This week saw Feadship unveil an innovative 34-metre motoryacht and once again surprise the market. The yacht, which will be named by her owner at a later date, has the most glass as a proportion of her exterior profile of any Feadship. She also has many features that you’d expect to find on larger Feadships. And the fact that four similarly sized Feadships are on the way is also a fascinating story in its own right.
As you know, Feadship is famous for building fully custom superyachts between 40 and 100-plus metres. We don’t normally build outside this range and nor do we create Feadships that are similar to each other. Unless, of course, a client has a highly specific request – as was the case here.
Exploring new areas
Three years ago, a Feadship owner asked us to build a smaller yacht to Feadship standards. He required a length and draught that would give access to new markets with limited mooring facilities and facilitate cruising in shallower depths. As we don’t like saying no to clients, we explored the practicalities of creating a 34-metre cruiser to Feadship quality in this compact size.
Our research showed that building such a custom yacht would only be economically viable for the client if we built three to the same design template. Turning normal market dynamics on their head, we agreed to the proposal as long as he introduced two more clients who would like to order one of these unique Feadships while, of course, having flexibility in terms of the interior.
Exclusive features
This approach was successful and we developed three 34-metre Feadships as commercial yachts (LY3) with unrestricted ocean going capabilities. As well as the visual effect of the giant slabs of glass, the lounge/dining areas also feel expansive due to their 2.45-metre high ceilings, uncommon on yachts twice the size. Other big-boat features include centralised air conditioning and dry exhaust generators with catalytic exhaust filters. These aspects and others emphasise the distinctive nature of this exclusive commission.
Hull 692, the first to see the light of day, features an interior by Bannenberg & Rowell Design. The next two yachts, Hull 691 and Hull 693, will be launched in the near future and have various different features and guest layouts. You might see them soon cruising exploring seas, fjords and bays on three different continents at a speed of 19 knots.
Nap hand
Because news of these super innovative projects spread on the owner’s grapevine, we ended up being persuaded to build two more, which will be launched next year. All of which goes to show how every owner with a vision for the exceptional is welcome at Feadship.