Chasing waterfalls

A water feature will almost always be in the top 10 of an owner’s wish list, whether it be a Jacuzzi or a 10m pool. It is therefore no surprise that a growing number of concepts include waterfalls, jet-stream pools and other flowing creations, but what are the limits and options available to owners?


We continue to come across bold ideas such as Moore Yacht Design’s 85.75m concept for Oceanco, which includes an unusual pool with cascading waterfalls inspired by stately homes, and the 90m by Tony Castro Naval Architects & Yacht Design with a waterfall towards the aft of the superyacht, allowing water to cascade from the Jacuzzi on the sky deck down to the swimming pool on the main deck.


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 Yachts, Lürssen Yachts 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.”


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.”


When looking at the shape of pools, the trend has mainly stayed rectangular despite advances in construction materials and the number of possible shapes open to owners. A good example of a design that breaks away from the norm is the 72m Explore concept by Newcruise Yacht Projects & Design, a design that came into existence during the development of 115m Luna. The design features seven circular-shaped pools connected together to form one main pool aft of the main deck. So if the concepts are out there, why aren’t we seeing more exciting ideas being built?

Unfortunately, cost is always going to be a limiting factor but it doubles, if not triples, when you start to consider the expense of including a movable pool floor. Deck space is extremely valuable and if you can make a space multi-functional, the idea of shape becomes less interesting as the cost to create it increases. However, cost alone is not the only issue because any architect has to consider weight distribution, as owner and design director of H2 Yacht Design, Jonny Horsfield, points out.

“A pool, when full of water, constitutes a considerable influence on the stability of the yacht and therefore it is always advised to keep the pool on the centreline and to not make it too wide,” he says. “This gives us the rectangular shape, added to the fact that there is a fashion for clean, modern straight lines anyway, as clients prefer a less organic approach.” Horsfield goes on to explain that a proper pool can only be achieved on a yacht of 75m or larger. The main issue to overcome is the movement of tonnes of water as the yacht rolls, even when at anchor.

The easiest way to combat the problem is to partly or completely empty the pool when under way, which leaves a large unusable space. However, a movable pool floor allows an owner to use the deck as a helipad, an entertainment area and as a pool by raising or lowering the base of the pool.

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 full article in Issue 6 of The Superyacht Owner.

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