If concepts are any indication of what the future holds in store, beyond wishful thinking, things are bound to get very interesting in yacht design. The latest study from Lazzarini Design is a superyacht that breaks into hyperyacht territory thanks to hydrofoils.
It’s called The Plectrum and, as of the time of press, it “lives” only on social media. Lazzarini Design, the Italian design studio founded byPierpaolo Lazzarinithat’s behind some of the most outrageous and viral yacht concepts of recent years, formally introduced it some hours ago by means of photos. You will also find them in the gallery above.
Details are scarce, and there’s an indication that Lazzarini might not develop the study further, since it’s tagged in some of the posts with the #Metaverse hashtag. This could mean that it’s a companion of sorts to the $8 billion terayacht/floating continent concept calledPangeos, which was unveiled last November also for the Metaverse.
The Plectrum is 74 meters (242 feet) long and features the kind of streamlined and aggressive silhouette Lazzarini favors for most of its luxury concepts. What makes it a yacht of the hyper variety is the presumed breakneck speed it could travel at, since it uses hydrofoils to rise above the waterline and virtually “fly” over it. The foil max immersion or draft would be of 6.50 meters (20 feet), while the foil beam max of 24 meters (78 feet). Lazzarini doesn’t mention a proposed maximum speed, but CGI videos posted to TikTok show it traveling at very high speeds.
Hydrofoil boats do exist, but they’re nowhere near the size of The Plectrum, and this is what makes this project stand out from the crowd. Because they lift the vessel over the waterline once it reaches certain speeds, it helps reduce friction, and dramatically increases speed and comfort. Theoretically, a hydrofoil superyacht is possible, but costs would be wildly prohibitive, which is also the number one ɾєɑȿօɴ why they’re not an industry staple by now, and why only small-displacementvessels with hydrofoilsexist.
This isn’t Lazzarini’s first attempt at putting hydrofoils on a bigger vessel, though it’s definitely the first time he does it on one of this size. In November 2021, he created the SeaJet and the Xenos hyperyachts, of 23 meters (75.5 feet) and 39 meters (128 feet) respectively, which could also be converted for public transport.The SeaJet, for instance, designed specifically as some sort of high-speed train of the seas, could max out at 69 knots (79.4 mph/127.8 kph) when using the foils.
RєɴԀers of The Plectrum show it would be very luxurious as well, with a very large beach club aft, a pool and at least one helipad at the bow for a large aircraft.
