The Dixon-Hoppen dream team returns with a big sister for the award-winning Pearl 72, thr all-new Pearl 82. Alex Smith gets behind the wheel
The annual Cannes yachting festival can be a tough place to stand out from the crowd. From vast power cats and multi-outboard mega RIBs to epic open day boats and curious custom toys, it’s rammed to the gunwales with diverting eye candy.
But with its staggered ranks of full-length windows adding a playful lightness to its profile, Pearl’s new Pearl 82 is well able to hold its own. It still looks modest by the standards of the neighbouring Wallys and Pardos of course, but given that this is an 83ft raised pilothouse model, it’s a really good looking boat – and it’s all the more attractive to us because designer, Bill Dixon, is on board.
Naturally, we waylay Bill with a barrage of questions and, while he doesn’t tend to be an overly effusive man, there’s a vigour and engagement to his responses that suggest he’s pretty pleased with his work.
Four ranks of windows do a great job of mitigating the bulk
Cockpit and saloon
The Pearl 82’s back end is available in one of two configurations. The test boat’s “Riviera” layout uses expansive raised sun beds that soften the transition between cockpit and aft platform, improving your connection with the water.
The optional Pearl 82 “Veranda” layout adopts a more conventional cockpit dining station, separated from the lower platform by an aft balustrade, but in both cases, there’s room in the tender garage for a Williams 395 on the starboard side, plus a Sea-Doo Spark directly next to that.
The sunken troughs for that do of course intrude on the space down in the engine bay but not critically so – and actually, while the cockpit might lack any aft-facing seats to ramp up the sociability of this zone, you do get plenty of deck space plus a pair of drop-down bulwarks, all of which can be used for additional seating.
Upper helms don’t come much better protected than this
You also get a port unit containing a big chest fridge to service the external guests with chilled wine and, if you want to mix things up a bit, the wide-opening patio doors and single-level deck do a good job of inviting you inside.
It’s here, in the internal saloon, where the good stuff really begins to happen and it all starts with the fact that, in addition to impressive outright volume, the management of the space is so rewarding. Floor-to-ceiling windows with cut-outs in the bulwarks create great views on the beam, and the use of vertical slats rather than blank bulkheads also does a great job of delineating the spaces without shutting off the light and views.
In terms of the layout, there’s room in here for a lounge area aft, a dining area in the middle and a bright mirror-lined bar at the forward end, built up against the transverse bulkhead that separates off the saloon from the ‘lower’ helm.
The long, flared flybridge comes with the option of a hot tub behind the dinette
This bulkhead channels you left towards the fore-and-aft galley or right towards the day heads and main deck owner’s cabin. As you would hope, the galley is nicely tucked away and you can easily formalise that separation by shutting it off from the main saloon.
Either way, both the Pearl 82 layout and facilities are spot on. You get a huge fridge and separate freezer, as well as plenty of storage and work surfaces. You also get a double oven plus a hob with a low-slung extractor to preserve the light and views, so in the event that you choose to go without crew, it’s a very pleasant place to be.
The raised bow lounge sits directly on top of the owner’s cabin
Onwards and upwards
If you head beyond the forward saloon bulkhead on the starboard side, beyond the stairwells to the lower helm and the guest cabins, you come to the day heads. It’s usefully private, thanks to its separation from the saloon, and if you continue forward, another door takes you into one of this boat’s key highlights – the main deck owner’s cabin.
There’s a walk-in wardrobe and dressing table at the raised entrance point, before you step down into the main cabin itself and, when you get there, it delivers plenty of impact. A central fore-and-aft bed gets big views through huge wraparound windows on three sides.
The sheltered aft cockpit features drop-down terraces, lots of open deck space and one of two layouts
There’s also an excellent seating area to port with an integrated table so you can use it as a breakfast bar before you go out to join the main party. Behind that, the ensuite bathroom provides plenty of space for two to shower in the morning and once again, the use of both upper and lower windows does really good things for the light and views.
At the forward end of the Pearl 82 cabin is a private sliding door that takes you out onto the forepeak, where there’s easily room for a couple of chairs and a table if you fancy an alfresco breakfast.
But if this spot feels better tailored to seamanship than recreation, then simply spin around and face aft, because from here, two sets of symmetrical steps lead up to a delightful outdoor lounge set into the roof of the owner’s cabin.
There’s room for a big sun pad with adjustable backrests plus a lovely dining space for up to six people. There are also unobstructed views all round and yet, with thoughtfully placed guardrails and lateral mouldings, the lounge’s wide-open elevation never makes you feel vulnerable or exposed.
The saloon is broadly divided into three: an aft lounge, a central dining area and a forward bar
It doesn’t end there though, because if you head up and aft once again, a port walkway gives you direct bow access to the flybridge itself, which again is superb. At the forward end, there’s a twin helm to starboard and a three-man bench to port.
Behind that is a pair of seating units: a big C-shaped dinette with freestanding furniture that could easily seat ten people, plus an L-shaped lounge on the other side of the broad companionway.
These units are slightly staggered, freeing up room for a long port galley, just ahead of the aft steps. And on the starboard side, there’s still room for an optional hot tub, an aft sunpad and a handy expanse of deck at the stern, orbited by a glass balustrade and ripe for some extra freestanding loungers.
It makes conventional flybridge design feel decidedly underwhelming
It’s a stupendous size for a boat of this length, with excellent facilities and ease of movement but it feels all the more exciting because of its proximity to that raised bow lounge. In a way, it feels like an exclusive little offshoot of the flybridge itself, and once you’ve been up here and enjoyed the difference it makes, a conventional flybridge arrangement begins to feel decidedly underwhelming by comparison.
The owner’s bathroom has a large rain shower and twin sinks
Lower deck symmetry
The Pearl 82 test boat’s four-cabin lower deck is arranged around a clever diamond-shaped central atrium that introduces a diagonal bulkhead to each cabin for extra space and interest.
At the forward end, that space is split into a pair of twins, each with an additional pullman bed for extra guests and a generous ensuite with separate rain shower. The midships space is also divided equally, this time creating a pair of doubles, each with transverse beds, mirrored bulkheads, big windows and lots of storage, plus even larger bathrooms at the aft end.
Sliding doors lead out to the forepeak, rooftop bow lounge and enormous flybridge
This layout works a treat, enabling you to sleep 10-12 in good comfort. And while that might prove particularly attractive to the charter market, there are, of course, options. If you want to trade the two forward twins for doubles or swap both for a huge VIP cabin instead, that can certainly be done but in all cases, there’s still room for some really strong crew accommodation aft.
Running transversely, between the engineroom and the midships double guest suites, the crew accommodation comprises two cabins – one bunk and one single – plus a proper bathroom with separate rain shower, a handy breakfast bar with fridge and microwave and a seating area with table. There’s also potential to sleep up to five crew, and the fact that it comes with direct access to the engineroom, plus a discrete route along the port side deck to the galley, is particularly welcome.
Comfortable passage
While you can spec the Pearl 82 with twin MAN V12 1650s, 1900s or 2000s, our test boat is equipped with the fruitiest option and it shows. It exhibits some really urgent pick-up for a vessel of this scale and there’s plenty of stability too, thanks in no small part to the test boat’s hydraulic Sleipner Vector Fins.
Plenty of light and space in the owner’s berth
That’s a really worthwhile option for a boat designed for comfy long-distance passages and an equally welcome trait is the shelter you get on the flybridge. With raised mouldings and an elevated wraparound screen that comes up to shoulder height, this is a boat that would enable you to helm up top for long spells in good comfort. The screen rim does have a habit of obscuring the horizon for a six-footer, so we might be inclined to raise (or lower) the helm seats a touch but that aside, the ergonomics, like the dynamics, are pretty much ideal.
That’s not to say that this is an especially fast or agile performer. On the contrary, it’s compliant rather than sparkling in the turn and with a top end just shy of 27 knots, our figures also fall a hefty margin short of Pearl’s quoted 31-knot maximum. But in fairness, we’re running with 14 people on board plus virtually full fuel and water tanks, adding around 6 or 7 tonnes to the load – and even like this, our test figures are perfectly acceptable, given the standards of the sector.
While it’s not an especially agile boat, there’s plenty of poke from those 2,000hp MAN diesels
When the weather turns, there is of course an indoor helm in the raised pilothouse and, with triple 16in plotters and every form of data display and manual switchgear you could want, it’s a very high-spec station. Visibility is somewhat restricted by a thick framework of structural mullions but the light from the dramatic swept screen is great. There’s also a raised bench to port of the central skipper’s chair, which is ideal for a couple of people to perch (or for one to recline and doze) on a long passage and that’s by no means a feature you get on every boat of this type.
Pearl 82 specifications
LOA: 83ft 0in (25.30m)
BEAM: 20ft 10in (6.34m)
DRAFT: 6ft 3in (1.90m)
DISPLACEMENT: 78,400kg
FUEL CAPACITY: 6,100L
WATER CAPACITY: 1,400L
ENGINES: Twin MAN V12 2000s
RCD: A
CONTACT: pearlyachts.com
Pearl 82 costs and options
from: £4,495,000 ex VAT.
Test boat including the following options…
2,000hp engine upgrade: £147,600
Sleipner Vector 1450 Fins: £213,765
Seakeeper SK 26: £224,860
Watermaker (90L/hr): £15,950
Drop-down bulwarks: £42,265
Hydraulic thruster upgrade: £16,318
Sonos AV upgrade: £26,645
Tropical AC upgrade: £28,836
Flybridge hot tub: £55,209
If you enjoyed this….
If you enjoyed this….Motor Boat & Yachting is the world’s leading magazine for Motoryacht enthusiasts. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams, as well as tests and news of all the latest motorboats.
Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.
Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.
Verdict
Aside from the tight access point between the crew cabin and the engineroom, which Pearl is currently working to remedy, the only areas of compromise we can find on this boat involve restricted forward visibility at the saloon bar and fat mullions at the lower helm. And they’re not elements of oversight. They’re deliberate design decisions: in the first case to open up the deck space for a pair of saloon seating zones; and in the second, to provide structural support for that enormous, multi-faceted upper deck. So would we change either of those elements? Probably not. More to the point, having tested this boat at the Cannes Yachting Festival, where we had the luxury of witnessing it directly alongside a range of competitor models of a similar length and type, the context for positivity could hardly be more stark. Because whether you’re talking about really outstanding features like the upper day spaces and the owner’s cabin, workmanlike attributes like the crew quarters and the galley, or subtle, life-enhancing characteristics like the easy flow of traffic and the intelligence of the options list, this is a boat that succeeds in virtually every regard. Last year’s award-winning 72 remains as strong as ever but in the form of this new 82, we might be witnessing one of Bill Dixon’s finest moments yet.
