How a bespoke CRN megaycht is born

Founded in Ancona in 1963, CRN is the historic shipyard and Ferretti Group brand specialising in designing and building fully custom yachts of up to 95 metres. CRN has always been strongly owner-oriented, making unique works in aluminium or steel and aluminium that spring from a fusion of ideas, know-how and diverse skillsets. Where the uniting drive is a resolve to bring the Owner’s desires to life.

Each one-off yacht is made to measure at the Ancona yard. Spanning more than 80,000 sqm, this is one of the largest and most advanced shipbuilding facilities anywhere in Europe. The in-house team of project managers, engineers, project architects, technicians and craftspeople give the client their passionate support, transforming the genesis of a yacht into a stirring journey in a harmonious blend of creativity, expertise and technical mastery.

 

 

From dream to design

The voyage begins with a blank sheet of paper, the first step in capturing the client’s vision. This evolutionary process of careful listening and in-depth discussion involves the internal project team and a select group of world-renowned architects and designers with whom CRN has been collaborating for many years, plus of course the Owner and his people.

A continual exploration of how the client wishes to experience their pleasure boat and enjoy their time on board shapes and informs a concept and various proposals, leading to an initial general arrangements plan. This forms the springboard for the next stage: refining the project in ever-greater detail, inch by inch, as it gradually comes to life. This can last from a few months to over a year, by when all the elements will be in perfect harmony: the layout, the hull, the bow and stern, the length, beam and draft, the performance, the features of each deck such as the volumes of each space, the design of the beach club, cinema, wellness area, tender bay and gym.

The continual quest to realise the Owner’s every desire brooks no compromise. Every vessel becomes a opportunity for the Owner to dream up state-of-the-art design solutions and a host of functional and aesthetic innovations.

 

The voyage begins with a blank sheet of paper, the first step in capturing the client’s vision.

 

Down to the finest detail

With the defining traits of the yacht’s unique personality all pinned down, the team embarks on the various stages of the detailed design. The structural side, electrical systems and utilities - in one word engineering - are entrusted to the Technical Office engineers, while the project architects create and develop the interiors.

The combined contribution of these consummate professionals who are part of the yacht project management team, is what makes the creation of a bespoke megayacht possible. A central figure in the endeavour is the Project Manager. Like a musical conductor, they orchestrate all the players in the yard, fostering dialogue and ensuring agile progress, supreme quality and timely delivery while liaising with the Owner and their representative and surveyor.

 

 

Driven by the client’s vision of the scale of their voyages and the space they need inside and out – private, social and for guests – the volumes in each setting are individually mapped out. The Owner’s creativity comes fully into play, as the team integrates the design seamlessly with all the technical and structural requirements. Various renderings are produced along with mood boards (panels with a patchwork of fully custom sample materials) for the client to see the patterns and touch the textures.

The design process continues at a finer level of detail with the development of the architectural design. This comprises a set of 1:20 scale drawings to flesh out the concepts for all the rooms and the main materials used.

From the styles to the colours and the materials to the finishes, everything can be personalised. The Owner’s wife now has a pivotal contribution to make. With her discerning eye and up-to-the-minute knowledge of the latest design trends, she is instrumental in choosing the mood. In a continual dialogue to get a feel for her personal style, the Project Architect suggests the most aesthetically fitting solutions and selects the best suppliers to create them. The expertise of Italian master artisans is favoured wherever possible; they can create tailor-made products and solutions and oversee progress from concept to completion and any subsequent refits.

The Owner gets an intimate picture of the essence of their yacht, with 1:10 scale shop drawings revealing the subtlest details with views and sections of every space and special 1:1 mock-ups of individual portions.

 

 

 

The project takes shape: the stages of construction

At this point in the journey, the design – honed and tailored to the client’s personality – is now ready to meet reality, as the production work is planned out to perfection. Once the hull has been built, having arrived in the yard in pre-assembled blocks, the yacht’s lines and unmistakable shapes begin to emerge. Now the artisans’ expert hands get to work on the carpentry, the fitting-out and the on-board systems and installations.While the external hull is primed and painted in a meticulous process that takes months to perfect the result, the carpenters come in to subdivide and construct the on-board spaces.

CRN is proud to have an in-house carpentry with over 110 years of history behind it and more than half a century of shipbuilding know-how. These master craftspeople are a specialist all-Italian resource supporting the yard in every aspect of naval construction. Their contribution brings a superlative level of minutely detailed customisation with exquisite flexibility, enabling all the client’s requested modifications to be made as work progresses.

The numerous production stages proceed in parallel and in staggered fashion in the various sections of the hull through a process of perfect symbiosis, like instruments in a symphony orchestra building to a crescendo – the completion of the piece.

Naturally, the Owner follows this stage of the project closely too, giving their input in ongoing visits to the yard and on board as work progresses.

 

 

The culmination of a journey: the idea is now reality

The final leg of this riveting voyage, before the yacht is delivered for her Owner to enjoy, is the launch and the various stages of testing. In the months after her christening, the yacht is subjected to a searching battery of tests where the yard is joined by external technicians to verify and certify that every installation and every detail meets the exacting standards of excellence that have always been CRN’s hallmark.

At the same time, the pleasure vessel is further embellished, as the free-standing furnishings are fitted for a crowning touch of warmth to bring out the personality of each space to the full.

The journey that began with an idea and a blank sheet is now complete. The client has completed the metamorphosis from being simply the owner to becoming the true author of their opus. For what they imagined has come to fruition in a unique, exclusive masterpiece of unmistakable style.

 

 

Text: CRN ± Photo: CRN