Feadship unveils state-of-the-art superyacht concept yacht at the Monaco Yacht Show

Call me crazy. But in my opinion, the Monaco Yacht Show is much more than just another commercial event, making it easy for current, potential and aspiring yacht buyers, sellers and charterers to see all the yachts for sale and available for charter in one complete package Location. Much, much more. In fact, I’m going to come right out and say it. Like no other event, the Monaco Yacht Show highlights the special magic that can be found in the superyacht community.

Firstly, it takes place in and around Monaco’s Port Hercule – the spiritual birthplace of the superyacht lifestyle – in late September, when the south of France breathes after a long, hot summer. Then of course there are the parties. Lots and lots of parties. And the great people. And celebrities. And royalty. And exotic sports cars are double parked in front of the Yacht Club de Monaco. And oh yes, some of the largest and most iconic superyachts in the world are there too. This year, Shaid Kahn’s new 400-foot-long Kismet shared the stage with the 367-foot-long Renaissance, the 300-foot-long Dar and the surprise arrival of the 404-foot-long Golden Odyssey.

But since I’m more of a humble yacht journalist than an aspiring superyacht owner, I’m tasked with covering countless new launches, concepts, products and sustainable solutions that are being announced at, er, everywhere parties during and after the show! And in the meantime, I would like to tell you about everything new that I saw at the fair’s parties last week. I’ll start with the new Feadship concept, which coincides with the 75 from the respected Dutch superyacht shipyard^Th Anniversary.

As with most Feadship concepts, it was designed to be build-ready, showcasing innovative systems and technologies in a fresh new exterior design and forward-thinking interior design. Studio De Voogt conceived the concept, simply called “C,” in honor of the diamond anniversary of the launch of the Feadship brand. The name was chosen from the symbol for carbon in the periodic table of elements, carbon being the base of diamonds – the symbol of a 75th anniversary – and a little pun on the words “lake” and “sea”.

Lead designer Ruud Bakker, who led this year’s concept design team, shared the inspiration for the 2024 concept. This included a tour of Gassan Diamonds’ Amsterdam diamond cutting workshop to learn how the facet patterns draw, reflect and magnify light into the stone.

Examples of modern architecture with limitless facades that blur the line between inside and outside were also inspiring. The designers used these concepts to increase guests’ contact with the sea, a relationship that, as the owners note, unfortunately tends to diminish as yachts increase in size.

In addition to reducing barriers between indoor and outdoor environments, CThe design also blurs the separation of the decks. The fore and aft sections of each deck are offset half a level at the center of traffic amidships. Living and sleeping areas are only half a level away from the next lifestyle area, whether upstairs or downstairs, and long hallways are eliminated.

C also introduces a seamless transition between decks via a central plaza that visually and literally connects them together like a three-dimensional chessboard. Instead of climbing into an isolated lift pod, at the touch of a button, a sleek hexagonal seating area moves smoothly to seamlessly lift you to your desired height without interrupting the conversation. The lifting mechanism can also be rotated 180 degrees to accommodate dual level decks and bring passengers closer to their destination.

The emphasis on connectivity between spaces continues in the master suite, a duplex with an open staircase connecting the upper deck sleeping accommodation with an equally private office and living room on the main deck below. The solution is much more open, homely and natural. Of course, it has its own private outdoor terrace and hot tub.

More design innovations on board C are the partially enclosed ocean lounge on the lower deck and the waterfront dining area. Permanent hull side openings at the stern allow the sea lounge to be a bright and comfortable outdoor space even when the yacht is underway or moored in a marina or when a little more privacy and protection is simply desired at anchor. By lowering the side terraces, this spacious sea lounge can become even larger.

C Also continues the work of Feadship’s knowledge and innovation team. Her hull shape and all-electric propulsion system with counter-rotating inline propellers are a further development of the Breathe concept first proposed in 2010. A similar system was installed on the Feadship Savannah in 2015 and has proven itself on thousands of miles of open sea.

This highly efficient system of a centerline propeller and a rotating engine behind it allowed De Voogt’s naval architects to design a hull shape with an optimized, upward-facing hull for less turbulence and a smoother wake.

This hull shape allows the propeller to be larger than usual, but with the forward-facing pull propeller on the thruster behind it, the speed of the propellers is lower, resulting in higher efficiency and less vibration. Computer simulations predict that C will be 30 percent more efficient than a typical 75-meter yacht with twin shafts, propellers and rudders.

Both the centerline propeller and engine are electric, drawing their power from an efficient DC grid powered entirely by fuel cells powered directly by methanol from renewable sources. Fuel cells deliver electrical power without vibrations or harmful emissions. Although their initial cost is still higher than that of combustion generators, they pay for themselves in just a few years due to their greater efficiency, but pay for themselves immediately by eliminating greenhouse gases. In addition, they are compact units that reduce the space in the “engine compartment”. On C, this fits easily on a deck.

Following the hydrogen fuel cell power system developed for Feadship’s Project 821, C will source 100% of its electricity needs from fuel cells powered directly by methanol, supplemented by lithium metal batteries. Green methanol is considered by Feadship to be the best short-term option for onboard energy production due to its relatively high density and ease of use. Normal cruising speed with fuel cells is 14 knots and a maximum speed of 17 knots can be achieved by feeding battery power into the DC grid. Fuel cells are silent, vibration-free and – a major step towards the decarbonization of yachting – produce no harmful emissions.

This is news! Stay tuned for much more.