There’s a problem in the superyacht market. As with supercars and giant mansions, it can be difficult to outdo the competition. Everyone’s building yachts with helipads and fourteen hot tubs these days, so it’s hard to stand out. However, one yachtery (definitely a word) might have found a unique edge all its own.
As covered by Designboom, big things are happening at Sinot Yacht Architecture and Design. The Dutch company has been working away on designs for its new halo model—the Inspire. It’s not the most inspired name by any means, but it makes up for it with one standout feature.
Head to the lower decks, and you can enter the Nemo observation room. You’ll be rewarded with a 360-degree view of the underwater world around you.
Beneath The Waves
When it comes to the fundamentals, the Inspire is a well-equipped design. At 452 feet long, it’s a large ship, for certain—though a ways below some of the record-setting 600- and 700-foot craft currently under construction. It will host 22 guests and 52 crew across six decks. While it may not be the biggest out there, it’s got a sleek, futuristic design and some neat features you don’t see every day, even in the superyacht world.
As mentioned above, the underwater observation room is what really sets the Inspire apart. It’s a special cylindrical room with windows all around for the widest possible view. It’s accessed from the lower deck of the ship, and can be lowered beneath the keel when the ship is docked, anchored, or otherwise in a stabilized position. If you’ve ever wanted to see panoramas underwater, that’s precisely what the Inspire aims to offer.
The observation area comes complete with a round table and seating for seven. If you’ve dreamed of playing cards against a backdrop of exotic fish, or you’re dying to live out some James Bond fantasies, this is the ship you’re looking for. Incidentally, we’re also told it’s decked out with cameras and sensors “to track and record all the underwater events that are occurring,” and that it’s the ideal vantage point for observing any diving missions that may be happening in the vicinity of the ship.
If you’re traveling on the Inspire and the observation room is full, though, you needn’t fret. You can get a nice underwater view from the glass-bottomed pool, too. It gives you a great view of the sea beneath you, and it’s decorated with rock formations for an organic look. It’s 32 feet in diameter, so you’ll have plenty of room even if you invite some guests on board.
Of course, the Inspire is also kitted out with all the usual superyacht stuff. It’s a six-deck build, with the top deck dedicated to the owner’s quarters. Beneath that, the upper deck has the wheelhouse for command and a guest lounge. The main decks then host the guest cabins and an entire restaurant because that’s just how big this thing is. There’s also the beach deck for sunning yourself, and the wellness center with sauna, hammam (like a sauna but different), massage area, and gym. There’s also a 40-seat theatre, too—an “inspirational” one, according to Sinot.
There are enough cabins that you could probably invite all your friends and sort them into rooms based on how much you like them. The VIP suites are particularly swish, with hatches you can open to create a balcony space just above sea level. You can only use these in stable waters, of course, but it’s a particularly nice touch.
The Inspire’s design was revealed at the 2024 Monaco Yacht Show, and is apparently ready to enter production. For now, it’s unclear how many orders have been taken or how many examples Sinot intends to produce. However, you can wager that someone is going to buy one of these things just for the novelty of it.
When it comes to superyachts, underwater features could be the new fad. While Sinot has a great idea in the Nemo observation pod, others are exploring similar concepts—even contemplating building all-out submarines for the billionaire set. All we can say is, if you’re an ultra-wealthy supervillain, or just someone that likes to impress, it’s a good time to be in the market for a giant boat. There sure are a lot to choose from.
Image credits: Sinot Yacht Architecture and Design
How do people get in and out? I understand that it retracts into the hull, but the windows must be well-sealed and continuous? Having the cylinder split open when retracted would make so many dynamic sealing points that it would always leak. So at some point, a stairway must be lowered into the room?
That would be PERFECT to dock at my volcano lair hideout!
Well… I thought so too but I hadn’t had the thing three weeks when some bloody Brit in a tuxedo snuck on board. We caught him,of course, and tied him up, but he got loose somehow and blew the whole damn boat to smithereens! I asked who just who the hell he thought he was and he said his name was….
Funny, I had the same thing happen with a very unpleasant American in a dirty undershirt and stained underwear.
He called himself “Florida Man”.
Only SWG is allowed to have a junkyard lair under a volcano
Elon made a Cyberyacht? Who knew.
This would feel at home with SPECTRE overlords.
Lacking any visible staircase or ladders, I can’t imagine having to lower and raise the platform every time one has a nature’s call or meals be brought to the table. How the heck do the people get in and out of the platform…?
I could feel my submechanophobia intensifying just reading this, never mind looking at the renders…
Yeah I agree. If I’m sitting at that table and see propellers and shit I’m gonna get pretty uncomfortable quickly!
I would like to propose that, instead of an official RV, the Autopian buy one of these as its official vehicle.
Then, everyone who’s a member gets to spend a couple days a year on it.
All in favor?
Aye!
Looks like the designer was inspired by old timey monitors or ww1 battlewagons. Blech. One can hope that they forget to raise the underwater pustule, ground out and sink.
Over the top and I love it.
Elevator pitch for a movie: Masque of the Red Death meets The Meg. Rich dickheads use this boat to flee a resort island overrun by a virus, leaving the staff to die of some horrible infection, maybe a hemorrhagic fever—something truly awful. On the boat, it’s a continual party like Diddy proteges until death comes in the form of a massive, stalking shark. The observation deck would, of course feature prominently.
Even better if the twist is the detestable rich dickhead owner of the yacht was responsible for the virus. Or the giant shark. Or both.
Dear rich people without enough friends to fill their mega yacht, I’ll be your friend. Honestly, I’m sure you’re a super cool and generous person that would be so much fun to be around. I’d love to be proven right, just reach out with some tickets and we can put my theory to the test. (“can’t beat them, join them” could also be interpreted as “can’t beat them, mooch off them until they catch on”)
Dear god we need Fancy Kristen.
I had to check the author after the title – I thought she had landed!
No offense to Lewin, I like his work, but this yacht is screaming for the Fancy Kristen treatment.
Oh for sure. No shade directed at Lewin. Just man. Fancy Kristen would be perfect for this ridiculousness.
The absence of the heel of her fancy jackboot is sorely felt.
Will I be able to entertain a guest at dinner in the underwater observatory, and then later use it to slowly torture him when he turns out to be a British spy?
I’m just trying to decide if this is worth leaving my hollowed out volcano lair for
Fancy Kristen has a complete underwater Bond-villain complex complete with multiple yachts, submarines, and destroyers. This is amateur level.
Anyway, wondering which yacht ends up sinking first because the RV-style underwater tipout does its ‘screen door on a submarine’ impression. Maybe they can put Titanic on in the theatre when that happens.
Those RV bumpouts might have had a role in the SV Bayesian sinking. That makes me nervous for sure.
From the top image I thought it might be a Cyberboat.
I feel they’d have to refer to the Cyberboat as a gigayacht.
This is all very nice, but what’s its 0-60 time and what kind of mileage does it get? And can you get it with a manual transmission?
It’s a
brownmanualdieselwagon. 1 out of 4 ain’t bad.So lets say your playing cards or whatever people do at tables, and someone has to get up to use the bathroom. You have to raise and lower it every time or do you bring a ladder with you? At least sea water isnt harmful to the mechanical bits and rubber seals.
“Jeeves, raise the thing. I need to pinch a loaf.”
bucket for the players, milk carton for the dealer.
“Oh piss boy…” (History of the World, Part 1)
There is a discrete suction tube that can be lowered down by the assistant to the junior Bosun.
You’ve never pissed in the ocean, have you?
Karl Stromberg would love this.
yeah, I was getting some serious Stromberg vibes off that boat.
Good news for the Autopian crowd. Yes, there is a large screen taking up the whole dashboard, but they still gave us plenty of knobs and buttons that look quite substantial and fun to operate. I know some of you will be disappointed that there doesn’t appear to be any knobs or sliders for the climate control, and I’m not sure where they put the defrost button. They may lie buried in a touchscreen submenu, but at least the shifter appears to a robust, chunky unit.
Future Fisher Price x Autopian Collab. It’s literally just a tesla dashboard but with 250 total buttons, knobs, levers, and switches.
So it holds 22 guests and 52 crew. Why would you want a 40 seat theatre? Are you really enjoying movies with the crew?
I need a seat next to me for my fluffy white cat.
Dang, you’re right. I wasn’t thinking.
sure it has a 40 seat theater, but you have to keep in mind, 18 of those seats are too close to the screen, or on the edge of the theater.
Bummer, they’re sold out already. I was going to put down a deposit.
This is why “Eat the rich” is a thing.
Yep. This will be sold to an oligarch of some variety and will be accompanied by a fleet of other yachts and support vehicles, all so a real life James Bond villain can spend more on fuel in a day than most people on earth earn in a month.
At least a lot of regular people will draw a salary to build and operate it.
Tech bro billionaires watching cautionary sci fi movies so they can get rich enough to be Bond Villains
But does it have sensors that can detect if your guests are in fact themselves vs. time-traveling versions of themselves with knowledge of the future? I’d imagine this may be on the minds of buyers of these things more now.
No worries – This is why the lift has a retractable floor that opens to the shark-infested ocean.
Is that so much better than just having your enemies walk the plank?
Yes – It’s a much more unexpected, sudden death.
No angst. No whining. No last pleas.
Just push the button – and “Splash-Chomp-Chomp”
Arrivederci Scott!
I guess, if a “much more unexpected, sudden death” is what your going for.
Personally I prefer the old school mechanized chair tilt through a trap door into a pit of high level nuclear waste but that’s just how I prefer to deal with those who fail to meet my expectations.
Hopefully the Orca’s can still find a way
They’re smart; give ‘em glass cutters.
If I was filthy rich, that’s the stuff I’d be doing—offing other richies in creative ways. Dolphins have been trained by navies to patrol yards against saboteurs or even attach trackers for torpedoes. If they can attach a tracker, why not just attach the explosive? Sure, for an armored fleet vessel, they wouldn’t be able to carry anything powerful enough, but this thing? Hell, some neglected maintenance to that observation area could probably sink it.
Jay-Z, is that you?
So it’s like a modern RV with all the popouts but on the water, huh?
Also, having seen the transition from render to reality for a bunch of buildings, I’d love to see what this looks like when it’s in the real world.
Adds a bunch of devastating water intrusion points so it can provide the full RV experience.
God, this is sinister, what a prow. Disco Volante indeed.