Ferretti 731 Review, Official Specs and What One Costs Now

Why the Ferretti 731 was a turning point

Ferretti called the 731 the new expression of the Ferretti style, and for once the marketing line was fair. Introduced in 2005 to replace the 730 and built until about 2008, the 74-foot 5-inch flybridge broke with several habits the yard had kept for years. Yachting's tester, writing after a sea trial out of La Spezia for the May 2005 issue, said the design had moved on from Ferretti's earlier conservative approach toward a more modern, sporting look, and that the same ideas would likely spread across future Ferrettis. They did.

The most visible change was on the flybridge. Instead of the traditional helm at the front of the bridge, the 731 put a central control console with its own wind deflector in the middle, reversing the layout so the sun bed is forward and the dining area aft. The skipper stays in contact with guests, who tend to sit forward, and the view aft for stern-to docking is far better. An electric bimini extends from the arch mast. The 731 won Best Motoryacht 70 to 100 feet in the Asia Pacific Boating awards in 2006.

A panoramic master on a 74-footer

Large hull windows were becoming common on bigger yachts in the mid-2000s, and Yachting noted that the 731 was one of the smallest boats it had seen with them. They light the amidships master, which Ferretti described as placed lengthwise, with a panoramic window on each side so the sea is visible from anywhere in the cabin, and a spacious shower separated from the bathroom by a sliding door. The view from the bed is partly blocked to port by the en suite, which in turn gets its own sea view; in port you would draw the blinds.

The three guest cabins have portholes rather than big windows, but every cabin is en suite, with four guest bathrooms in all. Crew live aft in two small cabins squeezed in behind the engine room, one standard and one optional, sharing access with the laundry. Yachting found the engine room generous and the crew space tight.

Matte teak, a swinging door and a closed pilothouse

Inside, matte-finished teak replaced the heavily lacquered cherry of older Ferrettis, and lighter leather settees brightened the salon. Two symmetrical L-shaped settees face each other across glass-topped tables, with a TV in a base forward that separates the lounge from a dining area one step up, where a glass table seats eight. The galley is compact and in its own compartment with an outside door for crew and a skylight.

Ferretti fitted a swinging door instead of a sliding one into the salon, which Yachting found easier and safer at sea. Unusually for the class, the pilothouse is separated from the accommodation, which prevents any view astern from the lower helm. It is finished in black leather to cut reflections, with a small guest table to port and a three-screen layout for radar, charts and the Naviop monitoring system, plus MAN engine displays.

Mini beach, foredeck and cockpit

Aft, a fold-out bench creates what Ferretti called a mini beach almost at sea level on the swim platform; it stows away at sea. The cockpit has a teak table for eight and mooring fittings hidden under hinged covers, with storage bins for lines. A large sun bed covers the foredeck. Low bulwarks topped with teak capping and stainless rails help the hull look slimmer than its 19-foot beam suggests.

MAN V12 options and how the hull rides

Ferretti's technical sheet lists two MAN common-rail V12s. The standard V12-1360 CR was predicted to give 31 knots maximum, 28 knots cruise and 360 nautical miles of range. The V12-1550 CR raised that to 33.5 knots maximum and 30 knots cruise, with range falling to 325 nautical miles. Yachting's test boat had the 1,550s and the tester put the difference between the two options at about 2.5 knots. Both drive conventional shafts and propellers with no prop tunnels.

The hull has a shallow 12-degree deadrise with pronounced chines. Yachting found the combination effective in the swell left after a storm, though the chines added some stiffness to the ride in waves. A 2007 European listing with 1,550s quotes a 24-knot cruise and 31 knots top after 2,400 hours, a reasonable real-world expectation for a loaded boat.

Displacement is 43.5 tonnes unladen and 49.8 tonnes laden, about 110,000 pounds, with 5,500 liters (1,453 gallons) of fuel and 1,000 liters of water. Ferretti's own ARG gyro stabilizers were on the options list.

• MAN V12-1360 CR: 31 knots max, 28 knots cruise, 360 nm range (predicted)
• MAN V12-1550 CR: 33.5 knots max, 30 knots cruise, 325 nm range (predicted)
• LOA 74 feet 5 inches, waterline 63 feet 8 inches, beam 19 feet 1 inch
• Fuel 1,453 gallons, water 264 gallons, rated for 20 people

The Ferretti 730 that came before

The 731 replaced the Ferretti 730, which was still in the range in 2004. Ferretti's data for that boat listed twin MAN D2842 LE404 V12s of 1,300 hp as standard, good for a predicted 33 knots, with Caterpillar 3412E engines of 1,420 hp and MTU 12V 2000 M91s of 1,500 hp as options for 34 and 35 knots. If a listing says 730, expect the older cherry interior, a forward flybridge helm and earlier-generation engines, and price it accordingly.

Owning a 731 today

A 731 is a crewed yacht for most owners. Its range is useful, more than 300 miles at cruise thanks to 1,453 gallons of fuel, but fuel burn at 28 to 30 knots on 3,100 hp is substantial, and the generators, air conditioning and the stabilizers all need regular service. Annual costs including a captain, dockage, insurance and maintenance run about $160,000 to $300,000.

The first-generation MAN common-rail engines deserve specialist attention: ask for injector and fuel system history, and have both engines scanned and oil-sampled. Many boats have spent their lives in the Mediterranean, so check electrical conversion and documentation if you are importing one.