The 87-meter EXPV concept revealed by Harrison Eidsgaard in collaboration with Feadship takes a completely fresh and unconventional approach to what large yachts, especially explorers, should look like.
Dutch shipyard Feadship, in collaboration with British studio Harrison Eidsgaard, unveil the latest superyacht concept named “EXPV” from its design room This luxury 87 metre concept superyacht is a radical departure from traditional explorer yacht design, and is characterised by two deckhouses connected by a floating glass bridge intended to take “a completely fresh and unconventional approach to what large yachts, especially explorers, should look like”.
“We’ve collaborated with Harrison Eidsgaard on various projects and they always throw a few challenges into the mix,” Jan-Bart Verkuyl, Feadship director and CEO Royal Van Lent shipyard, commented. “The Glass Bridge was one such challenge and we worked closely with the De Voogt engineers to see how we could make that work. Suspended in mid-air, it’s a completely new idea and quite a feat of engineering.”
“This is a yacht designed for experienced owners who like to spend long periods on board with guests who might join them for a week, a month or even more, so privacy was an essential consideration,” Peder Eidsgaard, co-founder of Harrison Eidsgaard explained. “In that context, it might seem like an extreme design because it looks very different, but if you examine the individual elements, they all make perfect sense.”
The superyacht has got a distinctive split superstructure with the owner’s private area occupying the forward section and the guest area aft. It has also got two deckhouses serviced by two separate staircases and connected elevators. Eidsgaard devised a “floating Glass Bridge and Ocean Lounge which is, in essence, an extension of the beach club on the lower deck amidships.
“When we started this project, we took all the features you find on superyachts and threw them up in the air,” Eidsgaard concluded “The pieces landed where you might not expect to find them, but where they might make more sense. The two deckhouses are unique and no other superyacht has them, but the profile with its reverse bow, bold use of glass and dynamic curves is very purposeful.”
“The whole concept is based on the premise that the owners have their own residence and there is a separate guest house for friends and visitors,” said Peder Eidsgaard, co-founder of Harrison Eidsgaard. Suspended glasses connect the two spaces walkway, and there is a beach club on the lower deck that Feadship has dubbed the ‘ocean lounge’ with folding platforms on both sides, an indoor swimming pool and a skylight in the deckhead above.
While the side platforms sit just above the waterline deployed in rougher-than-usual conditions while keeping the lounge itself free from waves and reduces the risk of flooding. Sliding glass doors allows guests to stay fully protected from the elements without sacrificing the view.
“The idea is that the owners can spend weeks on board in full privacy, but also interact with their guests in the ocean lounge in the middle of the boat,” Eidsgaard added.
Moreover, the EXPV features a fully certified helideck above the observation lounge, which is directly connected to the owner’s apartment. “The clients like to use their helicopter almost as a tender for commuting to and from the yacht on day trips,” Verkuyl explained. “It hugely extends the area they can visit and is used frequently, but because it’s on the forward deckhouse there is minimal disturbance for the guest activities in the stern.”
There is also a two-person pod that can travel past the radar domes to the masterhead high above the deck. A tender deck is also included in the EXPV superyacht.
