Nor-Tech 460 Flyer sea trial in Miami.
The high performance powerboat and yacht manufacturer Nor-Tech Boats did it again with hull number 4 of the custom-built 460 Flyer.
It’s been called every name in the book from a Bugatti Chiron, to Daddy’s Caddy to a flying condo on water, but following my short-but-sweet getaway through Government Cut (Miami’s manmade shipping channel) into the deep Atlantic for a series of take-your-breath-away turns, I would call it both: Beautifully Insane and Brutally Insane!
The Beautifully Insane half goes without saying. Not only does the stunning blue hue meld with South Florida’s cobalt-covered skies, it matches the owner’s limited-series Ferrari Monza SP2. But, the aesthetic connection extends beyond the color spectrum.
Perfectly balanced, a purity of styling and performance exist between the two powerhouses as if sculpted by the wind; whereas, the Monza SP2 roars over the roads, the Nor-Tech 460 Flyer soars over the swells akin to floating on clouds carried by the air.
Launched last November at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS), the day-boat friendly edition lures you aboard with its inviting new open-bow layout, perfect for fun in the sun worshippers. Moving aft, unlike the previous three builds, the non-retractable hardtop allows shade seekers to savor their time at the stern.
Idle time passing through Biscayne Bay under the Port of Miami Bridge was spent with eyes glued to the twin Garmins at the port side helm station. Vigilantly watching speed and engine RPM rise, Norwegian captain Per Michelsen tells me – It handles well and swallows the seas. It’s playful. It’s big. I mean really big, 25 guests fit comfortably with separate social areas, including three distinct zones for controlling the audio system. Even the kids love this machine; usually they migrate down into the cabin to do their own thing.
And to no surprise, my Brutally Insane descriptor refers to the ride – the Nor-Tech 460 Flyer ridicules rough water! Whether it was the four-foot rollers accosting us in every direction in the jam-packed channel between South Beach and Fisher Island, or running wide open at 124 km/h (77 mph) you simply do not feel the waves. No pounding. No rattling. Only flying… and lots of Smiling!
Gifted by the tenacious making of 1,800 horsepower from the set of four steadfast Mercury Racing 450Rs, delivery on plane was INSTANT… 48 km/h (30 mph) morphed into 104 km/h (65 mph) like magic, at the same time the prodigious swooping rooster tails cast their own mystical spell enchanting onlookers off the stern.
What’s more, if the need to go north of 128 km/h (80 mph) arises, adding a fifth 4.6 liter supercharged V8 outboard engine is too a possibility, just bump up the bank check of €1.78 million ($1.95 million) another €49,000 ($54,000).
Provocative, powerful and playful – the Flyer promises to deliver the same assured icon status as the Monza.
