Shinkai Setting Off This Year for the Deep Sea

Some owners start the yacht-design process with a particular aesthetic in mind. The owner of Shinkai, just launched at Feadship, started with a three-person submarine that needed to sit on the aft deck. The sub—and, naturally, the crane to launch it—was a major priority for the entire project, in fact. So, Vitruvius Yachts penned the lines of this 180-foot (54.9-meter) explorer yacht around it.

The concept makes sense, considering the owner has traveled many, many miles around the world and wants to cover more. (In fact, Philippe Briand, the designer behind Vitruvius Yachts, says this owner was the first many years ago to embrace the Vitruvius hull benefits, which means he was the owner of Exuma.) The new yacht’s name relates to the idea, too. Shinkai, a.k.a. Project 708, means “deep sea” in Japanese. When the owner takes delivery later this year, the megayacht will set off on an ambitious itinerary. She’ll transit the Northwest Passage, for example.

Because of that, she has a steel hull that meets ice-classification standards. She also has a WASSP multi-beam sonar. Briefly, this sonar enables seeing a far wider and deeper section of the underwater world, including the seafloor, and in 3D detail. It’s helpful to identify structures and wrecks, as well as fish. Furthermore, Shinkai has a massive gyro instead of traditional fin stabilizers, so as to prevent possible issues when retrieving the sub in some seas. It measures nearly 10×10 feet (3×3 meters), weighing a mighty 50,700 pounds (23 metric tons) as well. Feadship says it’s the largest yacht gyro to date. Interestingly, should the owner, or another subsequent owner, pursue largely traditional cruising instead, Feadship also arranged the tank deck to accommodate fins’ installation.

The owner is working with Boutsen Design to ensure the interior is welcoming for friends and family. So far, details include four staterooms for guests and a 786-square-foot (73-square-meter) master suite forward above decks. The master additionally has 135-degree views. Furthermore, guests will have a limo tender to use, and the owner will have a car onboard. It will stay safely inside a crate on the aft deck, lifted to and from shore with the same crane for the sub. The crane notably will have a nearly 26-foot (8-meter) reach. Plus, it will have a 16,314-pound (7,800-kilogram) lifting capacity, the equivalent of the manned sub.

Naturally, that sub has people excited. Briand exclaims, “I imagine it would have made Jean Jacques Cousteau jealous of such bright possibility to explore underwater!”

Look for more about this 34-foot-beam (10.35-meter-beam) megayacht in the coming months.

Boutsen Design boutsendesign.com

Feadship feadship.nl

Vitruvius Yachts vitruviusyachts.com