Michael Verdon, Fluto Shinzawa, Kim Kavin
06/01/2004

Best of the Best: Megayachts

Lürssen Capri
The 192-footer defines avant-garde classicism.

Capri, christened after the Italian island and the Capri Palace Hotel & Spa, where the owners finalized the boat’s details, is an elegant, sweeping, five-deck motor yacht that captures the essence of its owners’ contradictory vision: a contemporary vessel with traditional overtones. Modern amenities include a recording studio, an observation lounge, a gym, a transom garage, and a 1,700-bottle wine cellar, as well as a Chris-Craft runabout and Ribtec inflatable.

Capri emerged from the drawing board of Glade Johnson, a Pacific Northwest designer who has gained a reputation for being equally adept at creating classic-looking sailboats and futuristic motor yachts. It was built by Germany’s Lürssen yard and launched last summer. Johnson worked closely with the owners in designing the finer details of Capri and enjoyed playing with the classical and contemporary contrasts to create the unique look. However, his design created some technical challenges for Lürssen. “After the launch, I gave Glade a ruler as a present,” jokes Michael Bremen, Lürssen’s director of sales. “His superstructure was all curves and no straight lines.” (Click image to enlarge)

With naval architects and engineers making up nearly a third of its 1,000-person workforce, Lürssen proved itself capable of delivering such intricate detail. “We try to put our engineering background to work on smaller yachts in terms of noise and vibration abatement,” says Peter Lürssen, the company’s chairman. He adds that engineering prowess was a primary reason why the owners chose Lürssen over other shipyards.