Maximizing interior space is now a priority for yachtbuilders. Hatteras has supersized the salon of its new 70 Motor Yacht, designing a 9-foot-tall atrium with skylights that bathe the interior in natural light. The high ceilings and lack of transverse bulkheads make the 450-square-foot open space look more like a loft than the salon of a 70-footer.
David Brown, Hatteras Yachts’ director of product design, said construction elements from the Hatteras 100 Raised Pilothouse Motor Yacht helped create the 70’s interior. “Incorporating the exterior styling gave us the interior space for the large atrium,” he says.
Leaving out the lower helm station allowed lounges and glass tables to be positioned forward, freeing up aft space for the galley. It proved to be an engineering feat. “We had to rethink the entire forward structure,” says Brown. “We reinforced the area with multiple layers of carbon fiber. But the new laminate design allowed us to keep the very open feel.
LOWER-HELM OPTION
Eliminating the main-deck helm for extra space might work for some owners, but Hatteras realized others want a lower helm. So the builder designed one with the atrium.
“There is still an abundance of natural light, so the open feel from our standard arrangement is only slightly altered,” says Cullen Moser, Hatteras’ interior designer. “The lower-helm option retains the same design cues with materials like wood, glass and polished stainless steel, so the area flows nicely with the rest of the yacht.”
This 70’s wide-open main deck, with no bulkheads or helm station, could prompt a new design trend in flybridge motoryachts.
