Icon CEO Wim Koersvelt worked closely with the Redman Whiteley Dixon creative team to achieve the best foundations for future owners and designers to build upon. As the first Icon 62 is launched this year, with Redman Whiteley Dixon exterior styling, the whole superyachting industry will be watching and – once satisfied that she lives up to expectations – the next delivery slots for the end of 2010 are likely to be snapped up by discerning buyers before the Monaco Yacht Show, where she will be displayed to the public.

An open-door policy at Icon’s facility an hour from Amsterdam in the Netherlands has seen the flow of hundreds from the world’s top yards and media to witness first-hand ‘the Icon way’.

Clever, intelligent design, even in the areas not immediately visible, whether in an exhaustively-tested, optimized hull form, the crew working areas or the integration of the most efficient and coolest air-conditioning system on the market, will be appreciated by owners as running costs are studied, if only to demonstrate an environmental awareness. The Icon 62 was designed from the outset to be built to the best standards in the industry and with a view to long-term satisfaction.

Designers
Designers have been excited by the optimized platform and, now with its possibility to be extended thanks to Icon Yachts predicting the relaxing of the Lloyds’ ‘P’ Notation regulations, are working on developing the 62-metre profiles that can be extended to as much as 77 metres on the same platform. Redman Whiteley Dixon has been quick to draw up the purposeful-racy 72.5m ‘Chaser’ version.

Incorporating a full LY2-rated helicopter landing facility and certified maintenance hanger, large tenders and submarine stowage, the Icon 72.5m ‘Chaser’ is designed to act either as a fully integrated helicopter and large tender support platform to a larger vessel or indeed as an highly independent exploration and adventure yacht with inbuilt facilities to explore the far corners of the earth.

Justin Redman describes her: “The aesthetic appearance of the vessel was designed to be purposeful, good looking and well balanced, the interior accommodations arranged to be extensive and well organised, utilizing the proven and expanded layout of the ICON 62m as its backbone”.  “A precise vessel for those who wish to travel the globe, observe distant lands from the air, experience the great oceans from below the waves and enjoy the finest comforts offered from within an outwardly very discreet vessel. A yacht of our times.”

Meanwhile Bannenberg has ‘broken the rules’ on hull windows. Dickie Bannenberg states “We developed rhomboids which interrelate with each other, and taper forward to give a more architectural treatment than is the norm. We've continued this with the lower deck portlights and, to a lesser extent, the freeing ports”.

Finally, designers Lay and Rossi have produced upright and sweeping versions respectively.

Bigger diesel-electric platform
Optimisation in the 60-77m Icon having been successfully achieved, now the Icon Yachts team is working on a bigger 80-metre platform that will allow owners wanting 80-95m (and even as much as 110m) custom yachts built efficiently. Icon Yachts is releasing very little on the layout of the platform yet except to say that a number of the big names in design are already showing interest and introducing the concept to existing clients that the have built boats with looking to trade up. Diesel-electric is to be the preferred powering option:

Main propulsion:
We believe that diesel electric propulsion is the preferred option for a yacht of this size. We are currently planning for about 8000kW maximum power to the propellers. We will achieve this with 5 identical standard MTU 16V 4000 diesel generator sets, driving two electric propulsion motors that are fitted to two controllable pitch propeller systems.

Back up propulsion system:
We intend to meet “safe return to port” requirements with the bow and the stern thruster. Both thrusters will be flush mounted Schottel pump jets, each driven by a 12V2000 MTU generator set. This arrangement has some specific benefits:

• The controls of these thrusters will coupled to a dynamic positioning system, so the yacht can maintain position in tight anchorage conditions, without endangering swimmers or other vessels.
• The thrusters will be of sufficient capacity to propel the yacht at an acceptable speed in adverse conditions.
• The generators driving each thruster shall be installed above the main deck level, so they an be laid out to function as emergency generator as well.

Icon Yachts
+31(0)517 49 46 00
info@iconyachts.eu  
www.iconyachts.eu

Bannenberg Designs
+44 (0)20 7736 0005
yachts@bannenberg.com
www.bannenberg.com

Redman Whiteley Dixon Ltd
+44 (0) 1590 611300
studio@rwd.co.uk  
www.rwd.co.uk