A Mulder Design gem takes shape
Optimism, spontaneity, creativity, originality and stimulation for beautiful things – these perceived properties of the gemstone opal are a fitting mirror for the both the design and the onboard lifestyle on offer with our latest yacht, named Project Opal. At 70 metres LOA, and with a provisional general arrangement that offers the opportunity for customisation, Opal brings the Mulder Design team’s many decades of experience to a project offered with a reduced delivery time through our collaboration with the Ares Yachts shipyard.
The yacht features a fast build time thanks to the fact that the hull is already more than half complete, and a fast hull thanks to our advanced naval architecture which embodies efficiency and which also allows the yacht to achieve speeds in the mid-20-knot range with certain propulsion packages. What it doesn’t feature is fast fashion – Mulder’s considered and organically sculpted lines for Project Opal combine contemporary design sensibilities with shapes and forms that reflect the flow of clouds and waves, and the result is a style that is both agile yet elegant, modern yet thoroughly timeless.
“The core attributes are calm and elegant lines that work in harmony with the marine environment rather than screaming for attention,” affirms Bas Mulder, Owner at Mulder Design. “The yacht looks like she was sculpted by the wind, and the considered use of materials and colours with wood, glass and metal elements add to the clean design.”
Adds Piraye Şahi̇nkaya Orhun, Managing Director of Ares Yachts, “Project Opal is a very good-looking yacht which we think will appeal to a lot of people – and we would be able to deliver her in 36 months, which is exceptional for a fully custom 70-metre superyacht.”
Project Opal’s proven and fully engineered hull provides the platform for a yacht with exceptional owner and guest areas – and for comfortable crew quarters and effective technical spaces – thanks to the design’s volume which exceeds 1,400GT in spite of her sleek profile. This allows for an array of inviting spaces, from a large main aft multizone cockpit to the beach club in the stern that leads out through glass doors directly onto the swim platform; and from six luxurious main deck guest cabins to an owner’s suite forward on the upper deck that includes access to a private forward terrace. There’s the possibility to change the GA to give the entire upper deck to an owner’s apartment, and the yacht is topped with a wheelhouse in front of the sundeck and an intimate observation deck with spa pool nestled in front of the mast. A foredeck that doubles as a touch-and-go helipad allows for the ultimate in arrival and departure experiences.
With engineering and systems approved and construction already underway, Ares Yachts estimates four months for finalising the GA and the superstructure architecture, and 32 months to complete the build, which is an exceptional delivery time for a 70-metre project that can still be fully customised. It will be built to commercial specification and there is potential for various propulsion options, including Voith Linear Jets if performance in the mid-20-knot range is required, or hybrid and even full electric propulsion packages if zero-emission cruising is a critical consideration.
“The combination of advanced hull naval architecture and contemporary superstructure with Ares Yachts’ capability to deliver the highest standards of construction and finish makes this the perfect yacht for effortless, efficient cruising in understated luxury,” Mulder concludes. “We think a lot of people will be excited by the project.”
