Spanish design house Barracuda Yacht Design has created two new sailing yacht concepts, a 31 and 40 metre, for Turkish builder Mengi Yay Yachts.
When the Tuzla-based Mengi Yay reached out to Barracuda to create the new concepts, its brief was simple: the sailing yachts had to be relatively easy to build, easy on the wallet and have universal appeal.
In order to achieve this brief, Barracuda Yacht Design proposed a layout that utilises square, symmetrical-shaped rooms that can easily transform to suit the needs of owners. Cabins, for instance, are simple to convert from doubles to twins. This might not seem like a ground-breaking concept, but on a sailing yacht where rooms are often fixed in use and come in various shapes, it’s an innovative solution.
Barracuda explains that the interior is designed so it can also be built and maintained using similar materials, components and fittings in each room. So while the use of each room can be customised to an owner’s needs, the yacht could be straightforward to construct and maintain, saving time and money. This offers a different take on typical semi-custom builds, where the use of the room is often pre-destined but materials are bespoke.
A major part of the brief for the new Barracuda-designed 31 and 40 metre Mengi Yay yachts is that they stand the test of time aesthetically and not be overly trendy. To this end, the exterior styling is sleek and simple, with a low-slung, “unobtrusive” deckhouse that has wraparound windows to let in plenty of natural light.
The Mengi Yay 40 metre has a full-beam owner’s suite, set aft where the tender garage would normally be found. Patio doors open this out to a private terrace on the swim platform, so owners have direct access to take a dip.
The tender is stowed instead beneath the foredeck, and there is 1.5 metre deep lazarette locker storage for deck furniture and toys.
Responding to owner requests, Mengi Yay saw the demand for 30 metre sailing yachts that had three guest cabins in addition to the owner’s suite. In the Mengi Yay 31 metre, a third guest stateroom is accessed from the lounge area.
Both versions are designed or performance and have deep bulb keels with variable draft centreboards, while they’ll sport full carbon rigs and flexible sail plans.