It wasn’t that long ago that a boat was, well, a boat. It had a bow and a stern and, depending on the size, a cockpit and a bathing platform, and a console or a saloon superstructure. Then, one day, everything changed.

Whether it was inspired by the fact that more families are boating than ever before (and that means more space please), or whether it’s because someone saw what was happening in superyacht design and wondered why they couldn’t do that on smaller yachts, the fact is a boat was suddenly no longer just a boat.

More multi-generational boating families means more demand for social areas, for storage and for nooks to escape to, preferably without adding to overall length. And even for ordinary boaters, the desire to get closer to the water while at anchor and enjoy the trappings of a larger yacht in a smaller package are unsurprisingly irresistible.

It’s why there has been a sudden explosion in transformer-style yachts and layouts that radically rethink the traditional areas of a boat.

Fold-out bulwarks, expansive foredecks that convert from tender and water-sports stowage to social spaces, cantilevered terraces, extended transoms, wraparound sundecks, retrofit platforms and floating extensions are all among the myriad innovations creating extra real estate on board with the objective of nurturing a closer connection with the natural environment.

If you had to pinpoint when boats stopped being mere boats, you would likely settle on 2010. That was when Tilli Antonelli, founder and former president of Pershing Yachts, decided to subvert the leisure boat market with a wild and wildly avant-garde new model – the Wider 42.

Alongside sleek looks and slick performance, the Wider 42 had a neat trick up its sleeve that stopped people in their tracks – the ability to double its cockpit space in 12 seconds by deploying slide-out extensions on each side. The genius was not only in the expansion of the deck area but also in the fact that the extended deck wings acted as outriggers, delivering additional stability at anchor.

Launched at the 2011 Cannes Yachting Festival, the Wider 42 – which had been designed by Fulvio di Simoni – was hailed as a game changer in day cruisers. It was a fair assessment – it’s a trend that has exploded in recent years on every type of leisure boat from 30 feet to 30 metres and more.

 

Transformational boating

The expanding deck has been joined by other versions, most typically the dropdown bulwarks that either create a small terrace over the water – perhaps opposite an opening glass sliding door to the side deck in a main saloon – to wings that serve to expand the aft beach club area. You can see it in pocket superyachts like the Oasis Deck from Benetti, which is now available on yachts as small as 34 metres.

But you can also find it on everything from RIBs such as the Explosion X44 and dayboats like the Alium 42S or the Ocean Alexander Divergence 45 to big-builder standards such as the Sea Ray SLX 400 or the Azimut 47 Verve. What’s more, combine it with a high-low aft transformer platform – like on the 17.71-metre Evo R6 Open – and you can really go to town.

Polish builder Galeon has a history of pioneering novel deck solutions, introducing the cantilevered bulwarks with the Galeon 500 Fly model in 2015. Since then, its Beach Mode has been available in several models across its flybridge, hardtop and skydeck ranges. Collaborating with Tony Castro Design on many models, Galeon has invested heavily in research and development to perfect this innovation, with the additional engineering and mechanism required for safety and stability.

“The fold-out deck concept is born of a desire to offer yacht owners and passengers more room for relaxation, entertainment and direct access to the water, all without significantly increasing the overall size of the yacht,” comments the Galeon design team.

“Beach Mode extends the width of the cockpit area. In the largest Galeon models, it can provide an astounding 6 metres of width by dropping down both the port and starboard sides.”

Even the big-name builders are looking for ways to create deck innovations that will woo prospective customers. Sunseeker – having already played with interesting layout options on larger models destined for Asian clients – made some radical moves with its Ocean model line, including developing X-TEND, first introduced on the 90 Ocean. It can be used to form a wide aft-facing seat on the transom for sitting by the water or watching the kids splash about, or it can be raised to form a forward-facing seat and sunpad as an extension to the cockpit.

Static movement

But Sunseeker looked at not just how transformer elements can add flexibility to an area but also how an area can be used more flexibly. The gradual shift of the foredeck from a working area to a social area – more and more frequently referred to as the forward cockpit – took a logical leap forward with the Sunseeker 100 Yacht, where the foredeck has become the private terrace for the owner suite forward on the main deck.

Princess Yachts has taken a similar look at deck layouts, preferring to build in more space rather than rely on transforming elements that could potentially create maintenance headaches. The arrival of the X-95, soon followed by the X-80, has shown what can be done with a sundeck, which is no longer a stretch of teak that sits atop the superstructure or lies aft of an interior space but rather envelops everything it sees, circling a raised pilothouse like a river wrapping round a rock. The free-flowing area from sundeck aft to quasi-Portuguese bridge to foredeck pool and cockpit is a masterstroke in re-envisioning deck areas for social use.

It’s a trend that isn’t just limited to the larger yachts, as even more mainstream builders look at how they can enhance their yachts’ cockpit and swim platform areas. Case in point, Australian builder Maritimo’s Adventure Deck design is one of the key features owners are drawn to, as Managing Director and Chief Designer Tom Barry-Cotter explains.

“When on the main deck, owners spend most of their time in the rear of the vessel. The Adventure Deck’s connection with the alfresco cockpit and galley and the connection with the water are incredibly important.”

The Adventure Deck design delivers versatility in terms of storage, sun-lounging and entertaining, Barry-Cotter adds. “The space creates immense deck storage where tenders and personal watercraft can be cradled and launched via an electric winch and hydraulic platform,” he says.

“Below the adventure deck, the cavernous lazarette garage can store equipment such as diving gear, kayaks, SUPs, bikes, fishing rods and supplies. The Adventure Deck also features refrigeration, a wet bar, barbecue and lighting. When it’s clear of tenders, it doubles as a large, protected entertaining or lounging space with close proximity to and connection with the water.”

Riviera too is making great strides in evolving deck spaces. “Riviera yachts have many separate zones on board that are ideal for extended families and larger groups, in all kinds of weather conditions,” states Stephen Milne, Riviera Brand and Communications Director.

“All these constant refinements in deck design are driven by owners spending more time aboard with their extended families. They’re cruising further afield and therefore require multiple functions of spaces, such as entertaining, dining, protected or sunbathing, sports and fishing. These decks can be air- conditioned, allow you to entertain in all weather, and can even be enclosed with mesh screens for sun or insect protection, or full clears for colder climates.”

The perfect vantage spot for uninterrupted views and privacy from guests on the aft deck, the foredeck space on new Riviera models including the 585 SUV introduces a versatile layout that comprises seating, tables, storage, insulated compartments, drink holders, stereo, speakers and removable shade structures, as well as secure stowage for a jetski or compact tender on Motor Yacht and Sports Motor Yacht models.

In the Sports Motor Yacht and SUV models, Riviera has expanded boarding and swim platforms that effectively double the cockpit’s usable space. “In the case of the Riviera 78 Motor Yacht, Riviera partnered with suppliers to create a swim platform that descends in three levels, creating two full-width steps for easy access to the water,” Milne says. “This platform also raises to act as a passerelle in the case of Med mooring both fore and aft.”

Meanwhile, forward-thinking builders with their toes in the superyacht world are starting to think of new ways to change the traditional layout and shake things up. The expansive decks of Sanlorenzo’s Bluegame brand, for example, speak to the Med trend for outside space, while iconic builder Wally is not only adding dropdowns to its smaller models like the new wallypower50, it is also conceiving new ways to open the saloon and let the space flow seamlessly to the swim platform.

If you want to see what next-gen looks like, the wallywhy range is a pretty clear example.

Even Benetti, having captured the market with its Oasis Deck, isn’t resting on its laurels. At the 2023 Monaco Yacht Show it revealed the Benetti Veranda Deck, which will appear for the first time on the Motopanfilo 45M. Developed with design studio RWD, it’s a reinterpretation of the main deck saloon, a space that has been increasingly avoided due to its excessive formality.

“The new generation of owners love contact with the outdoors, so the new Veranda Deck opens the space completely on three sides, creating a continuous environment between the lounge and the stern,” says Giovanna Vitelli, Chair of the Azimut|Benetti Group. “Interiors that transform into exteriors and vice versa provide a new place to enjoy boundless views and contact with the surrounding world.”

Add-on decks

If modular boats aren’t your thing, or you feel like you’re missing out on the trend with your own boat, then there’s a solution for you – beefed-up platforms that extend the leisure space at the transom, both custom-designed and installed during construction and those that are retrofit options.

Gold Coast-based Stella Marine Group, founded in 2003 by Gary Cooper, has found a niche internationally for their own brand of hydraulic lifters, comprising swim platforms and step-lifters. Indeed, they’ve been commissioned by owners of vessels such as a Horizon FD102 and a 108-foot Mangusta, along with dozens of 80-footers for retrofit decks that add square metres so family and friends can spread out and bring even more water toys on board.

“Boating is a sharing and social pastime that creates a lot of enjoyment,” says Cooper. “Adding an extended hydraulic platform makes the boat more usable.

“It replaces davits in some cases for tender stowage and gives you a whole lot of extra deck space for relaxing on, launching water toys, and getting on board easily and safely – around 10 square metres of additional deck space.”

The largest platform Stella has installed boasts 2 tonnes of lifting capacity and an impressive 16 square metres of added deck space. In 2023, Stella launched its latest innovation, the hydraulic lifter with integrated steps – a dual-use design featuring a patented locking mechanism that secures the platform in every position it stops. This fully custom-designed feature can serve as a cockpit extension, an additional deck, a swim platform or even a submerged platform for diving.

Fellow Gold Coast manufacturer Davco Marine Systems specialises in hydraulic platforms, cranes and davits. Managing Director George Geros describes their swim platforms as “aquatic playgrounds – they don’t just add deck space, they add a new dimension to the transom area, which was previously utilitarian space.

“We’ve fitted bar stools, umbrellas and netted swimming pools in vessels from 39 to 118 feet, monohulls and multihulls. It really makes the vessel connect with the ocean. The addition of our Aqua Stairs provides all the advantages of the stair platforms but is the only one to get your tender back up on the transom and out of harm’s way.”

Inflatable decks

Temporary, inflatable options are the choice of many boat owners. Boats of all sizes from RIBs to the largest charter vessels can expand their fun zones with inflatable docks, platforms, pontoons, furniture and playgrounds.

Ubiquitous at yacht shows to convey the hours of fun guests can enjoy on their vessel, international brands include NautiBuoy, Bote, Aquabanas and FunAir. As distinct from tow toys, inflatable docks are used only at anchor.

Jobe, a US brand founded 50 years ago by professional waterskier Jeff Jobe, diversified from performance waterskis to life jackets, seascooters, stand-up paddleboards, wakeboards and a fun, family-friendly line of inflatable decks that will “expand the leisure space on board.”

Matt and Juliette Ng own the rights to Jobe in Australia and New Zealand, which Matt says are the perfect aquatic playgrounds and have a natural affinity for the water.

“The great thing about inflatables is they can be deflated, rolled up into a compact storage bag and stowed,” he says.

“Docks and pools allow owners to increase usable space and transform the transom into a water-sports playground – mum and dad lounging on the Infinity chairs, kids in the Infinity pool, safe from jellyfish, sunbathing or launching the Jobe Infinity seascooter.

“Jobe has been manufacturing inflatables for 30 years,” he continues, “so we know the techniques and materials to use. They’re made of heavy-duty, 5-millimetre, non-slip EVA deck,” he explains, “and there are four different products, which depending on size take three to five minutes to inflate.

“They give you more options, more places to spread out and more variety when spending time on your boat. Nobody’s bored!”

This Design feature ran in Ocean #112.