UAE-based shipyard Gulf Craft has offered an exclusive first look inside its new 34.1-metre Majesty 111 model. The new design was presented at the Dubai International Boat Show 2022 and hull number one made its official debut at the show a year later.
The composite model features an interior and exterior design by Dutch studio Phathom, working to fulfil an owner’s brief for soft, comfortable spaces with a “different” look and feel to past Majesty models.
The Majesty 111 is the first on-the-water project that Phathom has worked on as a studio, although each of the design partners have backgrounds in yacht design, having worked at firms such as Sinot and Cor d. Rover.
According to Phathom, the design theme started off light and bright, but when the first hull was purchased the owner requested some changes. “We brought to the table two completely different styles, explained Raquel Hernandez Grijota, design partner at Phathom. “It is a slight change to Gulf Craft’s usual design language."
The 240GT superyacht features a six-cabin layout with living spaces split across two-and-a-half decks. It slots between the existing Majesty 100 and Majesty 120 models, which Mohammed Al Shaali, chairman of Gulf Craft, has explained is a deliberate strategic move to fill this space rather than add a larger addition to the Majesty lines.
“When you grow horizontally, it means you’ve added another use for the yacht,” he said. He noted that the Majesty 111 has been developed with a strong emphasis on both charter and private function.
One of the highlights of the yacht’s design is its focus on natural light, with Gulf Craft claiming the Majesty 111 has up to 40 per cent more glazing than yachts of comparable size. This is particularly evident in the owner’s cabin, which sits below a glass-floored dip pool that sends cascades of light into the cabin below.
The owner’s suite spans 15 square metres and makes the most out of the yacht’s 7.2-metre beam. The berth is flanked by large windows and sits opposite a TV screen that is inlaid into the bulkhead and framed by timberwork. There is a small seating area and vanity, and an expansive en suite and dressing room directly aft. The en suite is finished in clean ivory marble and features a generous shower room located to port with its own window.
Five further cabins can be found on the lower deck, comprising two twins, two doubles and one VIP suite.
Connecting the decks is a glass and Perspex central staircase with curving bronze bannisters and treads designed to give an “ethereal” effect to the space. It sits below a skylight, allowing light into the main and lower deck. “The idea of this is to make the space feel connected, and much bigger,” said Hussein Alshaali, concept design department head at Gulf Craft.
The main deck is home to a saloon and dining area, finished in dark marble, natural matte woods and diffused light with a TV screen that pops down from the overhead. “We wanted it to be somewhat understated, and not congested,” explained Sean Bekeschus, design partner at Phathom. The studio’s experience with industrial design has allowed it to integrate fully-customised touches, including a stylised drinks table with a champagne holder.
Speaking on the overall design concept, Alshaali continued: “What was important to me was nothing delicate. It annoys me to have luxury when you feel like you’re going to break it.”
On the upper deck is a skylounge with an asymmetric layout with access to the foredeck via a portside walkway. The space has been conceived as the central entertainment area on board, with a huge TV screen built into the bar opposite an L-shaped sofa. Directly forward is the wheelhouse.
The upper deck aft is home to a generous dining area below a slatted overhead that can be opened or closed to allow ventilation. Further aft is an open seating and sunlounging area set with loose furniture.
On the foredeck of the Majesty 111 is the dip pool, which is bordered by sunpads and offers unparalleled views while the yacht is underway. There is a small Portuguese bridge directly aft and further al fresco living opportunities can be found on the main deck aft, where there is a shaded cockpit seating area. Toy and tender storage is located in a lower deck lazarette at the stern.
There is currently a second Majesty 111 in build, also with design by Phathom. The models are “a new direction, a new look and feel but still the maintaining essence of the brand,” explained Bekeschus. The first Majesty 111 will be christened and delivered to her owner later in 2023.
The yacht made its debut in Dubai alongside the Majesty 120, the Majesty 100, Majesty 72, Majesty 62, Nomad 70 and the Nomad 101.