Flamboyant fashion supremo Roberto Cavalli has opened up about his 28m superyacht Freedom, which was inspired by the Caped Crusader
Custom yacht projects give their owner the ultimate blank slate for creativity, and the opportunity to build something truly unique was not wasted by fashion designer Roberto Cavalli.
The Italian trendsetter recently revealed his inspiration for his latest yacht came not from the catwalk, but from the big screen.
Cavalli wanted something sporty and aggressive that would reflect his approach to life at sea and his strong personality. In his own words, he wanted “a boat that Batman would drive!”
As he has a nautical licence, Roberto also wanted a smaller boat to be closer to the water and so he could go back to driving it himself
This idea led him to the Italian custom yacht builder Cerri Cantieri Navali (CCN) and naval architect Tommaso Spadolini, who he had previously teamed up with for his 41m Baglietto yacht RC.
Freedom was to be a smaller yacht, however, as Cavalli was keen to drive it himself, meaning it had to dip below the 24m LWL mark.
While RC was used for entertaining corporate clients, Freedom would be a strictly private yacht, used by Cavalli, his partner and no more than four guests (six if you could his two dogs Lupo and Lapo).
Other key requirements include sporty performance of at least 40 knots flat-out (triple Rolls Royce water jets certainly take care of that!) and easy access to the water – hence the wide-open transom.
To provide close contact with the sea the aft deck cockpit is much lower than normal, functioning as a continuous outside space with sliding glass doors on three sides
The crowning glory is the 22m2 owner’s suite, which is cleverly raised up by four steps to give better ventilation and views, without spoiling Freedom’s sleek profile.
“We developed several different profiles before finalising the exterior styling with two sweeping arches framing the aft cockpit, which also help shield the space from the wind,” explained Spadolini.
“To emphasise and convey the yacht’s sporty nature, it was decided to paint the hull metallic black and the superstructure metallic dark grey.”
And this Batboat isn’t just for show – Cavalli intends to live aboard all summer, surrounded by his custom designed animal-print interior.
To ensure privacy, the owner’s suite is accessed by a staircase from the main salon that also serves as a private lounge when there are no guests on board
“My style is eclectic and I chose a lot of African animal-skin prints for the upholstery, cushion covers and bedspreads, which is a theme in some of my fashion collections,” he added.
“I’m also a keen photographer and the bulkheads are decorated with panoramic photos taken during my travels.”
CCN brought the project to the water in just 14 months, meaning Cavalli could head off on his adventures last summer, all cloaked in black.
We suspect Bruce Wayne would approve…
Azimut Grande 27M: Game-changing ideas abound on luxurious cruiser
Batboat up for auction as Brooklands lists 1966 Glastron V-174
One of the two original Batboats from the classic 1960s Batman TV series is going under the hammer with an
