Every ocean mariner’s first consideration should be focused on the safety and durability of the yacht and it’s systems and at Kraken, that’s the first place we start. However, while our yacht design team works with the composite engineering team at Hauraki Design to develop a very robust build specification, we begin work on the concept phase of the layouts we will incorporate.
Once we have the rudimentary layout concepts, as below the 3D drawings then go across to Donna Maree, our interior designer, who will apply her specialised skills to hone each layout.
Layout
General Arrangement
Whether the owner has years of ocean sailing experience or is taking off for their first adventure under sail, the layouts available for a given yacht will be one of the first considerations.
We always recommend that owners focus on the people that they feel are certain to be joining them as crew and encourage them to focus on providing optimum facilities for those they know will come, leaving the more temporary arrangements, such as a convertible saloon berth to accommodate those that might come occasionally.
Due to our total commitment of building the world’s best blue water yachts, all Kraken’s incorporate a full walk-in engine room. We start here ensuring the full spectrum of equipment that each owner wants can be installed with full access for service and maintenance.
Principally we believe a Kraken 58 should accommodate up to six crew permanently with an extra two guests for short periods in the saloon area. It’s usual to see 10 or even 12 berths offered in layouts of 58ft yachts but our focus is on world cruising and not short term holiday arrangements. Each owner has to decide what is most important to them, you can’t have it all.
Concept
In terms of interior design, the Kraken 58 is a close relation to the Kraken 66. This is especially apparent in the master cabin and saloon areas. The area forward of the mast most significantly determines the total berth capacity and this area will be affected
by how many crew will be accommodated and whether they are likely to be couples or singles and whether they are expected to be young or old.
- In the forward cabins, we focus on two things: storage and number of berths. Open space is sometimes desirable but in an ocean cruising yacht it’s counterproductive as it’s certain that adequate storage for personal effects and all the paraphernalia a cruising yacht needs will be of far greater benefit. We also consider grab rails and handhold positions carefully so that crews can move comfortably through the yacht in safety at sea.
- In the saloon we can incorporate two very different layout principles:
1) A fully raised saloon which provides full seated vision through the saloon windows to the outside surroundings. This layout requires us to come inside the side decks for the saloon seating and table areas.
The benefits of this layout are:
- Seated and standing vision at eye level to the surrounding area.
- A forward-facing navigation station with excellent visibility outside from the raised seating position.
- Increased tank capacity
- Extra space in an extended engine room so that full hydraulics can be accommodated as well as storage for a full inventory of tools and spares along with a workbench.
2) A lower saloon that extends the saloon seating out under the side decks. This layout does offer a considerably larger saloon and seating area and it has been requested by several interested clients who want to accommodate more guests at their table. The benefits of this layout are pretty well restricted to increase saloon accommodation.
- The galley’s function means emphasis on ample storage space and good usable worktops. It is surprising how a 5cm variation in worktop height has a huge impact on the feel of the space and its usability. The galley in a 58 also allows extra refrigeration space, necessary for voyaging with a larger crew.
- The master cabin with an en-suite head is designed for luxury liveaboard comfort. The bed is big, the hanging wardrobes are spacious, and there are wide bedside tables. The head is fitted with an almost hotel-sized shower, including a rain shower. The design brief is simple, the owners cabin must personify the very best of luxury liveaboard accommodation, whilst remaining fully functional for passage making in all weathers.
Generally our interior design concept is based on modern rectangular shapes but with fully radiused corners to eliminate accidental injury at sea.
3D Mock-up
After the 2D concepts, the boat is then drawn up in 3D. We use Rhino3D for all of our modelling which offers plenty of freedom to the designer.
The first job the 3D model achieves is to help visualise the design. Above you can see the model of the K58 raised saloon layout that we are working on. This part of the project revolved around designing a table that is high enough to provide good visibility outside while also integrating well with the rest of the saloon. The whole boat gets this rudimentary 3D model set up. As the project develops, the model will be updated for each element.
What comes next?
We firm up on the build specification and structure and finalise bulkhead positions, then the design team presents the progress so far to the whole Kraken team to canvas everyone’s perspective and areas of concern.
Two steps forward one step back!
