whether you’re talking about the Evo Yachts 43, Aston
Martin AM37 or one of the many larger yachts incorporating
foldout balconies and shape-shifting cockpits, many yachts in
this age expand and contort at the press of a button. And while
custom yachts have had the budget and technology to add these
features for some time, semicustom and midrange production
yachts are now taking the concept to a new level. The Wider 150,
for example, has not only transformable balconies and beaches
but also an elevating foredeck that becomes the hardtop over a
previously hidden lounge. ¶ One of the early versions of a more
modest-size shape-shifter was the 2012 Sealine C48. When intro-
duced, it off ered a sliding hardtop over the cabin, a sliding soft top
over the cockpit, electrically actuated cockpit settees that shifted
into multiple positions, a swing-down hydraulic swim platform
and more (including, of course, the prerequisite pop-up TV). Yet
that boat’s actual structure didn’t change, nor for the most part did its functionality. It transformed but didn’t quite earn true
transformer status. ¶ The Evo 43, introduced last year, however, certainly did achieve that status. A platform that begins as a svelte
performance boat cruising at 30 knots (and hitting 38 knots at wide-open throttle) becomes a completely diff erent creature at
rest. At the press of a button, the vessel’s aft hull sides slide outward, with hidden deck sections folding out of the inwales in less
than 30 seconds. The section farthest aft swings up and then ex-
tends back, adding a submersible teak beach. All in all, pressing
that button increases the boat’s tanning territory by 40 percent.
¶ And owners don’t even have to press the button. Thanks to the
integration of smartphones into just about everything on the
planet, it was fairly simple for Evo Yachts to create the popular
“app for that.” As if the features weren’t cool enough already, all
of the shifting, transforming pieces and parts can be controlled
from an iPhone. ¶ The Aston Martin AM37 is another example of a
sporty machine in this size range that rapidly changes its attitude.
Designed as a day-cruiser infused with the look and DNA of Aston
Martin’s sports cars, and with a 50-knot top-end performance
to match, the AM37 has a carbon-fi ber hardtop over the cockpit.
Futuristic FlashFuturistic Flash
Some of today’s concept
yachts take transformation
to an even greater level.
Russian architect
and designer Vasily Klyukin
has drawn a yacht with a
top deck that becomes an
airplane capable of
vertical take-off , one of the
most ambitious ideas
we’ve ever run across.
52 YACHTING JANUARY 2018