on 18 Sep 2019
The transformable 18m walk-around retains the brand's distinguishingly unique "Xtension" side walls
The Evo R6, Evo Yachts’ surprising and innovative 18-metre walk-around, made its debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival, one of Europe’s leading boating events.
(Image: Evo Yachts)
Evo R6 (17.71 metres in length) is designed with creative flair by Valerio Rivellini and built by Evo Yachts, an Italian shipyard based in Naples owned by the Mercuri brothers. It retains the extending side walls that are are a distinguishing feature of the Evo brand.
The boat, which was available for test drives during the Festival, has various distinctive features like its “transformability”, high-level technology, and attractive, functional design. The remarkably clean aesthetic of the exterior lines is matched by spacious interiors.
(Image: Evo Yachts)
The goal of this new model is to achieve a perfect balance between the outdoor areas typical of a walk-around and the interiors worthy of a cabin cruiser.
In the stern is the modular “Transformer” unit integrated in the swim platform, which can be used for boarding and disembarking, as a sea ladder or diving board and, finally, to make it easier to launch and haul up a tender or jet ski. The beach lounge has a huge central sunpad island, with space underneath for a tender, while two lockers provide storage for life rafts, water toys or seabobs.
(Image: Evo Yachts)
Most significantly, the revolutionary signature feature of Evo Yachts can be found at the touch of a digital switch. The “XTension” side walls quickly open out, increasing the space available by 40 per cent and converting the beach lounge into a huge, exclusive seafront beach area. While this appealing innovation is a feature of all Evo Yachts models, it is more pronounced on the R6 because of its length, making it unique on the global market.
A major focus during this yacht’s design process on versatility and creating a convivial atmosphere. And in fact, while the deck of the new R6 invites the owner and guests to spend as much time as possible in the open air, a real surprise comes when exploring the interiors, which are entered down a backlit steel staircase with suspended Plexiglass surfaces. Featuring noble materials like teak, crystal glass, leather and fine fabrics, the settings can be personalised and include a dinette, a kitchen, a VIP cabin in the bow and an owner’s suite in the stern. A layout with three cabins and two bathrooms is also available.
The hull, with a 16° deadrise angle, is designed by Studio Tecnico Rivellini based on preliminary CFD studies. Powered by Volvo Penta IPS units, the yacht offers a choice between IPS 800 (625 hp) and IPS 950 (725 hp), driving the most powerful version of Evo R6 to a remarkable top speed of 36 knots and a cruising speed of about 28 knots.