Space and Comfort Surpass the Need for Speed Aboard the FD85

For the experienced owner of the Horizon FD85 Christine, space and comfort eclipse the need for speed.

When it comes to boats, Jim Loomis is as passionate as it gets. The proud owner of the FD85 Christine, Mr. Loomis sold his Horizon E88 and moved into the FD Series after experiencing the space and stability the model provides.

A SERIAL BOAT OWNER
The yachts Jim has owned over the years reads like a who’s who of production builders, his first being a 74ft Hatteras, followed by a couple of Lazzaras and a Cheoy Lee 103…. “I had a Lazzara and saw a Horizon E88 at a boat show, so I bought the E88 and traded the Lazzara,” says Jim. “A year later, I’m at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show and I see this brand new FD85. I said I would trade my boat for the FD85.” This trade was one of those “serendipitous moments” — just as Jim was about to trade his E88, another set of Horizon owners came along and slipped right into the E88 as he took delivery of the FD85.

From their home in Ocean Reef, Jim and his wife take Christine to the Bahamas where they cruise the Exumas or visit Atlantis or, when the yacht is up in Avalon, New Jersey, Jim and his son will run it up to Nantucket to rendezvous with family during the summer months. Although he has a part-time Captain, he enjoys running the boats himself and keeps the FD85 behind his house in Ocean Reef along with his 53ft center console Hydra-Sports, which he tows behind the FD85. “I may not have the biggest yacht but I have the biggest tender in the marina!” he laughs.

SPEED vs SPACE
“I’ve been running boats my whole life and I like to go fast,” says Jim. “My E88 wasn’t a fast boat, but she wasn’t slow. At first, I was concerned about the speed with a large fast displacement boat like the FD85. But, when you look at the space you get with the FD85 — you have a spacious, modern, well-designed boat with an on-deck master and four big staterooms below… well, I’m learning to put up with the slower speed.”

And, with all that space and styling comes some serious performance in rough weather, as Jim and his wife experienced during one Bahamas crossing. “We had eight- to- ten-foot seas; it was some pretty nasty weather, and I was very pleased with how the boat handled. In 35 knots the boat did fantastic. Even my wife, who usually gets seasick said she was very comfortable under the circumstances.”

FD SERIES FOR THE WIN
Jim and his family have owned their FD85 for about two years and, being the avid yacht owner he is, he’s already looking at his next Horizon. He says he plans to stay with the FD Series. “The FD87 has five big cabins for my family and guests. With this yacht there are a lot of new features, like the forward deck lounge that has refrigeration and storage as well as the open galley,” he says.

“I like my boat now,” Jim says of the Open Bridge configuration on his FD85, “When we go to the Bahamas we open it up to enjoy the breeze. But having the skylounge enclosed [as in the FD87 Skyline] in nasty weather is ideal.”

While experienced owners like Jim know that Horizon offers its clients great flexibility when it comes to customization, he said he hasn’t added any new features. “I usually take the yachts as they are. I think Horizon does a really good job. They take care of their owners.”

With the summer boating season underway, you might catch a glimpse of Jim Loomis and his family enjoying the New England waters aboard their Horizon FD85, Christine. Thank you, Loomis family, for being an extension of our Horizon family.

For more information, please contact us at 561-721-4850 or [email protected].