From its public introduction last September straight through to now, the WHY 58×38 project from Wally has been garnering plenty of attention. And why not (if you’ll pardon the pun)? The unusual wedge shape and elbowroom-inducing beam are far different than anything else on the water or on the drawing boards. But Thursday, Hermès surprised many by announcing that it’s leaving the joint venture.
The reason: its lack of experience in yacht construction. Patrick Thomas, the company’s CEO, told Reuters that the technical complexity and need for “on-the-spot decisions” were beyond its abilities. “It seemed a good idea to us to have only one decision-maker, and we naturally decided to hand the reins over to Wally,” Thomas was quoted as saying.
Thomas added that Hermès is selling its stake in the WHY project to Wally, though it will receive commissions on megayacht contracts sold through the next decade.
While no contracts have been announced yet, the design and build teams did create a full-scale mockup last year, and posted a video on social media for the public. That video no longer remains online. However, the 3D animation does (see above).
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