Van der Valk shipyard in the Netherlands has begun the build process on Project Evo, a fully custom 131-foot motoryacht that will be built entirely in aluminum—and that will be the yard’s largest launch to date.
Exteriors on Project Evo are by SFG Yacht Design and Fancy by Dada. Cristiano Gatto Design is also involved with the project, “adding new length and angles to the profile while also creating an exceptionally detailed interior,” according to a press release from the shipyard. Naval architecture is by Diana Yacht Design and Ginton Naval Architects.
Van der Valk says the owners of Project Evo previously owned several high-performance yachts. They specified a round bilged fast displacement hull and a target top speed of 24 knots. Project Evo will also be built to ABS class, and will be compliant with the latest IMO Tier III emissions regulations.
According to the shipyard, Project Evo “will have an impressive volume for her length.” During the design phase of the project, the team extended the yacht significantly after the owners were inspired by another design by Franco Gianni of SFG Yacht Design and Doga Naz Cebeci from Fancy by Dada.
Cristiano Gatto says his firm initially became involved in the project by working on the layout and interior style, according to the press release: “My participation began on a micro level as we worked with the owners to leverage on some specific furniture design concepts I had previously created. They were looking to recreate a similar ambience on board their yacht, and the interior design emerged from this point. Welcoming the results, the owners asked us to add some of this aesthetic flavor to the exterior design, further evolving the DNA of the preliminary concept penned by SFG and Fancy by Dada. We changed some of the proportions and lines while extending the stern by around two meters. The overall design and profile, however, remains very much the brainchild of all who have been involved.”
From the first renderings to the final drawings took about 10 months, Gatto adds. Limited information is being released about the interiors, but the plans call for a main-deck master stateroom, a pair of VIP staterooms belowdecks, and a pair of twin-berth staterooms. Crew cabins will be in the forepeak next to the mess, and the captain’s cabin will be on the bridge deck.
Is it common for fully custom motoryachts to be built at a length of 131 feet? No. Yoeri Bijker, Van der Valk’s head of sales, stated in the press release: “Van der Valk is one of the few yards with the capacity and flexibility to build fully custom superyachts in this size range. This 40-metre beauty is based upon an existing engineered platform that is proven in terms of naval architecture. Project Evo is a fine example of how clients can come to Van der Valk with their own exterior designers without having to reinvent the wheel with a new hull, safe in the knowledge that their yacht will excel in terms of performance, speed and stability.”
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