FD97

• 29.41 m LOA, 25.74 m waterline length, 7.25 m beam
• 1.88 m draft, 120 t displacement, about 170 GT
• Twin Caterpillar C32A diesels, 1,600 hp each
• 13,620 L fuel and 1,500 L fresh water capacity
• Up to five staterooms with a full-beam main-deck master
• Skyline or Tri-Deck configurations, Tri-Deck with bridge-deck jacuzzi
• Hulls 16 and 17 sold to US owners, announced July 2026

The newest thinking in the FD line

The FD97 distills what Horizon has learned across the FD series into the high-nineties bracket. It carries the same 7.25 meter beam and twin Caterpillar C32A power as the FD100, rides the same High Performance Piercing Bow geometry drawn with Cor D. Rover, and packages the results a touch shorter and lighter, at 120 tons displacement.

Its hull numbering tells you this is no untested experiment. The sales announced in 2026 were identified by the yard as hulls 16 and 17, numbering that signals a platform already deep into production, and trade registers list an FD97 under construction for delivery in 2026. The model slots neatly between the FD90 and FD100 in the current range, closing the last gap in an FD ladder that now climbs in even steps from 75 feet to the coming 130.

Two sold in a single announcement

On July 16, 2026 Horizon announced it had sold two custom FD97 Tri-Decks to American owners, the kind of doubleheader that most yards would spread across two press cycles. Both boats were specified with beach clubs at the waterline, extended swim platforms, underwater lighting packages and five-stateroom layouts built around full-beam master suites.

The individual specifications show how far the semi-custom process stretches. Hull 16 carries a hi-lo dining table and a concealed 55 inch television on the aft deck, a jacuzzi with panoramic views on the top deck, a bespoke chandelier and fiber-optic lighting in the master. Hull 17 answers with an open-air top-deck helm, an open-concept salon and a custom galley arrangement.

Hulls 16 and 17 sold in one July 2026 announcement, both to American owners, both with beach clubs at the waterline.

The numbers underneath

The FD97 measures 29.41 meters overall on a 25.74 meter waterline, with the FD-typical combination of a 7.25 meter beam and a 1.88 meter draft. Displacement is 120 tons and trade sources put interior volume around 170 gross tons, serious figures for a boat that still fits comfortably in a 30 meter berth. The tonnage number is the one to notice, because volume, and where a design chooses to spend it, is the honest currency of this size bracket.

Power is the familiar pair of 1,600 horsepower Caterpillar C32A diesels with twin 40 kW Kohler generators, drawing on 13,620 liters of fuel, about 3,600 US gallons, and 1,500 liters of fresh water. The commonality with the FD100 and FD110 machinery packages simplifies crew familiarity, spares and service anywhere the larger boats already roam.

Skyline or Tri-Deck

The core layout carries a full-beam master suite on the main deck with further en-suite staterooms below, in four and five cabin arrangements depending on how an owner balances guest count against stowage and crew space. Separate crew quarters are sized for the small professional team a boat of this type runs with.

The Tri-Deck version is the one American buyers have gone for, adding a seating area and jacuzzi atop the bridge deck, a forward open helm station and a skylounge with a dayhead and bar. The Skyline keeps the enclosed upper salon without the third-level real estate, a lower-profile package for owners who value air draft and simplicity. Air draft also decides bridge clearances on the Intracoastal, a point Florida buyers check before falling for the third deck.

Reading the order book

That both publicized hulls went to the United States is no accident. The high-nineties size band is a sweet spot of the American market, big enough for a main-deck master and a beach club, small enough for familiar marinas, and Horizon services it through its factory-owned Florida operation with the FD series as its best-selling weapon.

For a buyer, the FD97 is the freshest expression of a hull concept now proven across dozens of FD deliveries, with the customization headroom the July 2026 sales demonstrate. Owners wanting more volume step to the FD100, but the FD97 exists precisely because many do not need that last meter and a half. With hulls 16 and 17 now in build, the sistership fleet that underpins resale is forming before the model is even familiar on the docks.

Pour qui: An owner who wants the freshest FD hull in the high-nineties bracket, with tri-deck features and beach-club living carried down from the larger boats in the series.