By Kevin Koenig
I’ve long been a fan of Horizon Yachts, perhaps owing to one of the longest business trips I’ve ever taken. It was a flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, for a visit that effectively amounted to a dinner and a factory tour the following day. I spent more time in the air than I actually spent on the ground. And to be honest, it was totally worth it.
I got to see firsthand how Horizon pieces together the many of its vessels that I have sea-trialed over my career. It gave me a greater understanding of both the builder’s design philosophy and its forward-thinking construction techniques. (I still remember being agog at the size of the CNC machine Horizon operates.)
So when I was given the opportunity to get aboard the new FD80 at the 2025 Cannes Yachting Festival, I jumped at the chance. Horizon has made its mark by turning out volume-forward, seaworthy ships that don’t cut any corners. And I expected the FD80 to be exactly that. I was not disappointed.
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Horizon FD80 Overview
At first glance, the FD80 is unmistakable as a Horizon. The builder was never one known for building sleek boats, but in the past decade or so it has gone full tilt after maximum volume. To that end the FD80 has a gross tonnage of 145. If it can be said that there are two types of men—one who climbs the mountain so the world can see him, and one who climbs the mountain so he can see the world—Horizon owners are squarely in the latter category. What the FD80 sacrifices in aesthetic pleasures, it makes up for with gobs of onboard space and comfort. In that sense, the FD80 is a model very acutely focused on owner enjoyment.
Stepping aboard the FD80, one is immediately struck by an all-encompassing sense of space. She feels more like a 95-footer than an 80-footer. The cockpit has a teak dining table at its center with room enough for eight. To port is a refrigerator, grill, and dayhead, meaning that this alfresco area is its only little entertainment capsule. No need to ever step inside with sandy or wet feet.
One design trick I appreciated in this area is that the door to the dayhead opens to block wind whistling down the portside side deck. So people lounging in the cockpit won’t be lashed by stiff breezes, losing their napkins and catching a chill in the process. The space is also dotted with JL Audio speakers that provided crystal-clear tunes during my tour, even amidst the polyglottal hubbub of the Cannes show. As I was poking around the cockpit, there had to have been a dozen people milling about, but it’s such a large space that it almost felt empty.
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Salon and Galley Design
Glass doors swing wide open leading to the salon. I appreciated the flush deck as I stepped inside, always a mark of well-thought-out design. The first thing one notices when stepping into this area is the massive, sole-to-ceiling windows to both port and starboard. They serve to keep the space awash in natural light, even further enhancing the sense of space.
A small bar to starboard sits directly in front of the starboard-side window and (conveniently) just aft of the wine fridge. You’d barely need to get out of your seat to reach for the next bottle of chilled Chablis. That bar also folds out and can become an interior dining table if the weather calls for it. The salon itself is all open plan with a comfortable seating area aft. At 80 feet, the FD80 is right on the cusp of being an owner-operator boat. As such, there is a galley forward built for entertaining. Horizon has a strong following in the U.S., so this all jibes with American culture.
The galley features a centerline island counter with a sink and three more bar stools. Are you sensing a theme yet? A full-size refrigerator and freezer forward of that makes for excellent food storage and points to the longer stays aboard that this yacht was designed for. To port there is the oven and microwave, as well as extra counter space for meal prep. The whole setup is excellent for hosting parties, which, given all the bars, seems to be the point.
Main-Deck Master Stateroom
Forward of the salon is a main-deck master. It’s not every day you see an 80-footer with the master up, but again, this is not your average 80-footer. The yacht makes great use of its beam, which carries far forward, to create a stateroom that is notably roomy. Like the salon, large windows to each side make the area replete with light. An aft-facing king-size island berth faces a flat-screen television. The berth’s headboard is hemmed in on the other side by full-size hanging lockers. (There are two more in the after end of the stateroom.) The ensuite head aft is done in gorgeous cookies-and-crème marble with a double-faucet sink cleaving the space between a toilet to starboard and a large shower to port.
VIP and Guest Accommodations
The remainder of the onboard party will also rest in comfort thanks to an accommodations level that benefits from the FD80’s beefy footprint. Mirroring VIPs amidships have island queen berths, ensuite heads, and full-size cedar hanging lockers. This type of layout is great for families as siblings won’t have to argue over who gets the better cabin. Meanwhile, a forward stateroom has a V-berth that can scissor out conveniently into twins. There are also crew quarters for four aft of the engine room with direct access to the beach club—helpful if you choose to professionally staff your yacht, but also useful as extra stowage space if not.
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Entertaining Spaces and Beach Club
Once everyone has had their sleep, the bridge deck will be a focal point for entertaining. A bar to port has three barstools plus a sink, and offers its patrons excellent views through a large rectangular window. To starboard there is a folding dining table beside an L-shaped settee.
Moving aft past the dayhead to port and through two glass sliding doors is the alfresco after portion of the deck. Here there was a full barbecue setup to service the table inside. There was also an optional Jacuzzi with yet another bar with three barstools set up at its forward end. A davit at the after section of the deck handles tender duties. There is room enough for a RIB up to 16 feet in length here.
Performance and Range
The boat is also run from the bridge deck, of course. Here the captain and a mate have access to supremely comfortable Stidd helm chairs and Garmin screens stretching all the way across the dashboard. The layout is ergonomical and functional, with stabilizers, bow thrusters, and all other pertinent systems all an easy grab. Lines of sight through the reverse-rake windshield are excellent, and watertight doors leading to the starboard- and portside side decks help make docking in close quarters a cinch.
The captain will command twin 1,600-horsepower engines, though they come in two different options. The owner can choose from either Caterpillar C32A or MTU10V2000 propulsion units, depending on his druthers. Maximum speed with either setup is reported to be 22 knots. Fast cruise is 15 knots, where the boat has a 650-nautical-mile range, and slow speed is right around 9 knots, where the FD80 can go about 1,800 nautical miles without refueling, equal to the distance between Bermuda and the Azores.
Engine Room and Owner-Operator Appeal
The engines are housed in a large and functional space that is typical of Horizon designs. A pristine white sole makes spotting spills a snap. Important work points on the motors are all easy to get to, as are the twin Kohler gensets and the water purification system. Down here, you really get the sense that this model was made for an ambitious owner-operator, as the engine room is so well laid out as to almost feel welcoming. Large doors aft open back out into the sunlight, where a trendy little beach club awaits. It’s always nice to take a quick, cool dip on a particularly balmy day.
Is the Horizon FD80 Worth It?
My final take on the Horizon FD80 is very positive. One would be hard-pressed in this size and class of vessel to find something that competes for onboard comfort or as an entertainment platform. And when you factor in some serious performance numbers, as well as Horizon’s tried-and-true reputation for turning out ocean-ready vessels, this model becomes an incredibly enticing package. But then again, that’s exactly what I expected. I don’t travel halfway around the world—or to France, for that matter—for nothing.
Horizon FD80 Specifications
LOA: 80’7”
Beam: 22’6”
Draft: 5’7” (full load)
Disp. (approx.): 145-150 tons
Engines: 2/1,600 hp Caterpillar C32As; 2/1,600 hp MTU10V2000s
Top Speed: 22 knots
Cruising Speed: 9-15 knots
Fuel Capacity: 2,700 gals.
Water Capacity: 400 gals.
Price: Upon request
Contact: Horizon Yacht USA
horizonyacht.com
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