Wiley Sharp tours a meticulously kept 2009 flybridge catamaran in Martha's Vineyard — from air-conditioned engine spaces to what he calls one of the finest owner's suites ever drawn.
Some boats reward a slow walk-through, and the Privilege 615 is one of them. In this tour, broker Wiley Sharp of Catamaran Central steps aboard S/V Tehiya, a 2009 Privilege 615 Owner’s Version lying in Martha’s Vineyard, and makes his case plainly: the 615 is, in his words, one of the best cruising platforms ever built — an excellent sailing boat, robustly built, with redundant systems found throughout.
Tehiya is a two-owner boat, and Sharp asks viewers to watch for that as the tour unfolds. The condition story is a running theme rather than a sales pitch, and it shows in details like the full cockpit enclosure replaced in 2025 and a tender that was re-tubed this year.
The flybridge that changed catamaran design
The tour starts up top, and for good reason: Sharp credits the Privilege 615 as the first modern cruising catamaran to successfully integrate a flybridge into the whole design. Tehiya’s is unusually well sorted. At the port helm you’ll find the Yanmar control panels, a chart plotter, a pair of B&G multifunction displays and the autopilot control head, plus radar and AIS. What makes this particular boat different, Sharp notes, is that nearly everything at the port station is mirrored on the starboard helm — a feature not often found on 615s.
Sail handling matches the visibility. Four powered winches and two manual winches mean full command of the rig from either seat. Between the helms, aft, a large daybed with coamings all the way around invites guests to sit up or stretch out, with a centerline coffee table adding a social touch.
Deck, rig and ground tackle
On the way forward, Sharp points out the tall, robust lifelines and the side boarding ladders — mirrored port and starboard — along with winches for the Code Zero or spinnaker. The sail plan includes a Code Zero on a bowsprit, a genoa, a jib, a mainsail and a dedicated forward sail locker, with lines led either to the pit or back to the helm. Ground tackle is serious: a 70 kg Mantus anchor and a new windlass. Forward, large daybeds just aft of the staysail turn the foredeck into genuine lounging space, and a big opening hatch serves the crew quarters below.
Systems built for going remote
Aft is where this boat separates itself. The transom area is expansive, with a barbecue on a permanent rail, a passerelle, dive ladders both sides, hot-and-cold freshwater showers on both transoms and deck washdown pumps. A crane system deploys the 2018 Zar tender, powered by a 70 hp high-output Yamaha and fitted with new cushions.
Beneath the transoms sit two mechanical spaces — both air conditioned, which Sharp highlights as a genuine rarity: easier on the crew during maintenance and better for keeping humidity in check. Starboard holds one of two Northern Lights 17 kW generators, the chillers and a dive compressor. Port carries a frequency converter for true global shore power connectivity, shore power cables on Glendinning reels, and a Sea Recovery-style manually controlled watermaker Sharp rates as bulletproof precisely because it’s simple. In the cockpit, whips let you fill dive bottles in place, a half-lazarette serves as a snorkel locker, and an oversized locker underfoot swallows provisioning for remote cruising.
Interior: a nav station, a wet bar and that owner’s suite
Inside, the port-aft nav station gathers DC and AC switching, a full B&G suite mirroring the helm, inverter controls, generator remote starts and tank monitors. Forward to port is the interior dining area with a high-low table; to starboard aft, a wet bar with ice maker, refrigerator, filtered and sparkling water — plus a deep freezer under the salon floor.
Down starboard, the galley is set up for a professional chef: heaps of cold storage, prep space, Miele appliances, a dual-basin sink with disposal and a dishwasher. Crew quarters include a captain’s cabin with a big-screen TV and outboard seating, a shared crew head and a V-berth. Two identical VIP suites offer walkaround king berths, outboard seating, large windows and overhead hatches, with showers, hanging lockers and separate water closets.
The finale is the full-beam owner’s suite — the layout that makes this hull unique. Storage lines the inboard side, with a large shower and water closet outboard, then a desk beneath a light-flooded window, a seating area, and a walkaround king berth with a TV above a drawer-filled bureau. Sharp argues it may be the greatest owner suite ever designed on a cruising catamaran; having seen it, he says, you don’t forget it.
Where the model sits today
The 615 is a rare boat on the market, which is part of the appeal for buyers who know what they want.
| Active Privilege 615 listings | 1 |
|---|---|
| Asking range | $1,075,000 |
| Median asking | $1,075,000 |