Feeding customers in a relaxed setting for 90 years
December 2, 2024
PULASKI – Cruisers Yachts’ 55 FLY yacht had barely gotten its hull wet at this year’s Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show when the company decided to change its branding and name to 57 FLY.
At the start of the show – long-recognized as the largest in-water boat show in the world – Matt VanGrunsven, director of marketing for Cruisers Yachts said, the yacht, which was introduced and brought to market at the show, was originally named the 55 FLY.
But two days into the show, VanGrunsven said it was renamed the 57 FLY, a name that more accurately represents its overall length of 57 feet.
“The change was based on feedback from our dealers and vendors, our corporate group at MARINEMAX and even our own feedback between our internal team, as well as the press and customers,” he said. “We really took all of that feedback together and collectively made that decision. Even though it had already come to market, it was brand new (and) so early that we felt we could overcome it. We’re looking to build this boat and sell this boat for several years, so we felt that to take two days of it being at the show (under one name) and trade it in for the next seven years made sense.”
What’s different?
The decision to rebrand the model, VanGrunsven said, came after 18 months of a dedicated development process in which the Cruisers Yachts engineering team achieved a groundbreaking design enhancement.
Originally estimated to have an overall length of 55 feet, he said the yacht has been redefined with a custom swim platform that hydraulically extends further into the water, bringing the total length to 57 feet.
VanGrunsven said that ultimately led to the name change, which ensures an accurate reflection of its size and presence.
“It’s a large yacht, even just the feel of it,” he said. “It has a 16-foot-by-6-inch beam, and the length of the interior also gives it a really large feel. Since it has that large feel, it was decided we might as well take advantage of it.”
The additional two feet in length, combined with an Italian-inspired interior by Luiz De Basto of De Basto Designs, VanGrunsven said gives the 57 FLY a spacious, open-concept layout and a sense of grandeur and flow.
He said the design incorporates large windows, enhanced ceiling height and meticulously selected materials – which creates a fresh, light-filled atmosphere that feels luxuriously expansive.
President Mark Pedersen said Cruisers Yachts strives to improve its products and ensure they reflect the true essence of craftsmanship.
“The new name reflects our commitment to precision, innovation and delivering an unparalleled experience on the water,” he said.
Unique features
VanGrunsven said Cruisers Yachts has a GLS series and a Cantius series.
He said the company wanted to combine the features of both those series of boats in the FLY series.
As a result of that, VanGrunsven said several things make the 57 FLY special.
“The GLS series is more of a dayboat with tons of amenities for cruising and being real close to the water,” he said. “We wanted to take that aspect and get even closer to the water with (the 57 FLY). So, on the swim platform, there is a transom seat lounge that hydraulically folds out; there is a day head that’s accessible through the crew quarter through the transom.”
VanGrunsven said the swim platform hydraulically lowers into the water so a jetski or a tender can be picked up out of the water and carried on it.
“Or if you have it lowered into the water you can swim off of it, dive off of it, kayak off of it – basically any water toy or any water excursion that you can think of can be done off of that platform,” he said. “The hydraulic lift allows you to do a lot with it.”
VanGrunsven said the 57 FLY has a brand-new hull and a brand-new design throughout. Everything on the boat is new, he said.
“What we really wanted to do is take the flybridge market to the next level,” he said.
For those not familiar with nautical details, VanGrunsven said a flybridge is defined as being the top deck – a feature found on many boats, especially on motor yachts and large catamarans.
He said it is a raised, open platform or deck on the roof of the boat that provides additional space and increased visibility and can serve as a helm station or area for socialization.
However, VanGrunsven said not all large vessels have a flybridge.
Cruisers Yachts, he said, is the only manufacturer in North America that builds a boat like this – with its competition coming from Europe.
“Having a 57-foot flybridge is really unique,” he said. “We wanted to have the best of the best with the flybridge on the 57 FLY. We’ve maximized the accommodations of it and it can comfortably seat 12 people. It has a large serving area, wet bar, cooking area, dual refrigerators, a very large dual barbecue area, icemakers and storage. We wanted those things to be another main feature area.”
As you go up to the main deck and into the cockpit area, VanGrunsven said the salon door opens up to allow the outside to come inside, and vice versa.
“We also have a veranda that folds down on the port side and the windows open on the aft portion,” he said. “So, we took that area and extended the whole cockpit and salon level as one. You can open it all up to be as one, or you can close it off for it to be individual (areas).”
Teaming up with De Basto for the interior design, VanGrunsven said, was a real coup for Cruisers Yachts and a unique experience for De Basto.
“De Basto is a super-yacht designer, world-renowned for designing several, very large high-end super-yachts,” he said. “So this was a project that was a little unique for him to come down to a 57-footer, but we wanted an interior that really makes a difference. He worked with our team to get a boat that had another connection to the water.”
To accomplish this, VanGrunsven said the 57 FLY has very large interior windows on both the main deck and the accommodations level.
“We also wanted to have a ‘flowing interior’ that is very elegant, very functional and that brought the natural tones with the water back into the interior,” he said. “So it’s his design, our execution. In layman’s terms, the interior is very contemporary.”
VanGrunsven said the 57 FLY is the first vessel in the Cruisers Yachts FLY series.
He said the company has a smaller one that is “heavily in design right now with our engineering teams.”
“That second model will be introduced in mid-2025,” he said, adding that they believe the length will be about 50 feet, at least that’s what’s planned right now. “So, we’ll have a 57 FLY followed by a 50 FLY.”
Doesn’t feel or look like a boat
VanGrunsven said the 57 FLY is a three-stateroom, two-head boat (three-bedroom, two-bathroom boat).
It can sleep six passengers and has quarters for one crewmember, presumably, he said, the ship’s captain.
VanGrunsven said the 57 FLY has a very versatile design in the foredeck (the very front of the boat), as well.
“You can have a cup of coffee or a cocktail there, you can dine there, you can sun-lounge there,” he said. “The seating is very versatile there. You can do almost anything there and do it comfortably.”
VanGrunsven said the yacht comes standard with a stabilization unit in it that helps take out the roll of the vessel in rougher waters.
“Most of our boats are actually sold in Florida, so everything we design and build is ocean-ready,” he said. “The one constraint is we are not designed or aren’t large enough to be Trans-Atlantic. They have a range of probably about 300 miles off either the East Coast or West Coast. We can run to the Bahamas. We have boats that island-hop through the Carribean. You just have to plan out your fuel and so forth.”
Standing out
VanGrunsven said a couple of things make Cruisers Yachts stand out from other yacht manufacturers.
They’re built in the U.S.A., he said, and the brand has a heritage of 71 years in business.
Cruisers Yachts has two plants in Wisconsin: one in Oconto and one in Pulaski.
VanGrunsven said the Oconto location is their headquarters, while the Pulaski location, about 30 miles away, is where the manufacturing plant is based.
“Our Pulaski plant – which is where the 57 FLY is being built – recently added a new manufacturing assembly line,” he said. “There’s also a new metal fabricating area there now, along with an upholstery shop (and) a warehouse for incoming parts. We’ve tried to realign that plant a little bit to make it a little more efficient.”
From a design standpoint, VanGrunsven said Cruisers Yachts designs its boats throughout.
“We have our own internal design team,” he said. “We do use or seek outside assistance, like from De Basto, but everything is designed in-house. Also, we are very vertically integrated with our overall manufacturing, meaning we try to build as much of the vessel in-house that we can.”
The company does its own fiberglass work as well, which VanGrunsven said is the heart and soul of the boat.
He said Cruisers Yachts also produces its own wire harnesses and upholstery, and has its own assembly team where everything is put together.
VanGrunsven said the dedication to the art of boat-building is what sets Cruisers Yachts apart from other boat manufacturers.
The people who work in Cruisers Yachts’ manufacturing plant dedicate countless hours perfecting every inch of every yacht, he said, to make sure customers are assured peace of mind – knowing they are receiving the highest quality product with safety in mind.
“We have great craftspeople, including some fourth-generation craftspeople who have countless years of knowledge building our vessels,” VanGrunsven said. “Everyone takes great pride in the work they do so the end-user has the best product and best experiences possible.”
Head to cruisersyachts.com for more details.
