Hot Lab Yacht & Design may be unfamiliar to most yacht buyers and industry members, but if the megayacht shown here finds a client, chances are good that the six-year-old, Milan-based firm will grow in popularity.
This 54-meter (177-footer) was designed specifically for Icon Yachts, based on the yard’s set engineering platform. (Recall that Icon permits customization of yachts except for the design and engineering of technical systems, piping and wiring runs, and related items.) Hot Lab worked with Icon’s own naval architect, Jouke van der Baan, on the proposal.
Antonio Romano, a partner in Hot Lab, tells me that he and his colleagues, Michele Dragoni and Enrico Lumini, presented their portfolio to Icon at last year’s Monaco Yacht Show. Hot Lab had already redesigned the interior of a 100-foot Pisa, Alesandra, and worked with a new yard, Italy-based cNc, on the interior of its first launch, a 95-footer. Icon must have liked what it saw, as this 54-meter was showcased by Hot Lab at the recent Abu Dhabi Yacht Show. Note how the dark hull – a grey metallic – emphasizes the linear nature of the overall design, particularly the nearly vertical bow. Also note how the uppermost deck is completely open, with several smart sunning/seating areas and a good-size bar forward. This is surely a superyacht intended to appeal to owners and guests cruising on warm, sunny days. Model testing at MARIN Institute reportedly reveals the yacht will be capable of a 15-knot top speed, equipped with twin 1,205-hp MTU 10V 2000 M72s.
To emphasize the expected beauty of cruising grounds, Hot Lab designed large expanses of glass for staterooms and gathering areas. This seating area in the owner’s suite, forward on the main deck, is a good example. It’s interesting to note that this is one of two different arrangements that the designers suggest; same for the decor, as the image below reveals. Guests are treated to just four staterooms, which should translate to roomy accommodations. They also are treated to a beach club and gym in the lazarette, formed when the transom folds down over the water.
Of course, crew are not forgotten, with accommodations for 10 in five staterooms on the lower deck and the captain’s cabin aft of the wheelhouse. Walk-in refrigerators and freezers, direct access to guest staterooms for servicing, and other expected setups are provided.
Still to come this year from Hot Lab: a 38-meter (125-footer) and a 30-meter (98-footer), both motoryachts. Thirty-two and 42-meter motoryachts (105- and 138-footers, respectively) are in the works.
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