Editor’s Note: A Break from the Norm

　　Last week we saw the delivery of Oceanco’s 90m Project Shark. The striking exterior line detailing by Luiz DeBasto and his team is emphasised by the dark grey hull, white superstructure framing and black glass windows.

　　However, one of her most notable styling features is the visual break through each level from the main deck upwards. As the sheerline sweeps aft, it swoops down to the main deck creating a strong shoulder and a natural break from the aft upper deck. The black glass window on this level visually breaks through this gap to fill the upper deck before reaching the bridge deck and pushing into the sundeck. The result is a profile that creates the illusion of floating decks that rise up from the main deck.

　　“The profile has a unique sense of contrast and homogeneity between the dark glass and the white balconies, providing a constant exchange in shape and lines between the two elements,” explained Luiz de Basto last week. “My initial drawings may have looked like a futuristic concept, yet she is now a very real yacht on account of the execution made possible by the advanced technology of the Oceanco engineering team and by the vision of her experienced owner and his team.”

　　It is a styling approach we have seen on a few projects from the Dutch shipyard, the first of which was in 2010 with the delivery of Sunrays. On the 85.5m, the Bjorn Johansson Design features a break amidships between the main and upper decks. The result is a dagger-shaped bulwark that is colour matched to the teal hull and contrasted to the white superstructure. We saw another floating deck example with the delivery of 88.5m Barbara last year. The Sam Sorgiovanni Designs adds shape and intrigue by visually splitting the upper and top decks with a forward-facing glass curve.

　　Oceanco is not the only builder to have tackled challenges such as this, with another example being Mayra Yachts’ 50m Euphoria designed by Ken Freivokh Design with its forward-facing curve that breaks the main and upper decks to create a sharp sheerline before it breaks. Lurssen has also produced a few samples with the delivery of 87m ACE designed by Winch Design and the largest example that we’ve come across being 123m Al Lusail, designed by H2 Yacht Design.

　　When applied in the right way, a broken/floating deck can create a very distinctive look. Project Shark is a successful example of this and while it is the latest delivery with such an exterior feature, it is not likely to be the last with a number of designs already within the public domain such as Ken Freivokh Design’s 107m Stiletto and Andy Waugh’s 130m Epiphany, but I’m sure there will be more to come in the near future.