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Discover Benelux | Special Theme | Yacht Design & Engineering
Sea Level caters for private clients and shipyards and is always keen to match the right design to the client. With their drive to innovate, Sea Level has taken a critical look at current models and asked crews to help improve onboard logistics. LEFT: 42m motor yacht design for Acico Yachts
Sea Level caters for private clients and shipyards and is always keen to match the right design to the client. Van der Knaap explains: “When we design for a shipyard, we always incorporate their particular brand, image and history and not necessarily just our own style. While our creations will always bear a small Sea Level signature, we find it important to create lines and features according to the client’s identity.”
Close communication and crew feedback competitor in super yacht design,” van der Knaap says. Knowing about both design and engineering is quite extraordinary for a small company such as Sea Level, van der Knaap says. With a staff of 12 people, they are proud to have everything under one roof while still offering the personal treatment and flexibility that bigger companies lack. He adds: “Everyone in the office knows what is going on with each project. This is part of our work ethos; we always continue to expand our knowledge. We do this through external collaborations but also internally. For example, during a project we will get everyone together to comment on a draft design. This always leads to improvements.”
With this mind set, Sea Level is currently designing a collection of super yachts for ship builder Acico Yachts of three different lengths: 33, 42 and 52 metres. With their drive to innovate, they have taken a critical look at current models and asked crews to help improve on-board logistics. “We always communicate closely with our clients, so if they tell us a small change could lead to a shorter production time, then we try to implement this,” he says. “From crew feedback, we found out that the salon, usually located on the main deck, is hardly ever used. So we are going to turn that space into an open veranda adjacent to the sun deck and increase the outdoor experience for guests.”
One project van der Knaap recalls with much joy is an 18-metre motor yacht for a private client, who wanted to sail the waters off Mauritius. “The reef that stretches around island is very shallow, only one metre deep. Normally a yacht this size would sit too deep in the water, so we had to make the boat as lightweight as possible,” he says. The project was completed in collaboration with stylist Eric Kuster. He created a modern interior using mainly marble and solid wood, which are relatively heavy materials. To complicate matters, the client was an avid chef and requested a sizable kitchen. “Kitchen appliances are of course quite heavy and he also wanted a dinghy with an internal garage, so everything that went on board was put on the scales. While it is not a very big boat it was an extraordinary project that was technically very challenging.” Van der Knaap continues: “In the end, we created a design for a high speed motor yacht with a very shallow draught that satisfied all the client’s wishes. The yacht, Tommy, was delivered last year and is currently cruising along the tropical Mauritian waters.” www.sealevel.nl
Sea Level specialises in designing yachts according to their clients’ requirements, resulting in a diversity of yacht styles and specifications.
Issue 9 | September 2014 | 49