Astondoa

So how about the 72 GLX? She’s a little bit boxy at first glance. But that aesthetic tradeoff manifests itself in other areas that, for my money, more than makes up for anything lost. Like, for instance, the 6-foot 10-inch headroom that pervades the main deck.

Spanish shipyard Astondoa unveiled drawings for the 63 Top Deck, a dayboat with big-yacht amenities, at the 2013 Yacht & Brokerage Show in Miami Beach. Luiz de Basto initially designed this versatile vessel for an owner with a young and active family.

The family-owned Spanish shipyard, founded by Jesus Astondoa in 1916, stayed true to what has been a winning formula over the past decades. Astondoa, which has a diverse production, offers its clients a high level of customization, regardless of boat size.

We recently paid a visit to Astondoa, a Spanish shipyard renowned for its extensive range of what we’d like to call “production/custom” yachts in the 40- to more than 120-foot range.

Flagship Marine Group’s founder and president Rafael Barca, who has ample experience representing European shipyards on this side of the Atlantic, sees Astondoa’s diverse production as perfectly suited for the experienced American market. He was very impressed with Astondoa’s facilities, production capability and other virtues.