28 Aug 2012

34m 'Qaranta' extends yachting to the immobile

By William Mathieson

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The construction of the superyacht designed with immobility in mind continues apace, its designer has confirmed. She is still on course to be completed on 15 March 2013. Curvelle’s catamaran, Quaranta, offers access to yachting for elderly or immobile owners and guests. Furthermore, upon completion the yacht, which is being built on-spec, will be the subject of a syndicate ownership structure.

The 34m multihull, with a 9m beam, has put space at a premium with claims that it offers the same amount of room on board as a monohull of 10m extra length. Qaranta will also feature a hydraulic aft platform between the hulls that can store a limousine tender, act as a beach club or accommodate a small submersible.



The whole process, from the tender design, passerelle and movement to all decks, was carefully considered then enhanced further with the addition of electric powered berths and the ability of the aft platform to submerge someone 85cm to enable easy swimming. Curvelle’s founder, Luuk van Zanten, explained the company’s desire to build such a vessel:

“[Mobility] is just one of the key marketing strategies but we’ve designed the boat so that we can accommodate people in wheelchairs. What we’ve found is that many yacht owners, whose parents are s less mobile, still want to welcome them on board.

“The specially designed passarelle can be lowered right on to the quay to allow an electric wheelchair to drive up on to the main deck, and straight from there to their cabin, which is also on the main deck. We think that this is different from the way other yachts treat people with reduced mobility.”



The conclusion that those who have amassed enough money to afford a superyacht may be of an age where mobility is an issue, is a logical one to draw. But elderly owners are not necessarily the obvious candidates for a fractional ownership programmes. Van Zanten says that the syndicate element is a way of broadening the range of potential clients, in a challenging economic period.

“In this instance, although we have a yacht of 34m, the buyer only needs the budget of a 55-foot Sunseeker. They could use the yacht for five weeks a year and bring along their parents, who may be wheelchair-bound. It gives a very broad spectrum to the market.”



The accessibility of the vessel is undoubtedly an innovative design consideration, but it is also an intriguing marketing strategy. Three ‘portions’ of the syndicate have already been sold off, and it will be interesting to see how the remaining stakes fare as the vessel nears its completion.


Related Links

Curvelle Website

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