finot-conq ARCHITECTES have been announced as finalists for the International Yacht & Aviation Award 2014, with sailing yacht NOMAD IV. Superyacht NOMAD IV will compete for the ‘Sailing Yacht over 30 metres’ Award.

Superyacht NOMAD IV with naval architecture by finot-conq

Upon first look, it is quite obvious that luxury yacht NOMAD IV is a bit on the radical side of the 100′ playing field, with proportions that are quite different from most 100′ cruising yachts out there. That was to be expected from the extremely simple design brief that the owner gave the designer at the beginning of the international architects’ contest that led to the project.

NOMAD IV Yacht under sail

NOMAD IV yacht was to be the fastest cruising 100 footer in the world. The operative word here is, in fact, “cruising”: How do you pack first class accommodation for 12 guests and 3-4 crew, with at least 16sqm for the owner’s cabin and ample headroom throughout in a very fast yacht? The cockpit should also be able to host a party for at least 50 persons. And the yacht should sail very close to her maximum speed at a comfortable cruising heel angle of 12° or less, with a sail plan optimised for the Mediterranean light airs.

Aboard NOMAD IV superyacht

Along with this set of constraints, the team decided to implement a feature that they see as the good reason to live on a boat: A 360° panoramic view to the sea from the dining room and the saloon.

Luxury yacht NOMAD IV - Exterior

Technical proportions of NOMAD IV superyacht: A full carbon yacht, for minimum displacement; a very wide boat for maximum righting moment and ample space below decks; with a hard chine running on the whole length of the boat, a deep draft, lifting keel, to minimize bulb weight; water ballasts on each side, a huge; high aspect ratio sail plan.

Aesthetic proportions of luxury yacht NOMAD IV: The wide chinned hull; a short and wide coachroof; an extremely wide cockpit for a radical exterior style.