in. (1.95m)
Construction: composite
Displacement( half load): 285 tons
Fuel capacity: 10,567 gal. (40,000L)
Water capacity: 1,057 gal. (4,000L)
Engines: 3 x MTU 16V 4000 M93L @ 4,610hp each
Propulsion: 2 x KaMeWa 80 S3 + 1 KaMeWa Booster 71B3
Speed (max): approx 38 knots
Speed (cruising): 35 knots
Speed (cruising w/2 engines): 25 knots
Range (max): approx 600 nm
Exterior Design: Overmarine Group/Stefano Righini
Interior Designer: Overmarine Group Design Department
Contact: [email protected], overmarine.it or Bob Frisky, Marine Max, 954-347-6769, [email protected]