16 ShowBoats Design Awards 2016 winners

Naval Architect: Michael Peters

Exterior Styling, Interior Design: Michael Peters and  Hodgdon Yachts

Builder: Hodgdon Custom Tenders

A total of 12 tenders were entered in the ShowBoats Design Awards and it was clear that the limousine-style tender has truly come into its own.

This category goes first to a subcommittee to compare the entrants on such issues as horsepower-to-weight ratios, launch and retrieval methods, carrying capacity, speed, range and mission features. Those deemed the “smartest” are presented to the full panel.

Top marks went to a new development by U.S. builder Hodgdon Yachts for a longer, aft helm version of its Venetian water taxi-inspired limo. Here, Michael Peters has evolved the graceful lines of the taxis into an elegant yet sexy sculpture on the water.

The aft helm model offers the option of being inside or outside. Ample outside seating forward, a climate-controlled cabin for 10 with standing headroom and a generous aft deck with commanding views is manifested in a low profile with a rigid bimini that powers down for stowage in the tender bay. Twin Volvo outdrives power her to 34 knots while the paint and interior appointments complement the mothership.

Exterior Styling: CG Design

Builder: Feadship, De Vries

The nine finalists in the exterior design styling category for yachts over 500GT ranged from 55 meters in length to nearly double that, which gave considerable real estate for exterior stylists to exploit.

This is the first exterior design for CG Design, a Paris-based architectural firm, although principal Cristina Gherardi designed the interior of the owner’s previous semi-custom yacht. This relationship and a thorough grounding in contemporary architecture established a design envelope for Savannah that deviated little from the first sketches brought to Feadship and De Voogt Naval Architects.

The key design exercise is to allow guests to maintain a functional relationship with the sea. In fact, there is an unbroken cascade of main deck living areas from the dining room, through the open salon, across the pool deck and down to the sea. In other places, huge expanses of glass link the interior with the world beyond, from her partially submerged “Nemo” room at the stern to the bow’s hidden observation room.

The slim, smooth silhouette and plumb bow convey a sense of speed while the metallic silver-green exterior finish extending even to the exterior deck overheads magically reflects the changing colours of sea and sky.

This award is sponsored by Blohm+Voss.

Exterior Styling: CG Design

Builder: Feadship, De Vries

The rarefied air of exclusivity pervades the category for interiors of the largest motor yachts. It is the world where knowledgeable and sophisticated owners challenge their design teams to produce beautiful and personalised statements. Such is the case with Savannah, and although it is only this architectural team’s second yacht, the owner was well known to them and made clear his interest in continuity of indoor and outdoor entertaining spaces, visual contact with the sea and having a variety of living spaces for different activities.

Turning convention on its head, Paris-based CG Design responded with a layout where walls, ceilings, furniture and surface patterns are developed on curved lines to accentuate fluidity via natural and organic forms – there are no boxes. The window architecture is fresh and inspiring and from the interior, draws less attention to window shape and structure than to the views outside. This, plus a semi-underwater lounge and cinema, a secret observation room in the bow, stunning lighting design, a floating catwalk, and a main deck living area that is one continuous space from salon to swim platform left the judges applauding.

This award is sponsored by Tai Ping.

Exterior Styling: Nauta Design

Builder: Baltic Yachts

Because Nikata is the third custom Baltic build involving Nauta Design, the firm was well aware of the yard’s capabilities for lightweight construction. In fact, to meet the performance characteristics and speed required by her owner, the overall light displacement of the yacht was kept to just 88 metric tons, yet he was not interested in compromising on modern conveniences or comfort.

Another of the interior constraints was that the design needed to accommodate a lifting keel, which meant designing the owner and VIP guest accommodation around a large, vertical keel box. The layout smartly places crew cabins, navigation station, galley and access to machinery spaces aft with direct access to the helm area on deck.

The use of pale oak paneling and furniture keeps the four-stateroom (plus crew) interior light, while an innovative T-shaped coachroof skylight offsets the small window area of the deckhouse and brings plenty of light to the open plan living space below that features a separate TV area off the salon. The contemporary theme is matched by the smooth and simple interior décor style distinguished by consistent use of natural materials.

This award is sponsored by Videoworks.

Naval Architecture: Amels and Damen Group

Builder: Amels

Pictures can be deceiving when it comes to naval architecture. The Amels Limited Editions 199 Madame Kate presents such a big, bold face to the world that her efficiency numbers were run twice to make sure they were correct.

The magic, of course, resides under water and in the long waterline length that begins with Tim Heywood’s scimitar bow. This innovation from Damen’s Axe Bow commercial concept was developed and tested in partnership with Delft University and the MARIN tow-test facility to provide the owners with a dry, comfortable, stable ride and minimal vertical acceleration.

Two pairs of short bilge keels augment the beam for stability but not at the expense of excessive drag. The yacht measures 1,140 GT and has a full-load displacement of 1,145 metric tons, yet relatively modest 1500kW diesels deliver a top speed of 16 knots. Together with one genset, she consumes 320 litres per hour at 13 knots. Of equal interest is that putting that much volume forward brought about new crew pathways and technical spaces that enhance owner privacy.

This award is sponsored by Fincantieri.

Naval Architecture: Azimut Benetti SpA

Builder: Benetti Shipyard

Benetti’s 38.1m Vivace model _Iron Man _presents an interesting application of azimuthing propulsion in a relatively small motor yacht and an innovative hull designed to transition smoothly from displacement speeds to semi-planing and a sprightly top end of 24.5 knots — two knots faster than predicted.

An 18-month development period of what Azimut Benetti calls its D2P hull utilised CFD to refine every element and appendage, evolving a hull shape with a pair of asymmetrical chines and a wave-piercing bow. Its smooth underwater profile and reduced forward resistance result in a 20 percent higher cruising speed. At 11.5 knots Iron Man burns 100 litres per hour. A weight control budget utilising carbon fibre in the hull resulted in 40 percent less weight when compared to traditional structures. Azimut Benetti chose pod drive propulsion with a forward pulling propeller for increased efficiency and enhanced maneuvering.

The ShowBoats Design Awards judges were also impressed with the efficient design of Palumbo Group’s 40.1-meter motor yacht, Divine, with naval architecture by Hydrotec. This all-aluminum yacht achieved nearly the same efficiency rating as Iron Man, but, it should be noted, with diesel/electric power and traditional shaft propulsion.

This award is sponsored by JFA Yachts.

Exterior Styling: CG Design

Builder: Feadship, De Vries

Based on the number and strength of candidates for this ShowBoats Design Award category, the judges chose to split motor and sailing yachts.

Savannah is a yacht that presents herself differently from various angles and if seen bow-on only, the judges remarked that the straight lines of her exterior seemed completely at odds with her curvaceous interior architecture.

Yet yachts are truly 3D things and soon the cascading curves of her aft decks became apparent, as did the smoothness of the metallic seafoam-green profile — which bears no lumps, bumps or glass seams — and matches the sleek contemporary nature of her interior architecture. Just as the dark, tempered glass appears as an unbroken line on the exterior, the interior hides window frames within sleek architectural features.

There is no sense that any area of the yacht inside or out has less stature than any other and stainless steel is used inside and out. The custom treatment for deck furniture and exterior lighting was also part of the detailed design approach. The fact that one hand guided both interior and exterior made for an uninterrupted aesthetic vocabulary and harmony unequaled by any other contenders.

This award is sponsored by MTN.

Exterior Styling: Nauta Design

Builder: Baltic Yachts

Sailing yachts are an area where interior and exterior features and styling are expected to work together, so choosing a standout in this category is a difficult task and the two representatives of retro styling presented strong contenders.

Digging deeper, the remark “cool serenity” was heard more than once as the ShowBoats Design Award judges reviewed the design sketches and finished photos of Nikata. They were familiar with the minimalist Scandinavian interior approach that often accompanies yachts built by Baltic, but this time Nauta Design seemed to deliberately play to that strength, creating an interior that is just as smooth as the iron gray topsides.

Among the features the judges liked was the use of a strong rectangle shape introduced in the cockpit coaming and its repetition in the fixed portlights and the skylight. The planked floors of the salon and linen wall panels echo the theme of the bleached teak of the deck above.

Everything about the yacht inside and out – even the crew area – seemed dedicated to simplicity, speed and efficiency, achieved with use of top technology and materials. Apparently, it’s a program that works, as Nikata reportedly reached 28 knots on her first transatlantic crossing.

This award is sponsored by Kymeta Panasonic.

Jury Chairman Roger Lean-Vercoe notes that the Young Designer of the Year Award judges were impressed with the high quality of the 28 entries submitted for this year’s award, and this made selecting a winner from among six finalists a particularly difficult task.

All were highly accomplished designs, and while each young designer excelled in certain areas, the judges eventually homed in on one design that best fulfilled the identical project brief given to all the competition’s entrants.

Cercio was created by Baoqi Xiao, a student of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Well considered and visually attractive, Baoqi’s GA, interior design and exterior styling for a fast 45-metre motor yacht, created to entertain the guests of a female Italian fashion designer, was considered by the judges to be a good starting point for a vessel that would completely fulfill its imaginary owner’s specific wishes.

The judges particularly admired the clear presentation and well-executed hand-drawn sketches, while the originality and harmony of the exterior styling that blended well with a highly competent general arrangement plan and understanding of the client’s lifestyle was also praised. This is a worthy winner.

The Young Designer of the Year Award is in association with Oceanco.

There was little doubt that Frits de Voogt would be involved with boats; he is, after all, a Dutchman, but the fact that his father, Henri de Voogt, was a naval architect set him on his path. The fact that he was the first Secretary of a fledging venture called Feadship made the critical difference, to his son and to yachting.

Frits studied at Delft with the idea of designing great ships; in fact, the common feeling around Delft was that yachts were “silly things”. He took engineering seriously and was not interested in the small steel cruisers his father began drawing in the late 1940s. “I thought I was getting away from all of that to do big, important ships,” he says. “Then my father became both ill and busy. He insisted I come home at the end of my studies to help him… that turned out OK,” he says with his characteristic dry understatement.

Even though Frits had been a member of the 1952 Dutch Olympic rowing team, he had to earn his stripes in the design office year by year. The first yacht he points to as being truly his own is the 1960 Camargo V. That 116 footer was a “nice one”, he says.

“That’s when boats were getting bigger and we could put things in that people wanted like stabilizers and air conditioning. We got the idea to start making our own equipment.” Putting gensets on Feadships freed up space, and with that came de Voogt’s research into reduction of noise, vibration and soot, and development of desalination and sewage treatment plants.

Feadship had started with the idea of impressing American boat buyers with Dutch quality and Frits would take that to new levels, pushing for the intangible aura of quality that set the product apart. Once, while interviewing him about a new yacht, I asked if it was built to Lloyd’s. The already very tall de Voogt squared his shoulders. He seemed to have gained another foot and his impossibly bushy eyebrows were aimed like darts. “We build to Feadship standard,” he boomed.

The characteristic look of unbroken sheer, graceful flared bow and balanced profile are one thing but Frits uniquely combined design with creating the dream that sold the yachts.

Henk de Vries believes Frits de Voogt made modern day Feadship possible. “He was the glue that managed the individuals and the decisions he made, he made for the good of all.”

Frits shrugs off such notions by talking teamwork. “We were three families but we were of the same mind. You have to work, but hard work is especially fun. I was simply a developer and refiner of possibilities.”

This award is sponsored by Centtrip.