concept mega yachts

• Yachting World
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These extreme sailing superyacht concepts prove that the sky’s the limit

• October 26, 2020

Feast your eyes on these sailing superyacht concepts. The future looks far-out, and it just might have sails, finds Sam Fortescue

For decades the superyacht world has undeniably been dominated by vast, fuel-guzzling motor boats. And, despite the elaborate marketing spiel of their designers and builders, many of them look remarkably similar from the outside: there’s a pointy end, a wedding cake in the middle, and pool and beach club at the back.

Refreshing, then, to see that many superyacht designers have neither given up on sail, nor on experimenting with form and function. When we spoke to some of the best-known names in yacht design, we received a very enthusiastic response.

First up, get ready to see a lot more catamaran designs. “Multihulls are the future of yachting concepts, simply because of sustainability,” says Espen Oeino, fêted designer of yachts such as 182m/600ft REV and 136m/446ft Flying Fox .

Phoenicia has an articulated helipad that deploys once the curved boom is raised up against the aft mast

“To make something sustainable, you have to look at what you can do to reduce resistance and therefore power requirements. There the length-to-beam ratio is very important because slender hulls have a much better angle of entry at the bow, displacing water more efficiently.”

Following this logic, the first of his new 35m/115ft SpaceCat design is nearing completion in China, offering 300m2 of interior space and nearly 600m2 on deck – all balanced on lightweight, low-resistance aluminium hulls.

“People’s concept of what is beautiful is changing but it will need a bit of time,” he adds. “There’s an automotive parallel – it was the same thing with the first SUVs. In the end, though, a cat gives you a much better platform for coming up with interesting layouts.”

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British designer Andrew Winch agrees on the point about sustainability. “The main focus of future sailing yachts will be minimising their environmental footprint to zero, to leave no negativity on the planet whatsoever,” he tells me. “The faster and lighter construction of catamarans and multihulls is a huge benefit to the integration of hybrid and electric propulsion, something that will continue to see extended growth for the foreseeable future.”

The right image

Many designers believe the green agenda will ultimately bring wealthy owners back to sailing yachts. French designer Mathis Rühl puts it like this: “In a world more and more threatened by climate change, debauchery and energy waste is negatively perceived. Wealthy people who care about their image and their impact have to deal with this paradox: how to enjoy the luxuriousness of the world without destroying it. Burning petrol must be avoided when the wind can be used!”

He also sees great advantages to the slim hulls of a catamaran or trimaran. It led him to design a 70m/230ft yacht with a radical semicircular superstructure balanced across three hulls. A 20m beam gives Wave Motion plenty of living space, including a sky deck and open deck space.

Mathis Rühl’s striking-looking Wave Motion trimaran features his own design of WM2 wing-sail

Perhaps most strikingly, he would power the boat with a 20m/65ft dual wing-sail of his own devising, called the WM2. He has compared rig types including traditional flexible sails and the odd-looking Flettner Rotor for drag and efficiency and concluded that his design is the best performer upwind. Rühl reports that it is more than three times more efficient than a standard non-rigid sail.

A number of concept boats have looked in detail at the rig and concluded that the best option is one that’s already available. The Falcon or DynaRig is only really suitable for yachts over 60m/200ft, but its ease of handling makes it exceedingly attractive. Just one person is able to set sail, reef, tack or furl the sails thanks to the modular design, which breaks huge sail areas down into smaller chunks, and total computerisation of the unstayed rig. “It’s easier to start and stop,” explains Dykstra’s Thys Nikkels. “The percentage of time that you sail is much higher with this rig.”

Philippe Briand chose it for his mould-breaking 152m/499ft trireme design, originally penned for a Russian client. So did Bill Dixon for his 70m/230ft New Dawn. “Unlike a conventional rig which requires a small army of crew, this vessel can be commanded and operated single-handedly,” Dixon says. “The twin rigs offer a healthy sail area to displacement ratio and will assure an exhilarating sailing experience.”

Bill Dixon’s New Dawn combines the features of a motoryacht with sailboat performance

New Dawn is billed as a game changer, and not just because of her regeneration potential of 75kW under sail, 60m2 of solar panels, ballasted centreboard and ability to motor at 9 knots under purely electric power. Dixon says the real novelty is to combine motoryacht features with sailboat performance.

“It’s clear that customers expect the comforts and space planning of motoryachts,” he explains. “They want ample entertainment spaces, a pool and large tenders. We have created this design on this premise rather from a traditional sailing yacht design approach. This does not mean she is not an efficient sailing yacht, in that department there is no compromise. This is a project that appeases the environmental consciousness of a potential owner.”

Roman galley roots

Briand’s design is on another scale altogether. A key plank in the client’s brief was to ensure there was a vast central gallery whose volume exceeded that of the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles – something he has achieved with room to spare. An astonishing 725m2 of glass and openings surround the gallery, while no fewer than three owner’s suites offer the choice between 180° views from the glass bow; the full 20m beam amidships; or an aft suite perched 14m above the water.

The brief for Philippe Briand’s trireme-inspired superyacht was to have a vast central gallery bigger than the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles

Lower deck beach clubs amount to more than 750m2 of real estate, plus room for pools, a helipad and more. Echoing the design of the Roman galley which inspired it, the yacht features dozens of hydraulically-operated ‘oars’ amidships, designed to move in time to the music on board.

“It is possible to imagine very different boats tomorrow,” Briand explains. “I foresee that boats will evolve towards even more efficiency, for sustainability’s sake. Also hybrid boats. We will assemble different energy sources, and wind energy should be the first. Wind by sails, motor by engines today. Tomorrow it will be motor by electric or by hydrogen.”

Interestingly, another designer has also drawn inspiration from the galley. Igor Lobanov’s design is called Phoenicia and features the same reverse bow, sloping down to a rostrum-like point at the waterline; it also picks up the motif of the raised ‘bowsprit’ and ‘bumpkin’ and recreates the effect of two decks of oars by aiming 33 ‘laser lights’ into the water at night.

Pronounced reverse bow and exaggerated ‘bowsprit’ give an unmistakably trireme look to Phoenicia

Her four masts drop down through a great glass-walled gallery that dominates the main deck. She also employs something akin to a traditional staysail rig , complete with gigantic fishermen sails. Used by schooners and ketches, these sails resemble inverted jibs strung between the masts.

Despite the veneer of antiquity, both yachts feature ample shell doors to enlarge deck and living spaces. Phoenicia even has an articulated helipad, which unfolds from the roof of the raised owner’s suite when the curved boom is pinned up to the mast.

This is designed, “with the intention of creating the feel of ‘a house on the cliff’, with a balcony and panoramic windows that surround the space, leaving the views completely open to the vast open sea,” Lobanov explains.

He thinks the yachts of the future will be more automatic. “Probably there will be less crew on board, which may have a trickle-down effect on all the spaces, including water and food storage.”

A key design concept in Phoenicia is the long gallery with its all-round glass walls. Special Venetian blinds allow a game of light and shadows to create an arresting pattern inside

Inspired by nature

Even now, most yachts – whether sail or motor – are built using a linear arrangement of ribs, stringers, beams and plates, with the result that the space inside is often divided up into regular-shaped boxes. Some designers find this strange. “It’s not a hotel!” exclaims Ken Freivokh. “We’re very retrograde in terms of the structure. The bigger [yachts] get, the more they rely on one of post and beam: just columns and beams, like buildings were built.”

Freivokh, whose projects include everything from production sailing boats to the much-praised 107m Black Pearl , is desperate to get more organic forms and creative design into superyacht building. Taking an example from nature, he thinks that yachts could rely on the strength of a kind of ‘exoskeleton’, which would free up the interior to create more curved and open spaces without littering them with columns. Couple that with the emergence of structural glass, and you have a blueprint for a very different type of yacht.

But the problem is not just due to conservative shipyards and cautious classification bodies, according to Freivokh. Part of it is the owners themselves.

“It is quite typical that most owners when they’re briefing you make reference to existing projects,” he says. “If you ask an owner ‘why do you need a saloon on each deck? Why don’t you have a single saloon with double heights, and totally unique?’ Then the shipyard says how much they love the plans, but if we just did it like this… In the end, they point out it is £2m cheaper to use an existing technical platform, and that’s hard to resist.”

Briand says that every one of his superyacht clients starts from an existing yacht, not a blank piece of paper. “Sometimes those boats have been designed ten years ago,” he says. “Of course, this is not very positive for pushing us towards new technology. You have to make a long and difficult speech in order to convince them that progress in terms of technology is possible.”

Dykstra’s Exo concept borrows the idea of exoskeletons from nature to create wide open space below decks

Dutch J-Class maestros Dykstra published an ambitious design a few years back which made use of another exoskeleton design in a 46m/150ft concept called Exo. Produced as a collaboration with Claydon Reeves, it takes the root structures of a tree as its inspiration.

“Not only does the long vertical trunk represent the mast, but the root ball forms the hull, providing strength and the support for the vertical structure,” explains James Claydon. “We also considered the skeletal structure of small but strong creatures. In nature it is the exoskeleton, which provides the ‘chassis’ for these organisms.

“These exoskeletons do not employ straight lines but instead have twisting and turning curves which imbue the creature with optimal strength – their forms defined by millions of years of evolution. By setting aside some of the established thinking of past projects, we strived for a new aesthetic that was both attractive and buildable.”

Exo’s composite lattice enabled the interior to be completely opened up, with curved glass panels amidships to create a unique sensation of sitting on the waves. I asked Dykstra’s Thys Nikkels why he thought the concept wasn’t picked up, despite a positive reaction at the Monaco Yacht Show .

“Maybe we haven’t pushed the concept hard enough,” he shrugs. “It’s probably a piece of art in itself. That opened our eyes to what is possible in structures. I think the owners are ready for it, but are we as a market ready for it in a way the owner can contemplate it: ie cost?”

Squares and polygons

There is another design school which prefers brutally straight lines. Aspiring yacht designer George Lucian has garnered more column inches than many veterans with a series of increasingly radical designs, none of which have yet been built. The aptly named Origami is a sailing boat that is entirely composed of triangular and trapezoid shapes connected with hard angles, like the folds in a piece of paper.

Folded paper is the inspiration for George Lucian’s Origami

This is a concept, so there is no attempt to work out how this craft would actually function, but it involves acres of glass and huge fold-out wings to offer a helipad close to water level. “I think the necessary technology and materials already exist, but all my projects would be very challenging to build, that is for sure,” he admits. “I really think that if one is going to put so much money into a project, it has to be recognisable, different, iconic.”

More recently, Lucian published a design for a motoryacht partly resembling a jumble of ice blocks, and making use of a kite to assist propulsion. Another headline-grabber put a 100m/330ft airship at the heart of the design for a yacht shaped like a wedge, her lines angling out of the sea like arrows.

Beiderbeck designs in Germany has put more intense studies into its design for a gigantic 200m+/660ft+ catamaran, named Galileo2. Capable of berthing an 80m/260ft yacht alongside her beach club, the boxy cat includes a host of innovative features such as marine thermal energy generation, which exploits the lower temperatures far below the surface of the sea, and methanol propulsion.

Galileo2 is so large that it would have to be built in parts and assembled afloat. It has a 500m2 swimming pool, can carry 25 tenders, toys or submarines and can still do 22 knots

“This was a study to figure out what was possible; to figure out the step ahead of the next one,” says partner Immo Lüdeling. “It is a catamaran in a size that isn’t built yet; its own shadow vessel.”

Galileo2 is buildable now, but there were still unexpected design challenges. “Just the routes to walk get quite long – from the beach club up to the upper-deck saloon, for instance. Galileo2 has lifts to the bathing platforms.”

The bridge was another problem area on a boat with an 80m/260ft beam. “Our bridge can fly from one side to another, like on a very large crane where you have the crane house moving from one side to the other.” The boat is already sparking interest, including a serious enquiry about a smaller 120m/394ft version. “It’s half the size of Galileo2, but that means eight times less space.”

Another of Lucian’s concepts involving trapezoid shapes

Limited only by imagination

Electric propulsion is one of the great hopes of the yachting world, but the question is how to get the power on board. In principle, methanol offers carbon-free electricity, although it is usually manufactured using fossil fuels. Stellar Dutch design house Sinot made waves last year when it published a design for 112m/368ft Aqua , using the technology.

Andrew Winch, designer of monster yachts like 156m/512ft Dilbar and 99m/325ft Madame Gu , has taken a different approach in work with Royal Huisman for a super-efficient 30.5m/100ft sailing monohull, where he favours using renewable energy. “The widened stern deck allows for increased underdeck storage in the stern-wings, allowing for the placement of fan-extending solar panels,” he explains. “The concept also has twin rudders and a canting keel for maximum efficiency, as well as twin electrical propulsion that can be used for the regeneration of power at anchor or while sailing.”

There are as many different concepts as there are designers, and while they all have their own take on the yachts of the future , they agree on one point. It will take daring owners to push the boundaries and help these concepts off the drawing board and into the water. Or, as Andrew Winch puts it: “The only limitation is the imagination of the client.”

First published in the October 2020 issue of Yachting World.

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Blue-sky superyacht concepts range from pure fantasy to easily buildable. Here are our 10 favorites in the last year.

To stand out from the crowd, more and more superyacht buyers—many new to the market—are challenging designers to break molds, go extreme, and think way outside of the traditional box. And they’re doing it with head-spinning bow designs, huge windows, and much larger interior and exterior spaces.

They’re also trading traditional monohulls for big-volume catamarans and trimarans, taking inspiration from oddball places—an aircraft carrier or 1930s Hollywood-style automobile—and, at the same time, future-proofing them with new propulsion systems, including hydrogen fuel cells, solar power, and advanced battery power.

These 10 concepts, from a range of designers and studios, show that the future of superyacht design has never been more exciting—if at times a little bizarre.

Sinot, ‘Aware’

Not all superyachts need to look like multi-tiered wedding cakes. That’s according to Dutch studio Sinot Yacht, which has just penned conceptual renderings for a sleek, almost-minimalist cruiser called  Aware . Yes, the 262-footer does have the look of some super-stylish European river boat from the likes of Viking or Uniworld. But the aim here is to optimize the spaces experienced owners tend to use the most. Like the owner’s suite on the main deck, which in  Aware  spans the full beam and totals over 860 square feet. Then there’s the super-size beach club with its twin fold-out terraces, gym, bar, cinema, 36-foot-long pool, and glass-sided dining area. As for power, Sinot envisions a hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system good for a 21 mph max, and a 4,000 nautical mile range at 14 mph.

Icon Yachts, ‘Mission’

Ice-breaking, globe-trotting expedition yachts are nothing new for Holland’s Icon Yachts. Its rugged, 224-foot, converted ice-breaker  Ragnar  literally wrote the rule-book on building high-latitude-friendly luxury superyachts. But Icon’s concept for a brand-new, ultimate explorer it’s calling  Mission  adds Indiana Jones–levels of off-the-grid exploration. Designed by Dutch explorer-yacht specialist Bernd Weel,  Mission  is all towering, ice-crushing bow, trademark geometric hull sides, and endless space for all that adventure-seeking gear. Here we’re talking six tenders of all sizes, a three-person submersible, an Airbus H130 helicopter, and space midships for a multitude of shipping containers for when you want to become the next Jacques Cousteau. As for range, Icon would target over 6,000 nautical miles.

Andy Waugh Yacht Design, ‘Decadence’

Flick through the pages of any automotive history book and you’ll notice that 1930s design is dominated by the outrageous, teardrop-fendered creations of the French duo of Figoni et Falaschi. Their designs look to be the inspiration behind London-based designer Andy Waugh’s jaw-dropping concept for a 264-foot catamaran he quite aptly calls  Decadence . Featuring a central hull flanked by four teardrop-like pods, the concept evolves the idea of so-called SWATH catamaran hull design used in a number of oil-platform support, research vessels, and even some superyachts. Providing immense stability through reduced roll and pitch, the design makes perfect sense for a superyacht. One drawback: the yacht’s massive, marina-unfriendly 98-foot beam. Though that becomes a positive when you consider  Decadence ‘s vast owner’s suite measures 66 feet wide and almost 100 feet long.

Oceanco, ‘Aeolus’

When the Dutch superyacht maestros at Oceanco release a blue-sky design, the concept is likely just a few steps away from reality. Fresh from delivering the 410-foot  Koru , the world’s largest sailing yacht, to new owner Jeff Bezos, and the 357-foot  Seven Seas  to Steven Spielberg, Oceanco has unveiled  Aeolus , a concept for a highly sustainable 430-foot gigayacht. Drawn by former Rolls-Royce head of design Giles Taylor, this curvaceous, quad-deck world cruiser looks to the future by incorporating Oceanco’s Energy Transition Platform (ETP) philosophy. The propulsion could start with diesel-electric power, with battery banks charged by twin MTU V16 diesel generators. Then, as technologies advance, it could more to more advanced fuel types such as methanol or other, even wilder technologies like nuclear power.

Anthony Glasson, ‘Star Trek’

Designed to boldly go across oceans, this concept for a massive 275-foot trimaran is said to have been inspired by Hong Kong–based designer Anthony Glasson’s love of the TV show “Star Trek”—especially the Starship  Enterprise . Viewed bow-on, you can see why: The slender, wave-piercing bow, the twin side hulls, and rounded glass upper observation deck have USS  Enterprise  written all over it. But the trimaran form definitely adds to its function, with the wide beam creating an expansive “courtyard” that’s part enclosed and part open, housing a hot tub—one of three aboard—a gym, a bar, sunpads galore and even a helipad-turned-dancefloor. Glasson envisions the trimaran to be built of lightweight aluminum, with a 5,000-nautical-mile range. Captain Kirk would be impressed.

Jozeph Forakis, ‘Pegasus’

Until now, arguably the ultimate stealth boat was the one in the 1997 James Bond romp  Tomorrow Never Dies , owned by tyrannical media mogul Elliot Carver. That would change if the 289-foot concept  Pegasus , from the computer screen of N.Y.C.-born and now Milan-based designer Jozeph Forakis, gets a production go-ahead. It features a superstructure comprising three over-lapping “wings” with metallic surfaces designed to reflect the sky and the clouds, rendering the superyacht near-invisible. The “wings” also do double duty as solar panels generating energy that would be used to convert sea water to hydrogen. Fuel cells would then turn the hydrogen into electricity that would be then stored in banks of lithium-ion batteries, making Pegasus essentially emissions-free with a virtually infinite cruising range.

Lazzarini, ‘Plectrum’

Why fly through the water when you can fly on top? That’s the thinking behind Rome-based Lazzarini Design’s radical 243-foot hydrofoiling superyacht concept named  Plectrum . Massive foils deploy from the sides of the yacht’s rounded carbon-fiber hull, while a trio of 5,000 hp engines would elevate the yacht out of the water and punch it to a top speed of over 80 mph. It’s a similar concept used in the latest America’s Cup AC75 foiling monohull sailboats, along with a crop of electric powerboats and surfboards. Applying the technology to a 243-foot superyacht is what’s new and possibly technically impossible, at least for now. Other stand-out features of this bright-orange flyer include a helicopter garage beneath the mile-long foredeck and a garage for your supercar at the stern.

Phantom and Golden Yachts, ‘Vesper’

When it comes to next-generation superyacht design, it seems glass is fast becoming the new steel. Take the collaboration between the design team at Holland’s Phantom Studios and Athens-based superyacht builder Golden Yachts. The 213-foot concept they’re calling  Vesper  features five levels of floor-to-ceiling structural glass, a glass floor in the yacht’s upper deck lounge, and a glass-sided swimming pool. Connecting the beach club to the pool is a huge, high-lifting hatch that’s, what else, all glass. Now head to the owner’s “suite”—it’s more like a two-level penthouse in a Miami skyscraper—and it features floor-to-very-high-ceiling glass that floods the space with light. To catch some real rays, the full-deck suite features not one, but two outdoor terraces.

DeBasto Design, MED

Think of this as a 301-foot dayboat with the emphasis on outdoor, alfresco, lounge-in-the-sun, Mediterranean living. From the drawing board of Miami-based designer Luiz de Basto, Project MED features uninterrupted, bow-to-stern open teak decks topped with a huge upper superstructure supported by just four columns. And to ensure the superstructure doesn’t dominate the superyacht’s sleek lines, de Basto covered it in reflective glass so that it almost disappears from view by mirroring its surroundings. The designer says his inspiration came from the idea of “Agora,” named after the squares in Ancient Greek villages where everyone congregated. Aboard Project MED, that could be on the main deck, around the oversized pool at the stern, or on the vast open foredeck.

Enzo Manca, ‘UAE One’

There are superyachts designed to look like military warships. Some even are shaped to look like navy submarines. But here’s a first; a superyacht inspired by the lines of an aircraft carrier. The 459-foot  UAE One  is from the fertile mind of Milan-based designer Enzo Manca who created the concept for an unnamed United Arab Emirates sheikh looking to create an official UAE flagship. Without a doubt, the design highlight is the yacht’s runway-like main deck. It features not one, but three helipads, a conning tower-like, four-level structure on the starboard side, a geometric-shaped pool and a huge circular “conversation pit” right on the bow, complete with cozy sofas and a firepit. Accommodations over nine decks include five “super suites”, eight master cabins, 14 mini apartments, and 35 cabins for the crew of 65. 

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Boat of the Week: This Epic 433-Foot Megayacht Concept Has a Sea-Salt Pool That Disappears When Not in Use

It's not only the polarizing exterior color that's green; below decks there's a greenhouse and tropical garden., howard walker, howard walker's most recent stories.

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Students of Latin will know the word “Crescere” means “to grow.” Which is exactly what this stunning concept megayacht—aptly named Crescere—is intended to do. Inspired by the vision of a greenery-loving American buyer who wanted soothing, cocoon-like spaces, US designer J. David Weiss imagined plant-filled, greenhouse-like glass walls spanning multiple decks.

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“The idea is to create spaces down below that are quieter and calming, where guests can relax and recharge,” Weiss, founder of the disrupter design company Designova Creative, told Robb Report .

Key to the design, he says, are expansive areas of glass in the hull that flood the interior with diffused natural light. These combine with oversized sliding glass panels that let cooling breezes pass through the yacht. Weiss, who helped pen the design of such landmark superyachts as Galactica Star , the 213-foot all-aluminum Heesen, along with the 239-foot CRN-built Yalla , quickly adds that the yacht isn’t just about R&R. The huge deck areas should also be about having fun.

The creative design includes glass panels that rise out of the foredeck to become a 52-foot lap pool.  Courtesy Designova Creative

One especially cool feature is Crescere’s 52-ft by 10-ft lap pool. Instead of being sunk into the foredeck, glass side panels rise up out of the deck to create the pool, with high-speed pumps flooding it with salt water. When not in use, or when the foredeck needs to be cleared for the helipad, the pool can empty in seconds and the sides disappear.

“Not only is it a good way of reducing weight on the bow when under way, but it’s fun to watch guests through the glass sides, splashing around,” says Weiss.

For Crescere’s hull and superstructure, the designer deliberately went against current trends for wider, taller and more vertical, or axe-bowed yachts with a longer, leaner profiles. His bow was inspired by classic J-class sailboats. “We wanted the yacht to look sleek and fast, with uncluttered lines. Even though the concept is for a yacht that’s over 400 feet, we wanted her to have the soul of a much smaller vessel,” says Weiss.

The interior, says designer Weiss, was to have a “cocoon-like feel” with glass and greenery, where guests can relax and recharge.  Courtesy Designova Creative

One head-turning feature are arching elements at the stern. They’re intended to look like a physical backbone of the yacht, soaring down from the top of the superstructure to the water. They could also double as great waterslides for kids.

Weiss also envisages plenty of power for the yacht, though in keeping with the green theme, it would be a hybrid diesel-electric set-up with biofuel generators and solar panels charging big battery banks. And Crescere would be fast, rushing from one tropical island to the next at 40 mph.

“The fun part of working on the concept has been the conversations we’ve had with companies that can develop these complex new technologies,” says Weiss. “Like creating the pool glass sides, the glass living walls, and propulsion systems.”

The yacht’s stern has a feature that resembles a backbone that runs from the flybridge to the water.  Courtesy Designova Creative

Weiss even spoke to a company that could develop smart watering systems to manage the health of the plants on board. “That’s not something you do every day as a designer,” he says.

One additional challenge the designer is tackling: A car-carrying tender. It seems that the potential buyer has a much-loved collection of classic automobiles, six or seven of which he would take with him on the yacht. “We’re working on a military-style landing craft that can be deployed from the side of the hull, and be able to run-up onto a beach or boat ramp,” says Weiss. “You can do a lot of fun stuff when you have something that’s 433 feet long.”

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First look: Meyer Yachts reveals interior of first 150m ultra-sustainable concept

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Meyer Yachts, the superyacht division of commerical shipbuilder Meyer Werft, took the opportunity at the Monaco Yacht Show to reveal the first interior renderings of its 150 metre concept known as ONE50. 

The concept was first announced at the Monaco Yacht Show in 2021 and is the first design launched under the superyacht division. ONE50 spans six decks with a 20 metre beam and a herculean volume of 15,000 GT. The yacht is also designed to be powered by fuel cell technology and battery banks, powered by 25,000 kilowatts of electricity to deliver a top speed of 23 knots.

Her interior design has been developed in-house and is home to several first-of-its-kind features. One such feature is a cavernous spa set over two levels encompassing several hundred square metres of floor space. A retractable swimming pool can be found on the starboard side that slides out to sit above the water, alongside a wellness bar, massage parlour, sauna and hammam. 

"The wellness and health aspect has been a trend in the superyacht segment for years. With this extravagant spa, we want to set an example and show what is possible for us," said Lars Kruse, head of sales at Meyer Yachts. 

Elsewhere, the top deck is reserved for the owner's use only and is home to forward facing suite and private forward terrace. "They [the owner] can practically step straight out of bed into the pool, which is designed as an indoor-outdoor variant and connects the suite with the foredeck," Kruse added. Other features include a private lounge with a TV and audio system as well as a number of private dining options. 

“We are opening the next chapter in our history and entering the market for mega yachts,” said Meyer Group chief executive Bernard Meyer. “We can realise almost limitless ideas and ship sizes - even the craziest ones. We are currently seeing that the demand for mega yachts is increasing and there is room for another shipyard in this segment”.

The company's commitment to alternative fuels underpins the vision of Meyer Yachts. "We see a lot of potential in mega yachts for new environmentally technologies and we attach great importance to this," the group said.

With its roots in the cruising sector, Meyer Group already has the facilities to build yachts up to 500 metres in length and will position itself at the top end of the market with the aim to build the "world's largest and greenest mega yachts".

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• Yacht Concepts

Lazzarini’s Swan-Shaped Mega Yacht Concept

The exciting new megayacht concept from  Lazzarini Design Studio  will turn some heads as the swan-like body sails across the water.

The 137m superyacht is shaped like a swan and boasts a detachable head that can be used as a separate boat. 

The enormous bird-shaped yacht is named AVANGAURDIA, which means ‘vanguard’ in English.

As the name suggests, the vessel leads the way in cutting-edge marine design.

Italian designer Pierpaolo Lazzarini penned the ambitious design.  

The design company, based in Rome, has delivered on several innovative beings in the past few years, including flying cars, an amphibious catamaran named  PAGARUS , and much more.

However, the waterbird-inspired mega yacht may be the most outlandish and innovative of the company’s designs.

The massive yacht is split into five decks and can accommodate up to 60 sea goers.

There is potential for even more guests when the yacht is dockside.

As for sleeping arrangements, the yacht can sleep up to 24 guests, 12 staff, and ten crew members. 

There are many toys on board the ship.

There are two helicopters, which can be found on the top level, with two helicopter hangars.

Lazzarini’s innovative design, the jet capsules, is located aft. 

An entire haul of supercars is also found on the superyacht, thanks to an expansive garage.

The yacht boasts many areas for socializing and sunbathing for the 60 guests, including a swimming pool and a jacuzzi. 

The exterior of the yacht features flowing lines and curves that reflect the silhouette of a swan on the water.

The head of the swan is a control tower and acts like a brain for the vessel. 

The inspiration for the head comes from 1970s Japanese manga.

It also doubles as a 16m cruiser that is perfect for daytime trips around the water.

A second control point on board will operate the boat while the head is used for a daytime jaunt across the water. 

Like a real-life swan in the water, the head of the yacht that houses the control tower is perched on a flexible neck.

The neck uses a fulcrum to give it a full range of movement and lower the head into the water from its crow’s neck perch. 

The head floating in the air while the vessel is at anchor cuts an impressive image.

When the ship is underway, the head lowers to the middle of the megayacht to help steer the vessel in the right direction.

The lowered head is exactly like a swan nestling its head into its feathers.

Specifications

The jet capsules that are located at the vessel’s rear can be used for increased propulsion.

Lazzarini has developed several innovative water transportation, and the jet capsules are just one amongst many.  

The watercraft is fully customizable to the smallest detail and can serve as a private vessel for up to 20 passengers.

The egg-shaped mini-jet cruiser can be connected to the rear deck for extra auxiliary propulsion or disconnected and work independently to cruise people around the waters.

The swan’s power comes from the twin electric side engine and a central MTU Roll’s Royce engine.

This setup has the potential to push the yacht to a cruising speed of about 18 knots.

It remains just a concept at this stage, but the design studio says it could become a reality as soon as an investor is ready to commit to the concept.

The design company is confident that the yacht can be built and would require a $500 million investment from a potential buyer.

Lazzarini’s motto is ‘Think about the future but never forget the past,’ which can clearly be seen throughout his work.

Lazzarini’s unique and visionary concepts include automotive, aerospace, architecture, and yacht design.

His team of designers, engineers, and dreamers is creating some of the most innovative prototypes in the world.

With his Wally yachts, Lazzarini pioneered using carbon fiber as a building material, revolutionizing the yacht-building world.

He entered the yachting scene in the 1990s with his futuristic ideas, innovating in the relatively stagnated yachting industry.

The jet capsule is one of Lazzarini’s most highly awarded and praised designs.

The egg-shaped fiberglass yacht was the beginning of the designer’s most innovative concepts. 

When Lazzarini was asked why he chose the concept of a Swan for AVANGUARDIA, he answered that he finds nature to be a source of inspiration because of its innate perfection and that the swan is the very definition of elegance and grace. 

The swan-shaped yacht is the first of six animal-shaped watercraft concept yachts that Lazzarini has presented.

The  PRODIGIUM  is a monolith-inspired vessel that looks like a shark rising out of the water.

The yacht supersedes the AVANGUARDIA in size, measuring in at an enormous 153m.

The vessel will be the largest superyacht on the water if ever built.

The PAGARUS is another innovative design from the studio company.

The catamaran will have the ability to scuttle out of the water like a crab.

Lazzarini noticed a growing space in the industry for luxury off-the-grid vessels and designed a vessel to meet that need.

The PAGARUS, the Latin word for crab, was initially designed for military applications.

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