Vicem 65 Classic, the Turkish Commuter Yacht Built to Order

Vicem yachts for sale, and why there are several 65s

Search Vicem yachts for sale and the 65 badge appears on boats built nearly two decades apart. That confuses buyers, so start here. Vicem traces its roots to Sebahattin Hafizoglu, who began building cold-molded wood and epoxy boats inspired by Turkish gulets, and the company has been building yachts since 1991. Its Classic line made the brand's name in the US with rakish, Downeast-inspired motoryachts in varnished mahogany. Vicem has also renamed builds by overall length over the years; Yachting notes that a 2010 boat launched as a 58 Classic is now called a 64.

The family includes a cold-molded 2007 Vicem 65 motoryacht with twin 480 hp Yanmars, the 65 Flybridge that debuted at the 2016 Palm Beach show, the 65 Classic Flybridge and 65 Classic IPS variants offered in cold-molded or fiberglass form, and the newest boat, simply called the 65 Classic. This page focuses on that latest model, a sleek express commuter whose first hull reached an American owner in late 2024 and which Yachting reviewed in October 2025, while covering the older 65s in the versions section.

Commuter-yacht lines over a modern composite hull

The 65 Classic looks as if it has been around for decades: a graceful sheer, rounded tumblehome aft, gleaming brightwork and the low, raked profile of the great East Coast commuters. Underneath, it is a contemporary build. Vicem lists the construction as GRP with PVC foam sandwich and vinylester resin rather than the cold-molded mahogany that made its name, and the design work, exterior and interior, comes from the Vicem Yacht Design Team.

Builder specifications give an overall length of 69 feet 5 inches, a beam of 18 feet and a draft of 4 feet 9 inches at 25 percent load, made possible by straight shafts running in shallow prop pockets. That draft is the reason Hull No. 1's owner chose it: the Bahamas sandbars are a favorite destination. Tankage is generous at 1,058 gallons of fuel, split between a central tank and two gravity-fed wing tanks, plus 311 gallons of water. Vicem rates the boat for up to 11 people.

Yachting's reviewer noted the hull carries much of its beam forward, which helps keep trim level as it rises on plane at about 13 knots, and a low center of gravity aids stability.

A main deck built to the owner's brief

Customization is standard practice at Vicem, not an upcharge. Buyers can choose an atrium galley, a galley up or a galley aft open to the cockpit, and the owner of Hull No. 1 went further, adding about 3 feet between the helm and the wraparound windshield to create an atrium over a forward lounge, effectively a second salon. Single-pane side windows give clean views, and there is 79 inches of headroom.

Triple sliding doors open from the teak cockpit, which has L-shaped seating, a high-low table and a grill and wet bar hidden to starboard. The rounded transom hides a garage for toys or a tender. Pantograph doors on each side of the helm open to 18-inch side decks with full bow rails, and the helm has side-by-side seating for two with twin 16-inch Garmin displays.

Finishes on the first boat include teak soles, pale oak cabinetry with high-gloss accents, quartz counters and Miele appliances, a modern palette that moves away from the all-mahogany interiors of older Vicems.

Staterooms, a lower salon and a crew cabin aft

Below decks, Vicem offers full-beam masters, twin masters or bunk rooms with hidden Pullman berths. Hull No. 1 has a lower salon, a forward en suite VIP, a guest stateroom whose twins convert to a double, a day head, and a full-beam master amidships three steps down with a transverse queen berth, a vanity and a marble en suite with double sinks and a separate shower. Placing that bathroom aft puts a buffer between the berth and the engine room.

A crew cabin with its own head sits abaft the engine room, a feature more common on larger yachts. Yachting suggested it works as well for a teenager as for a captain or chef. The salon's L-shaped sofa also converts to a double, giving the first boat four double berths in total.

Twin MAN V12s and Yachting's sea trial numbers

Power is a pair of 1,400 hp MAN V12 diesels on straight shafts, with Humphree interceptors handling trim. Vicem quotes a top speed of 30.1 knots and a cruising range of 18 to 22.5 knots, and the 30.1-knot figure was recorded at 2,260 rpm during builder delivery trials.

Yachting's test, run out of Haulover Inlet into a 2- to 3-foot Atlantic chop with about 90 percent fuel aboard, found a sweet spot at 20 knots and 1,800 rpm, burning 85 gallons per hour according to the Garmin displays, for a range of about 222 nautical miles with a 10 percent reserve. At 2,000 rpm the boat made 22 knots on 120 gph. The tester measured 73 decibels at the helm at cruise and reported no creaks or shudders despite all the custom woodwork.

These are big-engine numbers. A 65 Classic is not an economical trawler; it is a fast commuter that happens to carry a lot of fuel. Owners planning Bahamas runs from South Florida will be fine, but long legs need planning at 20 knots.

• Power: 2 x MAN V12, 1,400 hp each, straight shafts
• Builder trial: 30.1 knots at 2,260 rpm
• Yachting test: 20 knots at 1,800 rpm on 85 gph, 222 nm range
• 22 knots at 2,000 rpm on 120 gph
• 73 dB at the helm at cruise

Running costs for a custom 70-foot commuter

Budget roughly $180,000 to $350,000 a year before depreciation. A 70-foot slip, insurance on a custom yacht, MAN V12 servicing, generator and stabilization upkeep, brightwork, and fuel at 85 gph or more for every hour at cruise add up quickly, and most owners will employ at least a part-time captain. Varnished brightwork is the hidden line item: keeping a Vicem gleaming in Florida sun takes regular professional attention.

Vicem sells through its own sales team and a dealer network, and it emphasizes customer care, but the factory is still an ocean away. Choose a yard experienced with MAN engines and with varnish work, and agree warranty logistics before delivery.

Buying an older Vicem 65 instead

Used Vicem yachts for sale at this size are mostly older cold-molded boats, and they can be remarkable value. A 2007 Vicem 65 with three staterooms, twin 480 hp Yanmars, a reported 14-knot cruise, 18-knot top speed and 1,000 gallons of fuel has been listed in Connecticut at $699,000, and a 2010 Vicem 64 Classic at $990,000.

Cold-molded mahogany gives a quiet, solid ride and natural insulation, but it demands a surveyor who knows wooden composite construction. Check moisture readings, the condition of the epoxy encapsulation around fittings, and the quality of any paint or varnish refits. The 2016-era 65 Flybridge and 65 Classic Flybridge boats offer more modern systems and Volvo Penta power, with the builder quoting up to 32 knots on IPS1350 pods for the flybridge model.