ATLANTIC CITY — The Westport 164 yacht beckons the Air Cache for one simple reason: there’s a frickin’ helicopter on deck.
The impressive Boardwalk, right, is owned by the equally impressive businessman and philanthropist Tilman J. Fertitta, one of the world’s newest billionaires. Fertitta is the CEO and owner of Landry’s Restaurants (which includes Chart House and Vic & Anthony’s) and the Golden Nugget casinos, including the former Trump Marina, where Air Cache caught up with and photographed the yacht.
We’ll start with the helicopter parked on deck. It is the Eurocopter AS350 Ecureuil (Squirrel) single-engine light helicopter that is marketed in the US as the AStar. It seats about five and cruises at about 150 mph. We’ll eventually do a separate entry on the AS350, which has a vast military clientele, so stay tuned.
The civilian aircraft carrier that this particular AS350 is parked on, however, is the focus of today’s entry.
The 164 is the new flagship of Westport Yachts. Its displacement is 690,000 lbs, and it is powered by twin MTU 16V4000 engines, putting out 3650 hp each.
If a 164 was a house, it would be a 6 bedroom/6.5 bathroom manse. It is tri-deck with six staterooms that can more-than-comfortably sleep 12 people. There are separate accommodations for a crew of 12 also.
Right away, its lines appear more striking than other yachts. The size takes you away, but it’s the shape of the CAD-designed ship that makes it really special.
The 164 cruises at 20 knots and tops out at 24. Throttled back to 12 knots, the ship can cross the Atlantic ocean with plenty of gas to spare.
Boardwalk was launched in 2010 and was the seventh 164 in a fleet that now contains nine vessels according to Charter World.
Fertitta named the 164 “Boardwalk” not after the iconic Atlantic City strip but after the Kemah Boardwalk amusement complex he opened on Houston’s Clear Lake in 1999. The 164 is his third Westport yacht to bear the name.
The top deck of the 164 is not always used as a helipad, but it is on the Boardwalk and some of its sister ships, including the “Vango.”
“It has everything you’d ever want,” Fertitta said in an interview with Yachts International. “I am a pretty happy owner.”
Specifications
Length: 163 feet 10 inches
Height: 34 feet
Displacement: 690,000 lbs
Speed: 20 Knots Cruise/24 Knots Max
Range: 5,200 nautical miles @ 12 kts, 2,900 nautical miles @ 16 kts
Main Engines: Twin MTU 16V4000 putting out 3650 hp each @ 2150 Max RPM w/ Twin Disc ZF 7550a 2.96:1
Generators: Two 99 Kw Northern Lights and One 65 Kw Northern Lights
Fuel Capacity: 20,000 gal
Designers: (Hull) Bill Garden/Taylor Olson (Interior/Exterior) Donald Starkey