Following three years in development, construction of the all-new Oyster 118, the largest Oyster yet drawn in partnership with Humphreys Yacht Design, began in earnest in spring 2015.
Launch is planned for December 2017 with handover in May 2018 after sea trials in the Solent.
Construction is at the Oyster Southampton base where new additional facilities are being created to enable the overlapped building of two bluewater Oyster 118s at a time, bringing the potential to complete four yachts before summer 2020.
A new evolution of the Oyster/Humphreys plumb bowed, soft chined, twin rudder designs, the 36 metre Oyster 118 has grown naturally from the initially planned Oyster 115, and the resulting profile is even sleeker with a modest freeboard gently sheered and dressed with Oyster’s signature seascape hull windows and G5 teardrop glazing to the deck saloon.
The integral bimini, an enclosable sedan hard top, is distinctly new and this elegantly interweaves guest cockpit and accommodation which, belying that low profile, provides an astonishing 700m3interior space for her 12 guests supported by six crew.
That’s ten times the volume of the Oyster 475. The 118’s entertaining space alone is almost 11×7 metres including the guest cockpit 4.5 metres square.
Built to DNV classification and MCA LY3 coding, specification and engineering is to the highest standards, and there’s much interesting innovation including the mid-boom, single-point mainsheet penetrating the bimini top to run down through the glazed but carbon reinforced saloon entry bulkhead to the captive winch deep in the boat.
Further complex design work is seen in the gullwing escape hatches from engine room to sidedecks folding out of the neat teakwork and glazed superstructure.
Oyster 118-01 will be the 358th yacht from this world leading partnership, and will reflect the extensive Superyacht experience within Oyster’s Southampton base.