Wally Power 50

With a dart-like futuristic appearance and the option of 2000hp, the Wally Power 50 can be either Jekyll or Hyde.

Launched at this year’s Düsseldorf boat show, the wallypower50 aims to bridge a gap between the wallypower58 and the wallytender48. Whether you see this as a smaller 58 or a tender with taller topsides hardly matters, as this boat makes a powerful statement. Wally, part of the Ferretti Group, have being making boats for 30 years, and their design ethos of combining function with form is obvious at a glance. This is a true offshore powerboat, constructed with a deep-vee hull and built to be driven. It just happens to offer plenty of stylish accommodation, hidden inside its no-nonsense uncluttered yet practical exterior, and importantly some serious engine options.

This boat’s lines are truly uncluttered.

In keeping with the concepts that once dominated big sports cruisers, this boat can be bought with twin 480hp IPS 650 pod drives. This will provide a relatively fuel-efficient ride for those happy with 36 knots. However, Mercury’s new range of big-block outboards – in this case, 400hp or 500hp V10 Verados – has changed the ball game. If you are likely to be tempted by this particular boat, you will have a hard job ignoring quadruple 400hp V10s, while the 55-knot quadruple 500hp option will be a no-brainer. It appears that the fuel capacity of 1400L (385 gal) is the same for all power options, though this may change. This means that with an IPS-powered craft you could expect a range of around 300 miles at 30 knots with a 20% reserve. However, the Verado version will fall well short of this figure, offering a range of between 160 and 200 miles, with a 20% reserve. On the plus side, it will provide a silky-smooth 40-knot cruising speed, with plenty of power to spare. At like-for-like cruising speeds, the 500hp Verado option will be slightly more economical than 400hp Verados, as only at wide open throttle will its extra horsepower drink more fuel. Four V10 5.7L Verados singing on the transom will of course sound superb, which, when reined in to cruising speed, will seem whisper-quiet compared to diesel engines.

he fold-down bulkheads massively extend deck space.

Large pod drives versus Verados or Yamaha XTOs is becoming a common enigma. They are two very different power options, but both are capable of driving larger sports cruisers, though with quite different results. The cost of servicing four outboards is far from cheap, but neither is servicing or repairing two Volvo pod drives, especially if they need to be removed, as you can’t just unbolt them from the transom. It appears that the first boat launched is IPS powered, as this is a pretty safe bet in terms of customer appeal. However, multiple Verado fitments are becoming increasingly popular, and not just on the other side of the Atlantic. I do feel that twin pod drives powered by Volvo’s 480hp 5.5L 6-cylinder engine block do not really do this 50ft sports cruiser the justice it deserves. Just one glance tells you this is not really a ‘thirty something boat’.

The wallypower50 boasts all the open space of her smaller tender cousins, lending her perfectly to superyacht duties, and if needed she can be fitted with the thick wrap-around rubbing strake that her siblings come with. However, she is a stand-alone boat in her own right too. There are two sunbeds aft instead of one, with a generous walkway between them. She would not be truly contemporary if she did not come with the crucial, and ever fashionable, drop-down aft bulwarks. In this case, they extend the aft deck space by 6 square metres, creating a great area for enjoying the sea and socialising.

Forward of the aft sunbeds under the protection of the angular cockpit is the cockpit saloon. A dining table with bench seating comfortably accommodates eight, with a galley sitting on the starboard side of the helm. Unusually, the helm is on the port side, offering two futuristic high-back seats facing two large MFDs, along with VHF and system displays. Going forward, the side decks rise up to the recessed foredeck, complete with sun pad with adjustable headrests. Common to most of the wallypower range, this model features the hidden anchoring system. Conventionally mounted in the forepeak, this clever set-up ‘unconventionally’ deploys the anchor out through a flush hatch in the stem, before letting it drop vertically. At a glance, you could be forgiven for thinking this boat has no ground tackle.

The helm is in keeping with the futuristic character.

Below, the wallypower50 offers generous accommodation for a couple. There is full standing headroom throughout this deck level, with a triple deck hatch overhead, and long hull windows. A second, smaller galley can be found on the starboard side of the companionway stairs, while the heads compartment is situated opposite – complete with shower, sink and toilet. A small settee is located at the foot of a large double bed, along with glass-fronted hanging lockers on either side. Smaller items can be secured in the range of overhead lockers that run over the window line, with more storage beneath the bed.

The boat’s wide beam certainly benefits the cockpit.

Tender or luxury day cruiser, this is an eye-catching vessel with drop-dead futuristic lines. It is also a boat to be driven, for which it really needs four V10 outboards on its transom. In today’s age, that might seem slightly controversial, but this is a boat that dares to be decadent.

The heads has a separate shower compartment.

Specifications

LOA: 14.6m
Beam: 4.30m
Draught: 1.30m
Displacement: 12.9 tonnes (dry)
Fuel capacity: 1400L
Water capacity: 240L
Berths: 2
CE rating: B for 12
Outboard engine options: Twin 480hp IPS 650 or quadruple 400hp/500hp Mercury V10 Verado outboards