A CAT IN WOLF’S CLOTHING
On board the 42.8-metre Rossinavi yacht Seawolf X
STRANHERO
Something was wrong. After months of painstaking work, detailed calculations and thorough tank tests, Rossinavi’s new all-aluminium catamaran platform was showing a potential reduction in fuel consumption of 75 per cent. Federico Rossi, COO of Rossinavi, had been crossing his fingers for a 50 per cent reduction – 75 per cent was outside his wildest dreams.
“We had to do many more tests,” admits Rossi. But the numbers weren’t lying. The catamaran could undertake a 20-day transatlantic crossing and, in theory, burn just 15,000 litres of fuel, compared to a similar-sized monohull burning 60,000. Armed with data better than they could ever have expected, the team set off to sell it.
The client arrived three months later, reeled in by sustainability assertions and the alluring – but mysterious – promise of a catamaran that didn’t actually look like a catamaran. Because the client didn’t really want a catamaran. Neither did the yard; they look like frogs, says Rossi. Neither did the charter central agency, “Not really our style,” says a member of the Cecil Wright team. A catamaran wasn’t the goal, it was more a solution to a consumption problem.
“The smooth surfaces and steering positioned on a mezzanine deck reduces the overall height of the ship and led us to design a very sleek line”
“Honestly, I’m building a lot of yachts with diesel-electric, and the reduction in consumption isn’t that much,” says Rossi. “Maybe four, five per cent.” He wanted something more dramatic (50 per cent became the ambition) and he realised the multihull platform was the only way to give a yacht eco credentials with real weight.
In the end, the yacht ends up burning closer to 20,000 litres of fuel on a transatlantic voyage, which is still an impressive saving. The stability afforded by the two hulls allowed the yard to slash the stabilisation system altogether, meaning a reduction in both fuel (because of the reduced drag) and electric consumption. Rossi estimates a saving of 360 kilowatts per day just from cutting the stabilisation alone.
All the exterior elements had to be carefully considered to make sure they wouldn’t compromise the yacht’s streamlined silhouette
The other big benefit of the sub-500GT cat was ample area for solar panels (covering 150 square metres total) and plenty of space for storing batteries. When the yacht is in hibernation mode, the yard has proposed an innovative solution: “giving back” energy to power shoreside residences, essentially making the yacht the most expensive battery bank money can buy.
STRANHERO
STRANHERO
STRANHERO
STRANHERO
STRANHERO
STRANHERO
GIOVANNI MALGARINI
GIOVANNI MALGARINI
Top: looking like a cat ready to pounce, Seawolf X has a low profile drawn by Fulvio de Simoni. The plentiful solar panels, which cover 150 square metres, are all painted to blend in, giving the yacht a clean, unbroken look
Christened Seawolf X, the 42.8-metre was delivered in 2024 to an exterior design by Fulvio de Simoni, with interiors by Meyer Davis, a newcomer to superyachting. The New York-based design firm was brought into the project early on, when the shipyard and the studio were introduced by their shared publicist during Miami’s Art Basel.
Meyer Davis is best known for its work on hotels and private residences including the Ritz Carlton and Mandarin Oriental. However, most of the project’s inspiration came from Meyer Davis’s work on 1 Hotel South Beach in Miami, which was designed to be calm, casual and underpinned by an eco focus.
“Our projects are based around the luxury of sustainability,” says Will Meyer, one half of the studio. “The owner has a great vision about sustainability and how he wants to live. There’s this cool energy that came from us designing our first yacht and [the client] building their first yacht and Rossinavi creating this new platform.”
GIOVANNI MALGARINI
GIOVANNI MALGARINI
STUEY BURNETT
STUEY BURNETT
GIOVANNI MALGARINI
GIOVANNI MALGARINI
GIOVANNI MALGARINI
GIOVANNI MALGARINI
GIOVANNI MALGARINI
GIOVANNI MALGARINI
Bottom left and right: a retractable cover rises to reveal a vast recessed foredeck lounge, featuring a spa pool alongside ample seating. With it lowered, the yacht’s streamlined profile is preserved. Top right: Directly connected to the foredeck, the covered sundeck is larger than it appears
The client was reeled in by sustainability assertions and the alluring promise of a catamaran that didn’t look like a catamaran
The theme of the yacht’s interior is family-friendly, beachy and devoid of anything shiny, reflective or overly bright. Butter-coloured oak works with neutral soft furnishings and sumptuous rust-coloured leather to create a warm and rich space. “You get on and you feel like you can exhale,” says Gray Davis, co-founder of the studio.
Wool rugs are made from recycled sources and materials like stone, raffia and leather have been locally produced close to the shipyard. “In our hospitality work there’s sustainable requirements for almost every fabric so we’ve incorporated the specifications,” says Nancy Santorelli, the associate principal designer at Meyer Davis for this project.
GIOVANNI MALGARINI More outdoor entertaining space is found up top, on the sheltered sundeck
GIOVANNI MALGARINI More outdoor entertaining space is found up top, on the sheltered sundeck
The 70-square-metre owner’s cabin located on the main deck forward is one of five cabins (the rest are on the lower deck) and has been laid out carefully to fulfil the owner’s brief for a fully fledged fitness space for both personal and charter purposes. The maximum beam of 13.7 metres comes into its own here, allowing for a gym, large en suite, study area and wardrobe that all lead off from the owner’s cabin.
“I think [the owners] were realistic,” says Santorelli, and they decided that a vast walk-in wardrobe wasn’t high on their list of requirements, so it is on the petite side. Light in the cabin flows from glass panels forward, which offer an impressive view, and a skylight in the overhead. The interior has the same soft treatment as the rest of the boat; lines flow smoothly in organic shapes, and certain items – the headboard, the loose furniture – have a winged shape that mimics the two flared hulls on the exterior.
The main saloon shows just how wide a 13.7m beam really is, with the spacious room divided between lounging and dining. New York City design firm Meyer Davis employed natural, sustainable materials to create a subdued and relaxing milieu throughout the interiors
The exterior of Seawolf X, meanwhile, is arresting. It’s stealthy, sharp and reminds me of a spider. “Certainly, [a spider] wasn’t the intention, but I can share your impression,” says Enrico Lotti of Fulvio de Simoni Yacht Design. Supercars were the original inspiration behind the lines, and the vision was translated into a high hull and low superstructure, with a bowsprit that calls to mind the front wing of a Formula One car.
“The smooth surfaces and steering positioned on a mezzanine deck [reduces] the overall height of the ship [and] led us to design a very sleek line,” says Lotti. “In fact, there’s almost no discontinuity between the hull and the superstructure.”
All of the exterior elements had to be carefully considered to make sure they wouldn’t compromise the yacht’s streamlined silhouette. The sundeck is entirely covered, giving the illusion of being more compact than it really is, and comprises a sizeable bar and seating area.
But for my money, the best al fresco living area is on the bow, where there’s a recessed lounge concealed under a flat disc that rises up electronically under the support of four pillars. I mistake it for a touch- and-go helipad at first, but it’s just a cover for two crescents of sofas sitting alongside coffee tables and a spa pool. A 100-inch projector screen drops down to transform the seating nook into a cinema.
Lines flow smoothly inorganic shapes, and certain items – the headboard, the loose furniture – have a winged shape that mimics the flared hulls
