Welcome to the special “20th Anniversary” section of Top Yacht Design. Here we present to you, day by day, the best stories, yachts and personalities we have covered in these 20 years of Top Yacht Design, from 2006 to the present.
Tratto da Top Yacht Design No. 36/2023 pag. 58/68
Mangusta 165REV: innovation and tradition
Overmarine’s magical new 50-metre open breaks the mold and combines innovation with tradition.
Some yachts are sheer magic. Their lines and general charisma are so spellbinding it’s hard to drag your eyes away. The new Mangusta 165REV designed by Igor Lobanov is definitely one of these – admiration and wonder are written all over the faces of those seeing it for the first time. After presenting the Mangusta 104REV, the entry level model in the open line first shown at Cannes in 2021, the Balducci family gave Lobanov another mission impossible – to rethink what has always been regarded in the yacht building world as the king of opens, designed by big beasts like Stefano Righini.
No small task, as apart from some small restyling touches over time, the 165 has always remained true to itself. In this case the job did not mean redesigning the yacht, it was rather a question of revolutionising it while retaining the line’s family feeling. It was a courageous choice for the Balducci family and a tough job for just about everyone involved. Not for Igor Lobanov, though. His way of thinking is both linear and innovative. To him, design means giving an object a reason to exist, forcing him to create something beautiful. “The same thing can be done in many ways”, he says, “But if you do it without putting passion into it becomes a banal object”. These days, designers need to have temerity and nerve. You have to find new ways of doing things or improve existing practices, approaching them with humility and skill. He drew inspiration from 193os car design for the Mangusta 165REV. “I pictured those lovely cars with a long hood and sleek lines curving downwards, and that gave me the ideas I needed”.
The wonderful sweeping lines of the main deck exterior and a bow that seems to plunge into the water have above all a function to enable the owner’s suite to be sited on the main deck, as the yard had specified. One of the main differences between the two Mangusta models, the 165REV and its predecessor, is the location of the owner’s suite, shifted from the lower to the main deck. To achieve this a deck has been added in the forward section of the hull, an innovative solution that has no negative impact on the streamlined, sporty lines of the Mangusta 165REV, as Lobanov has succeeded in camouflaging this second deck through his skilful use of the windows.
“We’ve worked on various projects for a number of years and only when were totally satisfied with the new 165 did we decide to start production of new line”, says Maurizio Balducci. “The hard part was improving on the previous model, which we’d sold twelve of. We concentrated on improving efficiency, cutting consumption and optimising on-board spaces. We paid special attention to the owner’s suite, which has been relocated to the main deck, creating a unique space in this category of yacht and maintaining the sleek lines”.
The extra deck also enabled Lobanov to move the crew quarters into the bows, below the owner’s cabin, leaving the stern free for second exciting new feature – a beach club with fold-down transom and lounge area furnished, on this yacht, with Minotti sofas and B&B coffee tables. The garage is configured laterally and hosts a Williams 625 tender. The guest cabins, one VIP, two doubles and two twins, are also on the central section of the lower deck. With just a few decisive lines Lobanov has created a sporty, streamlined yacht with rounded shapes as well as the more angular elements featured on sports cars of the 193os. These shapes can also be seen in the interiors, where the yard has done spectacular work. The main deck embodies a revolutionary rethink of the classic layout, especially in the owner’s suite area. Laid out over 92 square metres on two levels and with two spaces, a lounge and bedroom, the owner’s accommodation is a dreamlike place that enfolds anyone entering with a warmth generated by the soft lines that distinguish every detail, from the steps down to the sleeping area to the shape of the bed, the partitions and the furnishing complements. Light plays an important role in all this yacht’s interiors, flooding in through an incredible full-height window. “Lobanov’s design is surprising and innovative. What’s striking is the way he has conceived and developed the windows in the owner’s cabin of the Mangusta 165 REV. A huge window that is perfectly integrated into the hull”, says Balducci.
Another surprising feature is the volumes. All Mangusta models have always boasted generous spaces, but these reach an extreme on the Mangusta 165 REV. It’s not noticeable from the outside, unless it’s dark and the interior lighting is on, when it becomes clear that the sleek, skilfully shaped lines conceal a wonderful private world with expansive outdoor areas. These spaces are an essential feature of an open design, but the 165 REV offers even more, in the shape of a series of environments that seem con. nected but are actually extremely private, enabling owners and guests to enjoy open-air life with friends or in quiet seclusion – just like on a yacht with more decks but on a hull that won the Outstanding Exterior Design prize at the International Design & Innovation Awards 2023. Powered by four 2600 HP Rolls Royce MTUs driving four Kongsberg-Kamewa hydrojets, the Mangusta 165REV can reach a top speed of 34 knots with absolutely no noise or vibration.
by Giuliana Fratnik – Photo by Guerrieri Visual
