Review: Horizon FD103 Custom Luxury Yacht

Horizon has created an urban style living with resort-like environment that is exclusive to your order.

The real alluring character of the FD103 is how it blurs the line between modern living and your ideal rendezvous. Designed to wander, discover, and experience in a way that feels way more like living on a waterfront property without real estate limitations. 

One with Horizon

The process of building with Horizon has become so much more than choosing from fabric and colour books. It has become a collaboration between the yard and the customer to create the ideal boat with almost limitless personification. This FD103 is the perfect example of how what the local office promotes isn’t the limit on what’s possible from the Taiwan factory. 

Finding love

Askira, the latest FD to be handed over to owners in Australia, came about almost by chance. Her experienced owners knew what they wanted out of their dream boat but couldn’t achieve it with the brand they currently owned. A chance phone call to the office of Horizon Yacht Australia took them on a new path before encountering the range at the Ft Lauderdale Boat Show and setting in motion the path to perfection.

The FD87, as it was known then, (now FD90) impressed Askira’s owners but what they wanted was the beam and layout of the larger FD110 which was also on display. Having set objectives and a budget, they discovered that the FD110 was not achievable, however, Horizon CEO John Lu, found a way to accommodate all the layout and customisation requests by extending the hull of the FD90 and configuring similarly to the 110. Except for the beam, Askira’s owners received everything they wanted, and under their budget. 

That Design

As you move up the FD range the designs get sleeker, yet there is no denying they carry more beam forward than traditional superyacht hulls. To help offset the impact of the big beam, all FD’s feature Horizons High-Performance Piercing (HPP) bow to provide some additional buoyancy, a fine entry at slow speeds and a little bit of lift at higher speeds enabling better economy. Like the 110, the 103 features a third deck which visually achieves a nice balance between the height and the length.

The foredeck is an excellent example of design flexibility. Different interpretations of the foredeck have seen Horizon install jacuzzis, lounging and sunbathing options, but Askira is different. As an entertaining centric build, she is laid out with anchoring and tender business at the front and party at the back. Rather than wait for the clearing of the boat deck to free up the guest areas, the owners decided they’d probably never use the foredeck and opted for a luxurious Costoldi Jet Tender to be stored away up front, freeing up space for guest entertainment. 

Utility touches

Made for seamless days onboard that roll on without interruption or intervention by the crew, push a button to lift the transom door, and it doesn’t reveal the regular beach club option with bar and lounge. Instead, it reveals a utilitarian watersports toy shed. Everything you need for recreational fun on the water is right there and, again, doesn’t require the crew to unload it all and get it ready. The generous swim platform raises and lowers at the push of a button for PWC launching and the latest electric foiling Flyte Boards and Electric Sea Scooters lining the water sports trunk. It’s clean, practical, and fast to access when you drop the anchor and easy to pack away when you’re ready to leave. 

Up top

The bridge deck has an all-weather alfresco bar and lounge just behind the fully enclosed wheelhouse, making it the perfect spot to while away the hours underway. Fully protected under a hardtop, you can slide open the side windows threefold to bring the fresh air into the cruising lounge. The well-equipped bar to starboard will help the storytelling embellishments while keeping an eye out where you are going through the wheelhouse windows. Fitted with a finely finished bathroom like the rest of Askira, this is the level where everything flows. Shade sails extending from the hardtop offer ventilated respite from the sun for up to ten guests who can dine formally or casually eat your favourites from the nearby electric outdoor BBQ grill. 

The sunset double bubbles spot looks inviting at the aft end of the bridge deck. The surrounding bar and barstools have made the jacuzzi a dual purpose destination, a spa and bar. Not everyone wants to jump in the jacuzzi, but Horizon thinks that shouldn’t limit the zone’s sociability, and it’s been a massive hit with Horizon owners since they first introduced it back in 2016 on an E75. 

The curious will find a mellow incline of steps that invite you to this third deck irresistible. Nothing in front and nothing behind you, the luxurious crow’s nest is perfect for sun lounging and casual entertaining with bar facilities and a driving station for slow cruising and anchoring. Subtly integrated as a tri-deck, the top layer is an elevated rooftop zone. It fits nicely with the overall lines of the vessel. It is the best vantage point for coming into new locations, catching the sun dipping into the water, or relaxing in the best-ventilated area onboard with shade. 

Mid-level luxury

Zoned for moods and modes, the main deck is the home on the water with one-level living. It feels like modern waterfront living where the water is viewable from anywhere. The tones are rich, the fabrics textured with an inviting softness, and the flow seamless across an integrated and exquisitely decorated interior. The natural tones cross a variety of colours, subtle patterns in textured panels, seating that you want to sit in and a lounge surrounded by cinematic windows. Light is subtly absorbed and not reflected on the main deck. Low cut bulwarks allow the magnificent glass panels that make up the saloon to immerse you in your surroundings. The impressive windows frame nature like an artwork of an ever-changing world outside. These windows will frame spectacular scenery over time, and it’s easy to imagine how good they’d look framing Wineglass Bay in Tasmania or Zoe Bay on Hinchinbrook Island. 

Soft fabrics and plush cushioning of the furniture give this deck an inviting feel. Lounging flows openly on the starboard side towards the dual-zone full-sized wine refrigerator that supports the dining table for ten. Crowned by subtly lit overhead feature lighting with unique hand-blown glass by Soktas found over the dining table and in the master cabin. 

Conversation extensions

The galley features yet more owner’s designer touches that are unique to Askira. It is the space that does the heavy lifting when entertaining and features personality in its detail befitting of its use. Small touches like the island bench faucet ending with a nut and bolt outlet, controlled by a spanner as the valve gate lever, to a barbell like grip on the refrigerator handles will spark conversation about what more Horizon and good design can do for you. 

The grips are fitting; I think this galley will get a workout. It looks catering capable featuring benches on three sides plus a separate island bench, big upright fridges and freezers and a wide cooktop. The benchtops and the splashbacks are onyx, so they’ve got all the look and feel of natural stone with more stain resistance while being able to be backlit. 

Masters Main

For day to day living, the accessibility of the owner’s cabin on the main deck makes a lot of sense. Steps forward of the galley and spanning the voluminous floor plan, it feels more like terrestrial living. The convenience of grabbing something from your cabin without the inhibiting task of going below is appreciated when you spend extended time onboard. The main deck master of the FD series often seals the deal for boat buyers looking at more traditional layouts. The Master cabin is a treat of retreat, and anything you might need is close at hand. 

The sheer volume, immersive glass on either side, and slightly tapering full-beam forward allow dual bathrooms with dual entries, a toilet on each side, stylish benchtop sinks, and sublime gold taps. They are joined in the middle by a shared shower or a shower for sharing. Adorning the king-sized master bed, two more custom light features of hand-blown Soktas glass accentuate the carefully chosen blend of tones and textures of the fabrics. The same soft to touch leather surrounding the bed base features on the face of the accessory cabinets in front of each hull window. A multifunction display near the bed allows the owners to watch the navigation and key operational vitals without leaving the cabin. 

Exclusive entertainment

The ability to monitor and control the boat is bought together by Bridger Automation from the Gold Coast. They have created the state of the art Audio-Video system for Askira which was sent to the factory for installation and commissioned on arrival in Sanctuary Cove. 

Located around the boat are tablets featuring Maretron Octoplex control systems. The wireless tablets can monitor and control the vessel from anywhere onboard. The system can also be updated remotely, including all the digital switching. When you need help with adjusting parameters or updating the firmware of the Octoplex system, Michael Chang from Carling in Taiwan can log in remotely and provide the solutions and updates remotely. You don’t even need to get a technician to the boat.

Down Under

Below decks, at the bottom of the staircase, the foyer leading to the four guest cabins has a convenient night fridge for refreshments or medicine storage. The two VIP cabins aft are spacious with expansive bathrooms. Forward the port cabin is a queen berth with ensuite, and the starboard cabin (closet to the stairs) is a twin cabin with a full-sized Pullman berth to flexibly accommodate three. 

In this part of the world, where the crew are a big part of the experience on the water, they become part of the boat’s fabric, and during the times aboard they often become part of the family. The treatment of the crew area and crew quarters on Askira reflect that family ethos, with the same high-quality fittings and finishes of the guest cabins seen in the crew quarters. 

Askira is a vessel planned and built with the expectation her owners can choose to operate all systems themselves which makes sense as the crew quarters then become overflow accommodations, a self-contained apartment within a floating paradise for those big, near home get-togethers. 

The wrap

A chameleon, the FD103, Askira, can transform from a luxurious nomadic home on the water to an exclusive large scale entertaining platform. She’s adventurous by nature, well-thought-out and sophisticatedly completed by owners that have spent some time learning what defines their boating style while allowing them to project their personality into the truly custom build. Askira epitomises a perfect collaboration between a boat builder that listens and experienced buyers that know what they want.

Horizon FD130 Facts & Figures

Option fitted

Extensive customisation not limited to: Dive Compressor, Hydraulic Swinplatform, Furuno Electronics Suite, Abi Interiors Tap Ware, Maretron Monitoring & Control Systems, Miele & Vitrifrigo Appliances, ABT Stabilisers and Thrusters, Bespoke Soktas Blown Glass, Bridger Automation AV, Addtional Coolstores, Jacuzzi 

General

Engine

Manufactured by 

HORIZON YACHTS 

Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Supplied by

HORIZON YACHT AUSTRALIA

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