OKEAN Yachts, The Future Of Design
November 1, 2017 was a momentous day in the yachting industry. The opening of the 58th Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show will be forever known as the debut of the OKEAN Yachts 50 Flybridge Motor Yacht, sending shockwaves around the world and stopping boat show attendees in their tracks.
The international collaboration that is OKEAN Yachts — Brazilian builder, Italian designer, American distributor — has taken the yacht industry by storm. Innovative design breakthroughs, particularly the “Open Up Your World” concept, are indicative of addressing the changing tastes of consumers and are helping usher in the next generation of yacht owners.
OKEAN Yachts 50' Flybridge Motor Yacht
ITALIAN DESIGN, BRAZILIAN FLAIR
Brazilian software entrepreneur, motor yacht lover, and OKEAN owner Nercio Fernandes became quite familiar with Italian yachting during his travels and formed several relationships with leaders in the Italian yachting community.
The connection was perhaps predestined. Despite a distance of nearly 6,000 miles between them, Brazil and Italy have a lengthy history together, centered around Italian immigration to the South American country. Approximately 15% (31 million) of Brazil’s population claim to have Italian ancestry, with São Paulo boasting the world’s largest population of Italians outside Italy.
To build his revolutionary yachts, Nercio needed someone who shared his passion and vision. He knew of famed Milanese designer Paolo Ferragni’s work with several Italian yards and met Paolo through his sister, Karla, in the mid 2010s shortly before she passed away. (Karla’s impact on the brand will endure, however. OKEAN is a play off the word ‘ocean’ but with a ‘k' in it as a tribute to her.)
Paolo Ferragni standing in front of a model of the OKEAN Yachts 80' Motor Yacht
Nercio asked him to join forces on a new project and the tectonic shift in the motor yacht landscape started.
Paolo’s portfolio includes models for Baia Yachts, Aguz Marine, and Cayman Yachts, several custom and concept yachts, and collaboration with major shipyards and design studios. He was charged with infusing contemporary Italian styling with the open-air lifestyle that’s favored in Brazil.
His canvas? A massive boatyard facility with more than 66,500 square feet of interior space just east of Sa~o Paulo. There he began conceptualizing the innovative vessel that would break molds and defy classification. The dual-mode hull, massive windows encircling the salon, and most impressive feature – the centerpiece of their “Open Up Your World” design – the port and starboard bulwarks that fold out, increasing deck space up to 100% on some models.
The future is now.
NEXT GENERATION OF YACHTING
OKEAN’s groundbreaking designs have created new markets in the yachting industry, with other OEMs re-tooling their manufacturing just to keep up with OKEAN’s innovations.
OKEAN’s “Open Up Your World” signature design also addressed the changing ways owners are using their yachts, filling a need in the market. Families like to entertain and have more livable space when they are at their destination, whether at anchor or the marina. For this, they created the side coaming that opens up hydraulically and turns into balconies that are flush with the boat deck. Depending on the OKEAN model, deck space is increased anywhere from 80% to 100%.
En route to their idyllic hideaway, Nercio knows these families want to get there as comfortably and easily as possible.
OKEAN Yachts new 50X's spacious aft deck
“Beyond its design that broke paradigms, such as the side decks and the vertical bow, which sustain and amplify its identity, in many aspects OKEAN innovates in the most aspects of the cruise experience. The proposal is to provide a different experience on navigation, attaining that feeling of ‘navigation’ not ‘navigate to get somewhere’. The OKEAN Dual Mode Hulls, the space, the silence, the smooth cruise, and the view of the sea amplify the comfort of navigation.”
“It’s like a villa on the sea,” Nercio said in this PMY article.
Learn more about these innovative OKEAN Yachts including the OKEAN Yachts 50 X which will premiere at the 60th Annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. Contact us today, at 561-961-8600, to view, sea trial, or get on the waitlist.
