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Bravada Yachts in Tolleson

What It's Really Like to Design a Luxury Yacht

The floating oases are often more involved than (on land) homes.

There are plenty of factors to think about when designing a high-end home on land—let alone one on water. Just ask luxury houseboat designer J. David Weiss, chief design officer at Bravada Yachts and founder of Designova Creative , a yacht design consulting company based in Raleigh, North Carolina. From major considerations such as scale and materials to custom elements, including playful add-ons (helipad, pool, or submarine, anyone?)—there’s a mile-long laundry list of points to take into account. So, where to start? “I try to begin by allowing whatever is bubbling up—their excitement for what the project could be,” Weiss says, “allowing my experience to check boxes and parameters as the clients gush out their dreams.” He then follows up with a tidal wave of clarifying questions. “Their answers are always helpful to hear, unearthing the heart of the project bit by bit.” Once Weiss has a good sense of what the client is looking for, he digs deeper, taking care not to get too wrapped up in all the particulars during the first stages of planning. “Trying to boil the ocean that early is a losing battle,” he explains. “All the details will emerge and evolve over time anyway.”

First and foremost, it's crucial to understand a vessel's intended use. If you ask Palm Beach-based designer Danielle Rollins , structure is key: "On a boat there is a place for everything, and everything goes in its place," she says. "Installs have to be very precise because everything is interdependent and fits together like a puzzle."

Rollins likes to start with a clear palette in mind. "Keeping things in an edited color scheme gives it an instant ship-shape look—pun intended," she enthuses.

“The key is to ensure that it is truly “human friendly,” says Weiss. First off, it must be comfortable, allowing for ease of movement between the different decks and areas. Second, it should be flexible, “with adaptable arrangements of traffic flow and furniture use.” And lastly, it has to have “intelligent proportions” between communal spaces, private spaces, and crew spaces, if it is a crewed vessel,” he notes.

Comfort is also paramount: "Whatever is in the floor needs to feel good because you don’t wear shoes on a boat," Rollins explains. "Performance materials are key—spills are a given."

Below, we picked Rollins and Weiss's brains about what goes into designing a luxury abode on water.

How long does it take to build a custom yacht?

The average custom boat (30 to 50 meters) can take anywhere from two to five months to design, plus another 18 to 24 months to build—but a vessel longer than 75 meters can take more than 48 months to engineer, craft, and deliver. “Semi-custom and production vessels can cut this time down considerably, by almost half,” Weiss reveals. “But it is rare to find any production vessels above 30 meters, which is why nearly all vessels larger than that are fully custom.”

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How does it most differ from designing a home on land?

“There are many more elements and stages with a yacht that must be decided before starting any of the interior layout or interior design,” Weiss says. For instance, the type and location of the bodies of water a client intends to visit will dictate the kinds of materials used, as well as the shape of the vessel. And any performance requirements (i.e. speed and power) will determine the amount and shape of space needed for the boat’s inner workings—from its engines and battery banks to exhaust routing, vibration countermeasures, and sound isolation. "Everything has to be very well made," Rollins insists, since "things take a real beating in the salt air."

In addition, "We have to consider significant accommodation for storage of sensitive materials, fuel storage—not just for the yacht, but also for any additional smaller boats or water toys kept in the tender garage, or helicopter kept on board—and other supplies for longer voyages,” Weiss notes.

And unlike building a regular house, floating homes need to meet all of the client’s needs and wants at once—“you can’t just add a wing if you suddenly decide to expand your guest rooms,” he says. Upon completion, the floating home “must be a unified symphony of features, engineering, beauty, structure, experiences, utilities, and textures.”

Another important point: "While it sounds comically simple, you have to envision whatever goes in has to withstand a 12-foot roll in all directions," says Rollins. "Things have to be weighted, secured, and attached. The last thing you want is a call saying the sofa flew overboard!"

What are three things every luxury houseboat should have?

Plush upholstery, luxurious flooring, and mixed lighting—so it’s not all coming from overhead—plus focal pieces of art and luxurious bedding and linens should all be standard in a luxury houseboat, Rollins says. "Visibility for clear navigation and awareness of surroundings is a must,” Weiss asserts. “That feature also usually means a lot of vista windows,” so it’s a plus for both safety and the guest experience. “Live and PTZ cameras that are easily accessible from the helm and watch any potential blind spots are crucial for proper navigation,” he adds. “At larger scales, bow thrusters and other stabilizing features—such as Seakeepers or zero-speed stabilizers—are life savers for the challenge of maneuvering these sizable creatures.”

Describe a boat you’ve designed that you’re especially proud of.

“The vessels Invictus and Upgrade are two of the new Atlas Series of 80-foot vessels I have designed with Bravada, and are examples of a truly 21st Century approach to the age old world of houseboating," Weiss exclaims.

“I also worked with Omega Architects’s NL and Frank Laupman to carve a new DNA for Heesen Yachts in the Netherlands, when we won the design quest for the 213-foot Galactica Star —the largest and most efficient yacht ever built by the storied yacht builder.” The winning vessel, he notes, was “the very first example of the legendary FDHF (fast displacement hull form) by the hull magicians Piet & Perry Van Oossanen in Holland, and was also the first collaboration between our team and Bannenberg & Rowell in the UK, direct descendant of the convention-breaking studio established by Jon Bannenberg, the “godfather” of modern yacht design.”

As for Rollins, "I’ve done several boats in my design history, including an impressive 300-footer," she says—but her favorite nautical undertaking to date is Grace , an 86-foot-long motor yacht she recently purchased with her fiancé, Tom D'Agostino. "We did a whirlwind renovation interior redo while the boat was dry docked in the yard in a crazy three-week timeframe that was executed with military precision," she reveals. "I had everything lined up so that as soon as the old furniture and carpet came out, new carpet went down the following day, and the furniture was installed right after that."

How much does a luxury houseboat cost to build and deliver?

“It depends largely on how the decisions are made for details and scale,” Weiss says. “However, the 80- to 100-foot-long luxury houseboats we are building right now with Bravada Yachts in the U.S. are priced between $1.8 million to $3.5 million.”

What are your top sources for inspiration?

Rollins loves to scour boats from the 1930s through 1970s—"particularly the Feadships, which are my favorite," she reveals, adding: "The work of Michele Bonan is always a good start, and Ralph Lauren never seems to disappoint."

When it came to imagining the interiors of Grace , the well-traveled designer drew a lot of creative elements from the Cipriani restaurant in Mexico City. "Its decor references the glory days of glamorous travel aboard steamships with highly varnished teak, brightly polished stainless steel, and a streamlined palette of crisp blue and white," Rollins explains. "I was drawn to the brightwork—a boating term used to describe exposed metal and varnished woodwork—and wanted to emphasize the modern clean lines of the interior while creating a barefoot-casual, comfortable, and classic decorating scheme."

“It may sound cliche, but I truly find inspiration everywhere,” Weiss gushes. “I have over 70,000 images saved in my library, and each brings its own flavor into my world. Some of these things include biomimicry, parametric architecture, the way the light changes in different parts of the world, fantastical new environments and elements shaped for film and TV, and my fellow creatives in the world of finely shaped and crafted watercraft.”

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Luxury Houseboat by Bravada Yachts Calls Lake Powell Home

Bravada Yachts has launched its most high-end luxury houseboat to date. Introducing the new “Invictus,” a spellbinding 80-foot V-Series watercraft inspired by the ocean, but built for the lake.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bravada Yachts (@bravadayachts)

Valued at $2 million, the Invictus has recently made Lake Powell’s Antelope Point Marina its home base.

Available for 8-day shares , the Bravada Yachts Invictus showcases such luxury features as:

• 3,200 square feet across 2.5 levels
• 5 staterooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 kitchens
• Stainless steel appliances
• Custom cabinets and granite countertops
• Bose sound system & satellite TV
• Central air conditioning & heating
• Unlimited fresh water
• Custom outdoor furniture including sun deck with daybeds

Tolleson-based Bravada Yachts is known for its stunning handcrafted luxury houseboats that are sleek, modern and outfitted with the latest design and amenities.

For more information, visit www.bravadayachts.com .

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Business Buzz: Bravada Yachts Transforms the Houseboat Industry

The car crossover is evident in Bravada’s demographics. “There’s an analogous appeal,” Weiss says. “These clients have very refined tastes in all these other arenas – in their homes, in their cars, in their private airplanes.” To wit: Bravada had an installation at Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction a couple of years ago and ended up selling a few boats.

Currently, the company’s primary markets are in Arizona and Utah, but it’s in talks to build a facility extension on the East Coast. “Now that we have a clear vision for where the product line will go, what our offerings will be and how we will execute those, the next move is to… expand who we’re offering them to,” Weiss says. He’d also like to add a little more color to his design palette. “You have these incredible natural wonders like Lake Powell and… colors of the sunsets and the rocks and the water, and then you just have so many white boats,” he says. “The point is the lake, not the boat, but I think there could be more harmony there.”

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• J. David Weiss
• Robert Gutierrez

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BRAVADA ATLAS V-SERIES YACHTS

Imagine a $2 million freshwater superyacht. That's the concept brought to life by the Bravada Yachts - a 3200 square foot, two-deck freshwater superyacht with five captivating staterooms, two kitchens, and even a 15-foot waterslide yacht called Invictus. This is just one example of the superyachts gracing this niche. Others include a 120-foot model with a helipad; a 60-foot tri-deck model called Mischief ; and a 90-foot single decker that looks like a floating houseboat. While not designed for the open ocean, they are a perfect way to explore and enjoy calmer waters with practical and contemporary design. When it's not open water you're interested in, just know you can still enjoy the height of design with freshwater superyachts.

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Bravada Yachts: Redefining Houseboating as a Luxury Yachting Experience

• March 18, 2018

Bravada Yachts is an Arizona-based luxury lake yacht and houseboat company that is setting the optimal standard and pushing the boundaries in the industry. Bravada crafts fully-furnished lake yachts resembling high-end luxury homes with the amenities of a five star resort.

Current yacht models include: V-Series - Up to 7 beds, 3 baths (Starting at $499,000), GT-Series - Up to 9 beds, 4 baths (Starting at $1,099,000), X-Series - Up to 16 beds, 6 baths (price upon request).

Bravada creates custom dream yachting experiences with an unsurpassed eye for the details. Just a few of Bravada’s full-customization capabilities include: dual luxury kitchens, optimized floor plans, premium finishes, stainless steel appliances, Jacuzzis that can fit up to 16 people, flat-screen movie theater, fire-pits and endless water toys.

Bravada’s fractional ownership program allows buyers to divide the costs of owning a luxury houseboat with a small group of co-owners, very similar to the private jet model. Owners receive their “guaranteed week” each year, in addition to using the boat whenever it’s free.

Debuting in summer 2019, Bravada Yachts will offer an exclusive ownership opportunity of the first Bravada X-Boat Mega-Yacht , which boasts: 4.5 levels, 7,500 sq. feet of living space and a helicopter pad to name just a few features. Partners will share ownership of the first ever Bravada X-Boat Mega-Yacht with like-minded individuals and participate in bi-annual retreats with celebrities, pro-athletes and business superstars like Robert Kiyosaki and Daymond John.

Bravada is revolutionizing the yacht-houseboat hybrid with advancements in tech and safety such as ease of steering with highly-tuned bow stern thrusters that centrally direct the boat (as opposed to traditional rear-driven boats) and also offers driving lessons so anyone can try their hand at playing “captain.”

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BRAVADA Yachts Unveils New Luxury Houseboat

Bravada Yachts is excited to kick-off the New Year with the launch of their newest model, the 2018 V-Series. Docking alongside the popular GT-series and the revolutionary new X-boat, the V-series proves that 2018 will indeed be a Happy New Year for many boat-lovers across the country.

The new executive ownership team of Bravada, COO Robert Gutierrez, CEO Aaron Browning and President Andrew Marshall have set a new standard in the industry, introducing fresh ideas from the first weld to the final launch. Bravada has streamlined production, invested in cutting-edge technology and hired fresh, bright minds to build new luxury houseboats that are stronger, lighter, faster, less top heavy and more fuel efficient than ever. The new V-Series takes center stage with its sleek lines, high-end standard features and a very attractive price tag.

“Our mission at Bravada is simple: to create one-of-a-kind experiences and cherished memories for our customers and their families. We do this by always putting the interests of the boating community first. That’s why our innovative houseboats are both luxurious and attainable” stated CEO, Aaron Browning. “The goal of the new V-Series is to incorporate all the high-end finishes and amenities you’d expect from a $2 million dollar boat into a boat for a fraction of that price. Our new 70 foot V-series starts at $499k.”

The new V-Series prides itself on a precise juxtaposition of functionality and stylish aesthetic appeal complete with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, two and a half levels and the coveted “reverse layout”, where the back end of the boat completely opens up with a massive sliding glass door. The vessel sleeps 14 people comfortably and contains a fully-stocked full-sized kitchen with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.  There are three models within the V-Series that vary in size and cost including 16x70, 18x70 and 22x75 feet each $499,000, $599,000 and $799,000, respectively. Standard features include built-in crushed glass firepit, bow thruster and two motorized winches. Driving and anchoring lessons are just one of the many perks new Bravada owners will enjoy.

Bravada’s fractional ownership program allows buyers to divide the costs of owning a luxury houseboat with a small group of co-owners. Owners receive their “guaranteed week” each year, in addition to using the boat whenever it’s free. This helps with planning trips in advance. V-Series fractional ownership starts at only $34,900.

Every Bravada Yacht is built in the USA at the Bravada factory in Tolleson , Arizona . The V-70 is currently available for single owner or fractional owner purchases.

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