When Ward Setzer presented his Vision Line series of modern megayacht designs last year, he hoped to attract the attention of buyers and builders alike who were tired of the status quo.
Well, he got what he wished for, as Icon Yachts is now working with him to offer his VL-70, seen here, to its clients.
Icon actually extended an invitation to the American naval architect to create a design that fit its build platform approach, in which the hull design, crew areas, and technical areas are fixed, with the rest of the interior and the exterior styling open to customization. Setzer says he knew immediately he wanted the yacht to feature a plumb bow, so he worked with the Dutch yard to ensure both parties would get what they required out of the hull.
As for the rest of the VL-70, the curves and sweeps of the superstructure lend themselves well to what is certainly a voluminous yacht. She measures 70 meters LOA (about 230 feet), with a beam of 11.3 meters (37 feet) and a total of six decks. Some of the notable features: an observation deck on the uppermost level (look just forward of the mast in the image at top), and a waterfall cascading from the level above the main deck into the pool on the aft deck (see above). The glass elevator that rises through the center of the yacht yields views out the hull-side windows and over recessed balconies. It also allows the friends and family staying in the six guest staterooms spread over the lower levels to reach the theater, seating 16, on the upper deck. As for the master suite, it’s on the main deck, a few steps away from an office/den.
Setzer approached Adriel Design, another American firm, to help create these and other gathering areas aboard the VL-70. Adriel Design was founded by Adriel Rollins, who was previously a member of Delta Marine’s in-house design team and contributed to the design of launches such as Triton and Mr. Terrible.
Sixteen crew, accommodated either in private or shared staterooms on the deck below the guest cabins, will be charged with maintaining the VL-70. When it comes time to shuttling guests to shore or heading there themselves for provisioning, they’ll be able to launch tenders from either the bow garage, holding two boats, or the stern garage, featuring doors deploying both to port and starboard.
No contract has been signed yet, but no doubt Icon Yachts will be discussing the VL-70 during the Monaco Yacht Show later this month, where it will premiere its first launch, the Icon 62.
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