We always associate a yacht’s pedigree and, therefore, its long-term value
with its yard of origin. But today a handful of name-brand yacht interior
designers—many of them working freelance and all with sound technical
knowledge—have acquired reputations that can add significant value to any
custom-built yacht and, in the last few years, to a select series of semicustom
yachts. Once relegated to fashioning interiors, today’s leading designers are
as intimately familiar with NASA-grade acoustic insulation as they are with
Italian leather. As yachts increasingly have become techno-showpieces, the
designers have enjoyed a meteoric rise in influence over the building process,
often representing the owner with the shipyard.
“Yes, a yacht’s pedigree
starts with its yard of origin,” says Jim Gilbert, editor-in-chief of ShowBoats
International. “But it also extends to the design pedigree it may or may not
have. Having Ron Holland or Glade Johnson design your boat will mean a lot more
for its value than a no-name designer.” Besides being responsible for the
yacht’s interior, many designers now also design the yacht’s exterior for a
consistent but unique look, which requires a rare marriage of left-brain logic
and right-brain creativity, combined with the disposition of a bean counter.
“The designer has to know all the technical and aesthetic details,” says
Gilbert. “But he also has to work with the yard to make sure the boat is built
on schedule.”
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