Building a new yacht; seeking suggestions

I think that the combination of the Moonen shipyard and Rene van der Velden is a good one.
Since this yacht would have to fill a gap in Moonen’s current portfolio I would suggest a 110’ RPH. A two deck 110’ would look a little overstretched and a tri deck would be too bulky for this length. Moonen also has a history with RPH yachts so it would be quite a natural choice. Maybe the Moonen 105 RPH could pose as a basis for the 110.
I second Lars’ idea for a motorsailor because I believe that there will be a future for that concept, although I simply can’t picture a Moonen with sails yet. Van der Velden’s Cyrus 3700 is a good example for a new motorsailor. His designs for Cyrus and Nakhimov are quite good but maybe too trendy or retro for a Moonen.
I like the previously mentioned softness in the Moonen yachts so let’s keep that. Bigger glassed surfaces in the main salon and guest cabins would be a nice touch. They look nice and improve the natural light inside. Personally I’m not a big fan of the (3) vertical port lights in the guest cabins, but that’s a matter of taste. I find them a little outdated. Would balcony’s in the guest rooms be an option? A skylight in the owners’ suite maybe?
A split level owner’s suite would be nice. (Check the Rodriquez 38 WB for reference). In the aft it would be nice to have lower bulwarks and use a railing instead. This unblocks the view to the water when sitting on the aft deck for, a more “open feeling”

There was an announcement of the Moonen 110 in Rene’s July newsletter. Is design already on his drawing board?

Wow! Great looking boat! nilo, do not look any further, that's what you have to build.

My advise for people that like to spend their holidays on balconies; Book a hotel!
I also don't see the point of a balcony on a yacht.

Getting a tri-deck to fit in this length is a daunting task. the 124' proportions are good, but I think it shouldn't have been any shorter. A short tri-deck tends a little towards an explorer like a fellow member pointed out earlier.

Sanlorenzo has made a compromise between a RPH and tri-deck with their SL40 Alloy, but that yacht is longer and this option will also cost you the fly-bridge. I'm curious if they can find an attractive solution to this issue. Strategically I think that a tri-deck will not exactly fill the gap in the Moonen range. The 90 footers have done well over the past couple of year. I'm not sure if their owners will take the step towards a tri-deck in the future. A tri-deck is substantially bigger than an RPH in terms of volume. An increase in volume also results in higher build costs. The step from a 94' two-deck to a 110 RPH seems more logical to me than the step towards a tri-deck. I think that the 124' is a good start for a tri-deck range. A preliminary design of a 150' would be a nice way to top off the range. The span of 120' to 150' is a completely different type of customer in my experience.

Hi Nilo

I am catching up on everything i have missed on YF. Firstly congratulations on your new project I am sure it is going to be the best yacht around with all the knowledge that you will get from YF. I am looking forward in the updates on YF when the project is on the go. Good Luck. Please let me know when your boat is up for sale as the owner I am working for might be interested.

Maybe Rene vd Velden and Lars must work together on the design of this project, i think you will get a very good design if they have to put their heads together. It could be called the van der Velden Lars design.

Thanks for suggesting this idea Graham, it would be interesting but not really realistic. Besides, I am not taking on any new projects as long as I am my own "inhouse designer". It is actually more fun to make complete designs than just exterior styling and interiors.

/Lars

Hi Lars I do understand where you are coming from but I am sure the design would have been an interesting one. It would have been the classic Moonen with a difference.

Actually, we have almost done it before. I made a design for a Moonen long time ago and Rene later gave it a twist of his style...

This is one of the six "Pacific class" 85-footers that Cammenga built to a De Vries Lentsch design. One of them, Hera C, has got a blue hull which is nice, but I think they are all a little too high.

A couple of years ago, a longer but near sister called Griffioen was launched.

Hi Nilo,
This is indeed a very sweet classic. Your explanation cleared the remaining questions I had about the concept. An RPH does indeed create space with limited usability beneath the RPH floor. If you go for maximum efficiency in terms of interior volume, I guess a tri-deck is the optimal solution.
Are you opting for the traditional white paint job? I kind of like Rene's use of colour schemes on the Cyrus yachts. Also the use of woods in the aft railings look very pretty.

I know that the flybridge (and the mast structure) made the Moonen 85 pretty high and I was not very happy with the rolling it created, especially in following seas. Having green water at the side windows of the wheelhouse at times can be scary. This is the reason I made the design above based on the same hull as the 85', but with a lower superstructure.

This is what is keeping day workers busy..

But having the wood on top of the stainless rails is making life easier than having it below.