Novamarine BS 160: Freedom, Engineered
Seaworthiness, speed, shallow-water access and generous living spaces come together in a 16.7-metre Novamarine designed to make distance feel smaller and the sea feel larger. There is a particular kind of freedom that begins the moment a destination stops being a limit. Leave the harbour in the morning. Hold a fast, confident cruise along the coast. Change plans halfway through the day because another anchorage suddenly looks more interesting. Continue when the sea becomes less forgiving. Then, once the destination is reached, slow down, move into shallow water and bring the bow remarkably close to the shore.
This is the territory of the Novamarine BS 160.
Its character comes from the ability to keep possibilities open. The BS 160 has been conceived for long-distance navigation, with the seaworthiness and control required when conditions become demanding, while a draft of only 0.8 metres allows a Novamarine of this scale to approach shallow bays and coastal areas with unusual freedom. Distance becomes an opportunity, not an obstacle. Confidence when the sea changes Speed matters on the BS 160 because of what it makes possible. Yet the deeper quality of the Novamarine emerges when the water is no longer perfectly flat. Seaworthiness has been central to Novamarine’s design culture for decades. The company develops high-performance civilian and professional craft, combining speed with stability, precise manoeuvrability and control in challenging conditions. On the BS 160, that experience becomes something an owner can feel at the helm. The hull has been developed for extended navigation and the BS 160 is designed to remain reassuring and manageable both offshore and during manoeuvring. Its driving position is commanding, clear and conceived around control. That confidence changes the way a day at sea can be imagined. A longer passage becomes realistic. A changing sea state does not immediately redefine the programme. Another port, another stretch of coastline or another anchorage can remain part of the plan. The confidence to continue when the sea is no longer flat.
Performance that expands the map
In its OB configuration, the BS 160 measures 16.7 metres overall with a beam of 4.36 metres. With three Mercury 600 hp outboards, total power reaches 1,800 hp. Maximum speed is 51.5 knots, cruising speed is 34 knots and the stated range at cruising speed reaches 353 nautical miles. The four-engine configuration delivers 2,400 hp and raises maximum speed to 57.2 knots, with a cruising speed of 38 knots. Those figures are impressive on paper. Their real value appears on the water. They create time. A destination farther along the coast can become lunch rather than tomorrow’s plan. A fast transfer becomes part of the pleasure of the day. An owner can spend less time organising the journey around distance and more time deciding where to go next. For anyone accustomed to using a Novamarine intensively – day cruising, weekends away, fast transfers, time with family and friends – that changes the experience completely.
Performance becomes freedom of choice.
From speed to stillness Arrival reveals another side of the BS 160. The deck has been designed remarkably close to the waterline, and lateral passages together with aft access create an immediate connection between the social areas and the sea. That proximity is fundamental to the way the BS 160 is lived.Under the large roof, the main dinette creates a protected social area supported by a substantial service unit with refrigerator, sink, cooking facilities and storage. A large table can accommodate numerous guests and transform the space into the natural centre of the day. Forward, the scale of the Novamarine becomes even clearer. The bow can be configured as an expansive circular lounge, a large sunbathing area or an open-air dining space. The entire area can be shaded when required, allowing the same space to change throughout the day. Morning navigation. Lunch at anchor. An afternoon in the water. Another fast run before evening. The architecture follows the rhythm of the owner. That is where Novamarine’s interpretation of Italian design becomes particularly clear. Design is expressed through proportion, ergonomics, function and the way people naturally move through the Novamarine. Beauty emerges from the coherence of those decisions.
Two ways of experiencing the BS 160
The BS 160 is also available in an IOB configuration, creating a different relationship with the stern and the water. At 17 metres overall, the IOB version uses the aft area to create broad surfaces and particularly open access to the sea, while maintaining the same emphasis on seaworthiness, safety and long-distance navigation. With three Volvo Penta D6-440 engines, the BS 160 IOB reaches 43.5 knots, cruises at 31.8 knots and offers a stated range of 382 nautical miles. The triple D6-480 configuration raises maximum speed to 45.2 knots and cruising speed to 33.2 knots. OB and IOB therefore give the owner two distinct interpretations of the same philosophy. The OB places greater emphasis on outright power and speed. The IOB opens the stern and strengthens the physical relationship between the deck and the sea. The choice becomes part of the personalisation process – another expression of how the owner intends to navigate and use the Novamarine.
Designed around people .
Up to 25 people can be accommodated aboard the BS 160. Yet capacity alone says very little about the experience.The significant point is how those people can spend the day: protected while cruising, gathered around the dinette, stretched out across the bow, moving easily towards the water, swimming from the stern, dining together and setting off again. The BS 160 carries scale without losing immediacy. Everything remains close: the helm, the guests, the sea, the destination. That makes it equally convincing during a long run and during the hours when the engines are silent.
Sardinian origins. Professional discipline.
To understand the BS 160 fully, Olbia matters. Novamarine was founded there in 1983, within the yachting culture that had developed around Sardinia and the Costa Smeralda. Its history soon expanded into professional applications, support craft and technological experimentation, creating a relationship between leisure and demanding operational use that continues to influence the company today. Over more than four decades, that experience has shaped a very specific design mentality. A Novamarine should give its owner confidence. It should be able to move quickly without becoming nervous. Its spaces should answer a purpose. Its performance should remain connected to control. Its technology should ultimately make the experience easier to enjoy. Today Novamarine continues to develop civilian and professional craft from the same industrial culture, with a strong emphasis on customisation, advanced materials, performance, stability and manoeuvrability.
That heritage is present in the BS 160 without ever overwhelming its leisure character. It appears in the way the Novamarine runs. in the way it responds at the helm. In the confidence it gives when the conditions change. And in the freedom it leaves the owner once the destination is reached. A larger horizon The BS 160 ultimately creates desire through possibility. The possibility of travelling farther. Of keeping speed without sacrificing confidence. Of carrying family and friends in generous spaces. Of reaching the coastline closely once the long run is over. Of changing the plan simply because the sea has offered a better one. That is the inspiration behind the BS 160. A Novamarine designed to make the coastline feel closer, the journey feel shorter and the horizon considerably larger.
