Rainsford Saunders Design is currently working on a 48.5m high speed motor yacht for a Middle Eastern client. The brief is to create a unique, eye-catching motor yacht that exhibits the highest levels of comfort and convenience while at the same time being capable of speeds in excess of 40 knots.
The RSD 48.5-metre is a remarkable yacht in many ways, not least as a result of her distinctive rotunda-style configuration on her two uppermost decks. The innovative styling is complemented by the sophistication of her systems; which include a retractable helipad on her upper aft deck that ensures that owner and guests can join and leave the boat in the most convenient way possible without compromising her graceful lines, and retractable bridge wing stations that enable the yacht to be manoeuvred safely in the tightest harbours and anchorages. The bathing platform can also be both lowered and extended at the touch of a button to aid guests engaged in scuba diving and other water sports.
The accommodation is centred around a main suite for the owner and his family that is uncompromising in its attention to meeting every possible need. Spread over two exclusive decks it includes a private dining area and galley, office, dedicated foredeck terrace, gym and sauna, together with four, en-suite, double cabins. The guests also want for nothing with a further three double cabins with full en-suite located on the lower deck.
As is to be expected with a yacht of this size, there are extensive entertainment areas with external terraces accessible from all three decks, plus seating on the flying bridge. The generously proportioned circular sky lounge on the uppermost deck is perhaps the most dramatic, giving guests the opportunity to enjoy panoramic views of the surrounding seascapes while protected from wind and sun. The mid deck houses the main saloon and entertainment area together with a circular dining space with retractable glass screens that give the choice between al fresco and enclosed socialising at the touch of a button.
A combined diesel and gas (CODAG) propulsion system will give this distinctive yacht a top speed in excess of 40 knots, yet at optimum cruising speed she will have an expected range approaching 3,500 nm. An exceptional yacht, with exceptional capabilities.