Working with water

Such designs are visually impressive but how realistic are they to build? Thomas Biggelaar, owner of Marine Pool Systems, which has worked with the likes of Heesen, Lürssen and Oceanco, points out that many things are possible but it takes time to develop the necessary technology to create the desired effect.

“On Heesen’s 55m Quinta Essentia, we designed and installed a waterfall above the main deck pool, whereby the water falls from the ceiling,” explains Biggelaar. “It took a year to develop a fully functioning prototype, after trying seven or eight ideas. We always look at how we can move water in a certain direction without the effects of gravity, and the only way is by using pressure.”


Biggelaar suggests that the most effective way to create a waterfall is by using pressure in combination with speed. With Quinta Essentia, a pressurised system was used to circulate water from the pool, which is pushed through pipes concealed in the supporting pillars to the deck above using 1.5-1.8 bars of pressure. The water is then pushed through holes one millimetre in diameter to keep the spray straight and fine.

However, features such as those envisaged by Tony Castro and his studio are hard to execute and certain concepts can give owners a false idea of what is achievable. “Most of the time, we see the same mistakes being made and they all rely on gravity,” reveals Biggelaar. “We were recently approached by a shipyard that wanted to create a water feature in the lazarette area. It was a very nice design but when I saw the first drawing I said, ‘OK guys, this is never going to work.’ They asked why not, and I explained that the design relies on gravity and even a 90m doesn’t lie completely still, which is needed in order to achieve the desired effect.”

Creating new solutions to get the ideal flow of water may be one of the larger obstacles but it is just one of many considerations. Director
of EWAC, Eric Legdeur, raises the importance of using the right construction materials depending on whether your feature is inside or outside, and whether or not sweet or seawater is used. Legdeur points out that seawater is much more aggressive on metals and that stainless 316 is not likely to survive prolonged exposure, while certain polyester products can react unexpectedly to chlorinated water.

“In many cases, water treatment is handled as an afterthought,” says Legdeur who, together with his team, has worked on Bloemsma Van Breemen’s Valquest and Oceanco’s Seven Seas and Y708. “Therefore many water features on yachts have considerable problems with the formation of a biofilm inside them, which stains the materials and also causes corrosion in the long run. Additionally, poor choice of water treatment and applied materials usually leads to very high maintenance costs, and in some cases parts or whole systems have to be replaced.”

As technology advances, we are likely to see more innovative ways to enjoy time on board, including bigger and better water features. However, this doesn’t suit every owner, as Newcruise Yacht Projects & Design discovered on one of its projects.

“We had planned to do a similar feature on Luna as that on the sun deck of Siren,” says CEO of Newcruise Yacht Projects & Design, Roland Krueger. “We designed two beams above the huge pool incorporating a waterfall, outdoor cinema screen and light show, but it wasn’t realised due to the client’s decision.”

Read the original article on our sister website TheSuperyachtOwner.com or the full article in Issue 6 of The Superyacht Owner.

Related Links:
Marine Pool Systems - company profile
Heesen Yachts - company profile
Newcruise Yacht Projects & Design - company profile

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