Fantasi Yachts – Following up on a success
A bigger sister to the Fantasi 44 Pilothouse?
In 1999, we summarized a few reactions to the Fantasi 44 Pilot House, introduced two years earlier:
“(this introduction) has turned out to be a huge success for the yard. Three and a half years’ production have been sold, ten boats at the moment, and delivery time is eighteen months.
The Fantasi 44, in the Classic and Pilothouse versions, has appeared at only three different floating boat shows, Oslo, Southampton and the local show in Orust. She has been test sailed, more or less by coincidence, by only three magazines and the praise she has received is overwhelming!
“She is a yacht built, designed and owned with deep pride…100% pure seduction” said David Glenn in Yachting World
in another issue of Yachting World she was ‘Editor’s Choice’ at the Southampton Boat Show. “…it was the unusual, but effective interior of the Fantasi that I liked. – ..the sleeping cabins…on the Fantasi have just that much extra space which would make it more liveable-in for long periods” said the Editor, Andrew Bray.
“..bursting with original ideas and exhibited one of the best uses of the pilothouse concepts we’ve yet seen” said Peter Nielsen, Yachting Monthly
And she performs. From owners, the yard gets reports of passages made at consistent average speeds of between 7 and 8_ knots. Even on the wind she is capable of astonishing speeds, like the 44 #1 which averaged 7,4 knots during twenty-four hours across the North Sea, close hauled!
The Fantasi 44 is comfortable too, because, thanks to her sharp bow, she does not start pitching excessively. Another unique feature these days is that she holds her course and she won’t broach. So far nobody has managed to provoke her to lose control! She is a very manageable boat”
51′ – 57′ Pilot House designs
While the Fantasi 44 Pilot House turned out to be something of a success (she is a wonderful yacht, but was built only in a limited production), she was also a not-too-big yacht packing in a lot of features. This was good for the owners but not so good for the builders who felt that it would make sense to offer a bigger yacht; with more room for installations, a bigger model would even be easier to build and might perhaps even cut work hours.
But also from customers there was a demand for a bigger sister. Fantasi Yachts was interested to respond to this demand and asked us for a new design, around 10 feet longer. The first 44 was launched in 1997 and we set out in 1999 to design her bigger sister.
At that time, a number of so-called ‘deck saloon’ (DS) and some rare ‘pilot house’ boats were appearing on the market – it was quite a vogue. But very few of these yachts were innovative, and more or less none of them made clever use of the interior space or tried to open up the raised interior to connect with the lower levels. In short, and with a few exceptions like the Waquiez range, we found most boats on the market outright boring.
We wanted to achieve so much more with this follow-up on the Fantasi 44. What we set out to do was to make a completely novel type of layout, with a lower level throughout the yacht, combined with a raised level, and to offer visibility and sight lines throughout.
In addition, like with the 44, this interior was to be set in a more powerful, efficient sailboat than the competition.
Between 1999 and 2006, a number of different concepts were tried and tested. However, Fantasi Yachts was only a small family yard and it was a difficult decision to invest in moulds.
Enter Celeste Yachts
In 2007, we tried the idea of instead making the new yacht under the new brand name Celeste Yachts, teaming up with outside investors. Then, in 2008, the yacht market plummeted and the project came to a temporary halt. However, a host of good concepts from this development work are being used in the drawings for a 52’ pilot house design, presently on the drawing board.
Fantasi / Celeste Pilot House versions
Below you will find examples from different stages of five pilot house designs, ranging from 51’ to 57’:
Fantasi 54, a ‘shortender’ which perhaps had a too short or brutal stern
Deck layout of Fantasi 54
Fantasi 55 was a subsequent design evolution
This was later followed by drawings for a 51′ version
Rendered view of the same design
The latest in this series further developed into the Celeste 56
The Celeste 56
Cockpit and interior details
The challenge in all these designs is combining an aft cockpit with a spacious aft cabin, as well as making the main cabin interact with the downstairs interior.
Then there are all the other aspects – making an accessible engine room, different stow rooms, guest cabins, sea berths and offering an outside view from all compartments. And, the greatest challenge of all, tying these areas together and creating a sense of space.
Constant juggling with volumes
Lovely aft cabin but a somewhat compromised cockpit
Testing a different layout
Testing a different layout
Another aft cabin, eminently useful but perhaps not a proper owner’s cabin
Owner’s cabin forward
A sea berth amidships and a downstairs office
Another version of sea berth, under nav station
A private and cosy lower cabin
Another downstairs seating, for reading, a drink perhaps, or a movie
One of the later versions
Specifications for the first version in this series, the Fantasi 54:
Dimensions:
L.O.A. 16,50 m 54,1’
L.W.L. 14,69 m 48,2’
Beam, maximum 4,90 m 16,1’
Beam, waterline 4,23 m 13,9’
Draft 2,39 m 7,8’
Displacement (lightly loaded) 22500 kg 49600 lbs
Ballast 8000 kg 17600 lbs
Sail area (100% fore triangle) 143 m_ 1540 sq.ft.
Ratios:
D / L 222
SA / D 18
SA / WA 2,45
Entry angle 16°
Although we cannot reveal much, the current 52′ version is mentioned here
All images (c) Heyman Yachts / Gabriel Heyman
may not be reproduced without permission