The crowded mid-sized motoryacht market is a famously tough one for a boat to make its name in. And that goes double when a vessel is the smallest model a builder offers. But in the case of CL Yachts’ new CLB65, the baby of the bunch is able to draw from its larger sisterships for inspiration, and also offer some fresh features that help it carve out a singular niche. We had a chance to tour the 65-footer at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.

At 64-feet, 6-inches, the CLB65 might easily be a crewed vessel, but it is clear from the design that its is built for owner operators. A boat this large can be daunting for non-professionals, but the CLB65’s standard twin 800-horsepower Volvo Penta IPS 1050s offer confidence-inducing maneuverability, thanks to the pod drives, particularly at docking speeds.

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A full range of speed numbers has not yet been released, but the top end is said to be 27 knots, which should make cruise somewhere in the neighborhood of 21 knots.

Both the lower and upper helms are complemented by seating areas so that guests can comfortably keep the captain company on both day trips and longer weekend hops.

Another owner-operator feature is the aft galley, a first for CL. The placement of this space accomplishes two things. One, a chef can serve both the interior and…