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Starck's Choice: Legendary designer and, Feadship create a unique superyacht The largest Feadship ever built has been delivered by the De Vries Shipyard in Aalsmeer, the Netherlands. Wedge Too, a 65-meter (213'10") twin screw motoryacht, has a complete owners deck, three VIP guest cabins, four guest staterooms, and facilities for up to 20 staff. With the legendary Philippe Starck embarking on his first superyacht project, both the exterior styling and the interior design are spectacular departures from the norm. One day a very elegant lady came to visit Starck to discuss the design of a superyacht. "I am an environmentalist and a left winger: yachts are among the most daftest capitalist toys imaginable," lamented Starck. And then, realizing this lady was going to build one anyway, he changed his mind. "I decided I might as well at least help her create something different; a yacht that is not a mountain of gold. So I designed something that was timeless and elegant..." A promise is a promise These words echo Starck's pledge to the owners of Wedge Too and Feadship back at the start of the project in Fall 1999. "I design for you a classic simple style; it will be wood, with white marble and white ceilings. That's it, simple." And then a mischievous smile came across his face. "And then we go crazy on the details and the furniture." He was true to his word ... gnomes and thrones, wheelbarrow chairs and luminous stairs, foam-filled eggs and lights with crooked legs... Wedge Too is a boat packed with the most intricate surprises. An incredible range of custom-built tables, chairs, cabinets, desks, lamps, mirrors, chandeliers: the core interior is a backdrop to a host of exquisite and bizarre features, all of which can be changed at any time to keep the boat fresh and alive. To bring all this about required exceptional cooperation between the long-established craftsman of De Vries and the eclectic tastes and ideas of a man bent on pure design. Complementing each other in so many ways, their collaboration has resulted in something truly unique. "He might be a superstar designer but it was delightful working with Starck," says Henk de Vries III of the De Vries Shipyard."Of course there were certain things that absolutely had to be done his way. Yet once we'd figured out what 'his way' was, everything went very smoothly. It is actually not that complicated - it's all about removing clutter and creating a clean look."
In fact, it is the simplicity of the design philosophy that makes it so brilliant - and yet so difficult to conjure up in the first place. On Wedge Too, this bare bones approach (and the consequences this has for a yacht) is perhaps best illustrated by the owners deck.' A long and straight passageway connects the lounge with the stateroom on this deck, and a design of this simplicity is very unforgiving should any deviation occur. For example, the flat panels have a groove in the middle that runs the entire length of the passage. This groove cannot be off center by even a tenth of a millimeter or this inconsistency will be immediately apparent to even the casual observer. A similar rule applies to the finish of the Anigre woodwork itself. A typical Feadship finish, successfully applied on many projects, would be satin gloss filled grain. As well as ensuring that one no longer sees the texture of the wood, this is also the most efficient way of achieving a uniform finish. "When Starck said he wanted a 'hand-finished' finish, we thought he was crazy," remembers Henk de Vries. "He added that he didn't care how we did it but the effect had to be as if someone had just been casually working with a brush to stroke lacquer on the panels. Initially, the crew made a smooth finish and then went over it with a brush - but we found this excessive even for a boat of this stature!" The eventual solution is not in the public domain. However, when finished, Starck's vision was proven true to form. A passageway of this length, with only indirect lighting, would have been very difficult to achieve in completely smooth fashion. Now, thanks to all the textures, it is fascinating both visually and to the touch. In the process, Feadship's craftsman have demonstrated once again their ability to meet the most unusual demands. Starck himself gave an excellent summary of the relationship he had established with the builders when speaking at Wedge Too's launch party. "This boat is a real love story. To produce a baby you have to be in love. I am in love with this yard and with its skilful workers and together we have created a beautiful baby."
Type: Twin screw motoryacht, steel hull and alu superstructure Length overall: 65,00 m 213'3" Fuel capacity: 126.1501 33.325 US Gall Design: Philippe Starck Naval Architect: De Voogt Naval Architects Propulsion: Max. speed: 16 knots Air conditioning: Heinen & Hopman
Communication & navigation equipment: Yacht Electronique Service (YES) Electric system: Accommodation Crew: Guests: Tenders: Special items: |
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