Hull 808, the largest Feadship to date at 333 feet (101.5 meters), is getting her first taste of salt water. The massive megayacht, styled by Tim Heywood, exited Royal Van Lent’s build shed earlier today.
Feadship has kept Hull 808 under tight wraps publicity-wise over the past few years. It previously released scant information and prohibited photos inside the building shed by visiting journalists. However, since the yacht is now outside, photos have been taken across the waterway, such as the one above, which was posted on the Facebook. Furthermore, as the initial steel and aluminum structure was transported, onlookers shot video. Two such videos are below. The first shows Hull 808 moving from Rotterdam, where construction began, to the Royal Van Lent shipyard in La Kaag. The second video shows her arrival at the yard. (If you speak Dutch, you’ll appreciate the video some more. Regardless, notice how tight the maneuvering was.)
In light of the publicity darkness over the past few years, it seems odd that a press release issued today states that Royal Van Lent “will own and operate her upon completion, as a showpiece of Feadship excellence.” No photos have been released by Feadship, either.
However, Feadship has provided good details about Hull 808. She rises six decks high and has a beam of 46’3” (14.1 meters). Sixteen to 20 in the owner’s party can be accommodated. Given the total, the megayacht complies with the Passenger Yacht Code rules, a first for Feadship. For 16 passengers, Hull 808 has a double owner’s suite (on a dedicated deck, no less), a full-beam VIP, and six guest staterooms. To raise the total to 20, below-deck staterooms are put to use.
Though the owner’s suite has its own sauna, lounge, and fore and aft alfresco areas (one with a hot tub, the other with a dining table for 20), guests, of course, don’t lose out on luxuries. Hull 808 has a nearly 20-foot-long (6-meter-long) contra-flow, glass-bottomed pool. The pool also has a waterfall feature. Movie nights can take place on the lower deck or the bridge deck, the latter featuring an outdoor screening spot. Lounges are scattered across multiple decks, including below the pool and on the sundeck.
Pampering-oriented features like a beauty salon/massage area and beach club are also aboard Hull 808. Our favorite feature, however, accompanies the elevator. It rises along a five-deck-high interactive video wall. A close second: the glass-lined hallway passing through the engine room. We’d like to test out the interactive screen there, too. It can display data from the quadruple (yes, quadruple) MTUs, Hull 808’s location, and images from the underwater camera.
Feadship expects sea trials for Hull 808 to confirm a 22-knot top speed. She’ll remain at the yard for completion in the spring.
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