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Discover Benelux | Special Theme | Yacht Design & Engineering

“I was invited to attend the Superyacht Design Symposium before joining the ShowBoats Design Awards ceremony in Miami. Here I met many famous yacht designers,” he fondly recalls. “Together with my fellow finalists I also got a two-day tour of the renowned Lürssen ship builders in Germany.”

Collaborating with Studio Delta At the moment Mezas is about to launch a new design for a 30-metre motor yacht. When he finished the full exterior and look of the ship, he joined forces with naval architect Menno van Dijk to make the design production ready. Mezas expects the finished yacht design will hit the market soon: “The experience I’ve gained over the years has inspired me to create a sharp and modern design. Menno is the director at naval architecture agency Studio Delta and we’ve known each other for years. So the decision to work on a project together was quickly made,” he says.

ABOVE LEFT: Mezas created this 30-metre motor yacht design in collaboration with Menno van Dijk of Studio Delta – read more about van Dijk on page 51. RIGHT: With a capacity of 80,000 litres of fuel, this 49-metre motor yacht can sail up to 4,600 nautical miles and comfortably cross the Atlantic Ocean.

capture the design the client is looking for. Mezas adds: “The client’s dream becomes your own dream and together you try to realise the perfect yacht.” Next, side and top views of the yacht are drawn, as well as the deck layout – or general arrangement. These are ultimately turned into digital 3D models of the entire exterior of the ship. Mezas says: “This is by far the most time-consuming step, but it is also the part I enjoy the most. It really brings the design to life.” Mezas prides himself on having two trademark styles; his designs either have soft and flowing outlines or they feature clean lines with sharp angles. He explains: “I aim to create a modern but classic look that has a sense of timelessness. I want to be innovative with my designs but I also make

sure they’ll still look fresh and modern twenty years from now.”

Prestigious designs

Looking into the future, Mezas says he is very interested in finding out about new ways of propulsion and other hull design innovations. He is also closely following current developments in terms of new building materials and is excited to try and implement these in his designs. “It would be great if new materials could make it easier, cheaper or more environmentally friendly to create complex shapes. This could help me to push the boundaries of design and stand at the forefront of innovation.” He adds: “In general, I believe this could bring yacht design to a much higher level.”

Shortly after he graduated in naval architecture at the university of Delft, the Netherwww.nickmezasyachtdesign.com lands, Mezas entered a prestigious international yacht design competition. He created a concept for a 75metre motor yacht that included a unique deck layout allowing for an intimate interaction between guests and the yacht’s natural surroundings. With his design, R & R – which stands for Rest and Recreation – he became the runThis 24-metre motor yacht has intricate window details, a ner up for the 2011 Young Detop speed of 20 knots (23 miles per hour) and a capacity signer of The Year award and also of eight guests plus two crew members. gained the judges’ commendation.

Issue 9 | September 2014 | 47