Over the years, we have all witnessed a variety of brand-new ideas, innovations and concepts that are presented as the future of superyachts – some are crazy, some just don’t make sense and many are from a designer who has never built a superyacht in their life.

But it seems that the media still lap them up and love sharing them on social and their channels, championing their marvel and creativity. Occasionally there are concepts from the more experienced and smart designers, architects and builders that push boundaries and challenge the norm and which, most importantly, are actually buildable.

When Oceanco, Lateral Naval Architects and Vripack recently announced their LILY concept at the Dubai Boat Show, I was thoroughly intrigued by what was going to emerge. Obviously, it would be big, in this case just over 100 metres, and it would be future-fuel friendly, here using the Lateral Energy Transition Platform with ABB’s Dynafins and designed to operate 100 per cent on methanol in the future. When you see Vripack’s name, you know it’s going to be radical or, at the least, very different from the norm.

Having looked at the concept of LILY, it’s exciting to see the technology and the efficiency at the heart of the project, but my focus here is on the exterior and interior style. The word ‘asymmetric’ has been used a few times in the market and this presents it with plenty of confidence and creativity. “LILY is a testament to what’s possible when design meets advanced construction and engineering,” says Paris Baloumis, group marketing director at Oceanco.“It represents Oceanco’s drive to deliver a fully realisable yacht for an owner ready to embrace the future. LILY is not just a statement of intent, it’s a yacht ready to be brought to life.”

Now, obviously, there’s little point in creating a concept unless it inspires a client or clients to explore more and perhaps be brave enough to be the owner of LILY, as it would really be exciting to see this project on the water. “Oceanco’s Beyond Custom philosophy is about creating yachts that others might deem impossible,” comments Marnix J. Hoekstra, co-creative director of Vripack. “From the start, Oceanco encouraged us to stay true to ourselves and push boundaries. They embraced our bold ideas and found solutions to bring them to life without compromising our vision. The result is LILY – an expression of holistic design that redefines life at sea.”

Obviously, if you look closely at every project that’s been built and delivered in the 90-metre-plus category, there’s been an element of caution and conservatism, repeating what’s been done before or applying a well-proven specification or hull design. But LILY, along with one or two other concepts from their various North European neighbours, is a beautifully created project that will not only enjoy many column inches and social media awe but may, in fact, challenge the norm.

However, there are one or two comments that need bringing to the designer’s table. I have every faith in Lateral and ABB with their approach to future-proofing and intelligent energy systems; however, even though I love the asymmetry and the flow and curves, something you might have seen from Dame Zaha Hadid, there’s a big question mark over operational functionality. I’m trying to see how the captain can see aft or go out on the bridge wings for manoeuvring. I’m trying to understand how the crew can do a safe washdown on the topsides and with those overhangs and external curves, and, more importantly, I’d love to know how high the aft sill is on the beach club area and where the mooring stations will fit into this beautiful space.

Now, I know this is a concept and is designed to inspire and challenge, and typically I love the concept of concepts, especially if they’re buildable, but I’m quite practical and even though the idea of asymmetry and natural curves excite me, I have to consider the fact that a yacht has to work, so the owner who buys this incredible LILY doesn’t feel silly if his crew can’t clean the top sides properly or the captain has difficulty finding his way in port. I’m sure there are answers: it was mooted that drones could be used to clean and with new augmented reality navigation aids, perhaps standing on the wing station may not be needed.

I’d like to close by saying that I love LILY and hope there is someone who loves her too. With some more practical amendments, she will be a challenging and exciting project that goes “Beyond Custom”.

Profile links

Oceanco

Vripack

Lateral Naval Architects

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