Lily Unbound

Reshaping the parameters of yacht design has become something of a signature for Vripack, the Dutch studio behind global explorers, sustainable sailing yachts and the world’s boldest sportfishers. So, when Oceanco — the shipyard responsible for genre-defying builds like the Black Pearl and H3 — invited Vripack to co-create its second Beyond Custom concept, the pairing made instant sense.

The result, unveiled at this year’s Dubai International Boat Show, is Lily, a 101-metre vessel that doesn’t so much push the boundaries of yacht design as erase them.

A New Approach to Superyacht Design

“The key requirement from Oceanco was to conceive a yacht for the change makers who want to leave a mark,” says Vripack co-creative director Marnix Hoekstra. “Lily neatly straddles the line between blue-sky thinking and buildability, which is exactly what Beyond Custom is all about.”

The concept takes its name and its philosophy from the water lily, a flower that rises from beneath the surface and has long symbolised purity, resurrection and enlightenment. Viewed from astern, Lily‘s exterior wraps around the yacht like protective, curving leaves.

Forward, an asymmetrical bow carries a walkway to starboard and a helicopter landing pad to port, with tender and helicopter storage tucked beneath. The vessel also boasts a hull unlike any other on the water, one whose steel construction and aluminium superstructure echo the unbroken lines of a sailing yacht rather than the stacked decks of a traditional motoryacht.

Lines Inspired by the Lily

That sense of a single, sculptural form is deliberate. Lily dispenses with sidewalks and open terraces in favour of a smooth, seemingly impenetrable exterior. The look is deceptive, given that one-way glazing flanks the profile, keeping guests visually connected to the ocean without compromising the hull’s clean geometry.

“Being protected from the sun and keeping cool in the shade sits high on the wish list for a lot of younger owners, so we’ve ensured Lily‘s design allows for more sun shelter than is typically found aboard a yacht,” explains Hoekstra.

Layers That Flow

Inside, the water lily metaphor becomes structural. Vripack’s designers have layered folding, overlapping decks that appear disconnected from one another, much like the closing petals of the flower, generating an interior of shifting light and shadow rather than uniform, symmetrical rooms.

“We were struck by how a lily’s petals overlap one another and only touch at the centre of the flower,” says Hoekstra. “We’ve echoed that structure transversely by layering the decks to create split-level platforms and one-and-a-half deck heights.”

Guests board via the main “leisure deck”, entering beneath a four-metre-high ceiling into a wellness area anchored by an integrated waterside pool, gym and watersports gallery — all overlooked by an aft deck lounge and terrace on the level above, with a generous bar and dining area set forward. Extensive glazing and split levels dissolve the usual barriers between spaces, and as guests move deeper into the yacht, the half-decks converge at a glass mezzanine and stairway leading to nine 50-square-metre double guest cabins, an open-plan cinema, and a children’s play nest reached via a suspension bridge.

The staggered layout gifts every space its own sightline, an effect reinforced by the presence of a virtual bridge in place of a conventional wheelhouse.

The top deck belongs entirely to the owner, whose 450-square-metre split-level quarters position the bedroom, ensuite and wardrobe half a deck below the living area for maximum privacy. A 315-square-metre private terrace completes the apartment, along with an interior lily pond, open to the elements, from which the elevator emerges. It is here, too, that Lily‘s natural ventilation begins, drawing air down from the sky through the unstructured geometry of the interior — a design choice that, as in nature, allows acoustics and airflow to largely take care of themselves.

Forward amidships, crew quarters are laid out for maximum functionality, with discreet access routes running below the main deck so service continues uninterrupted and out of sight.

Powered for the Future

Lily‘s ambitions extend well beyond aesthetics. The concept is built on Lateral Naval Architects‘ Energy Transition Platform, representing an evolution of that system toward a phased transition to 100 percent methanol fuel. Power comes from a combination of methanol-reforming fuel cells, which run entirely on green methanol to meet the yacht’s hotel load, and high-power-density dual-fuel engines capable of running on diesel, HVO or methanol for propulsion and battery charging.

“With the ability to switch between diesel and methanol, Lily can operate anywhere in the world without concerns over fuel logistics or supply uncertainties,” says Simon Brealey, chief mechanical engineer at Lateral. “This flexibility also enables reduced emissions when green methanol is available, and the yacht’s intelligent tank design and high efficiency allow for a transatlantic range on methanol, HVO or diesel.”

Propulsion Inspired by Nature

Propulsion itself takes an equally unconventional route, courtesy of the ABB Dynafin, a cycloidal system with individually controlled blades that mimic the thrusting motion of whale and dolphin tails. Beyond the efficiency gains, the system’s near-instant thrust redirection sharpens manoeuvrability, while its low rotational speed minimises cavitation, noise and vibration. With fewer moving parts than a conventional propulsion train, it also promises simpler maintenance.

With accommodation for 33 crew and 18 guests across her split-level decks, Lily is as much a feat of operational engineering as it is of imagination. But for Hoekstra, the concept’s real achievement lies in what it represents for Oceanco’s Beyond Custom programme.

“For Oceanco, Beyond Custom is about conceiving the type of project that doesn’t come out of any other shipyard, and Lily is a concept that steps beyond our industry standards,” he says. “It’s a boundaryless onboard experience, like the ocean itself, providing pure freedom within the whole concept. It reflects our belief that it’s in the uniqueness of an idea where the true value for the future owner lies.”

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