The owner and his comfort and privacy dictate the rules on board this 50-metre yacht designed by Salvetti and ACPV Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel. The brand’s flagship is the Custom Line yard’s first allaluminium build
by Paola
Bertelli - ph. by Custom Line
pen to the sea yet with extraordinary respect for privacy. The Custom Line 50 is an ambitious yacht, created by a top-flight, highly experienced team - the Strategic Product Department and the Ferretti Group Superyacht Yard Engineering Department worked together with Filippo Salvetti for the exteriors and with the ACPV Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel studio for the design architecture and interiors (the Custom Line Navetta 38 Telli is by the same lineup).
The project has strong aesthetic and technical values and generates a skilful equilibrium of yacht-building tradition, innovation and a search for total comfort, redefining the concept of functional luxury and bespoke design.
The brand’s flagship, the 50 is Custom Line’s first all-metal yacht – in aluminium, to be exact. With a length of 50 metres long and a 9.60-metre beam, it is laid out over four decks while remaining under 500 GT. It offers over 800 square metres of liveable space, 324 of which are outdoors.
The design’s key element is the owner’s suite in the bows – on the upper rather than main deck. This exclusive 75-square metre space is designed as large loft with a vibrant dialogue between interiors and exteriors. When the sliding doors aft are open, the suite, surrounded on three sides by floor-to-ceiling windows and reflective structural surfaces, integrates into a private terrace that is more of an interior space. Furnished with low tables and sun loungers, it is entirely screened from the gaze of guests and crew. In creating the Custom Line 50, one of the challenges overcome by the designers was to strike a balance between the sociability of the guest areas and the owner’s privacy. Both saloons (on the main and upper decks) blend seamlessly with the exterior spaces, creating relational spaces that interact in total harmony. On the main deck the sequence of saloon, cockpit and beach club create a single versatile lounge that takes guests from the most sheltered interior dining area out to the sea. An infinity pool links the cockpit and beach club, which thanks to a transformer ‘drawer’ opens out the stern to the sea when the yacht is at anchor.
The guests sleeping area is on the lowest deck, with two VIP cabins and two large guest cabins of between 17 and 20 square metres and a height of over two metres, while the uppermost deck, the sundeck, a generous and versatile 106 square metre relaxation area, is laid out with games table that can be configured according to requirements, a lounge, American bar with BBQ, sun area and hydromassage pool. This deck is sheltered by an extra-large hard top designed to integrate discreetly into the superstructure.
The interior colour palette displays neutral tones – the designers have favoured natural materials in warm, relaxing hues, like leather, walnut and limestone with no added colour. The materials have also been chosen for their sensory appeal. The three-dimensional treatment of the surfaces is one of this yacht’s hallmark features, expressed especially by the ridged finish on the walnut and limestone, which creates a continuum of surfaces between the living area and day head, cabins and bathrooms. Materials performance has also been considered – for the wallcovering in the stairwell, for example, the elegant three-dimensional designs are created using hot pressure on a decorative textile layer on a soft, sound-absorbent technical backing.
The sophisticated lift linking the upper, main and lower decks is camouflaged to blend into its setting – the door, like most of the walls, is in ridged oak.
The guest/crew flows have dedicated routings, and the sun deck has two methods of access – a staircase for guests aft and a hidden staircase built into the bar unit forward for the crew. www.customline-yacht.com
A classic, timeless design with clean, elegant lines largely read horizontally. The flagship of the displacement line and the first Custom Line yacht with aluminium superstructure and hull, it is 49.90 metres long and has a 9.60-metre beam. Opening, the extraordinary beach club and infinity pool separating it from the cockpit
Warm tones and embracing shapes for the interiors and exteriors. The freestanding furniture items were custom made for this yacht. The main saloon (above) features ridged oak panels on the walls, white Calacatta marble tops for the dining and side tables and leather pouffes. Below, the external upper deck dining area. To side, a detail of the cockpit on the main deck
Exterior Design
Filippo Salvetti
The design of the Custom Line 50 is based on precise input from the yard specifying that the yacht should have extremely generous exterior spaces and large windows in the superstructure and hull. However, the strongest influence on the design was the requirement that the owner’s suite be on the upper deck. This solution can now be seen on some larger yachts 65 metres or more in length. It was a significant challenge. Moving the owner’s suite to the upper deck meant shifting the helm station to the main, or rather mezzanine, deck. To give them visibility we lowered the hull compared to how it would be on a traditional design. That was our starting point for developing the best solution and giving the yacht an essential, athletic style.
In its general lines the exterior design invites a horizontal reading of the volumes, a characteristic of the range and a feature that helps maintain an uncluttered style. The helm station’s location on the mezzanine inevitably means inserting some breaks, so we used shutters to help recreate the horizontal reading – if you half close your eyes the upper section of the bridge seems to integrate with the last section of the upper deck. Other key elements of the project are the soft, flowing surfaces, interrupted by some decisive signs. For example, we had to cut them off at the level of the owner’s suite to create a frame and highlight this location. From the point of view of design, the aluminium build
The exteriors comprise 324 square metres of liveable space, creating large terraces looking out over the sea. There are two pools on board, one on the main deck and the other on the sun deck. The highest deck (opposite page) has a series of freestanding elements that lend versatility to the space. It is sheltered by an extra-large hard top
restricted us in some ways. With fibre glass you’re free to create the shapes you want, but here we identified and used a series of shapes, of rays. It was very interesting to become involved with all this, and observing the skills displayed by the Custom Line workforce in creating and shaping the surfaces.
I love the sundeck. The huge t-top presented a challenge for the yard. It shelters around three quarters of the area, making this large space extremely liveable. At the centre the rather high sides and t-top create a protected space that opens to the sea forward and aft.
The lower deck (photo, bottom left and opposite page) hosts four guest cabins. Oak and leather finishes contrast with the light, bright wallpaper. The leather bed heads with visible stitching and pockets are particularly attractive. Note the stair rail with interwoven, tennis racquet-style leather covering. Above, the upper deck sky lounge with large openings onto the exterior.
Interior Design Patricia Viel, AD
Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel
In the context of Yacht Design we pay a lot of attention to the yacht’s surroundings, the sea and natural light. Inspired by an intense passion for the sea, through a pragmatic, measured approach, we work to enhance the sailing experience. We’re not trying to design floating luxury apartments – we think of yachts as a habitation solution where the context is the sea. Our yachts are examples of naval architecture designed for a life that harmonises with the sea. The intrinsic elements of the yacht, its objective physical characteristics and the perceptual and subjective aspects play a key role in the naval design. The classic, “nautical” curved lines of the furniture, customised furnishings, the window shapes and the frames of the interior doors, the soft edges of the spaces together with the skilful use of solid teak and exceptional cabinetry details embody nautical traditions that are interpreted in a contemporary style.
The distinctive recurring characteristic of this interior design project is the full-height windows. Combined with the mirrored surfaces, used to mask the structures and the yacht’s opaque sections, they create visibly permeable spaces that dialogue with the surroundings. The main deck living area, a light-filled glass box whose angles aft are soft and rounded, is entirely transparent, with a graceful absence of solidity. The solution involving lightening the shell around the interior spaces inevitably meant concentrating on the material in the more internal spaces, where there is less natural light. This focus on materials translates into the creation of refined details, warm, tactile surfaces like Crema d’Orcia stone and skilful configuration of the distributive spaces. The details are specially designed for every project, as are the surface treatments like the fluted walnut for the panelling, the tiled texture of the bathroom stonework and the handles.
The owner’s suite, a comfortable, private space, is one of the yacht’s dominant features. Located on the upper deck, it is designed as a generous 75 square metre open space. The bed with a freestanding leather bed head is in the centre, facing the private terrace
The Shipyard Representative
Giordano Pellacani, Chief Sales Officer Custom Business
Equipped with two 1081 kW CAT engines, the Custom Line 50 can reach 46 knots. At its economical cruising speed of 10 knots it has a range of 4,500 miles. The yacht features an SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) system, which provides a 70% reduction in NOX and is IMO Tier III certified
The Custom Line 50 is a unique craft, an exclusive product with features normally only found on larger yachts, like the full-beam owner’s cabin on the upper deck with panoramic view and private balcony.
Its concept is based on the creation of a versatile, innovative yacht with a focus on spaces and functionality, designed to fulfil the requirements of a knowledgeable, sophisticated clientele – often families that spend long periods on board. This yacht combines comfort, personalisable design and technical solutions that provide a unique experience, like the shallow draught enabling the yacht to sail in waters like those around the Bahamas and space distribution that takes full advantage of all available volumes. It’s the first aluminium build from Custom Line, a choice driven by a desire to provide greater design and functional flexibility. Using aluminium means the yacht is lighter than it would be if built in fibreglass, leading to a shallower draught and enabling us to integrate advanced solutions like the full-beam owner’s cabin. Even though aluminium is costlier to work, the yard was able to draw on the experience of the Super Yacht Yard in Ancona, which specialises in this type of build, overcoming the technical and production challenges.
As well as introducing a deck that is entirely dedicated to the owner, a feature normally reserved for yachts over 60 metres in length, another distinctive element of the Custom Line 50 is the interconnection of the spaces. This is clear in the guest areas, especially the main and upper deck saloons, and it is emphasised by the extensive use of mirrored surfaces combined with the large curved windows designed especially for this yacht. The flowing continuity between the open-air spaces on the Custom Line 50 is best seen in the innovative two-level beach club. And the beach club is one of my favourite areas, nothing less than a seaside beach. The spectacular infinity pool’s large glass panel creates a visual continuity between the sea and the pool itself.
