Out Through the In Door: How Transparency Became the Biggest Trend in Yacht Design

While oceanside living may seem like an obvious perk of yacht ownership, boatbuilders are only now looking outside the interior box for opportunities to infuse life on board with alfresco flair. A pioneer of this paradigm shift is Benetti, with its 131-foot Oasis 40M. “We realized that owners, particularly of yachts below 500 gross tonnage, were spending time in beach clubs that felt like dark basements,” says Sebastiano Vida, head of product at Benetti. The Oasis deck, with its large foldout wings, swimming pool, and proximity to the water, “not only expands the exterior space but enhances how owners use it,” he says. Thirty examples of the Oasis 40M have been delivered or are under build—an extraordinary number for any superyacht. 

This outward approach is also now the defining feature of seven other Benetti craft—ranging from 131 to 236 feet—including its new B.Now series. The recently launched Asani is one of 20 examples of Benetti’s B.Now 50 with the Oasis deck. “They were brave to go with the idea,” says Mark Gardner, director of exterior design for U.K.-based firm Redman Whiteley Dixon (RWD), who led the team behind the Oasis concept. “It was supposed to be on just this boat, but now everybody is doing it to a certain degree.” 

The flagship B.Now 72M’s Oasis deck measures almost 2,700 square feet. Its seven-tiered superstructure also provides excellent visibility from each level. “It’s all about the vistas,” says Gardner, noting that the design minimizes the interior and exterior divisions. “Outdoor living is indoor living.” 

“It’s about villa life,” Peder Eidsgaard, a principal with U.K. studio Harrison Eidsgaard, says of the trend. Owners expect their yachts to be “natural extensions” of summer homes, so designers are reworking even the most traditional living areas. “We’re designing all these outside spaces the same way we’re designing interiors—the stone floors, rugs, outside kitchens, full-fabric furniture, and dining tables.” 

Eidsgaard’s refit design of a 230-footer turned an empty helipad into a showpiece conservatory. “You have a massive dining table with a winter garden around it with sliding-glass louvers on top that are watertight, so they can be closed off completely when it’s raining or windy,” he says. “It also uses large outdoor curtains—a new feature we’re seeing on boats. Clients are asking us to push the envelope.” 

The foredeck, which historically has been a vessel’s utilitarian end, is an emerging social enclave. The owner of a new Riva 70 Metri mandated that the long forward deck of the 230-footer, rather than the stern, be a gathering area. “He wanted a huge space to share with his family,” says Mauro Micheli, chief designer at Officina Italiana Design. Other builders are also distinguishing their bows with trademark features. The Maiora 36 Exuma, for example, has a hot tub and lounges on its upper deck. On Mangusta’s Oceano 44, the Island is an even more elaborate glass-encased foredeck pool with seating in its center. 

As buyers opt for more relaxation space over speed, Mangusta launched the high-square-footage Oceano line as an alternative to its performance Maxi Open series. “We had to adapt by offering products that bring together sportiness and volume in a single concept,” says Stefano Arlunno, president of Mangusta Americas. And with initiatives like these increasingly encompassing the great outdoors, yacht designers are boldly exploring their own versions of space as the final frontier. 

A Shapely Solution

Just as an emphasis on more outdoor living space doesn’t exactly jibe with yachts built for speed, the same is true with going fast and fuel efficiency, as hull shapes are usually designed to maximize one over the other. Then comes Sanlorenzo’s recently launched SP92, which offers both. With its double-stepped, semi-planing hull, the second model in the Italian builder’s Smart Performance line has a top speed of 38 knots, although at an admittedly thirsty 213 gallons per hour (gph). Yet at 10 knots, its fuel consumption of 22 gph translates to an impressive range of 960 nautical miles. 

“There’s no other 92-footer with these characteristics,” says Tilli Antonelli, head of development and product of Sanlorenzo’s SP line, who devised the unusual hull not only for speed but also to offer 32 percent more interior room than its predecessors. Typically, more volume means more weight, but Antonelli cites the vessel’s carbon-fiber-composite build and broad use of lightweight glass as contributors to the reduction. In addition, the SP92’s designers crafted a functional approach that combines the singular hull configuration with a propeller-less waterjet-propulsion system comprising two MAN V-12 engines delivering a total output of 4,000 hp. 

“The jets offer the performance and maneuverability of a smaller, lighter boat,” says Antonelli. “They’re also more efficient than a regular shaft propeller, without the vibration and noise.” The system can handle a maximum load of 50 tons across the interior, including bulkheads and furniture. 

“The weight limit is noted in the contract,” explains Antonelli. And while clients can’t opt for marble or heavy decor for the interior, he assures us that the design team factored in several extra tons for “wine, Champagne, and water toys.”