About this tender
The Windy SR52 Blackbird is the build we ask Windy for when your programme calls for a purpose-designed chase boat with genuine design credentials and a performance envelope that keeps pace with fast motherships. Unveiled at the Cannes Yachting Festival in 2010, the hull was styled by Dubois Naval Architects and has been in continuous production since - a useful indicator that the proportions and the brief were right from the outset.
At 16.1m overall and 4.5m on the beam, the SR52 sits in the middle of Windy's Yacht Tender and Chase Boat range, above the SR44 PRO and below the SLR-SR60. Triple Volvo Penta IPS 600 diesel drives push the boat to 46 knots at the top end, with a practical cruising figure of 40 knots - enough to fulfil the chase-boat role without burning through the 2,350-litre fuel supply before the programme gets underway.
The deck arrangement rewards the brief: three racing seats and three bimini-shaded sport seats at the helm station, a teak-decked walkaround leading forward to additional seating and a sun lounger, and a hydraulic bathing ladder aft. Below, there is a double berth and a head with shower - the accommodation is compact, but it makes the SR52 a credible fast weekender or extended chase platform rather than a single-purpose transfer vessel.
Naval architecture is by Hans Jørgen Johnsen; exterior design and styling by Dubois Naval Architects Ltd; interior by the Windy Design Department. The build is carried out at Windy Scandinavia's facilities in Västervik, Sweden, with additional production capacity in Poland. We'd put the SR52 alongside the better Italian and Scandinavian chase-boat platforms of its generation - it is a hull that has aged well and continues to attract owners who want a recognisable design pedigree without a custom-build price.
Highlights
The four details we'd point out first to a captain who hasn't seen one on the water yet.
The SR52's hull lines and exterior styling are the work of Dubois Naval Architects Ltd, giving the boat a design provenance that stands up at any superyacht anchorage. The brief was to produce a fast chase boat that reads as a superyacht in its own right, and the proportions have held up well over fifteen years of production.
Three Volvo Penta IPS 600 diesel units deliver a published top speed of 46 knots and a cruising speed of 40 knots. The IPS pod configuration keeps the engine room compact, reduces vibration transmitted to the passenger area, and provides good fuel efficiency at the cruise figure relative to the boat's 12,800 kg dry weight.
The fuel tankage of 2,350 litres is generous for a 16-metre chase boat and is one of the practical arguments for the platform when range between ports matters. It gives the programme flexibility without the need for frequent fuel stops when operating at the 40-knot cruise speed.
A hydraulic bathing ladder aft, teak walkaround deck, sun lounger, and a below-decks cabin with double berth and shower make the SR52 a workable overnight platform. For owners running a racing programme or extended coastal schedule, these features move it well clear of a simple transfer tender.
The underlying hull geometry is signed off by Hans Jørgen Johnsen, a naval architect with a track record across fast Scandinavian dayboats. The combination of a credentialled NA and the Dubois styling office gives the SR52 an engineering-and-design lineage that is straightforward to present to captains and project managers.
Gallery
The full specification
Specifications, prices, availability, and performance figures are supplied for guidance only and remain subject to confirmation by the yard, seller, broker, survey, contract, and final specification.
Questions, answered
Lead time · 6-9 months
Windy · Västervik, Sweden
Tell us about your yacht, your programme, and the missions SR 52 needs to handle. Build slot is currently 6-9 months; we come back within 48 hours with a written assessment, options to shorten the lead time, and trade-offs against alternatives.
Prefer to talk? +44 (0) 77180 88055 · other ways to reach us
From the library
