From start to finish: How a bespoke yacht is created

When a client comes to CRN, they are looking for a superyacht completely customised to them. And what CRN can offer is a yacht that pushes the boundaries for what's possible in the world of bespoke. The Italian shipbuilder makes the entire experience for the owner entirely exclusive to them.

To bring a custom design to life involves a step-by-step process, one that CRN has perfected and used to design and build, for example, the 62-metre RIO, the 52-metre CIAO and the 60-metre CRN 141 delivered in 2022, and the 62-metre Voice delivered in 2020.

Proven by the substantial CRN fleet, this process is one that has run smoothly time and time again.

CRN starts with understanding

The process for any new build starts with getting to know the future owner and their vision, through an evolutionary process of careful listening and a continual exploration of how the client wishes to experience their pleasure boat and enjoy their time on board.

For the owner of RIO, the desire was to have a joyful yacht born to be lived and enjoyed to the fullest. With the aim of assuring a remarkable cruising experience for all members of the owner’s family, CRN designed and built a bespoke yacht that stands out also for very large, interconnected and multifunctional living spaces to fully living indoor and outdoor areas, perfect for the relaxation and entertainment of grownups and children. 

At the specific request of the owner and having in mind the younger family members, the shipbuilder, in collaboration with Pulina Exclusive Interiors, created colourful spaces with pure lines, natural materials and exotic decorations. As a result, the design included furniture with soft textures and curved edges and a ‘tropical mood’ interior theme, where lively pops of colour contrast a tonal white backdrop. “We wanted to create a colourful and exotic amusement park inside the yacht,” says Alessandro Pulina, founder of the studio Pulina Exclusive Interiors who created the outdoor guest areas and the interiors of RIO.

“Especially for our kids, we wanted brightly coloured spaces and a happy atmosphere,” explain the owners of RIO. “Based on this request, Alessandro Pulina and CRN's Project Architects have recreated a true tropical paradise for us, with touches of bright colours. On board we feel immersed in a kind of exotic private island floating among the flora and fauna of the Amazonian forests. For example, whenever we walk through our lobby suite, we’re filled with joy by three amazing hand-painted artworks on the walls, created bespoke per our direction by an Italian artist, that depict a veritable jungle full of colourful animals like a jaguar, a toucan and a butterfly.”

CRN’s dedicated team evolves the project

With the desired designers on board with the project, the initial sketches begin to evolve into a refined design with functional and aesthetic innovations.

The whole process is meticulously and carefully shaped by a specially-assigned yacht project management team. “One of our great strengths is the very close and direct relationship between company management and the yacht project management team, which allows us to work with precision and speed,” says Stefano de Vivo, Ferretti Group CCO. This dedicated team includes a project manager, a project architect, the construction project engineer, the head of construction and the project engineer.

In addition, CRN houses a team of technicians, a team of sea trials, testing and yacht delivery, supremely skilled workers and, last but not least, artisans who are dedicated to giving owners passionate support to bring their superyacht vision into reality.

The combined contribution of these consummate professionals is what makes the creation of a bespoke yacht possible. A central figure is the project manager, who like a musical conductor, orchestrates all the players in the yard, fostering dialogue and ensuring agile progress, supreme quality and timely delivery while liaising with the owner, their representative and surveyor.

The team will have client meetings first monthly and then weekly – and when the yacht is at an advanced stage, the client will be immersed as much as possible in the experience.

Full-steam ahead

After having an intimate picture of the essence of the yacht, with 1:10 scale shop drawings and sections of every space and special 1:1 mock-ups of individual portions, the design – honed and tailored to the owner’s personality – is now ready to meet reality.

Once the hull has been built, having arrived in the yard in pre-assembled blocks, the yacht’s lines and unmistakable shapes begin to emerge. Now the artisans’ expert hands get to work on the carpentry, the fitting-out and the onboard systems and installations.

While the external hull is primed and meticulously painted, the carpenters come in to subdivide and construct the onboard spaces. The numerous production stages proceed in perfect symbioses, like instruments in a symphony orchestra building to a crescendo. Naturally, the owner follows this stage of the project closely, giving their input as work progresses. 

As an example of true customisation, during her three-year build beginning in 2017, the finish of Voice was chosen to replicate the colours of one of the owner’s favourite cars with a smoky quartz hull, silver sand superstructure and jet-black detailing. The final colour was chosen from 35 colour samples created by mixing four different types of metal that change depending on light reflections.

Every part of the construction is rigorously controlled. Even the suppliers chosen by CRN are required to comply with the yard’s principles and ethical values, and respect the regulations regarding safety and origin of materials and environmental sustainability.

While nearing the final stages of her build, the yacht is further embellished with free-standing furnishings and is put through various stages of testing. These tests and inspections ensure that every installation meets the exacting international standards and certification, and the design and build excellence associated with CRN.

The final symphony

For the CRN team and their clients, the yachts built at the Italian yard offer a whole new way to live on the sea. “We loved being deeply involved in the design and realisation of our yacht by CRN and by the interior and exterior designers; we experienced great teamwork that translated our wishes into reality. There’s not one area that doesn’t get used and enjoyed onboard our yacht,” says RIO’s owners.

The next example of the yard’s capabilities is the 52-metre CIAO, delivered last August 2022. CRN, which developed her entire naval architecture, collaborated with Omega Architects and Massari Design – for an owner with a strong vocation for onboard living and who wanted a pleasure vessel that merged inside and outside wide areas and comfortable spaces in the open air, setting great store by the design of the social zones.

Another supreme example of artisanal beauty is the new 60-metre CRN 141. Delivered last December 2022, she is designed and built by CRN, that collaborated with Nuvolari Lenard. She is to feature dynamic lines and an array of advanced high-tech solutions for an owner who wanted a high-performance vessel suited to cruising and mooring in shallow waters like the Caribbean. These design requirements combine with generous-height spaces and large guest and crew areas.

Finally, among the projects in build there is the 72-metre CRN 139, designed and built by CRN, which collaborated with Vallicelli Design and Nuvolari Lenard, for a client who desired generous indoor spaces with refined and sophisticated interiors; and the 85-metre CRN M/Y 144 and the 70-metre CRN M/Y 145. Another project by CRN, in collaboration with Nuvolari Lenard, is the 67m hybrid CRN 143.

To find out more about CRN, contact the yard directly here. 

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