"Multispace" yacht builder launches at boot Dusseldorf

23 January 2019 • Written by Caroline White

A new all-Italian builder of “multispace yachts” named Cetera Yachts has launched at the Boot Dusseldorf boat show.

The fledgling yard revealed that construction has already begun on its first 18.28 metre yacht in its range, which will premiere at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September. A larger and smaller version of the yacht are also in the pipeline.

The concept behind the Cetera brand is to treat the layouts of smaller yachts like those of superyachts and therefore create multiple quiet, bright living spaces on board.

The company has been founded by a group of yachting professionals including yacht designer Francesco Guida and fibreglass yard Fiart Mare.

The builder launched at the Boot Dusseldorf boat show

Salvatore Serio, who was previously the majority shareholder of Dufour Yachts, and prototype and mould specialist Paolo Francia are also founders.

Speaking at the Boot Dusseldorf boat show, Guida questioned the traditional practice of placing owner and guest cabins below decks, where it is dark and close to the engines.

“Why pay a lot of money to live in the basement?” he said. “We created two levels [for living spaces], one on the main deck and one on the upper deck, like on a big yacht.”

Cetera aims to re-invent the layouts of smaller yachts to be more like those of superyachts

In the 18.28m design, the lower deck is dedicated to technical spaces and storage, while a master, double and twin cabin, all two metres high, sit amidships on the main deck.

Forward of the accommodation is a bright saloon that leads on to a generous foredeck lounge. Above is, as Guida puts it, “not a flybridge, it’s a real upper deck.”

Here an upper saloon can be opened to the elements, with a galley and seating for eight. Forward is a good-sized bridge with out-of-the-way sofa seating for guests.

The two saloons are the key to the “multispace” moniker – two amply usable interior social spaces, plus the two exterior spaces of a bow lounge and an aft deck that is only two steps down to the swim platform. The intended effect is that it feels more like an al fresco beach club.

The fledgling yard questions the traditional practice of placing owner and guest cabins below decks

The arrangement also does away with a central staircase, saving that space for better uses. Instead, the engine can be accessed from the aft deck, while the crew cabins lie forward on the lower deck, far from the engines and with 2.8 metres of headroom and are accessible from the bow lounge.

Cetera Yachts claims the term “multispace” will soon sit alongside well-trodden definitions of flybridge, explorer, trawler and hardtop.

They also believe the repositioning of spaces and build method will result in lower production costs and shorter delivery times.

Instead of contractors and builders working on top of each other, the boat will be constructed in a modular fashion.

“We think the build time will be really short because we have the possibility to work on three different positions,” said Ernesto de Bartolomeis, general manager of Fiat Mare.

He also notes that the generous technical areas mean that, hypothetically, “It would be very easy to have a hybrid version of the boat because we have the space for batteries.

"It will be the only 60 footer (18 metres) on the market that could do this.”

The first hull will have Volvo Penta IPS 600hp engines for a top speed of 23 knots, but 850hp for 28 knots is an option for future builds.

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