[atomare]

Hello to everyone on YachtForums,
I found this place a while ago and think this is a great online community, with fantastic discussions.

I would like to showcase some of my designs in this thread and am looking forward to your opinions and comments. Please feel free to express whatever you find wrong or great about the designs, because constructive criticism is the only way to improve and this is the place to get it.

Thank you very much.

[atomare]

The 42m motor yacht "Freedom" offers space for up to ten guests and twelve crew members on its four decks. The hulldeck houses a full beam owners stateroom and four generous guest suites, as well as a spacious Spa and gymnasium. The maindeck offers a luxurious lounge and dining area as well as space for various day and nighttime leisure activity. The top deck features a sunlounge in close relation to the wheelhouse. The outside deck is split into a "working deck" connected to the wheelhouse and a sundeck for relaxation at the aft. Here a hot tub can be found under the retractable sunroof, that can slide in and out of the roof as needed. The crew quarters are located on the lowerdeck along with the engineroom and a garage for two tenders and the watertoys.

I was going for a robust, yet sophisticated design... it could be described as a "SUV for the sea". The hull color can of course be customized to the owners taste. I liked the yellow/golden look because it makes the body kind of glow on the horizon.

[atomare]

And the profile/ top view.

[atomare]

The design for this 60 meter yacht is characterized by the forward leaning windows that create a lot of visual dynamics for the profile and most likely a lot of stress in the whole structure ;), but hey, "beauty must suffer". In addition the wooden cover of the upper deck spaces and the wooden back details enrich the unique profile of the ship. The roof above the forward deck is reaching out to provide shade aside the pool and for the wheelhouse. An extendable roof above the rear owners´ deck makes it possible to comfortably control the lighting conditions on the deck and the inside.

[atomare]

The 80m "Sunray" concept unites the best parts of both, an explorer and a traditional yacht layout. It is a vessel, on which you can enjoy the sun and welcome guests, as well as go explore the earth....The general idea for the Sunray was to create a yacht that offers its passengers comfort and the most possible space on the sea, which is the real luxury out there.
It features five decks, offering accommodations for up to 24 guests as well as a generous owners area on the front maindeck. Its 1 1/2 story high maindeck saloon and the fullbeam upperdeck lounge offer luxurious relaxation and entertainment possibilities for the guests. In addition the "Sunray" features three extensive decks for outdoor pleasure and activity. Its exceeding sundeck functions as an observatory platform as well as a large beachlike surface on top of the ocean.

[NYCAP123]

Freedom is not bad looking, but I have issues with garage and crew quarters on that lower deck. The toy would have to be elevatored to the hull deck for release, and the portals would be submerged when running (a major no-no).
I don't think Gorgeous would cut it as a private yacht, but would be real attractive as a Dinner yacht.

[SVDesign]

Interesting work :-)

I would not feel confident on the deck of gorgeous... looks too high compared to size of the ship. Same feeling as Nycap123 - I would see the internal layout corresponding to all these portholes to make my opinion.

I prefer the first Freedom over two others, definitively. Looks like strong guy with no fear

[CODOG]

Nicely rendered.
I wont comment on the styling, at these bespoke build size breaks the client will be the final judge.
I'm not convinced that the internal layouts could ever match the levels and heights suggested by the exterior glazing.
Be prepared to have to reduce the extremely generous headroom heights you have made such a feature of....the 80m for example looks like another deck level could be slotted in there....whilst impressive, excessive headroom is expensive, in terms of wasted accommodation space, wasted gross tonnage volume, wasted air-con / heating, very heavy glazing (plus extremely onerous rules that accompany such large glazing) and also wasted stability. Height will adversely affect stability through the overall VCG. Its easy to envisage a three deck yacht thats 10m high, having far better VCG than the same three deck layout stretched upward to 15m high ? A point that any eventual NA will point out very early on if the projects ever progress.
Maintenance....the client may go for the concepts, but his crew will be cursing you for creating what would be a nightmare when it comes to up-keep. Vertical cliffs of external superstructure, football field sized superstructure roofs with no visible means of (safe) access, acres of teak decking, acres of glass...how would the crew clean these areas daily ? (twice daily in port ) Yachts with full beam accommodation fwd are bad enough, but you have taken the practicality of exterior cleaning to sky-scraper levels of logistics.
Patio doors...very high, very angled patio doors have a basic design flaw...I'll let you use your head to work it out
Large external glazing...good luck when it comes to getting the glazing passed by say, RINA.....I'll take a stab at a final requirement of 150mm thick laminated plus storm shutters on the 60m concept fwd hull glazing.
Deck space....the 80m is something else, even the best interior designers (yes they will be asked to design the external space layouts too) will have a mission to utilise such wide open spaces sensibly and practically. If current trends continue, dont be upset if your concept becomes a sea of sunbrellas / parasols / awnings etc, or the client pushes you to add another enclosed superstructure up top...which brings me back to height and stability.

[KCook]

A very generous post CODOG

Even so, the faintly military themes on "Sunray" are intriguing to me. It's nice to see bold designs, however imperfect.

Kelly

[CODOG]

Absolutely...theres some powerful and exciting shapes and ideas going on there. The OP is at a point where fresh and unusual design squares up against practicality, suitability of use and ultimately marketability in a very competitive arena....established builders and designers who have worked with these issues for many years. Brave, bold design is beginning to make in-roads against the traditional, the safe and the 'guaranteed appeal come re-sale'.

[atomare]

Hi everyone, thank you very much for all your comments, that`s already much more than I was hoping for .

to nycap123 ... as for the front two crew portholes of the "freedom", you are right, they would be submerged quite often ... The toy garage is actually on maindeck level, while the space beneath is used as technical space. So if the stern hatch is opened the toys can be slid out using a crane quite easily.

to codog ... as for the window/room heights I tried to achieve an integrated look from the outside, so I just pulled the glass up tho the next deck, covering the actual interior ceiling. It can be guessed from the "freedom" profile where the main saloon portholes are quite a bit lower than the front glazing. ... As for the unusual room heights, I am sure that they are an engineering challenge to achieve. Since I am an architect (not a naval architect, as you might have guessed ) I learned to apply the principals of an "honest construction" where ever possible, but I was also thought to break those rules if the concept demands it and the resulting space is mayor superior in its identity and function to a "standard" one. After all those are yachts for pleasure, not racing boats or working ships, where technical function is more important than social and emotional factors.
As for the cleaning, I think you make a very good point and I was wondering if there are no special material coatings that can be applied on yachts that are soil resisting as there are for architectural (glass) facades? And is it necessary to clean the yachts exterior twice a day when in port, or is that just to keep the crew busy ?
The exterior decks on the "sunray" are indeed not worked out yet and are big enough for a lot of different, more defined uses. Since I am also working on yacht interiors, I would hope to also design the actual deck layout and make them fit with the yachts´ general attitude. As for the "sunray" a white camouflage netting on the top deck would give a nice foliage like effect and underline the slight military attitude that kcook pointed out.

Thanks again for your honest criticism ... and keep it coming.

[NYCAP123]

Breaking the rules is a wonderful thing. It's what gives us innovation. (example: M/Y A). As for the cleaning. These folks don't like to get their chiffon dirty or feel salt on their hands, and yes the crew does also have to be kept busy. A bored crew is a bad crew. As for coatings, nobody is actually touching the outside of buildings. Also, yachts are constantly exposed to salt spray and just carried in the air, and exhaust fumes from themselves and their neighbors. It's a harsh environment.

[CODOG]

I've heard of an owner who whilst in port, made his crew wear a uniform and cap, standing in formation on deck legs slightly apart and with hands clasped behind their back during a F1 race....just in case the TV helicopters caught his yacht on film. Heaven forbid the cameras picked up on some soot on the hull or finger prints on the windows Whilst its a valid point re cleaning etc, there are ways that you can incorporate elements into the styling that will help the crew with this task. Sail track is a common fixture on larger yachts...the crew sit on boards dangling from the tracks as an example....incorporating various ledges and recessed steps (using non-slip surfaces) to facilitate access to otherwise inaccessible areas (the very top coachroof or a large permanent hardtop for example, is incredibly hard to access for cleaning, but gets just as dirty). Sat / Com / Radar gear needs access too, however precarious it may be. If the original designer / stylist doesn't attempt to work these features in from concept, the crew will attempt to fit them after commissioning...no offence to skippers and crew, but I'm sure most designers would shudder when they see sail track / guide wires / pitons plastered all over their once virgin white, beautifully clean lined superstructure.

Large windows....I was being serious there, we are talking about the glazing having to be tested and proved to be able to withstand rather incredible heads of water pressure. I find it rather sweet that RINA for example currently expect a rear facing patio door (certain charter rules) to withstand over 6m head of water, when there is usually a large flybridge above the doors anyway...quite how they foresee 6m head being actually physically possible in that situation, I dont rightly know. But they do, its the rules, and you can perhaps understand how these tested forces increase for a hull side window that sits between a wall of water and 1000 tonnes of yacht. From a styling point of view, if a large exterior window suits the exterior look, does it have to be as large on the inside ? One sure way to get the look but reduce the strength required is to have the internal clear opening far smaller than the exterior size...the authorites are mainly interested in unsupported glass area, or the clear opening size...internal frames and stiffeners could be used to break the large panel up without spoiling the exterior aesthetics. Curved window panels can be proven through testing to withstand higher pressures than flat panels of identical thickness.

I know from bitter experience how *******ised a designers pure vision can become when, even after the structural and engineering challenges are solved, the mandatory rules and regulations of class hit you like a hammer.
I also know from experience that these rules, like the sea itself, are a force to work with, not against

[NYCAP123]

"I've heard of an owner who whilst in port, made his crew wear a uniform and cap, standing in formation on deck legs slightly apart and with hands clasped behind their back". Was the name of the yacht the USS________?
" I find it rather sweet that RINA for example currently expect a rear facing patio door (certain charter rules) to withstand over 6m head of water, when there is usually a large flybridge above the doors anyway...quite how they foresee 6m head being actually physically possible in that situation, I dont rightly know." That one is actually easy to envision when a 10kt yacht slows to 3kts climbing up the back of a wave while coming into an inlet, then gets overtaken by the next. That's a big part of why SF and center console usually have self bailing decks. It happens.

[atomare]

hi codog, I get your point about the cleaning issue and you can be sure I would not want anyone to mess with the clarity of the design . After all the crew has to work with the yacht and there are many practical points, that should be taken into account at an early design stage, so that the design doesn´t get spoiled in the end (that would of course be my motivation).

As for the large windows... the patio doors on the maindeck of "sunray" for instance should not be made from 5m high glass panels, but have a division and supporting structure on the inside.The big windows in the hull of the "gorgeous" concept on the other hand would indeed become a problem, unless they could be shut completely in stormy seas. Btw. Can you still see through 150mm thick laminated glass ? .. Even though the fact, that it is bullet proof might be a nice side effect... If the windows have to be smaller on the inside, they should be also on the outside, there are so many yachts out there with fake windows... I don`t think that adds to the beauty of the structure, what brings me back to "honest construction".

Since you seem to know a lot about the actual construction of a yacht, is there a rule of thumb for the thickness of the glass window in relation to its size?