Look past their overt flashiness, and some luxury yachts offer fascinating takes on how to effectively use limited space. With a simple hull design, airy interior and auxiliary solar power system, the Arcadia A85S aims to pack a clean, luxurious floating home into its 85-ft (25.6-m) hull.
Arcadia says its design philosophy is centered around making the owner and their guests feel at home on the high seas. With this in mind, the company has created a new, fully enclosed deck above the main deck with floor-to-ceiling windows on all four sides that can be raised or lowered on demand. The area can be heated or air-conditioned when the windows are up, but serves as an open entertaining area when conditions are good.
This focus on light, airy design continues on the main deck as well. The main saloon is outfitted with an eight-seater dining table, surrounded by double-glazed reflective glass windows and electric blinds. Moving further towards the back of the boat reveals a big lounge, home to another small table and large, comfortable seating space. There are no windows, but the area is still fully undercover.
Below deck there are four cabins, but you'll want to be spending time in the 32-square meter (344.4-square foot) master suite – complete with en suite bathroom and "wellness area." Along with the four passenger cabins, the ship has quarters for four crew members in the forward section. Arcadia has also designed the crew walkways to make sure they won't accidentally cross paths with the owner or their guests, which is probably a selling point for some potential buyers.
Power comes from twin 730-hp (544-kW) MAN engines good for a maximum cruising speed of 16 knots (30 km/h, 18 mph). Dialing that pace back to 12 knots (22 km/h, 14 mph) delivers a cruising range of 850 nautical miles (1,574 km, 978 mi). The hull, designed by the National Physical Laboratory in the UK, couples with a light superstructure for 30 to 50 percent better fuel efficiency than comparable-size yachts from rival boatyards.
Beyond the diesel engines, a 36-sq m (387-sq ft) solar array can provide 3.5 kW, which is enough run the boat's fridges, water pumps, bathrooms, lights and the on-board AV systems while recharging the batteries. Although the system doesn't go as far as some of the fully-electric yachts popping up at the moment, it does make for less time spent spewing diesel fumes into the environment while sitting still.
The A85S will be displayed at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September.
Source: Arcadia Yachts