United States

Setzer Yacht Design

The 45.7-metre <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/1146" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Richmond Yachts (Company)">Richmond</a> motor yacht <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/1907" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Excellence45.72m (150'0&quot;)Richmond Yachts2010">Excellence</a> has been sold. The deal was concluded by Alex G. Clarke of <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/833" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Denison Yachting (Company)">Denison Yachting</a> who represented the seller, and Arney Mendez of <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/4725" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Florida Yachts International (FYI) (Company)">Florida Yachts International</a> who introduced the buyer. <img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/668/image/large-26bb67ce20e6f47d93b23ce69bfa7892.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/668">Built in 2010, <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/1907" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Excellence45.72m (150'0&quot;)Richmond Yachts2010">Excellence</a>, ex. Status Quo, features exterior design by <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/4935" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Setzer Yacht Design (Company)">Setzer</a>, while her interior was penned by <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/150" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Pavlik Design Team (Company)">Pavlik Design Team</a>. <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/1907" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Excellence45.72m (150'0&quot;)Richmond Yachts2010">Excellence</a> can accommodate as many as 10 guests between five guest cabins.<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/198943/image/large-450c815b68d7f45c9533fe0955a8422f.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/198943"> <img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/198941/image/large-dda2695aadcd05a36ad49f2e0eefe13a.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/198941"><img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/198944/image/large-1d2492f2e2ad1be43c87ef44c7c6c972.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/198944">Her interior is complete in mahogany with a satin finish, and her stateroom layout includes a full-beam master suite on the main deck, and four additional staterooms on the lower deck, all with en suite bathrooms. <img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/198901/image/large-67905b0ceb66170171a831461dd725c4.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/198901"><img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/198897/image/large-cff06247a43354ab76747b4c7f0bc225.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/198897">Externally, she features al fresco lounge and dining options on each of her three decks, a Jacuzzi for eight guests and a touch-and-go helipad.<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/198895/image/large-33751ba19a01a0ceeea376c0a48a4b89.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/198895"><img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/198949/image/large-0f2ee20601f528bfb0db62aa622ac408.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/198949"> <img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/198947/image/large-fa212abe240b9996f2a498673d257120.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/198947">The motor yacht <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/1907" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Excellence45.72m (150'0&quot;)Richmond Yachts2010">Excellence</a>, sold, is powered by twin 2,000hp <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/1409" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="MTU (Company)">MTU</a> diesel engines and cruises at 16 knots and reaches a top speed of 18 knots, and her guests are taken care of by a crew of 9. She had a last known asking price of $16,995,000.<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/198925/image/large-6bf6722142a9a4908fbe20d734942821.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/198925">

Richmond motor yacht Excellence sold

The 46m Richmond motor yacht Excellence has been sold, she had a last known asking price of $16,995,000.

New owners for 46m superyacht Excellence

Adding to its growing line of luxury motor yachts, <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/466" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Hatteras Yachts (Company)">Hatteras Yachts</a> has unveiled an all-new new Hatteras M98 Panacera model that joins its <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Article/47499" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Hatteras launches first 90 Motor Yacht (2017-08-16 11:00:00 +0200)">M90</a> and 105 Raised Pilothouse superyacht offerings. Construction on the first unit will commence over the coming winter season and is expected to be ready for launch in the spring of 2021.&nbsp;<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/103302/image/large-74e3981d6a3147d803ca24d9ed6e44ef.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/103302">The new model is a response from <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/466" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Hatteras Yachts (Company)">Hatteras</a> after clients were looking for a larger option from the existing M90 but found the 105 Raised Pilothouse’s accommodation setup extensive. “At the same time, they wanted the new boat to be equipped with larger MTU 16V 2600 diesel engines that would maximize its cruising speed but maintain the legendary ride quality that Hatteras Yachts are known for,” explains Yachts Chief Product Officer, Ward Setzer. “Ninety-eight feet was the magic number.”<a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/466" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Hatteras Yachts (Company)">Hatteras</a> and <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/4935" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Setzer Yacht Design (Company)">Setzer</a> worked closely with clients to achieve the optimum layout, directly targeting the consumer market yet retaining the large-yacht features that would make the M98 stand out from the crowd. A four-cabin arrangement was decided on as the standard layout with an optional VIP suite that can be added forward on the main deck. In addition, the M98 will come in three different versions; an open bridge, partially enclosed bridge and fully enclosed bridge.&nbsp;“Another of the new model’s many highlights is its Beach Club aft,” added Setzer.&nbsp;“It’s huge for a yacht of this size, and if the owner prefers, this transom area could be used for additional crew quarters or a utility room. It’s a very versatile, flexible space.”

All-new Hatteras M98 Panacera model unveiled

Hatteras Yachts has unveiled their all-new Hatteras M98 Panacera model that will be ready for launch in spring 2021. 

Hatteras introduces new M98 Panacera model

“When I was in architecture school and spent summers on the coast of Maine, I walked into a yacht company and asked them, ‘how do you do this, this and this?’ They explained it all to me, and I told them, I’ll be back.”&nbsp;These are the words of Ward Setzer, founder of the Florida-based design studio, Setzer Yacht Architects which has been in operation since 1991. The Setzer studio has had a highly successful run over its 27-year-long career so far, with a portfolio encompassing over 800 designs for 60 yards all around the world, including Trinity Yachts, Delta Marine, McMullen &amp; Wing and Christensen. <img src="/uploads/store/photo/32315/image/large-a82b30a5d30fc02ce48f5e9c5df81048.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/32315">Setzer is a truly American designer and astute businessman who, through his New American Motor Yachts Collection launched in 2013 has offered his own corrective to what it means to have an ‘American style’ superyacht. Speaking with the designer at a typically hectic Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, we discovered why ‘less is more’ is more than just a saying, the importance of living the superyacht experience as a designer, and how Setzer Design Group survived the implosion of the US market during the recession. <img src="/uploads/store/photo/32312/image/large-0e8efb2199c94e99bdde7e079d013116.jpeg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/32312">With arguably one of the best introductions to the industry, Setzer started his career in Palm Beach in 1984 under the tutelage of the American naval architecture legend J.B. Hargrave. Indeed, this was a somewhat precocious start to Setzer’s career: as he explained, “on my first day of work, I was given a 44-metre vessel to design - right out of design school!&nbsp;”From there, it was moving on to found and manage the Custom Yachts Division at Hatteras Yachts in 1986 until Setzer went his own way and opened his own studio in 1991. A big step for any designer, for Setzer, the decision was driven by one urge above all: curiosity. As Setzer says, “I was driven to learn more from builders around the world and to do that you have to get out there and learn. Curiosity drives you towards solving problems for clients: that’s all design is in the end, creative problem-solving. After so many years in one facility, your choice is either to jump ship and go into construction somewhere else or to hang out your own shingle as a designer and naval architect.”<img src="/uploads/store/photo/32316/image/large-39762c10bb3d4da677087625d60b9b30.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/32316">And hang out his shingle he did. An 88-foot aluminium and fibreglass sportfisher was Setzer’s first commission from Broward Marine in 1991, with another one of his most notable designs found in his work on the 43.2-metre Namoh (now <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/4249" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Lady Bee43.28m (141'12&quot;)">Lady Bee</a>) for Christensen. The studio also collaborated with some of the US’ top shipyards at the time, including Trinity, Trident Shipworks, Richmond Yachts, Intermarine USA and Lyman Morse.&nbsp;As Setzer sees it, the early part of his studio’s success was a case of being at the right place at the right time as the superyacht industry was developing in the US. “The timing was good for us. By 1995, we had started as the design firm for Trinity, Intermarine USA, Trident Shipworks, and they all happened within a month of each other.”<img src="/uploads/store/photo/32314/image/large-df7f22605e6bc3d9f1303ab6f913879c.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/32314">Setzer’s early collaborations with American yards also came at an exciting time of innovation for the industry internationally, not just in the States. Between the late 1980s and the early 2000s, designers and yards in the US created what we now know as the modern raised pilothouse yacht, as well as the design of shorter tri-deck vessels, which, as Setzer explained, established the market desire in the minds of buyers for these products. “This afforded a place for international brands to eventually mimic and latch on to and build their own followings [...] US quality and innovation lead the way until adjustments within the global economy made us share the fun while labour issues and mismanagement took things in other directions." It is these vital years of US yachting innovation which are often overlooked in representations of the American yacht industry. As Setzer says, “everyone loves to paint a bad picture of the state of the American yacht industry but they speak from a position of not knowing its history, how it came to be after World War II, what drove its phenomenal growth and eventual decline.” And, despite the subsequent decline faced by shipyards such as Trinity, Intermarine, Trident and Richmond, the Setzer studio continued to thrive. As Setzer told us, “They imploded as companies, and yet through diversification we carried on. The whole industry kind of hobbled on together in the US.”<img src="/uploads/store/photo/32313/image/large-ffd47a6e64847ad78cfc2ceda437d0f9.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/32313" style="background-color: initial; font-size: 0.95rem;">The Vestal 6200 in development for the Italian Sea Group Looking at it 27 years later, Setzer’s design career has certainly been more of a marathon than a hobble. He has an impressive portfolio of international collaborations beyond the US, including the 62-metre Vestal 6200 four deck motor yacht which is currently under development for the Italian Sea Group.&nbsp;One of the biggest developments for Setzer Design Group in recent years was the aforementioned New American Motor Yachts Collection, revealed in 2013. As for the inspiration for these new designs, it came from a two year design sabbatical Setzer spent on the Caribbean island of Antigua. “I&nbsp;wanted to see if I could connect deeper with the superyacht feel. I had a brand new studio right above the water. It was just me and my wife and a clean slate, and therefore resulted in some of the cleanest and most productive design work I’ve ever done.”Moving from the hectic life of his US-based design studio to the relative tranquility of the Caribbean resulted in the designer’s return to the US with a portfolio of 22 designs ranging from 28 to 70 metres, 16 of which were sold after he returned - a successful sabbatical indeed. But for Setzer, his time in Antigua represented something deeper than a chance to relax and enabled him to connect, on a personal level, with how owners use their boats: “It’s about being in tune with how boats are really used. In Antigua, we interfaced with captains and crew and started to really understand that these third and fourth homes, as I like to call them, can feel like long lost children sometimes. You’ve got to really understand how this crew manages and runs the yacht, deploys the toys, entertains the guests, stocks the vessel, and you can’t always get a grip on that unless you see how owners use their yachts both for charter and for personal use.”Vitally too, informing Setzer’s most contemporary designs, too, is a shift in tastes he has noticed from his American clients who are moving towards a more minimalistic - and, arguably, a more European - aesthetic. “All these classic designs with numerous details and expensive trappings are too much. Instead of all this bling everywhere, ‘less is more’ is my mantra. Clean lines are key to the way I draw today, from pencil to paper and computer to ‘as built’ dreams.”<img src="/uploads/store/photo/32311/image/large-7a9fb5d04716f13685685ecbeaf98522.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/32311">For Setzer, this change in American stylistic tastes is connected to the move towards a younger demographic of superyacht owners who expect to use their vessels differently from their predecessors. As Setzer told us, “The average age of the American superyacht owner is coming down…. they’ve got a more modern taste in architecture and they’re more travelled than they have been in the past. They want more open-plan interiors; we’ve almost gone to the minimalistic bean-bag chair world with lots of glass. You also increasingly have a very changeable need of the space; let’s set it up for a party, let’s set it up for lounging around, and so on.”&nbsp;Doubtless to say, however this alteration in American tastes will be born out in the future with the next generation of superyacht owners, Setzer Design Studio will be there, paying careful attention to what Americans and international clientele want and designing boats to both suit, and perhaps even shape, the style which we will see on the water in the upcoming years. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <a href="http://www.superyachtcompany.com/newspaper/the-superyacht-times-subscription" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title=""><img src="/uploads/store/photo/23641/image/large-5807815e2703721ae6618b7a54d59cdb.png" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/23641"></a> This article was featured in the latest edition of the SuperYacht Times newspaper.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.superyachtcompany.com/newspaper/the-superyacht-times-subscription" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">Subscribe now&nbsp;</a>to recieve your copy straight to your door and never miss another issue.&nbsp;

Insight: Restyling the States with Ward Setzer

The second edition of the SuperYacht Times newspaper for 2018 is out now and<a href="http://www.superyachtcompany.com/newspaper/the-superyacht-times-subscription" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">&nbsp;available to order</a>! Issue 19 is our first ever USA Issue and is focused on all-things American, from American clients to the state of the American new build market, to those owners who have been bitten by the USA-bug and can't get enough of cruising around the States. In this issue, we also talk to some of the US' top superyacht designers and ask the hotly contested question: what is&nbsp;American style in superyacht design anyway?<img src="/uploads/store/photo/27014/image/large-da9b94686220ac54822db2389f0a087b.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/27014"> Kicking off our design section of the newspaper, Gemma Fottles got to know one of the US' most prolific superyacht interior designers on page 26, Patrick Knowles from the eponymous studio, Patrick Knowles Designs, which is based in the yachting hotspot of Fort Lauderdale. Responsible for the interiors of the 58.2-metre Trinity superyacht Unbridled -&nbsp;whose owner requested a total of 21 species of wood to appear in the final design - and the playful interior of the ISA 63 superyacht Kolaha,&nbsp;amongst many others for clients all around the world, Knowles talks to Gemma about the current state of the US industry and what the American buyer is looking for from their yacht interior, and, spoiler alert - it's probably not what you think.<img src="/uploads/store/photo/27020/image/large-b74971040ee174c5adc82d96157fc821.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/27020">Moving across the page, Georgia Tindale digs into the somewhat controversial topic of what you mean when you describe something as having an 'American Style' in superyacht design. Speaking to representatives from American yards and design studios, including Westport, Gregory C. Marshall Naval Architects and others, we discover why American style is dubbed "Cutting Edge Vanilla" by some in the industry, the role of the late, great J.B Hargrave in influencing contemporary American yacht design, and why the future of American style may well be a "hybrid style." <img src="/uploads/store/photo/27021/image/large-6dec973e84917aadeb4685e269ff7a82.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/27021">In our final design feature of the Issue, Georgia sat down with the Florida-based designer Ward Setzer from Setzer Yacht Architects to hear about his expansive career designing over 800 yachts for 60 yards around the world and his two year sabbatical in Saint Lucia, the move towards minimalism in American contemporary design tastes, and, most importantly, a healthy dose of debunking from Setzer about the decline of the US industry and the many misconceptions that surround it. With other features including an owner interview with former CEO of Tommy Hilfiger and the happily retired yachtie, David Dyer, an examination of America's distinctive love for sportfishers and in-depth insights from the world-renowned broker Stuart Larson on the secrets of brokerage success and the US market, make sure you <a href="http://www.superyachtcompany.com/newspaper/the-superyacht-times-subscription" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">subscribe now</a> to receive your issue straight to your door and never miss another issue.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="http://www.superyachtcompany.com/newspaper/the-superyacht-times-subscription" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title=""><img src="/uploads/store/photo/23641/image/large-5807815e2703721ae6618b7a54d59cdb.png" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/23641"></a>