Christian Grande, who since 1992 has designed more than 100 yachts for Italian and other shipyards, conceived the 71-foot Picchio Boat as a power catamaran that makes the destination an ever-changing part of the decor.
While other designers are bringing the outdoors in with things like transom beach clubs, Grande is using see-through soles that turn living spaces into aquariums. He calls the one shown above a “submarine observatory” whose views can be enhanced at night by turning on underwater spotlights.
“I wanted to demolish the usual barriers we found aboard,” Grande says. “The glass carpet is an added value in terms of enjoyment of the marine world, since it becomes a personal, and always changing, aquarium.”
Each of the glass panels is multilayer, glued with heavy-duty adhesives and mounted on a steel structure that is integrated with the hull. Should the sea state become rough, two foldable flaps hydraulically cover the entire glass sections, restoring the original hull structure and protecting the glass from what Grande calls “any sort of possible, even if not probable, damage.”
Two layouts are part of the initial concept for the Picchio Boat: one with a main-deck master and the other with main-deck indoor dining. Both promise a cruising speed of 12 knots, a maximum speed of 19 knots, a 2,500-mile range and one heck of a view, inside and out.
