At a time when the yachting industry is going through a difficult time, boat manufacturers are climbing out of the way to attract potential customers. "His Majesty the Buyer" comes out in the first place, so now the future is for those who can fully customize their offerings to the customer's wishes. This has hardly been possible before, especially in the small boat sector.
A young British company called Art of Kinetik sees its competitive advantage precisely in its ability to create fully customized vessels, as measured by sewn together to meet the most stringent customer requirements. Finishing materials, height or number of cabins, length, width, speed or any other key feature of the boat - Art of Kinetik promises to fulfill any requirement as long as the customer finally gets exactly what he dreams of.
The emphasis is on a combination of traditional and ultra-modern shipbuilding technologies. The hulls are made in Germany and Serbia from selected African mahogany, using epoxy resins, Kevlar and carbon fibre. Selection of materials and technologies gives the designers of the company almost complete freedom in choosing the contours of the future ship.
This freedom can be clearly seen in the design. Hedonistthe first yacht from Art of Kinetik. The ultra-modern lines, the exotic inverse tilt stem, the perfect aesthetic detailing and the excellent performance of the sailors make a great impression. Although Hedonist is one of the first boats to descend from the slipway of the new firm, it looks least of all like a hastily made, hastily thrown on the market prototype. Each detail is skillfully made and carefully processed. As there were no such projects before, the majority of things and deck fittings had to be made of stainless steel by hand, by the company's own workshop. The hand-finished steel surfaces look flawless and very expensive, giving Hedonist a special aura not found on production boats.
The first thing that amazes you when you look at Hedonist is the attention to detail and harmony of form, which is particularly striking in a boat of such an avant-garde design. The hull of the yacht - 19 meters of solid mahogany from the bow to the stern - looks like a painting painted by the artist right on the water surface. The lively warmth of the wooden hull contrasts favourably with carbon fiber hardtop and solid windshield, while the polished steel anchor in the bow looks like a designer jewelry against a dark hull background.
The cockpit is covered with a glass roof from above and is fully air conditioned despite the absence of doors at the rear. A huge aft sofa hides underneath a tender garage, which is made of the same mahogany wood in the form of a reduced copy of «Hedonist» and descends to the water with a built-in crane. There is also a large bathing platform aft, and at the bow of the boat there is a large and unexpectedly secluded teak deck hidden behind the bulwarks.
However beautiful the appearance of the new yacht is, the main surprises are still waiting inside. The interior is entirely designed and built in Germany with stunning quality and attention to detail. Despite her impeccably minimalist style, she does not look cold or hostile. This may be due to the natural stone floor, the sunlight that fills the interior through the glass roof or the special atmosphere created by a fully programmable interior lighting system.
The large living area below deck is organized as a city studio apartment for a modern couple: «living»room, «bedroom» with a large bed, spacious shower and galley with washing machine and dishwasher. Aft is the captain's cabin which can easily be converted into a guest room.
Three powerful MAN diesel engines with Rolls Royce KaMeWa water jets are responsible for speed and fun in the water. The maximum speed with them reaches 40 knots, and in cruising mode the boat goes quietly at 33 knots. The lightness and stability with which the «Hedonist» flies on waves show that its creators did not limit themselves to external beauty. Believe me - this unique boat runs as well as it looks.
Published in YACHTS magazine #35.
