Sometimes, conversations with clients don’t end up in a contract. But, that doesn’t mean the design work gets put in a drawer and forgotten. The R.50 megayacht concept from Diana Yacht Design is a good example. While she started with a customer, she evolved even more as the culmination of the design studio’s 50 years in business.
According to Hans-Maarten Bais, Diana Yacht Design’s creative director, a customer approached the studio and began sharing a wish list of features. Casper Marelis, part of the design team, “was full of fantastic ideas,” he continues. Unfortunately, despite an enthusiastic reception from the client, the project never went out for bid. Undaunted, “we knew that this design was too good to hide away,” Bais adds. The designers therefore put their heads together to take things up a notch, to celebrate the milestone anniversary.
At 154 feet (47 meters), the R.50 concept relies on a proven hull design. While she also remains beneath the 500-gross-ton level, several features are more common of much larger yachts. For instance, a touch-and-go helipad for an EC135 is aft on the sundeck. The same deck forward has plenty of room for sunbathing, soaking in the hot tub, and enjoying good company. Dining takes place in the shade of the arch. A bar is in close proximity to here as well as the forward entertaining space. Substantial toys can sit on the foredeck, too, with more stowing away below decks. In fact, Diana Yacht Design considers it a veritable toy store.
For the more leisurely side of life on the water, the R.50 has a dedicated beach club. The owners’ party of 12 can gather for pre- or post-dinner drinks in the sky lounge, since it has a full bar, and enjoy the view of the anchorage through the floor-to-ceiling windows. When it’s time to retire for the night, five guest staterooms sit below decks, while the owners’ suite occupies the usual real estate forward on the main deck.
Fitting for styling meant to distinguish her from the usual yacht crowds, the R.50 combines gunmetal grey and white paint schemes. Together, they lend the aura of adventurous cruising.
“There’s no better way to mark 50 years of Diana,” Bais asserts.
Diana Yacht Design dianayachtdesign.nl
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