Each month we pick out an iconic boat that can lay claim to the title of world’s coolest boat. This month, we take a closer look at the Art of Kinetik Hedonist.
The nice thing about putting this feature together each month is that it encompasses such a wide range of craft. After all, what is cool, and why?
So far, we’ve had a world speed record holder, an iconic TV series star, an incredible superyacht and one of the most important models from the back catalogue of one of the most prominent British manufacturers.
The reason this month’s boat has made the cool wall is… well, will you just look at it?! Designed by the Serbian builder Art of Kinetik’s in-house stylists, those utterly sensational looks are, in part, down to the materials used.
This is not your run-of-the-mill GRP cruiser. Its frame is made up of solid mahogany ribs and stringers covered in two layers of marine ply and one of mahogany reinforced with Kevlar and epoxy below the waterline.
The resulting sandwich is resin-infused with 15 coats of high-gloss varnish, creating a look that you’re just not going to achieve with plastic. It helps that the focus of this vessel puts art before pragmatism.
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A typical 60-footer might have four sleeping cabins. This has none – just a fold-out bed in the forepeak if you must spend the night on board. But what you will find beneath the foredeck is a beautifully finished living space.
There’s also a separate and surprisingly generous crew cabin – so generous in fact, that an owner could choose to swap this for two guest cabins when ordering the boat new.
Art it may be, but it is performance art. Triple MAN diesel engines fire 800hp apiece out of water jets. Thirty-three knots is an easy 2,200rpm canter and 40 knots is just about within reach – fast for a 60ft+ wooden boat!
With its mahogany hull and flawless interior, the Art of Kinetik Hedonist looks and feels like a work of art
And if that’s not fast enough, the 3.5m replica tender that lives beneath the aft deck is apparently good for 50 knots! Sadly, at a purchase price of £2.6 million when new over a decade ago, it found very few takers.
Perhaps it was a concept ahead of its time, before the resurgence of big open day boats with more power than sense and price tags to match. But just look at it! And then look at it again! When it’s as cool as this, who cares whether it makes sense?
Art of Kinetik Hedonist specifications
Year: 2011
LOA: 62ft 4in
Beam: 17ft 5in
Engines: Triple 800hp MAN
Top speed: 40 knots
Price: £2.6 million (at launch)
To submit your suggestion for the world’s coolest boat, head over to the MBY forum.
