New concepts for new owners
Attention may often focus on the biggest launches, largest yachts and most dramatic concepts, but US designer Nick Boksa thinks it is time to explore a more realistic realm that will appeal to a new segment of potential owners, particularly in the ever-increasing pool of American UHNWIs.…
Attention may often focus on the biggest launches, largest yachts and most dramatic concepts, but US designer Nick Boksa of Boksa Marine Design has decided to explore the more modest superyacht realm with his newest 38m concept series in the hopes of attracting new blood to the world of ownership.
“After attending the American Superyacht Forum in Las Vegas in May, I was inspired to design new concepts to match the expectations and interests of a growing segment of potential yacht owners,” says Boksa, who stresses that most buyers will actually focus their interest on custom-designed yachts in the 25m to 38m range. “At design and build costs of USD 8M to USD 25M, these are the yachts which are considered to be attainable.”
The designer says that new owners are most likely searching for simplicity. “Most will not be familiar with what is required for designing, building, operating and maintaining a large custom yacht,” he says. “The details regarding financing, staffing, insurance, docking, etc. might be vague to them and when looked at as a whole could be intimidating. What we want to provide is a simplified experience in the area where we are most involved … design and construction.”
The series will cover the 25m to 38m size range, but Boksa has initially started by focusing on developing the 38m. “This is large enough to have most of the features for privacy, crew capacity, entertainment spaces, guest quarters and water toy storage that larger yachts have,” he says. “But it is not so large that it requires a small army of crew and can get into most of the popular marinas on the east coast and around the Caribbean.” The studio want to offer owners and clients a starting point; the chance to design a yacht based on a spec platform that can be customised with various layouts and styling features.
For Boksa, more effort needs to be made to draw in potential new owners, particularly the US market. According to The Wealth Report 2014, in 2013 an additional 1,500 individuals boosted their net value beyond US 30M in North America, meaning that the region now has 43,626 UHNWI, 441 of whom are billionaires. “There is a tremendous amount of new wealth be created through the recovery of the economy, as slow as it may seem,” he says. “I would also like to see an effort to pull buys back to the domestic US market for design and construction. It wasn’t very long ago that we used to be first in the world in the custom yacht industry.”
The truth remains that the number of UHNWIs who actually own superyachts is still fairly low, but Boksa emphasises that it is up to designers and builders to generate excitement for yachting and exploration. “This new 38m concept series captures the essence of yachting, combining expeditionary elements with both traditional and contemporary styling,” he says. “I believe that American owners are not really all that different from clients from Europe. They all appreciate privacy, expect the highest quality, demand good service, and want to enjoy their holidays aboard their vessels worry free. Oh, and they also don’t want their yacht, be it their 1st or there 7th, to be a bad investment.”
“After attending the American Superyacht Forum in Las Vegas in May, I was inspired to design new concepts to match the expectations and interests of a growing segment of potential yacht owners,” says Boksa, who stresses that most buyers will actually focus their interest on custom-designed yachts in the 25m to 38m range. “At design and build costs of USD 8M to USD 25M, these are the yachts which are considered to be attainable.”
The designer says that new owners are most likely searching for simplicity. “Most will not be familiar with what is required for designing, building, operating and maintaining a large custom yacht,” he says. “The details regarding financing, staffing, insurance, docking, etc. might be vague to them and when looked at as a whole could be intimidating. What we want to provide is a simplified experience in the area where we are most involved … design and construction.”
The series will cover the 25m to 38m size range, but Boksa has initially started by focusing on developing the 38m. “This is large enough to have most of the features for privacy, crew capacity, entertainment spaces, guest quarters and water toy storage that larger yachts have,” he says. “But it is not so large that it requires a small army of crew and can get into most of the popular marinas on the east coast and around the Caribbean.” The studio want to offer owners and clients a starting point; the chance to design a yacht based on a spec platform that can be customised with various layouts and styling features.
For Boksa, more effort needs to be made to draw in potential new owners, particularly the US market. According to The Wealth Report 2014, in 2013 an additional 1,500 individuals boosted their net value beyond US 30M in North America, meaning that the region now has 43,626 UHNWI, 441 of whom are billionaires. “There is a tremendous amount of new wealth be created through the recovery of the economy, as slow as it may seem,” he says. “I would also like to see an effort to pull buys back to the domestic US market for design and construction. It wasn’t very long ago that we used to be first in the world in the custom yacht industry.”
The truth remains that the number of UHNWIs who actually own superyachts is still fairly low, but Boksa emphasises that it is up to designers and builders to generate excitement for yachting and exploration. “This new 38m concept series captures the essence of yachting, combining expeditionary elements with both traditional and contemporary styling,” he says. “I believe that American owners are not really all that different from clients from Europe. They all appreciate privacy, expect the highest quality, demand good service, and want to enjoy their holidays aboard their vessels worry free. Oh, and they also don’t want their yacht, be it their 1st or there 7th, to be a bad investment.”
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