Italian builder Wider Yachts has laid the keel of its 72 metre project Moonflower at its new site in Venice. With design from Nauta Design, the project is the largest construction to date for the Wider shipyard, surpassing its current flagship by 20 metres in length.
Delivery is due in 2025 and the project marks the first full-custom new-build project following the recapitalisation of the brand under Marcello Maggi and W-Fin Sarl.
The design will feature Nauta Design's patented beach club design dubbed the 'The Island'. The design centres around an expandable aft deck with folding bulwark terraces that connect to provide a single walkaround space. The stern platform will include a sea-water swimming pool with a teak bottom that can be raised and closed to be flush with the deck.
The exterior of the Moonflower 72 project will sport a "clean and uncluttered design", according to the shipyard, with a chamfered sheer line amidships and extensive use of glass.
“The Moonflower 72 retains all the key features of modern yet timeless design, onboard liveability and maximum connection with the marine environment – fundamental characteristics of all Nauta projects,” says Mario Pedol, co-founder and chief executive of Nauta Design. “With Wider we found just the right cocktail of technology and team organisation to make the project a reality.”
Speaking on the flagship project, Marcello Maggi, president of Wider, said: “We’ve invested heavily in restructuring the shipyard in anticipation of orders like this one and thanks to the current management that has been working together for 30 years, Wider is able to build the Moonflower 72 to the highest quality levels.”
The Moonflower 72 will be powered by a hybrid propulsion system comprising two variable-speed generators of 1,860kW each and a sodium nickel battery bank of approximately 1MW.
The flagship project is the first full-custom yacht to be constructed and completed at the Venice shipyard, a new superyacht hub dedicated to custom superyacht projects.
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