When RMK Yachts set out to create a new buildable concept yacht, it wanted to leave typical amenities and operations behind. In fact, it sought design and engineering partners willing to create a true trailblazer in the sub-500-gross-ton market, opening new experiences to owners and guests. RMK Yachts actually got two designs, Arcane Era and Arcane Nova, each the same size but differing dramatically in styling and ways of living.
Arcane Era and Arcane Nova are both 180 feet (55 meters), the result of collaborating with Espen Øino International, Cassetta Yacht Designers, and Volvo Penta. According to Cüneyt Okcu, RMK Yachts’ director, Arcane Era “stands as the final and most refined evolution” of traditional yachting design. By contrast, Arcane Nova “marks the beginning of a new design era for us.” Interestingly, Okcu says, RMK Yachts requested just one design. But, tasked with the concept, styling, and general arrangement, the Øino studio came up with two projects.
As much as Arcane Era is the proverbial last traditional chapter for RMK Yachts, she’s not entirely traditional. Significantly more usable alfresco space comes from shifting the wheelhouse-topped superstructure aft. A cozy seating area—a.k.a. the Love Nest—perches practically at the tip of the bow. The more ample space, though, is directly aft and down. It’s an enlarged private patio solely for the owners, accessible only from their stateroom. “The idea was to create living spaces that are genuinely comfortable and usable, whether the yacht is at anchor in a bay or alongside in port, while also providing areas that are protected from direct sunlight and the elements,” Øino explains.
Øino considers the Arcane Nova design “a more radical version of Arcane Era,” repositioning the wheelhouse farther forward. That in turn “allowed us to create an exceptionally large sundeck—by far the largest in its class,” he continues. Shade, windscreens, and similar protective measures are still present, of course. Additionally, owners still benefit from a private patio, this time with large skylights providing light and element protection. Furthermore, the Love Nest becomes a sunning space with a hot tub.
Importantly, RMK Yachts’ Arcane Era and Arcane Nova have some things in common. “We have completely eliminated the main-deck lounge, which is so often underused or not used at all,” Øino notes. Instead, the aft portion of the main deck is a sheltered alfresco lounge, with fold-down sides. It’s part of a 65-foot-long (20-meter-long) reimagined beach area. “I think a lot of people have latched onto the fact that you spend most of your time awake outside,” Øino says. The missing pieces, he points out, are having protection from the elements and more truly unhindered views. “One thing which I often find frustrating, whether it’s on a yacht or in a car, is not to have full vision,” he emphasizes.
Giorgio Cassetta of Cassetta Yacht Designers, responsible for interior and exterior deck design, considers Øino “courageous” for shunning convention. “A coherent simplicity leads you from one place to another,” he also says, including the four main-deck staterooms out to the beach area. Therefore, “I was thinking more of, ‘Hey, let’s make this place pleasurable, through continuing the language expressed outside,’” Casetta explains. The studio does so through flowing shapes on furniture versus items merely for show. “You can go through rooms without your eyes being attacked by too much or too little for the architect’s ego,” he states. “This industry was almost killing itself, expecting owners to accept sometimes crazy-level finishes and costs, which made no sense in everyday life,” Cassetta continues. “Now you come to this project, and you see that everything that a yacht needs to have is there.”
Much of Øino’s and Cassetta’s freedom to rethink yacht design came from RMK Yachts tapping Volvo Penta from the start as well. Both Arcane Era and Arcane Nova feature Volvo Penta’s IPS propulsion system. It results in more compact engine rooms, for example, along with better fuel consumption. Arcane Era relies on straightforward combustion engines, while Arcane Nova employs a hybrid system. Specifics on performance are available to parties interested in building either megayacht, centrally listed with TWW Yachts. It, too, was a partner from the early stages. “This breath of fresh air proved irresistible,” notes Jean-Claude Carme, TWW Yachts’ managing director.
Shunning convention for RMK Yachts doesn’t end with these designs. It’s part of the shipyard’s overall strategy. RMK Yachts is in the midst of a reinvention itself, getting its own shipyard in Yalova, Turkey, independent of its parent company’s naval and commercial operations. This ensures more dedicated capacity for production, including new builds, refits, and complex restorations. It further allows creating hospitality spaces for owners and their representatives and crew spaces like gyms and training areas. Simultaneously. RMK Yachts is strengthening its reach into international markets, including opening a Miami office at RMK-Merrill Stevens shipyard for U.S. sales.
Espen Øino International espenoeino.com
RMK Yachts rmkyachts.com
TWW Yachts twwyachts.com
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