Unveiling the Ultimate Charter Yacht Concept with Nicolas Fry

Interview with yacht broker Nicolas Fry, Hill Robinson Yacht Management, about his ultimate charter yacht concept at the Monaco Yacht Show 2024

At the 2024 Monaco Yacht Show, Onno Ebbens, Chief Marketing Officer at YATCO, sat down with Nicolas Fry, Head of Charter Management at Hill Robinson Yacht Management to discuss the ultimate charter yacht concept. Teaming up with Dölker + Voges, Nicolas created the ultimate charter yacht concept. Let’s explore the concept now.

Watch the video ‘Unveiling the Ultimate Charter Yacht Concept’ on YouTube.

Video Transcription:

Welcome Back to AMARYLLIS with Nicolas

“Hi guys! We’re back again and you might be wondering why we are still sitting on AMARYLLIS with Nicolas. You might have watched the previous video where we talked about the role of the central agents. It’s because Nicolas just told me about this amazing charter yacht concept project that he’s running, and I just needed to shoot a video on that.”

Exploring the Idea of the Perfect Charter Yacht

“Nicolas, can explain that you basically went looking for what the perfect charter yacht would be? You sent a questionnaire and a survey out to brokers, owners, etc. to find out what the perfect charter yacht would include. Correct?” 

“That’s correct.” 

“Why did you do that?”

Why Did Nicolas Create the Concept of the Perfect Charter Yacht?

“I always thought that all these yachts that we represent are made for one owner. Then this owner might decide whether they want to charter it out or not. While there are always some good things about the yacht, it’s never the perfect charter yacht. So, I wanted to create a brief so that we could build and potentially sell the perfect charter yacht to clients.”

Collaborating with Top Designers to Build the Perfect Yacht

“So, you actually have a design of the perfect charter yacht, correct?” 

“Yes, we collaborated with a design studio called Dölker + Voges in Germany and they came up with a very nice design of the perfect charter yacht.”

How to See the Perfect Charter Yacht Design

“So, if any of you are interested in seeing that design or seeing all the results of the survey, please contact Nicolas for full details. I’m going to ask him if he can give me a few of the top things discovered in this survey.

Top 5 Key Features of the Perfect Charter Yacht

1. Ideal Size for a Charter Yacht

“What has to be on the perfect charter yacht?” 

“So, first the size. Yes, after the survey, it was clear that the best size for such a yacht would be between 50 to 60 meters (164’ – 197’), so we decided to go for a 60-meter motor yacht.” 

“A 60-meter motor yacht, that’s one.”

2. Built at a Reputable Shipyard with Expert Design

“Second, it needs to be built in a reputable shipyard. With a very good designer, because the reputation of the yacht is quite important as well as the way that it is built.” 

“That’s interesting that people think about that. That they want to be on a reputable vessel. That’s two.”

3. Flexible and Family-Friendly Cabin Configuration

“Third would be the cabin configuration. So, if it’s for 12 guests, we have six cabins, plus a nanny cabin. So, it’s seven cabins. But those six cabins, they come two-by-two and either you can open the partition between two cabins to make a large suite or you keep them closed in two different cabins, or you can just open the door and you have the adults in one cabin and the children in the next one. Also, all these cabins can be converted between doubles and twins.” 

“So, you want flexibility in the cabin configuration.” 

“Flexibility for sure. And not an owner cabin on the upper deck and all the other cabins below the deck.” 

“No, so you basically want to be grouped. That’s what you found out in your research? Yes. Number four.”

4. A Galley and Culinary Experience Like No Other

“Number four, it’s related to the to the galley. The galley is on the main deck and next to the galley we have opened what we call the galley bar. That allows clients to see and look at the chef cooking or having a glass of wine while he’s preparing something to eat and to connect more with the chef. To be as close to the galley as possible.” 

“Okay so that is pretty amazing.” 

“The food experience is very important on the charter boat. That’s one thing. Another thing would be we have also a summer galley on the sundeck with the possibility to grill, to do teppanyaki and the possibility of the chef to do a cooking show upstairs as well on the sundeck.” 

“So, food is key on number four. Let’s do one more. Number five. If anyone wants to know more about the ‘Perfect Charter Yacht’, you’ll have to contact Nicolas.”

5. Beach Club and Wellness Amenities for Total Relaxation

“So, last but not least, the beach club. You go down a few stairs and you get to a big pool which is shallow at one end and at the other, a jacuzzi. So, in fact you don’t have a Jacuzzi somewhere, it’s all together. Then you go down the stairs, you have some flaps coming down on the swim platform and you access the beach club. Inside the beach club you have a gym. You have a sauna, and you can also have a wet area and a bar. So, it’s all connected together and very close to the water.”

The Future of Yacht Design: Profitability-Driven Models

“So, for the ones who saw the last video, Nicolas basically went from running his father’s 25m (82’) sailing yacht, he’s now developing the charter yacht of the future. That’s a good story, isn’t it? If you’re a broker and you want to know more about this or if you feel like hey, this is something that I would like to be evolved in…”

Building a Yacht with Profitability in Mind

“One more thing.” 

“One more thing, here we go.” 

“Which is quite important. Is this boat has been designed and will be built with profitability in mind. The idea is to make money with your yacht while chartering it.” 

“And trust me there’s not a lot of vessels that are profitable in the charter industry and maybe this is the one and I guess you’re looking for people that want to buy a vessel like this or build a vessel like this?” 

“Right, exactly. The idea would be to project manage the build of these vessels in a very nice shipyard in northern Europe or Italy.”

What’s Next for the Perfect Charter Yacht?

It is now September 2024, at the Monaco Yacht Show. Let’s see in a few years’ time if we’ll be on this perfect charter vessel at another Monaco Yacht Show. That would be the best story ever, wouldn’t it?!” 

 “Yes, perfect that would be great!” 

 “Thank you again Nicolas. I really wanted to tell you the story guys.” 

Please contact Nicolas for more information on the design of the perfect charter yacht. 

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