scaefer 640 power motoryacht

THE OTHER THE SCHAEFER 640 RAISES THE BAR BY DRAWING ON THE GREAT BOATING CULTURE OF BRAZIL. BY CHRIS CASWELL

AMERICA

Q WWW.PMYMAG.COM Quick! What comes to mind when you hear the word Brazil? For me, it’s been thong bikinis, the samba, thong bikinis, Car- nival, The Girl from Ipanema, thong bikinis and, being of a cer- tain age, bossa nova. What I didn’t think about were yachts, although Brazil’s coast- line is longer than that of the U.S. East and West Coasts com- bined. I was wrong. Brazil has yachts. Great yachts. And the Schaefer 640 is a fine example. I fell in love just stepping into a salon that is bright with big windows, but coolly serene with pale woods and nubby fabrics. It is just how I picture an elegant penthouse high above the Co- pacabana. The 640 is made for lazy days in the sun, starting with the galley aft, which is perfectly placed between the forward en- tertaining area and the lower helm and the cockpit. Food and drink is clearly important aboard this yacht, with no fewer than three places to grill a steak or make a caipirinha cocktail: the galley, of course, the flybridge with mini-galley console and—ta-da!—a hidden transom galley with a grill so any smoke drifts away from guests. And if, like me, you occa- sionally turn a hamburger into a hockey puck, it can be slipped overboard from there. The salon entertaining area is inviting, with a nearly 11-foot U-shaped dinette to port, an equally large couch to starboard that includes a lounge feature, and an impresive 6 feet 8 inches of headroom (!). The windows, which appear Cleopatra-eyed from the exterior, provide a panoramic view for guests, even when they’re seated at the folding table. The galley is spacious, with a two-level center island perfect for buffets. Triple sliding doors open the galley to the cockpit for easy serving, and your family chef is going to appreciate the Vi- king fridge and microwave, plus a four-burner cooktop. Schae- fer started out building sailboats, so they turned otherwise lost counter space into a top-loading fridge for extra cold stowage. The cockpit is another entertainment area on the main deck, with a transom settee wrapping around a lovely Brazilian teak table. Even better, there’s ample space on the teak deck for di- rector’s chairs at dinner. Note: That teak deck isn’t just a veneer, but solid pieces that can be sanded or holystoned for decades. When needed (remember, Brazil is bisected by the Equator), a 94 POWER & MOTORYACHT / NOVEMBER 2017

WWW.PMYMAG.COM Schaefer pays attention to the way boaters spend time aboard, and set up the main-deck layout accordingly. NOVEMBER 2017 / POWER & MOTORYACHT 95

LOA: 63'5\" BEAM: 16'9\" DRAFT: 4'8\" DISPL.: 61,949 lb. (dry) FUEL: 634 gal. WATER: 192 gal. TEST POWER: 2/725-hp Volvo Penta IPS 950 OPTIONAL POWER: 2/900-hp Volvo Penta IPS 1200; 2/900-hp Volvo Penta D-13 V-drives TRANSMISSIONS: Volvo IPS Penta A 1.70:1 gear ratio PROPELLERS: Volvo IPS-2 P-series Nibral dual propellers GENERATOR: Onan, 21.5-kW WARRANTY: 10-Year Structural PRICE: $1,949,000hidden cockpit sunshade extends from the bridgedeck to protect a pair of singles. However, a ller cushion creates a spacious berth.the cockpit. is cabin uses the dayhead across the passageway, so it also has at transom galley is just one part of a thoughtful swim plat- what’s essentially a private head.form that can be lowered hydraulically to handle a three-seat PWC. e ybridge o ers yet another entertainment area. To access it,Our test boat also had a retractable passerelle that made boardingeasy from faraway piers. Schaefer has created wide and gentle teak steps that even Aunt Edna can manage. Once there, you’ll nd, well, you’ll nd whatever you At the pointy end of the 640 is yet another entertaining area with want. I should mention at this point that Schaefer calls their 640a comfy forward-facing couch well shaded from the sun by a bimini (and other yachts) “semi-custom,” but it seems that, when the Bra-top that folds out of sight. Protected by double stainless steel rails and zilians say it, the accent is on “custom.” You can move the main deckhigh bulwarks, the foredeck is perfect for that sundowner at anchor. galley from port to starboard, forward to a . You can have three or four staterooms. And the bridge can be whatever you want. e main deck is the play area, but where do you go when youreyelids grow heavy? e owner gets a full-beam master suite that is In the case of our test 640, the helm was to starboard and a large di-far more spacious than you’d expect in a 64-footer. It’s the usual lay- nette to port, with what appears to be an acre of sunpad just forward,out with a generous island queen berth (a king is available), a love- surrounded by the darkened Venturi windscreen topped by anotherseat to starboard, and a vanity/desk to port. What makes the Schae- stainless steel rail. Just a of the stairwell (protected by a hatch) is afer 640 unusual is the exceptional amount of oor space, which may console that hides the upper grill, ice maker and fridge, and sink. isnot seem like much until you’re trying to pull on your pants or you leaves space for deck chairs or, on our test yacht, a most elegant chaisewant to stroll with grace to the side of the bed. en it’s important. longue. Other layouts move the dinette a to accommodate compan- ion seating opposite the helm. Whatever you choose, much of it will is suite has a private head that, again, gets points for space to be shaded by the standard hardtop with swept-back supports.move around in and a shower for real-SIZED people. I like the bu-reaus, which have roller drawers with Lucite fronts so you can see Enough of the u y stu : Skippers want to know about thethe socks you’re hunting for. Another score: A stacked washer and workings and I’ll say right here that the 640 has one of the larg-dryer hide out of sight in the passageway until needed. est engine rooms I’ve ever seen on this size yacht. You can walk around between the engines—OK, stooped over a bit—but even All the way forward is the VIP cabin, which, when you rst see it, the space outboard of the engines is exceptional. at’s due in partseems like it features a normal pair of berths in the bow. But cou- to the compact twin Volvo Penta IPS 950 pod drives. (IPS 1200sples can smoothly swing the two separate berths together to form a are also available.) Your service techs will love the access not onlynice double. Here, as in the master, there’s plenty of oor space. e to the engines, but also to the Onan 21.5-kilowatt genset. And getVIP is also en suite and the head has a shower tube and vessel sink. this: e builder le space for a Seakeeper gyro stabilizer and pre- SBOetwUeTeHnPthOeRtwTo cabins is a guest cabin. It, too, appears to have96 POWER & MOTORYACHT / NOVEMBER 2017 WWW.PMYMAG.COM

No distractions! The helm is situated far forward, with a Schaefer Who?single chair, an expansive helm dash, and glass all around. I was talking to a Brazilian friend at the Ocean Reef Vintage Weekend, and he bragged he was buying a Schaefer Yacht. I said I didn’t know Schaefer. He looked at me as though I’d grown horns. “You don’t know Schaefer? Really?” He was incredulous. I now know that Schaefer is the largest boatbuilder in South America, with three plants in Brazil building yachts from 30 to 83 feet, and a workforce of more than 700 employees. Schaefer, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2017, has built more than 70 of the 640s, a number to daunt builders around the world. Schaefer has delivered more than 3,000 yachts. Each yacht features a full resin-infused hull with Divinycell coring (no wood is used in the hulls). Schaefer creates its own molds, using the largest 5-axis computer- controlled router in South America, capable of carving molds up to 85 feet long from a single block. Literally everything on the yacht (aside from obvious equipment) is done in-house; that includes joinerwork, upholstery, and welded metal. For the U.S. market, Schaefer imports U.S. systems for ease of maintenance, and offers full support services throughout North America. Schaefer Yachts. That’s a name I’ll remem- ber when I next see my Brazilian friend.wired it as well. Buy the boat, use it, and you can add the Seakeeper RPM KNOTS GPH RANGE dB(A)at any time without tearing things up. In the meantime, all that 1000 7.1 7.4 547 60space can be used for cases of wine (or Cachaça 51 Brazilian rum), 1700 13.7 39.6 197 62spares, suitcases, and all the other stu that clutters up a yacht. 2000 18.8 49.4 217 64 2300 25.6 63.4 230 66 Our test 640 also had a crew’s quarters tucked just outboard of 2400 27.3 63.8 244 66the engine room, which can generously be called cozy. It’s perhaps 2520 31.1 68.2 260 68best used for bad children or a mother-in-law. TEST CONDITIONS: Air temperature: 92°F; humidity: 60%; winds: On the water, the Schaefer 640 is just as delightful as at rest. With the 10-12; seas: 3-4'. Speeds are two-way averages measured withtwin 725-horsepower Volvo Penta IPS 950s, we topped out just over Raymarine GPS. GPH taken via Volvo display. Range is based on31 knots, which is most presentable for a 60,000-pound 64-footer. In 90% of advertised fuel capacity. 65 dB(A) is the level of normalthe Schaefer literature, they list the top speed as 30 knots, which I nd conversation.to be a refreshing understatement in a world of embellished speeds. NOTEWORTHY OPTIONS: Teak decks, cockpit controls, Rayma- We had the usual Gulf Stream slop o Ft. Lauderdale in between rine electronics, underwater lights, passerelle, hydraulic swimsqualls, and the 640 handled it with aplomb (and no spray on deck, platform, bow thruster.even at out). It spoke volumes about the hull, and my hosts fromSchaefer pointed out that the deadrise is 17 degrees, which proveditself slicing through the seas. Many builders put “n/a” in the dead-rise specs, not wanting to mention their attish hulls of 12 degrees orless, but it’s clear that Schaefer builds hulls to handle those Atlanticseas that started building somewhere around Ireland. You can see from the performance numbers that the 640 is stonequiet and, even with the hammer down in lumpy seas, there wasn’ta squeak or rattle. You can tell I loved the Schaefer 640. Even if Schaefer isn’t aname you recognize, check out the 640 because you’ll soon behearing that name. A lot! Now, I think I need to nd a fedora and a white linen jacket. ❒Schaefer Yachts, 954-926-5250; schaeferyachts.us98 POWER & MOTORYACHT / NOVEMBER 2017 WWW.PMYMAG.COM