Back in 2018 ahead of the Monaco Yacht Show, Nauta Design unveiled a new avant-garde, custom superyacht project named Moonflower. Three years later, a letter of intent was signed to build the concept with Wider Yachts to measure 72 metres in length from steel and aluminium.
As construction of Moonflower 72 began in June 2022 with delivery scheduled for 2025, the two veteran firms of the industry who are behind the project, Nauta and Wider, share what they consider some of her best features.
First-class collaboration
When Nauta approached Wider with an offer to build Moonflower 72, the teams immediately saw eye to eye. Once an agreement between the client, Wider and Nauta was made, the contract was signed in January 2022. “With Wider, we found just the right cocktail of technology and team organisation to make the project a reality,” says Pedol.
“We’ve invested heavily in restructuring the shipyard in anticipation of orders like this one and thanks to the current management that has been working together for 30 years, Wider is able to build the Moonflower 72 to the highest quality levels,” says Marcello Maggi, president of Wider Yachts.
Hybrid propulsion
A key benefit of being constructed by Wider is that Moonflower 72 will be fitted with the yard’s state-of-the-art hybrid propulsion solution. As a trademark feature of Wider, the innovative system will help reduce the environmental impact of the yacht through two variable-speed generators of 1,860kW each and a sodium nickel battery bank of approximately 1MW.
Any energy dispersed in the form of heat from the system will also be recovered and reused where possible. The build team will also integrate an AI system into the yacht to study the habits of the owner, guests and crew in order to influence and optimise the efficiency of all onboard amenities.
Timeless design
Nauta Design is known for balanced proportions with clean and uncluttered lines, and the design for Moonflower 72 is no different. The yacht is light, both in terms of detailing and the use of glass naturally brightening the interior. In the main social areas of the yacht, guests will find that the designers have kept almost all indoor-outdoor spaces on board well connected.
“Innovative design, lots of open-air space, close contact with the water, light-filled and airy interiors, flexible layout and furniture solutions… these were the ‘must have’ features requested by the owner that drove the exterior styling, general arrangement and interior design,” explained Mario Pedol, co-founder of Nauta Design.
Expandable beach club
A speciality of Nauta Design’s work is the company’s patented beach club design. Taking over the aft area of Moonflower 72, the beach club is expandable to further enhance outdoor living on board. The expandable aft deck/beach club with folding bulwark terraces provides a single walkaround space on the stern, allowing guests to move freely from one side of the yacht to the other, creating the studio’s patented idea “The Island” – a 117-square-metre viewing platform offering 270-degree views. The beach club is complete with a sea-water swimming pool set within the stern platform.
“The Moonflower 72 retains all the key features of modern yet timeless design, onboard liveability and maximum connection with the marine environment – fundamental characteristics of all Nauta projects,” says Mario Pedol.
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