Italian design house Nuvolari Lenard knows a thing or two about superyachts. Over the past 30 years, Carlo Nuvolari and Dan Lenard have had a hand in creating hundreds of yachting masterpieces, including some of the largest and most iconic yachts in the world.
With that extraordinary depth of design experience come other factors – in particular, understanding how to work with clients and interpret their needs in designing the yacht of their dreams, and understanding how shipyards work and how important the delivery time is to ensure a perfect client journey from yacht concept to actively cruising.
The Nuvolari Lenard team has combined these three elements in its new range of yachts developed in conjunction with renowned shipyard and yacht builder Mengi Yay and brokerage partner Camper & Nicholsons . Sitting in the prime slot of the range is the 52-metre NL 50 Plus – a striking, organically sinuous yacht that falls just under the 500GT regulatory boundary at 499GT, but which offers incredible amenities, exceptional deck spaces, customizable interiors and a reduced build time. The NL 50 Plus is the pinnacle of timeless design matched to timely delivery.
“Our experience and the partnership with Mengi Yay and Camper & Nicholsons will be hugely beneficial,” says naval engineer Carlo Nuvolari, Co-founder of the Nuvolari Lenard studio. “We have all the Nuvolari Lenard Plus Capsule engineered and there is an NL 50 Plus in the shipyard, so the building process is underway and it is not just a drawing. Working with C&N means we can also draw on their experience to make the communication, coordination and control of the projects much easier.”
Timeless design
With a highly efficient hull designed by Dutch naval architects Van Oossanen, who also handled the structural design, the NL 50 Plus starts from a solid platform that will ensure low fuel consumption and low noise on board. To this, Nuvolari Lenard has drawn an exquisite profile packed with must-have and want-to-have features garnered from three decades of realising what owners want and understanding how they use their yachts.
“Many elements of the interior and exterior design were based on our experiences and delivered yachts,” says Dan Lenard, designer and co-founder of Nuvolari Lenard. “The interior flow with separation of crew and guests is a milestone in all our designs and it is the starting point for everything else – and the fact that we spent time on yachts ourselves as well as having been in contact with so many yacht owners and families who love the sea, puts us in an unrivalled position to anticipate owner expectations.”
It’s not just about design knowledge – there’s also design flair too, evidenced in the striking profile and the interaction of hull and superstructure elements, style lines and acres of glass. “There are no ‘wrong’ angles of view,” Nuvolari enthuses. “The secret is in proportions. The yacht seen from the stern is very aggressive and looks bigger. The bow looks serious and will not lose its value because it is not extravagant, unlike some of the crazy bow shapes we see around.”
That stern area is a sensation in itself – a vast beach club and sea terrace with drop-down platform elements that extend the terrace area over the water with an integrated custom pool. The astonishing deck areas continue – the foredeck lounge doubles as an open-air cinema, and up top the NL 50 Plus features one of the largest sundecks in her category complete with custom heated spa pool and fire pit. The deck areas have all been considered around the Mediterranean lifestyle, drawing on the best in special design and exclusive shoreside beach clubs in equal measure. “The sundeck space can be enjoyed by a large group of people, and comfort is also guaranteed by the privacy that comes from a separate crew stair that links directly to the crew pantry,” says Nuvolari.
It makes for a truly inspiring superyacht package that includes enough space for a 7-metre tender, as well as a crew tender and a large variety of water toys. What’s more, the beach deck is not limited to use at anchor. “The continuity of the spaces, in particular from the beach club up to the main deck, are sublime,” says Nuvolari, “and we’ve made sure that the whole area is usable by owners and guests even when the yacht is under way.”
Inside, the features keep coming. Alongside four VIP guest cabins on the lower deck, each revelling in an abundance of space and volume, there is a 50-square-metre owner’s suite forward on the main deck that incorporates a drawer-style slide-out terrace. This allows not only for different terrace configurations but also means it can be opened and closed by the owner without needing to call for crew assistance.
“The sliding balcony has a couple of modes – when closed, it leaves a little space outside where you can hang out by opening the window door,” says Nuvolari. “It’s perfect to take the air or to enjoy the view of the sea and surroundings day or night. When you slide the balcony out, the rail moves into place automatically which means you can operate it and enjoy it in total privacy.”
Attention to detail has remained paramount while the whole interior also remains a highly customizable canvas upon which owners can paint their personalized touches, aided and driven by the savoir faire of the Nuvolari Lenard studio team. “A yacht is never a simple process but it becomes simple when what we show pleases the eye,” Nuvolari offers.
“We have variation of the interior style with multiple options for the décor,” he continues, “and we also studied and engineered in advance many of the interior and deck options – however, when potential owners see the layout we have created, I think the majority of them will find it is exactly what they like and that it exactly matches their needs. The freedom to change is always there,” he adds, “naturally, it is closely tied to the timing of the request – the earlier in the build process, the better.”
Timely delivery
The NL 50 Plus, like all the NL range, has been conceived for construction to an advantageous timeframe, ensuring quicker delivery than comparable yachts while still offering all the advantages of a custom build. It is this second element of the Nuvolari Lenard ethos that further sets the NL 50 Plus concept apart from the competition.
“It’s one of an owner’s main expectations,” says Nuvolari, “to have the yacht in a reasonable time and through an exciting process that involves them but does not cause them stress. For this reason, we took the lead by designing everything down to the smallest detail and joining forces with Mengi Yay, a shipyard with solid family traditions that is already masterfully building S1 and S2, two other 500GT yachts designed by Nuvolari Lenard.”
With pre-engineered modules and with the holistic design of the NL 50 Plus being completed to an incredible and comprehensive level of detail, owners can relax and enjoy the design and build process in anticipation of taking delivery and realising their dream superyacht. With her 52-metre length, the NL 50 Plus boasts a luxury of space that never feels crammed or crowded, while her large expanses of glass will ensure her spacious interior will have a real inside-outside feel. It’s the perfectly formed package combined with perfectly realised construction methods.
“All the design is driven by us, as designers and as users ourselves,” Nuvolari concludes. “Where and how you spend your time on board, from breakfast to late-night party, in every circumstance the yacht must grant you comfort and pleasure. For us, good design is really important and that means harmony of form and function – meaning something that is not only aesthetically beautiful but is also functional in every detail. That is NL 50 Plus.”
