The 18 winners of the ShowBoats Design Awards 2017

Joy

Length: 70m

Exterior styling: Bannenberg & Rowell Design

Builder: Feadship

There is a lot of talk about the increase in outdoor living spaces aboard modern yachts and Joy sets a new benchmark in this area. Shaded and open exterior spaces abound and lengthening the bow during the design phase created a family hang-out space for basketball and other diversions. The chiselling and nipping into the traditional superstructure forms give the yacht a unique look – “like a block of snow and ice that has been shaped by the wind”, said one judge. The chamfered edges of the overhangs create an illusion of more space between decks. The profile, originally drawn by Feadship’s De Voogt Naval Architects, was reimagined by Bannenberg & Rowell and, believe it or not, Joy is its first exterior styling project.

Wider 150

Length: 47.1m

Exterior styling: Fulvio de Simoni

Builder: Wider

"Clean lines and taut, smooth surfaces were the order," says Fulvio de Simoni, who assisted Wider’s managing director Tilli Antonelli with the development of exterior spaces that are long on liveability. The 90m² beach club includes a 7m floodable garage perfectly shaped for tender stowage that becomes a swimming pool when the tender is deployed, while large port and starboard opening panels create ample sunning areas at the water’s edge and enhance the enjoyment of the pool. While the judges appreciated the sensible military shapes of the hull and superstructure, it was the curves in the upper side decks to facilitate full walkarounds and an expansive flybridge deck, plus the innovative hidden covered seating area forward of the wheelhouse that put the Wider 150 ahead of the other finalists.

My Song

Length: 39.6m

Exterior styling: Nauta Design

Builder: Baltic Yachts

The owner’s brief was for “elegant, intriguing and sexy deck lines, where a full set of the most advanced racing gear and hardware had to find places to hide in the most discreet possible way”. Designed by Nauta as a racer/cruiser for use in the Med and Caribbean, the goal was an eye-catching yacht with proportions so balanced that it is impossible to judge the yacht’s length from a distance. The small, glass-enhanced coachroof is almost hidden by 30cm high gunwales, a welcome feature that certainly improves crew footing. Crew deck access is well placed aft of the guest cockpit. At anchor, the wide stern creates a sheltered sunbathing area that features hydraulically operated seating integrated into the flush decks.

Sybaris

Length: 70m

Interior design: PH Design

Builder: Perini Navi

While the layout of sailing yachts is more constrained by necessity, their designers have to be more cognisant of using available space to its best advantage and recognise that the yacht is rarely level when the boat is underway. None of the finalist yachts this year had what could be described as a traditional interior, which set the judges to happily evaluating contemporary, minimalist and avant garde design ideas on their own merits. All of the yachts had strong owner input and the three top contenders also had the challenge of showcasing and lighting modern art collections. The winner of the secret ballot was not the contender with the greatest area but the one the judges felt was the most cohesive and elegant in design and showing the greatest attention to details. As one of the judges put it: “On Sybaris, the furniture, the lighting and the materials are all relative to the design intent.”

Galactica Super Nova

Length: 70.1m

Naval architect: Van Oossanen / Heesen Yachts

Builder: Heesen Yachts

This is the most complicated of our categories, requiring a mathematical analysis of each boat’s, dimensions, weight, propulsion and fuel efficiency, plus evaluation of the rigorousness of the design process. For Galactica Super Nova, CFD analysis and tow tank testing for hull and interceptors were augmented by wind tunnel tests of the superstructure. The all-aluminium Full Displacement Hull Form (FDHF) design presents literally two boats in one; her 20-knot displacement hull becomes a 30-knot semi-displacement performer courtesy of a booster engine and waterjet. While small compromises show at the ends of the yacht’s speed spectrum, this yacht, displacing a somewhat modest 645 tonnes, scored 18 out of a possible 20 points for fuel economy. A single point separated runner-up Samurai, which at 70 meters and 935 displacement tons, is the largest steel FDHF hull designed to date and also by Van Oossanen.

PLVS VLTRA - Wellness Centre

Length: 74m

Builder: Amels

Naval architect: Amels

Interior design: Winch Design

Exterior styling: Tim Heywood

Another new category, this one seeks to uncover and celebrate those spaces that give a yacht its joie de vivre. Most of the entries were from fully custom yachts, although the winner, a new model from Amels’ Limited Editions range, shows how a niche feature can be smartly adapted as the length and volume of the vessel grows. Rather than simply increase the size and offerings of the aft beach club on its smaller models, Amels took the bold step of moving it amidships on the lower deck and making it full-beam so that it would be a pleasant space even if wing doors are closed or the yacht is underway. When the yacht was sold during its build, the owners embraced the idea, creating a 75m² wellness space, with every feature from a hammam to a hair studio. At anchor, folding decks put the space in touch with the sea.

9.5 Limousine

Length: 9.5m

Builder: Cockwells

Interior design: Cockwells

Exterior styling: Andrew Wolstenholme

Six entries were declared finalists for this award by the subcommittee and reviewed by the full panel of judges. While several tenders captured their eye, the performance, the simplicity of the forward helm position and the luxury automobile-like interior of the 12-passenger-plus-crew Cockwells 9.5 Limousine won their votes. They especially liked the glass skylight panel and sliding glass access hatch, which help to prevent passengers from feeling a sense of confinement in a vessel that had a contractual low profile of 1.75m to fit a particular tender garage. Carbon composite kept weight to 4 tonnes, while a single Yanmar engine delivers 32 knots at full throttle.