Marine

Stretched superyacht concept pulls together sea and sky to create an enchanting Mirage

Stretched superyacht concept pulls together sea and sky to create an enchanting Mirage
Fincantieri and Van Geest have set out to create a large, powerful superyacht that better blends with its natural surroundings
Fincantieri and Van Geest have set out to create a large, powerful superyacht that better blends with its natural surroundings
View 9 Images
With reflective glass taking on the look of the sea below, the Mirage better blends with the environment around it
1/9
With reflective glass taking on the look of the sea below, the Mirage better blends with the environment around it
The Mirage measures roughly 350 feet long
2/9
The Mirage measures roughly 350 feet long
With six decks, the Mirage offers space for up to 14 guests, along with 29 crew and staff members
3/9
With six decks, the Mirage offers space for up to 14 guests, along with 29 crew and staff members
Fincantieri's Mirage concept offers no shortage of space for relaxing under the sun
4/9
Fincantieri's Mirage concept offers no shortage of space for relaxing under the sun
The full-beam spa includes electric privacy glass
5/9
The full-beam spa includes electric privacy glass
Relax in the spa or take a dip in the water
6/9
Relax in the spa or take a dip in the water
Fincantieri and Van Geest have set out to create a large, powerful superyacht that better blends with its natural surroundings
7/9
Fincantieri and Van Geest have set out to create a large, powerful superyacht that better blends with its natural surroundings
The main deck includes an aft pool
8/9
The main deck includes an aft pool
Plenty of dining and lounging space on the main deck
9/9
Plenty of dining and lounging space on the main deck
View gallery - 9 images

The Fincantieri Mirage concept yacht has been carefully penned to blend naturally into its surroundings – not easy for a 350-foot (106-m) superyacht carrying a series of six stacked decks, a helipad, an outdoor cinema, a full spa and room for 14 guests. This bold yet subtle vessel relies on reflective surfaces and distinctive styling to melt away between sea and sky, providing an ocean-bound escape that strips away the divide between man and nature while still coddling guests with the most modern of amenities.

The fruits of a collaboration between Italian shipyard Fincantieri Yachts and Dutch firm Van Geest Design, the Mirage finds inspiration in the duality of skyscrapers that pierce into the landscape, reshaping it in their image, while also mirroring the natural beauty of sky and sun with reflective cladding. It seems a natural strategy for creating a superyacht, a hulking, human-wrought structure that lives out life atop Earth's vastest natural environment.

The Mirage's stretched hull, sharp, straight lines and stacked decks give it a powerful, almost intimidating presence atop the shimmering water. Large as it is, though, it's really but a tiny speck within a much larger environment. Copious amounts of reflective glass and surfaces help fit it to that environment, softening the edges enough so that the Mirage blends more naturally with its backdrop. The effect is particularly dramatic when viewing the entire Mirage profile on a clear, blue-sky day – or so the conceptual rendering above leads us to believe.

The Mirage measures roughly 350 feet long
The Mirage measures roughly 350 feet long

The Mirage stands as a larger-than-life staircase, its six decks dedicated to giving up to 14 guests everything they expect from such a regal yacht, and perhaps a bit more. The sundeck that tops the stack is a particular highlight, focusing on airy fun and relaxation with a reversed theater with foldaway cinema, tub with glass-wall views out to sea, series of oversized beanbag chairs, and aft helicopter platform.

Guests may head up to the sundeck for a nightly movie screening or to watch the sunset from the comfort of a cushy beanbag, but we reckon they'll spend more time below. The main deck treats them to a pool, spacious lounge and dining areas, and other entertainment options set aft of the guest cabins at the fore. Here, the generous amount of glass mirroring sun, sky and sea into the gazes of those looking at the Mirage from afar provides equally compelling views for those on board.

Other Mirage concept highlights include an owner's deck with full-beam stateroom, a full-beam spa encased with graduated electric privacy glass, a tender garage for vessels up to 34 feet (10.5 m), and, of course, plenty of glass walls and balustrades throughout delivering views as far as the eye can see. The Mirage accommodates 14 owners and guests in seven separate cabins and up to 29 crew and staff members in 17 cabins.

Relax in the spa or take a dip in the water
Relax in the spa or take a dip in the water

The Mirage is still but a concept, but listed specifications include two 4,600-hp diesel engines with fixed pitch propellers muscling the 4,500-gross register tonnage (GRT) vessel to speeds up to 19 knots (35 km/h). A 400-hp bow thruster and 268-hp stern thruster help maneuver all that volume around.

Fincantieri and Van Geest presented the Mirage concept at the Monaco Yacht Show last month. See more in the video clip below.

Mirage 106 M Luxury Yacht - Illusion by refraction of light

Source: Fincantieri

View gallery - 9 images
3 comments
3 comments
paul314
Isn't it nice to know that some people apparently have half a billion dollars to spare on vacation toys?
flyerfly
Based on the one other comment I feel I am not alone in wondering why we even care about hearing of these super expensive toys anymore. There is nothing particularly novel about these from an engineering perspective...there are other ships out there that are bigger. What is true is that 99.99% of people out there that read of these super expensive boats will never set foot on one. Not only that they wonder why they pay the owners of that boat good money something that was marked up far above what normal profits used to be back in the day...and why they have monopolies to create such wealth in the first place...perhaps the mechanics behind politics and how money buys control are more interesting than a nice boat. Nice boat I guess....please lend me a paddle for my row boat...
ljaques
These huge toys are great for the public. Gosh, there are probably two reverse osmosis water companies employed to produce enough fresh water for at least a dozen other employees just to keep the decks of that one ship free from salt. I didn't see a single solar panel on that thing, either. Shame, shame.