Philippe Briand at MYS
Philippe Briand showcased a number of new projects at MYS including a 105m Vitruvius project with Oceanco, an 80m Vitruvius to be built at Turquoise Yachts, a 60m Vitruvius with Feadship and a 100-foot sailing yacht in the WallyCento class.…
Philippe Briand at MYS (image by Justin Ratcliffe)
MONACO. Yacht designer Philippe Briand showcased a number of new projects at the Monaco Yacht Show (MYS). These include a 105m Vitruvius project with Oceanco, an 80m Vitruvius to be built at Turquoise Yachts, a 60m Vitruvius with Feadship and a 100-foot sailing yacht in the WallyCento class. Briand Naval Architecture informs us that these are all ‘live’ projects as opposed to concept proposals.
The Oceanco design, project named Acquaintance, is by far the largest Vitruvius yacht after Exuma, Galileo G and Grace E. In line with her predecessors, her slippery hull shape is designed to be up to 20 per cent more fuel efficient than other motoryachts of her size. She will be Oceanco’s second yacht built to Passenger Yacht Code compliance to carry more than 12 guests after the decision was taken to drop PYC notation for 91.5m Equanimity shortly after her delivery.
“PYC presents a challenge for the designer because it requires different stability calculations and more watertight partitions,” Briand pointed out in his interview with SuperyachtDesign. “Moreover, each compartment requires a vertical staircase or escape route through four deck levels, which are all penetrations that affect the general layout.”
The 105 Vitruvius project with Oceanco
Despite her considerable volume (4,302GT), in terms of exterior styling the razor sharp lines exude an overall feeling of purity and lightness. “The exterior of a well-designed custom superyacht should be seen as an envelope that contains within it all the elements that the owner has requested, so they can live on board exactly as they want,” said Briand. “We have seen a trend that the average age of superyacht owners is decreasing, and they are using yachts in different ways than have been the norm in the past. Yachts are being built to take into account the evolution of their families. Many of our clients see yachts as a more private space, where they do not invite a lot of guests at once, and they are spending more extended time on board.”
The 80m Vitruvius with Turquoise is one of the first new build projects announced by Turquoise since Dr Mohammed Al Barwani acquired a majority stake in the shipyard. With its flowing design and sensation of transparency thanks to ample glass windows, the design is very much in the Vitruvius vein — a look that has been much emulated ever since 50m Exuma was launched by Picchiotti back in 2010.
Profile of the 60m Vitruvius project with Turquoise
Drawing on his experience as a competitive sailor and as the designer of ocean racers such as Mari Cha IV, Briand’s P100 project for the WallyCento class is designed to provide performance on the Bucket circuit with comfortable and stylish cruising. Working through a number of iterations in the carbon fibre hull form, the resulting 30.5m design has a lower freeboard and slightly narrower beam than is commonly seen in the class. An intermediate light displacement boat, it will weigh two tonnes less than the upper limit dictated by class rules, and is expected to be faster than the reference sailing yacht Magic Carpet3.
“We considered the merits of each element in the P100 design,” said Briand of the project’s evolution. “The combination of technical enhancements and design features results in a beautiful project that promises top competitive performance.”
The P100 design in the WallyCento class
Briand is also in discussion with the Pendennis Shipyard for a 50m project that the designer describes as “a new kind of motoryacht that will be as versatile as a Swiss penknife!” He also revealed it is likely that production of the first Wave aluminium sailing yacht with Admiral is likely to start up in the near future. Ongoing projects include a 92-foot semi-production yacht with CNB, a preliminary study for a 90m ketch, and a 40m-plus project with an existing client. The 60m Vitruvius design with Feadship is still under wraps, but we will bring readers further updates as soon as they become available.
Despite a burgeoning portfolio, Briand maintains that the market for large sailing boats has declined quite sharply in the last two years: “The core of the market was in the 45-60m range, but that has largely disappeared for two reasons,” he explained. “First, there are a lot of existing boats on the market in that size range, and secondly because I think owners are downsizing. If the demand was for a 50m a few years ago, it is more likely to be for a 35m today.”
Related Links:
Philippe Briand Design
Oceanco
Feadship
Turquoise Yacht Construction Inc
Click here to become part of The Superyacht Group community, and join us in our mission to make this industry accessible to all, and prosperous for the long-term. We are offering access to the superyacht industry’s most comprehensive and longstanding archive of business-critical information, as well as a comprehensive, real-time superyacht fleet database, for just £10 per month, because we are One Industry with One Mission. Sign up here.
