The newly unveiled Decadence catamaran dazzles with a design that looks like a giant retro car.
British designer Andy Wo drew inspiration from early 20th-century American cars, particularly the Auburn Boattail Speedster. He says the vessel is meant to “embody the spirit of the 1920s,” an era of major advances in automotive and aviation design.
How the Decadence catamaran is built
The designer says Decadence will have four giant tear-shaped sponsons that echo car wheels. From these, the crew can deploy enormous inflatable sails to boost performance and cut energy use by about 30%.
The catamaran would be 80 meters long, 30 meters wide, and weigh about 5,000 tons. Stability comes from submerged cylindrical hulls. According to the designer, those hulls could reduce pitch and roll by roughly 70% compared with a conventional monohull.
Crew areas and technical equipment can be located in the sponsons (projections extending from the sides of the vessel for protection, stability, or storage) and in the underwater hulls. The latter makes Decadence similar to a “small twin-hulled hydroplane,” giving the catamaran more space for guest functions.
The designer, who created the concept, says the layout opens up new possibilities for creative interior planning. For example, the owner’s cabin could be 20 meters wide and 30 meters long, with a ceiling height of 3 meters.
As the Daily Mail noted, the design includes space for two 14-meter tenders from Skyline Yacht (flat-bottomed motorboats with a shallow draft). One bay would have an open deck; the other would have a fully enclosed cabin. The designer says the tenders could “be used as luxurious shuttles to shore with increased capacity and comfort.”
In search of a buyer
This one-of-a-kind vessel won’t be cheap. Preliminary estimates put construction costs between 250 and 350 million euros, or 376 million dollars.
Right now the design is just a concept. The designer says construction could begin once a buyer with the necessary budget appears, and he estimates the project would take three to four years to complete.
Andy Wo completed a prestigious course in transport design at Coventry University. He previously worked at the London firm H2 Yacht Design. His first major project was the award-winning superyacht Meya Meya. The designer also worked on vessels nearly 122 meters long.
The designer now has his own company and is working on an order for a new vessel for an American tech billionaire at Dorries Yachts in Bremen, Germany. With significant experience in luxury yacht design and construction, he is capable of bringing Decadence to life. The remaining challenge is finding a wealthy buyer who wants to own this remarkable catamaran.
