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AMG · 07-23-2005, 02:32 PM

Sometimes we are touching the subject of good yacht design. I would like to make a new distinction in this field... Designer Yachts.

The best explanation is to compare the work of the two most influential yacht designers of the last decades, Fritz de Voogt and Jon Bannenberg.

The Feadship founder and naval architect Fritz de Voogt is together with Jack Hargrave among the best yacht designers we have seen in modern times. They both made very well proportioned and purposeful designs, most of their yachts will forever be considered timeless beauties and retain their values. They are all very good yacht designs.

But Jon Bannenberg changed the scene by introducing what I would like to call Designer Yachts. They were in general made as conceptual designs, mostly with avant-garde lines and interiors, always with the exterior and interior themes corresponding as an entity. Jon Bannenberg was never a follower, always a leader. Much the same as his clients.

Among all of his designs I want to pick a few to remind you, Carinthia VI, Nabila, Parts VI, Acajou, Never say Never, Coral Island and Limitless.

They are all true Designer Yachts.

Other designers who has made good Designer Yachts are Gerhard Gilgenast with L´Aquasition (Artful Dodger) and Ed Dubois with Esprit (Aquel II).

Fabio Perini and his team has developed a series of yachts that are groundbreaking and as such Designer Yachts, same as with Luca Bassani and his Wally team where both innovation and design are used to reach new levels of yachting.

Martin Francis was behind the revolutionary design Eco (ex-Katana, now Enigma) and has a follower called Crystal Ball as a 140 m project.

An outsider was the designer of Izanami (Ronin), the famous architect Norman Foster. Another outsider is Philippe Starck who after the not so thrilling Wedge Too, has come back with the almost too thrilling project Sigma!

Last but not least we have to consider another spectacular yacht as a true Designer Yacht, the last big commission by Jon Bannenberg, the 138 m Rising Sun.

These are my personal thoughts on Designer Yachts. It is not a complete listing and there are certainly many nice yachts out there that other may consider as Designer Yachts. But as I see it, without hanging out any particular yacht design, these are often followers or just in search of attention without any true design qualities. This will not necessarily mean that they are less good yachts, only they will not fit in as real Designer Yachts...

To sum this up, to me a Designer Yacht is a genuine and essentially new design that has qualities we will see repeated in other good yacht designs.

/Lars

PS. If you don´t know how the yachts I have mentioned looks like, use the search tool and I think you will find pictures on most of them here at the Forums. Below is the 96 m Limitless by Bannenberg, built by Lürssen in 1997. Maybe not the most futuristic, but nevertheless a design icon.

07-23-2005, 02:32 PM	#1
AMG YF Moderator Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sweden Posts: 2,702	Designer Yachts... Sometimes we are touching the subject of good yacht design. I would like to make a new distinction in this field... Designer Yachts. The best explanation is to compare the work of the two most influential yacht designers of the last decades, Fritz de Voogt and Jon Bannenberg. The Feadship founder and naval architect Fritz de Voogt is together with Jack Hargrave among the best yacht designers we have seen in modern times. They both made very well proportioned and purposeful designs, most of their yachts will forever be considered timeless beauties and retain their values. They are all very good yacht designs. But Jon Bannenberg changed the scene by introducing what I would like to call Designer Yachts. They were in general made as conceptual designs, mostly with avant-garde lines and interiors, always with the exterior and interior themes corresponding as an entity. Jon Bannenberg was never a follower, always a leader. Much the same as his clients. Among all of his designs I want to pick a few to remind you, Carinthia VI, Nabila, Parts VI, Acajou, Never say Never, Coral Island and Limitless. They are all true Designer Yachts. Other designers who has made good Designer Yachts are Gerhard Gilgenast with L´Aquasition (Artful Dodger) and Ed Dubois with Esprit (Aquel II). Fabio Perini and his team has developed a series of yachts that are groundbreaking and as such Designer Yachts, same as with Luca Bassani and his Wally team where both innovation and design are used to reach new levels of yachting. Martin Francis was behind the revolutionary design Eco (ex-Katana, now Enigma) and has a follower called Crystal Ball as a 140 m project. An outsider was the designer of Izanami (Ronin), the famous architect Norman Foster. Another outsider is Philippe Starck who after the not so thrilling Wedge Too, has come back with the almost too thrilling project Sigma! Last but not least we have to consider another spectacular yacht as a true Designer Yacht, the last big commission by Jon Bannenberg, the 138 m Rising Sun. These are my personal thoughts on Designer Yachts. It is not a complete listing and there are certainly many nice yachts out there that other may consider as Designer Yachts. But as I see it, without hanging out any particular yacht design, these are often followers or just in search of attention without any true design qualities. This will not necessarily mean that they are less good yachts, only they will not fit in as real Designer Yachts... To sum this up, to me a Designer Yacht is a genuine and essentially new design that has qualities we will see repeated in other good yacht designs. /Lars PS. If you don´t know how the yachts I have mentioned looks like, use the search tool and I think you will find pictures on most of them here at the Forums. Below is the 96 m Limitless by Bannenberg, built by Lürssen in 1997. Maybe not the most futuristic, but nevertheless a design icon. Attached Images Last edited by AMG : 07-24-2005 at 11:39 AM.