Feadship Yacht Project 826 Draws on Sailing Superyacht Style

With the majority of the hundreds of yachts he’s designed being sailing yachts, Malcolm McKeon may seem an unusual choice for a mega-size power yacht. However, his deep experience in their aesthetic and performance is why the owner of the Feadship yacht Project 826 chose him for styling. What’s more, “McKeon’s brief challenged us in the best possible way,” says Jan-Bart Verkyl, a Feadship director.

The challenges surrounding the 262-footer (80-meter) began with engineering complexity. With subtle tumblehome, the transom needed to open as part of a massive beach club. In fact, the owner requested that Feadship and McKeon make the openings on three sides far larger than usual. Since he and his guests intend to spend good time together here, the more expansive the views, and the less physical structures in the way, the better. One of the solutions was to relocate the mechanisms opening and closing the platforms inside them. Usually, the gear sits in portions of the hull, which requires wide, pillar-like structures. Now, when the owner of the Feadship yacht Project 826 heads out to sea, he should enjoy nearly uninterrupted sights. The beach club might even feel far more like an alfresco area thanks to a big, curved skylight, which is actually the bottom of the aft-deck pool.

Additionally, solutions resulted from rethinking the size and position of the hatches. Teak-covered, the aft platform alone is about 43 feet (13 meters) wide—which is nearly the full beam of the megayacht. It connects with the side platforms, each teak-laid, too, for a wrap-around walkway sitting about two feet (700 millimeters) above the water. To put the full effect into perspective, they’re a few steps up from a recessed, cozy lounge with a central bar. Overall, the beach club unfolds over 1,776 square feet (165 square meters), the largest for any Feadship yacht to date.

The size of the openings, even when the hatches are closed, could have ended up drawing attention away from the overall profile, something on the owner’s mind. Again, McKeon and Feadship closely collaborated to keep the yacht’s lines clean. Much like a sailing yacht, she has low freeboard. Similarly, her hull gradually widens as it flows aft, countering drag. Her plumb bow resembles that of contemporary sailing yachts as well. Only two decks sit above the main deck, thereby keeping her height relatively low. Sailing-yacht sterns further have distinct shapes, and Project 826’s stern is no different, featuring a teak-laid waterfall look. Notably, the majority of the more than 200 yachts that McKeon has designed are sailing yachts.

Few, if any, of them have a touch-and-go helipad that doubles as a pickleball court, however. The owner and guests of the Feadship yacht Project 826 can play competitive matches on the foredeck. (The crew sets up netting, for safety.) When a helicopter needs to land or take off, the captain can keep a close eye from the bridge, immediately inside on the main deck. So is the ship’s office and captain’s cabin, adjoining the wheelhouse.

Other major design highlights preserve open vistas to the water and the sky. They include a winter garden that becomes an outdoor space via folding glass panels. The gym below decks, accessible from the beach club, opens up quite literally thanks to folding sides. It’s actually two areas, with a yoga studio to starboard and weight-training area to port. Sore muscles soothe in the nearby massage room and in the main-deck pool. The pool is nearly 21 feet (6.37 meters) long, accessible from the beach club via stairs. A silver superstructure with shiny-black panels and vertical teak strips as accents, plus a coal-toned hull, envelop it all.

While pointing out how McKeon’s design held the bar high for Feadship, Jan-Bart Verkuyl says it was rewarding. “The response from the market suggests we have delivered something the industry has been waiting for,” he shares. ‘This yacht represents a new design chapter in the Feadship story.”

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