164 McMullen & Wing superyacht Big Star
Our hearts sank as we received word about a year ago that the 164-foot Aquos StarFish had caught fire and suffered serious damage just a few months before she was scheduled to launch from the McMullen & Wing shipyard in New Zealand. She was to be the bigger, more advanced sistership to the 147-foot Aquos Big Fish, one of the most interesting megayacht designs in a long, long time.
Our spirits were raised a few months later, when the yard announced that the undamaged hull with engine room would be sold to a new owner who could create a new interior and superstructure. All that was needed was a new vision from a designer.
Now, our hearts are once again full upon receiving drawings for a newly conceived version of the yacht, being called Big Star. The asking price through broker Peter Brown at Burgess Yachts is $30 million — a price that the shipyard is calling an “unparalleled value for a new build yacht of this size and pedigree.”
Here are the six things that we love most about Big Star:
• The 19-foot splash pool on the aft deck. Sometimes, an entire ocean is just too big for a quick dip to cool off.
• The long, narrow swim platform that extends hydraulically from abaft the splash pool. Because anyone walking toward the water in a bikini should have the option of feeling like a runway model.
• The two layout options, one with a sizable sky lounge and the other that puts a master suite into the same space. We’d go with the latter, because waking up with the best view in the harbor is half the fun of owning a megayacht.
• The glass panels that wrap all the way around the superstructure. Big Fish had outstanding views from the inside out; Big Star’s are going to be that much better.
• The foldout terraces amidships. Why choose indoor or outdoor dining when you can have both at the same time?
• The observation deck at the yacht’s highest point. If you have a go-anywhere megayacht, then you might as well have a bird’s-eye view of the world, too.
Learn more about Big Star at www.mcmullenandwing.com.
