A new luxury super-yacht, costing nearly £400,000, has set one of Hampshire's major boat building companies on course for success.

Moody, based at Swanwick Marina, near Southampton, has officially unveiled a new flagship model.

The Moody 54, designed by Bill Dixon, one of the most respected cruising yacht designers around today, is already a hit. Twelve of the vessels have already been sold on the strength of the drawings alone

This means the whole of the production of the superyacht, built by Marine Projects at Plymouth, is sold out to the spring of 2001.

Designed for serious blue water cruising, the Moody 54 has seven berths.

The yacht, with an interior designed by Roel de Groot, has been created to be capable of withstanding the toughest conditions at sea. At the same time the level of performance has not been reduced.

A spokesman for Moody said: "The Moody 54 has undergone an in-depth panel-by-panel structural analysis.

"Each hull and stiffening member was examined to determine its strength and the stresses it must endure. This has created a structure which is stiff, immensely strong, yet light enough to maintain optimum performance across the full range of ocean conditions.''

Down below, the interior has been developed to combine as much space as possible with every comfort associated with a yacht in this price range.

The raised saloon has side and forward facing windows to let in natural light while the fittings are available in a choice of lacquered timber finishes and furnishing fabrics.

A fully equipped galley caters for protracted periods at sea while the vessel also offers the option to convert one of the cabins into a fully kitted-out office.

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