Italy

Cantiere Navali Leopard

You’d expect an automotive designer to design cars – not superyachts. But one young Citroën designer in the late 1980s had his mind out at sea, far from the asphalt, sketching yacht designs in his free time, and with more than 50 yachts, 24-metres and larger to his name, we’re all grateful for it.&nbsp;“My entry into yachting was actually a coincidence,” <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/234" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Guido de Groot Design (Company)">Guido de Groot</a> reflected. “I was on vacation and happened to befriend Bieb de Vries of <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/29" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Feadship (Company)">Feadship</a>, I must have only been 20 years old at the time. I didn’t know anything about superyachts but we got talking and he invited me to visit his shipyard. I was blown away when I saw what he was building.” <img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/291738/image/large-a75f55c2429d340627fe134ce04dcef8.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/291738">That fateful visit was in the mid-80s and <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/234" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Guido de Groot Design (Company)">Guido de Groot</a> was one of the first to chance a look at the 49.47-metre <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/2094" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Highlander49.47m (162'4&quot;)Feadship1986">Highlander</a> (at the time she was 45.8-metres), designed by Jon Banenberg and commissioned for the media mogul Malcolm Stevenson Forbes. “She was the first superyacht I had ever seen and I remember thinking just how cool she was,” de Groot said. Citroën was about to lose one of its budding designers.&nbsp;“I was still following my career as a designer but each time I sketched a good yacht design after hours, I would share them with Bieb. He started giving me small assignments, illustration works for some of his boats. I had been at Citroën for around six years by that time.”&nbsp;But the real challenge was in the mid-90s when de Groot received a call from Bieb asking for ‘fresh ideas’ and a full yacht design. The result was the 48.2-metre <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/252" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Tasia48.2m (158'2&quot;)Feadship1997">Tasia</a> (originally called Katrion), built on speculation and delivered in 1996. <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/252" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Tasia48.2m (158'2&quot;)Feadship1997">Tasia</a> was pivotal. “Soon after her launch, I formally resigned from Citroën and started travelling to shipyards and boat shows looking for clients as a yacht designer.”&nbsp;<a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/293" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Mulder Shipyard (Company)">Mulder Shipyard</a> was to be de Groot’s first official client, soon followed by <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/6209" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Cantiere Navali Leopard (Company)">Cantiere Navale Arno Shipyard</a>, a member of the <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/1486" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Rodriguez Group (Company)">Rodriguez Group</a> which produces <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/362" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Leopard Yachts (Company)">Leopard Yachts</a>. After curating the interior of the 24-metre motor yacht Crazy, de Groot left such an impression that led to a further five custom interior projects. It also left his hallmark in Italy, which soon garnered the attention of brands such as <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/473" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Overmarine Group SPA (Company)">Overmarine</a> and <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/1205" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="AB Yachts (Company)">AB Yachts</a>.Even from those very early days <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/234" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Guido de Groot Design (Company)">Guido de Groot</a> was proving himself as diverse and unorthodox; he was designing everything from large displacement yachts in the Netherlands to fast motor yachts in Italy and nearly every design in between. “I love variation and have as much fun designing a very classical sailing yacht as I do a <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/5752" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Vanquish Yachts (Company)">Vanquish</a>; I would find it terribly boring if I was doing the same type of design over and over again.”&nbsp;The process remains the same though and every yacht starts life as a simple line drawing sketched in graphite from a HB pencil. “It’s from that first sketch that the idea is born – it’s as true for the <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/10251" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Vanquish VQ80 SportFish24.4m (80'1&quot;)Vanquish Yachts2023">Vanquish Sportfish</a> as it is for <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/2948" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Van der Valk Shipyard (Company)">Van der Valk</a>’s <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/10811" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Blue Jeans33.74m (110'8&quot;)Van der Valk Shipyard2022">Blue Jeans</a>. Once that first sketch has been drawn out, I start adding details and growing the design.” <img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/254053/image/large-99b69c5688fa683870b8faac4ed9e332.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/254053">A perfect example of Guido’s design style is the 112.3-metre concept Project One 123, based on an <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/64" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Oceanco (Company)">Oceanco</a> platform. Aimed to create the maximum interior and exterior, without losing a lightness to her exterior lines, the yacht is an elegant example of Guido’s design capabilities, with flowing, integrated lines and a timeless aesthetic.The 24.4-metre <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/10251" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Vanquish VQ80 SportFish24.4m (80'1&quot;)Vanquish Yachts2023">Vanquish VQ80 SportFish</a>, the support vessel for <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/54" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Heesen Yachts (Company)">Heesen</a>’s 60-metre <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/8982" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Ultra G60.0m (196'10&quot;)Heesen Yachts2023">Ultra G</a>, was originally designed with outboard engines and intended as a stand-alone vessel. “We changed her a lot as the original design didn’t allow for the power that her owner needed. But that initial sketch remained the same.“She was the first sportfisher yacht that we designed and the challenge was thrilling; we had to learn everything about this style of yacht, yet we still had to deliver a Vanquish. She has a totally different base to typical sportfish yachts as a result. We’re really proud of her.”&nbsp;<a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/5752" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Vanquish Yachts (Company)">Vanquish Yachts</a> is as disruptive as de Groot – and together, they’re making waves. The shipyard has seen great success with its lightning fast and aggressive VQ series, and the 35-metre flagship VQ115 has had three orders before the first unit even hit the water (happening later this year).&nbsp;Less than 200 kilometres south of <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/5752" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Vanquish Yachts (Company)">Vanquish Yachts</a> is one of the few remaining custom builders in the 20 - 40-metre segment: <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/2948" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Van der Valk Shipyard (Company)">Van der Valk Shipyard</a>. “It’s a great client for us as we have so much freedom and need to design such a variety of yachts. They also build quickly. “It’s such a good team and the speed that we can move is quite amazing,” de Groot smiled. “The 34-metre <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/10158" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="LL34.0m (111'7&quot;)Van der Valk Shipyard2021">LL</a> was delivered within 22 months from my initial sketch.” And speed in no way impares quality or innovation. <img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/219769/image/large-5d793e67fbd8dbfd44b10a90ab24fcef.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/219769">Working regularly at <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/2948" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Van der Valk Shipyard (Company)">Van der Valk Shipyard</a> with Guido de Groot are world-renowned architects and engineers <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/7" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Diana Yacht Design B.V. (Company)">Diana Yacht Design</a> and <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/285" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Ginton Naval Architects (Company)">Ginton Naval Architects</a> – both were involved in <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/10158" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="LL34.0m (111'7&quot;)Van der Valk Shipyard2021">LL</a> and the former also engineered <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/10811" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Blue Jeans33.74m (110'8&quot;)Van der Valk Shipyard2022">Blue Jeans</a>. At 33.74-metre <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/10811" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Blue Jeans33.74m (110'8&quot;)Van der Valk Shipyard2022">Blue Jeans</a> is the third largest and has innovation at every turn. “The client wanted a sleek design that disguises the high ceilings, natural materials throughout and for the yacht to remain unpainted. We opted for an Asian-European fusion design language and a general arrangement that is suited to a family of all ages,” de Groot explained.&nbsp;<a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/10811" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Blue Jeans33.74m (110'8&quot;)Van der Valk Shipyard2022">Blue Jeans</a> is incredibly versatile and adaptable to needs. But what she isn’t is raw, unpainted. “It wasn’t a practical request, so we left the tender unpainted instead to still respect their wishes. We also had a lot of fun with the lighting and presented a large element hidden underneath a white panel that spans the entire ceiling of the main saloon. It was a challenging design that needed a lot of research and we’re really pleased with how well it turned out.” <img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/254027/image/large-08b73415ea756804f7e2c93ba8ea2f8a.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/254027">Guido and his team are continuing to produce world-class projects, with two new orders announced in June, also alongside Dutch yard <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/2948" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Van der Valk Shipyard (Company)">Van der Valk</a>. The 34-metre Project 111.11 and the 35-metre Project Samba both feature platforms based on the multi-award winning <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/10158" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="LL34.0m (111'7&quot;)Van der Valk Shipyard2021">Lady Lene</a>, but will be highly customised for their owners. <img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/291993/image/large-2a20e213ff56811ea044c06e96374bcb.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/291993">Project 111.11 showcases expansive windows and an arch rising diagonally from the main deck to the hard top, in a single straight line. The explorer yacht features an asymmetrical semi-full-beam skylounge and a sidewalk from the bridge to aft deck to avoid crew going through the lounge. While Project Samba is characterised by her large aft deck, which includes a relaxation area with a large aft-facing sofa and a formal alfresco dining table. Her central staircase with a single large column from the lower to bridge deck also serves as a piece of art and optimises freedom of movement.In addition to the <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/2948" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Van der Valk Shipyard (Company)">Van der Valk</a> projects, Guido is working on a yacht featuring innovative hydrogen propulsion systems. “Designing a yacht for the future is interesting because it's complicated, we thrive on the challenge. We’re also seeing a lot more clients who are willing to think outside of the box. Shaping what’s possible is the role of the designer; it’s our job to drive change with our conceptual designs and challenge conservatism.”&nbsp;This article is featured in the SuperYacht Times newspaper. <a href="https://shop.superyachttimes.com/report/the-superyacht-times-subscription" target="_blank">Subscribe now</a> to receive your copy straight to your door and never miss another issue.

At the studio with Guido de Groot

From automobiles to superyachts, SYT sits down with Dutch designer Guido de Groot.