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Status of superyacht Diamond?

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by Blue Ghost, Nov 26, 2015.

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  1. Blue Ghost

    Blue Ghost Member

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    So, I keep seeing videos and images posted all over the place about "Diamond".



    I mean, is it a real project that's in the works, or is it just one of those concepts for people to look at and contemplate?
  2. Blue Ghost

    Blue Ghost Member

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    So, I guess it's just a concept for the time being. I thought I'd heard about this thing a few years back, and was looking forward to seeing that big piece of plexiglass in action.

    Oh well.
  3. Opcn

    Opcn Senior Member

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    There is no shortage of computer models of yachts that will never ever be built. I suggest that you wait to see a piece of steel, aluminum, or a hull mold pictured and titled before you start looking forward to a boat being built. If a yard that makes a lot of production run boats or semicustoms announces a new addition to one of their lines, and goes to the bother of putting a marketing launch together, well maybe then too. But if it's just a rendering and a handfull of press releases from nowhere? Well then you've really got nothing on your hands.
  4. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Until it's sold, paid for and delivered, I don't count it.
  5. Blue Ghost

    Blue Ghost Member

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    Yeah, I figured that for most CGI yachts I've seen, but the whole mobile atrium thing for some reason made me think otherwise. It just seemed plausible and cool enough that someone would go ahead and lay down the keel.

    Oh well. Thanks for the replies.
  6. ArcanisX

    ArcanisX Senior Member

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    There is a very annoying job part between renders and laying down the keel: engineering, tech and build specs, safety&compliance... That is what makes a meaningful "yacht project", not design pictures.
  7. Blue Ghost

    Blue Ghost Member

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    True. It just seemed like it had the right balance of "coolness" and being feasible. The thing that came to my mind was all the stadiums that had retractable domes. I had a couple of friends who had atriums in their homes with roofs that would slide back. A very cool thing during the summer. So immediately my mind went to thinking that it was doable, so much to the point that I figured someone might give it a shot.

    Imagine being on the afterdeck during a storm, only that thing is keeping out the wind and rain as you watch the wake over the waves.

    Call me crazy.
  8. ArcanisX

    ArcanisX Senior Member

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    As someone who actually worked on a retractable dome project for a big stadium... don't do it if you can :) It is cool, no argument.
    Also gets cooler when you have to, first, pay for it - compared to the very same but without such fancy, then certify it (this was actually a perfect analogy from you, since both buildings and megayachts have to be), and then maintain.
    It;s not crazy to like the design. Just might become when you do it :) Why, you guess, there's so few retractable dome stadiums in the world?

    Also, subtle thing is, yachts are for travel. When are you supposed to use "beach club"? On anchor in some nice place, not middle of the ocean. So, why not use actual nice beach?
  9. Marmot

    Marmot Senior Member

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    There are more than 100 with more planned, that seems like more than a few. With costs pushing the billion $ mark they are not exactly multiplying in number but are far from a rarity.

    In comparison, making a retractable dome on a yacht is relatively trivial.

    Because actual nice beaches within tender range and conditions are not all that common and hanging out on the boat is what most charterers pay for. Anyone can buy an airline ticket to a resort with a nice beach ... complete with crowds of people. There is absolutely nothing that can compare to a well appointed yacht with a "beach club" anchored in a place with water and a view that makes "nice" just commonplace.
  10. ArcanisX

    ArcanisX Senior Member

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    We studied 30, so 100 sound just about right, worldwide. Out of 20 000+ there are, it's barely more then a few :)
    As for the rest, matter of taste, really. My point is, you don't need a lot of sophisticated machinery to enjoy your time aboard, even at aft beach club.
  11. Marmot

    Marmot Senior Member

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    When it comes to "big boats" that charter for $250K per week and up, it takes a great deal of sophisticated machinery operating invisibly in the background to make time onboard truly enjoyable. A successful "program" depends as much on the hardware as the crew and other "software" components of the experience.
  12. ArcanisX

    ArcanisX Senior Member

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    True. I was viewing it from the owner's perspective (and my limited experience with that). 2 out of 2 megayacht owner/family I personally know enjoyed every single bit of gimmiks during the first-second year... and later started to really bother about the upkeep-to-effect ratio.
    Same as with retractable stadium dome. Am I saying it's not spectacular?
    I am saying that going in, over the years, the owner is bound to wonder whether it's spectacular enough to justify the costs. A lot of machinery just might sit there rusting, unused, for the bother of it. (1 of these 2, a wise old man, opted to store water toys right there at the aft "beach club" zone as opposed to separate sideloading garage because he recognized how bothersome lifing on/off will get over the years, even as a waiting time for him and guests, nevermind crew load. That's also 1 out of 2 megayachts I know where water toys are still used every possible time. Huh!)
    All this is probably easier on charter boats, where, as you say, one can see the wow-factor working as a proper lure.

    P.S. Also, while we're at it, what is that "lot of sophisticated machinery on the background necessary for guest enjoyment on a 25mil+ yacht"? I mean, aside from the obvious - lightning, toys crane, elevator, climate (which is not really a machinery...)?
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2016
  13. Opcn

    Opcn Senior Member

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    You are making water and ice, you are controlling the indoor temperature and humidity, you are controlling the roll and pitch, you might have a dynamic positioning system, you've got all sorts of complicated electronics to make sure you don't strike ground or another vessel and die (rather unenjoyable way to end a vacation I suspect) you've got the engines to go at all, if it's a sailboat you probably have hydraulic systems to run the winches, you've got mechanicals to raise the anchor and probably to snug the dock lines, bow thrusters to make getting in and out of tight spaces less uncomfortable, etc. etc. etc..

    I suspect that the glass atrium is not beyond the scope of possibilities, thought I am fairly certain that it would have a lot more structure and a lot less glass by the time it actually got built. That is the way of things, the renderings always show the prettiest configuration that doesn't look impossible to someone who probably has no experience building anything outside of a computer. I don't think a retractable stadium dome is the right level of complexity to make the comparison. A retractable stadium dome is a really profoundly large piece of engineering, where as this whole atrium door should be a few thousand pounds but the time you peel the protective coating off the glass.

    The real point here is that how cool you think something is shouldn't be an indication of whether or not it gets built, unless you have the money and are going to build it. There are very few individuals in the world having yachts built at the top end of the market, and inconveniently they all have their own tastes that do not necessarily coincide with our sensibilities.
  14. Blue Ghost

    Blue Ghost Member

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    ..... :mad:

    What are you saying? That the following is also an impossibility?

    In all seriousness, as a former aerospace major, and recalling my material science's class as best as I could, I figured there'd be some light weight yet strong plexi that could do the job.

    Come to think of it though, the atrium thing wouldn't be worth having, because the only time you'd want to use it would be when the elements were bad. And who wants to sit on the aftersection during high chop or severe winds?