One superyacht is the same as another right? If that were the case then designing them would be easy, but it isn’t, especially in an era where owners want interiors that better reflect their personal style, and even their homes. Sustainable materials are becoming increasingly desirable and so too are new forms of propulsion such as a hybrid, electric and hydrogen fuel cell.
Add to that the fact that yachts have a lifespan of decades, often with some updating along the way. Design studios have some serious design challenges to meet.
This all means that design studios are busy places, creating inspirational designs for potential customers, interiors for yachts that are already in-build, penning refit ideas or sometimes just pushing out the boat when it comes to design expectations.
Superyacht concept: Designing a slice of the future
The latest superyacht concept from Feadship showcases a future of design, materials and sustainable propulsion
Image: Supplied
One superyacht is the same as another right? If that were the case then designing them would be easy, but it isn’t, especially in an era where owners want interiors that better reflect their personal style, and even their homes. Sustainable materials are becoming increasingly desirable and so too are new forms of propulsion such as a hybrid, electric and hydrogen fuel cell.
Add to that the fact that yachts have a lifespan of decades, often with some updating along the way. Design studios have some serious design challenges to meet.
This all means that design studios are busy places, creating inspirational designs for potential customers, interiors for yachts that are already in-build, penning refit ideas or sometimes just pushing out the boat when it comes to design expectations.
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
That’s where the latest concept from Dutch boat builder Feadship comes in. Revealed at the recent Monaco Yacht Show, ‘Slice’ is described as an “inside-out, outside-in” concept by its lead desgners, Chris Bottoms and Tanno Weeda. Essentially this means a very long strip of glass running down the middle. That might seem simple enough but from an engineering perspective it’s a challenge, not least of all because the aim is to let in more light and that requires designing a vast open space across multiple levels in the centre of the vessel.
This makes a great deal of sense. After all, it might look as though yachts are light and airy with their white paintwork, large exterior decks and big windows, but often their interiors are quite dark with low ceilings. Slice aims to throw all that overboard and instead have a spacious interior that is welcoming and easy to move through.
Image: Supplied
The most significant element of that is the 70m² atrium at its centre, which stands 8.5m tall and features hotel-like balconies around it rather than one big flight of stairs or a lift. Admittedly it does look like hotel or office lobby in some respects, but it’s impressive all the same.
What you won’t find inside this concept though are traditional yachting materials. There isn’t one piece of teak used anywhere, instead it’s all marble, liquid metals and even pyrite together with the latest in fabrics. It’s also about the views, with furniture designed to be comfortable but at the same time low enough so as not to obscure visibility inside or outside the yacht.
Image: Supplied
That’s not to say there aren’t private spaces, especially for those enjoying the aft pool and sundeck. Here, the engineers have created a passerelle or gangplank that folds up to hide those who have just boarded away when the vessel is moored. It’s superbly integrated as part of the overall design and will be looked at longingly by many yacht owners who have asked for it.
Of course there’s plenty of privacy inside too with multiple guest suites and an exquisite owner’s deck. Here the owner has 360-degree views and a 9.85m long deck complete with glass-bottomed pool surrounded by a beautiful balcony.
Image: Supplied
There’s the latest technology too, including carbon fibre that is stronger than that used in Formula 1 cars and a pool that has been designed using data to decide the optimum shape to prevent water splashing out of it. The propulsion system itself is the latest dual-fuel generator system that can run on either methanol or non-fossil fuels such as synthetic fuel or hydro-treated vegetable oil. Hydrogen fuel cells can also be fitted.
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
Slice is still just a design concept but it could be put into production and delivered in 2026, although we suspect there will be many owners and designers looking at aspects they could integrate into their yachts. It’s yet another example of how modern superyachts are moving beyond just being about luxury and status to being living spaces that reflect the changing world we live in, even if that world is hidden from prying eyes in the middle of the Caribbean.
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