Seattle’s Lake Union was calm under the Pacific Northwest’s slate-gray skies when I hopped aboard Hampton Yacht Group’s new Endurance line flagship, the 750. Our float plan was to head to the company’s summer office at Roche Harbor, San Juan Island, with Managing Partner Robert Fiala at the helm.

I had boarded the 750 via the wide swim platform, which gave me a good view of walkways to port and starboard that lead to the covered cockpit’s bench and table seating. I was also near the crew quarters, and the watertight-door access to the engine room, so I took a moment to do a little exploring.

Her crew quarters include bunk berths across from a galley with bar-style seating. A staircase leads up to the salon. All operational essentials are nearby, a setup that should make mechanical checks easy underway. The engine room is forward of the crew quarters, with twin, 1,136-hp Caterpillar C18s. The central walkway between them is wide, with great access to service points. Just abaft the mains sits a pair of Northern Lights gensets, rated at 25 kW and 30 kW apiece.

Abovedeck, the salon, bar and galley take up most of the main level, with opening doors to the cockpit to create unbroken entertaining space. A large, C-shape settee faces a set of chairs, which flank a built-in credenza that houses the 49-inch LCD TV when not in use. Natural light fills the space thanks to the deep windows, with the bulwarks cut down to enhance the view.

The wood throughout is African cherry, all sourced from a single tree. “They select all the panels with the right grains and patterns, so you’ll see the consistency throughout the whole yacht, including the crew quarters,” Fiala says.

The galley is forward with a suite of high-end appliances from Sub-Zero, Fisher-Paykel and GE Profile, and the chef also has wide outdoor views, making the space feel like the heart of the 750. The nearby bar has its own sink, with built-in stowage for highball and stemmed glassware, plus an ice maker and wine fridge. The wall-mounted, built-in Miele coffee system is at the ready for morning lattees or a digestif espresso. A dining table for six is opposite the bar.

A forward staircase leads below to the boat’s three en suite staterooms, including a full-beam master and a VIP stateroom with an island berth. The African cherry trim continues in this part of the yacht, expanding on the interior design theme.

An amidships staircase leads up to the skylounge, a fully enclosed space that feels more like an extension of the salon and less like a traditional wheelhouse. A day head and guest seating allow others to keep the skipper company.

In short order, we cast off and were headed northwest toward Puget Sound. At the Ballard Locks, Fiala showed off the 750’s maneuverability using the wing stations. The 750 has four of them: two to port and starboard at the skylounge helm, and two flanking the main deck cockpit. Fiala also utilized the bow and stern thrusters as we pushed into the salt water of the sound.

“When you’re running the boat like you are now, you’ve got great visibilitly,” Fiala said from the helm. “Instead of a lower helm where you’re looking out, you’re up looking down. Being in the Pacific Northwest, you’re going to have great visibility and have your eyes closer on the debris and deadheads that are around here.”

Abaft the skylounge is an open deck that owners can use as a blank canvas. A tender up to 15 feet or water toys could be stowed here (a 1,600-pound capacity Brower davit is at the ready), or there could be chaise lounges placed here for sunset views. The polished, stainless steel railings protect the area (I’m 5 feet, 10 inches and the railing came up to my waist) and encircle the landing area where the teak-clad stairs lead down from here to the cockpit, which, as with other parts of the boat, is covered to offer protection from the elements.

“You have the covered walkaround recessed side decks—that’s huge,” he says.

Two hinged doors access the deck from the main salon: The portside door opens forward so skippers can walk aft, and the starboard door opens aft so skippers can walk forward to the foredeck, which is yet another gathering space, with a Portuguese bridge and integrated bench seating. There’s enough room up here for a small table or chairs, for a more intimate gathering.

The sun broke as we headed north toward Roche Harbor, with the Strait of Juan de Fuca crossing ahead. The winds picked up to 15 knots, but the 750 cruised on comfortably. We dodged the occasional kelp clump and deadheads, and sliced over commercial vessel wakes up to 6 feet high. With the ABT-Trac stabilizer system on, the ride remained comfortable.

Our cruising speed was generally 13 to 16 knots. At 14 knots, the engines ran at about 1900 rpm, with a fuel burn of 66 gallons per hour. Coupled with the 2,100-gallon fuel capacity, the 750 has “I’m going to Alaska” written all over it.

We had the strait and the islands to ourselves, so we opened her up. Wide open, we cracked 18 knots. We did numerous 180-degree turns onto our own wake, and she handled like a smaller vessel. I went down to the staterooms while underway at these speeds; the noise level was whisper-quiet.

As we entered Roche Harbor, Fiala showed off the wing stations and thrusters one final time before other Hampton Yacht Group owners stepped from ashore into the cockpit to catch up. It was clear that this builder is creating not only boats, but also a community of fans.  

50 Years of Boatbuilding

Hampton Yacht Group has its roots in Taiwan, where C.Y. Chen and family started the Formosa line of sailing yachts some 50 years back. The Hampton Yacht Building Company was established in 1992, and became a Taiwanese company building boats in China. Today, Chen’s son Jeff carries the company torch, and directed creation of the Endurance line. Both the Hampton and Endurance lines are built in Shanghai, where the company employs more than 200 skilled craftsmen, designers, engineers and more.

“The Hampton Yacht Group is a family-owned, second-generation business,” says Managing Partner Robert Fiala, adding that the level of expertise is why the Endurance 750 can be built as a semi-custom yacht. “A lot of employees at Hampton have been there 15 or 20 years.” One carpenter works solely on the 750’s VIP stateroom, while another works on the master, and a third works on the guest stateroom. “That’s their specialty,” he says. “They know their room like the back of their hand.”

ENDURANCE 750

LOA: 78ft. 8in.
Beam: 20ft.
Draft: 5ft. 2in.
Displacement: 132,000 lbs.
Engines: 2/1,136-hp Caterpillar C18
Fuel: 2,000 gal.
Water: 400 gal.

This article was originally published in the October 2022 issue.