There’s a decided sailing-superyacht aesthetic to MM770, a design collaboration involving Malcolm McKeon, Mark Whiteley, and Feadship. There’s good reason for it, too. In fact, the 253-footer (77-meter), in the early engineering stages, gains a few advantages as a result.
Firstly, MM770 has a narrow length-to-beam ratio. One of the advantages is better fuel efficiency. Another is better handling. McKeon says if the yacht goes to contract, the owners should expect a top speed of 17 knots. Even with the narrower ratio, the yacht still has a healthy volume of 1,700 gross tons.
McKeon gives another reason for the design inspiration. “When we design a sailing superyacht, establishing a continuous visual connection with the sea is always part of the design brief,” he explains. “Applying that objective to motoryacht design, we have been able to reinforce that principal in new and inspiring ways.”
Notably, MM770 doesn’t just have wood decks. Wood cascades down from the uppermost deck both fore and aft, as if it were spilling over each of the five decks. It replaces what traditionally is either metal or glass superstructure components, softening her appearance. It further continues through the interior. Between this and floor-to-ceiling glass as walls in areas, the onboard sensation is certainly environmentally immersive.
Whiteley and McKeon have collaborated a few times over the past three decades. Still, he says, “Creating a more architectural interior for this design with MMYD has been an enjoyable challenge.” It was important, for instance, for spaces to be intimate, and having their own purpose. “The aim for the interior and exterior living spaces is for the owner to feel she is a home from home on the sea,” he adds.
Similar to residences, the MM770 dedicates each deck to particular duties. The main deck, for instance, is for socializing and guest sleeping. Retractable glass walls in the saloon open it up to the alfresco lounge and dining area for 12. These also open it up to the fully aft 29-foot-long (8.8-meter-long) glass-bottomed pool. Each of the four guest suites, in which the beds face full-height glass, has a balcony, continuing the open sensation. McKeon widened the beam here a bit so that the balconies afford more space, too.
The upper deck, meanwhile, is entirely the owners’ apartment. Curved glass forward makes waking up each day more enjoyable. Furthermore, its central panel retracts, so that the owners can step out onto a private deck. Private dining can take place aft, conveniently near a personal pantry.
The crew of 15 has their accommodations on the lower deck, with the customary private stairways and dumbwaiter to service the upper decks. Both a crew mess and an officer’s mess are at their service as well.
From features like a 14-seat cinema to the open and airy beach club, the MM770 provides a lot of luxury in creatively arranged areas.
Feadship feadship.nl
Malcolm McKeon Yacht Design malcolmmckeonyachtdesign.com
Mark Whiteley Design markwhiteleydesign.com
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