Danish Yachts is targeting American buyers with what it considers an excitingly different megayacht. She’s the QuadraDeck 40M, which certainly embraces atypical materials and design features. The Danish Yachts QuadraDeck 40M also brings together an international team, with strong U.S. roots, that has never previously collaborated. The team is comprised of stylist Cor D Rover Design, interior designer Patrick Knowles Designs, and sales and service firm Bradford Marine.
The QuadraDeck 40M measures 131 feet (40 meters). It’s a size that is in the midst of the most popular LOAs. A few things make her unusual. First and foremost is Danish Yachts’ use of carbon fiber for the entire hull and superstructure. To be clear, carbon fiber is used throughout the yachting industry. Many sailing superyacht builders employ it for masts. Some use it for hulls, too. A limited number of motoryacht builders use it for hardtops and other upper structure components. Danish Yachts focuses solely on all-carbon fiber construction for both power and sail. Why carbon fiber? Danish Yachts points to its weight savings, stiffness, and strength. On average, carbon fiber saves 10 to 25 percent in weight. That in turn means lower fuel burn and maintenance. Furthermore, carbon fiber is three and a half times stiffer than steel and aluminum. And, it’s more than nine times stronger than steel, and nearly that amount stronger than aluminum.
Also making the QuadraDeck 40M unusual are the Sky Terrace and the interior configuration. Created by Cor D Rover Design principal Cor D Rover, it’s a patented design. In the rendering above, look at the wing-like sections flanking the hardtop-like area for the navigation and communication equipment. Those sections fold out and down hydraulically, as shown in the rendering below. Note how the resulting additional usable deck space—40 percent more—is also fully protected. The Sky Terrace doesn’t impact the hardtop, however. It’s because the latter is independently supported, also as shown. The resulting Sky Terrace increases usable deck area by 40 percent. On an interesting side note, Rover notes that the structural stress of the terrace is far less than that of a beach club platform, since the latter is subject to impact by water, for example.
Speaking of a beach club, this is another unusual feature aboard the QuadraDeck 40M. Yes, other similar-size megayachts have the in-demand area at the waterline. But most, if not all, beach clubs do double duty as tender garages. By contrast, the QuadraDeck 40M has a fully dedicated beach club. A separate tender garage lies beneath the foredeck. It holds guest tenders and toys plus the man-overboard boat.
Further differentiating this Danish Yachts project, Rover has included what he calls a hidden upper deck. The general arrangement below shows how it’s done. The QuadraDeck 40M situates the wheelhouse and captain’s cabin half a level down from the master suite. To figure it out from the megayacht’s exterior, look at what appear to be protruding wing stations. Those are actually the fixed balconies for the owners. They are further clear in the general arrangement.
If “QuadraDeck” and “Sky Terrace” sound familiar, it’s because Danish Yachts first presented a so-named concept design in 2010. Cor D Rover was the stylist for that, too. There are differences, however. The concept was configured as a 125-footer (38-meter) and 151-footer (46-meter), for example. Interior design was left up to owner’s choice. Making the new Danish Yachts QuadraDeck 40M further different is the focus on American customers, and the involvement of partners with strong American roots. “We were excited by the idea of developing a vessel specifically for the U.S. market that really made the most of our combined experience,” explains Patrik von Sydow, CEO of Danish Yachts.
The American roots come courtesy of Bradford Marine and Patrick Knowles Designs. Bradford Marine has been serving as Danish Yachts’ exclusive North and South American sales and service representatives since last year. Founded in 1966 in Fort Lauderdale, Bradford Marine also has facilities in the Bahamas. The company is, in von Sydow’s words, a true partner and collaborator, not simply a representative. Paul Engle, president of Bradford Marine, believes the QuadraDeck 40M will encourage the American target base to cruise a lot. “We don’t need to conquer the world,” Engle explains. “There are enough customers that want comfort, efficiency” and the support the megayacht and the team pledge.
Patrick Knowles, principal of Patrick Knowles Designs, says the QuadraDeck 40M poses a terrific challenge in terms of volume. “This is not run-of-the-mill,” he says. Because of the carbon fiber construction, he says there’s 10 to 15 percent more volume than a same-size project built of traditional fiberglass or metal. Upon meeting the Danish Yachts team last summer to first discuss collaborating on this yacht, Knowles said he could not stop thinking about the possibilities. The ultimate interior design will reflect an owner’s requests, since the QuadraDeck 40M is to be built upon contract, not on spec. But, Knowles believes there’s a way to marry American ideas of comfort and luxury with Scandinavian principles of clean lines and abundant natural light.
On a related note, Danish Yachts is also avidly promoting its existing AeroCruiser range to Americans, through Bradford Marine. With styling by Espen Øino, the AeroCruiser megayachts are sleek and swift, capable of 50 knots. The 123-ton yachts are further quite responsive to the helm throughout the speed range. One of the AeroCruisers, Shooting Star, was sold by Bradford Marine last year and resides at its Fort Lauderdale marina. Paul Engle says that the owner uses the yacht every weekend. Espen Øino is finalizing design details for a new model, the AeroCruiser 38 II Flybridge. We’ll have details and renderings soon.
For more information directly from Bradford Marine about the Danish Yachts QuadraDeck, please fill out our contact form. And to see further images of the QuadraDeck, visit the Megayacht News Google+ page.
Leave a Reply