UPDATE, FEBRUARY 3, 2017: Having sold in June 2016, Project Nova has a new interior designer. The owner tapped Cristiano Gatto Design. Gatto says together, they’re changing the decor to reflect a more contemporary, even minimalist, atmosphere. Just two tones largely characterize it, though reds and burgundies lend accents. Furthermore, Project Nova’s décor features geometric patterns.
Launch is set for April of this year. Read on for our original article.
If you harbor any doubts as to the power of social media, you’ll want to sit down for this one. More than 1,000 Facebook followers of Heesen Yachts voted for hull 17850 to bear the name Project Nova through construction.
Project Nova is the newest all-aluminum megayacht in Heesen’s 50m Fast Displacement series. Construction (below) started in February, following tank tests. Heesen even included photos of the tank test and the keel welding on its Facebook page in announcing the contest.
Here’s how the naming of Project Nova unfolded. On March 20, Heesen Yachts’ team posted the following:
Put YOUR name on a Heesen Yacht!
Project 17850, our new all-aluminium 50m Fast Displacement motor-yacht, started as a line in a sketch and now she is about to become a reality. Project 17850 will be amazing but she is not just a number, she needs a name. We are seeking proposals for the perfect project name for our new 50 metre super yacht and we will invite the winner to the Monaco Yacht Show 2015. We will use the project name in our communication until she is christened in 2017.
Propose a name in reply to this post. On March 31st we will publish a short list of names to be chosen. Be creative!
The shipyard shared similar details on its own website within the same week, directing people to its Facebook page. As promised, on March 31, Heesen revealed the finalists via a link on Facebook. The names from which fans could choose were Vigorous, Nova, Ruya, and Ellipsis. From that day through to April 2, more than 1,100 votes were logged.
Project Nova won by a landslide, 71 percent. Ruya was the second favorite, though coming in with just shy of 25 percent of the votes.
Project Nova bears naval architecture by Heesen’s frequent collaborator, Omega Architects. Note the vertical bow, a classic design back in vogue. It serves more than aesthetic purposes, though, engineered to reduce pitching. As we’ve explained previously, the fast-displacement hull form means she’ll be more fuel efficient throughout the speed range, not just at lower speeds. In fact, Heesen anticipates the twin MTUs will burn 33 gph (125 lph) at 12 knots, the cruising speed. That should also permit a 3,750-nautical-mile range. Slowed down to 10 knots, Project Nova should burn 22.5 gph (85 lph).
As for the general arrangement, Project Nova features the interior expertise of Sinot Exclusive Yacht Design. In typical fashion, the master suite occupies the forward portion of the main deck, and all guests (five cabins total) are below decks. A gym is situated aft of the guest staterooms and allows access out to the main aft deck, for a quick cool-down in the ocean after working up a sweat. Of course, Project Nova also encourages the owners and guests to linger at the water’s edge. Just inside the transom is a bar and pantry for snacks.
Project Nova is currently for sale.
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