Feadship is showing that sometimes the smallest changes to a superyacht can make the biggest difference. 

The Dutch yard just revealed the exterior of the highly secretive Project 717, allowing us to see how seemingly minor design tweaks have had a major impact.

The 162-foot superyacht, which recently left the construction hall at Feadship’s Aalsmeer facility after many months under wraps, offers both length and volume but remains wonderfully in proportion. That visual harmony is the handiwork of Studio De Voogt. The Dutch studio, a longtime collaborator of Feadship, made subtle but deliberate design decisions to create a spacious yet stylish vessel. 

“In the exterior design, we extended the lines without allowing the yacht to feel stretched,” Jan Schaffers, senior designer at Studio De Voogt, said in a statement.

The widened shoulders along the sides of the sundeck provide more real estate up top without detracting from the sleek silhouette. Similarly, fold-down bulwarks expand the main deck when open but disappear into the streamlined body when closed.

“When the fold-down bulwarks are open, the deck space and uninterrupted views are comparable to those of a yacht nearly twice this size, enhanced by the generous ceiling on the aft deck.”

The expansive main deck has what Schaffers describes as a “strong beach atmosphere,” with plush seating and a glass-fronted Jacuzzi aft. Forward lies a lounging and dining area with large windows that invite the outdoors in. 

The sundeck, which Feadship says resembles those on much larger yachts, features a flybridge, a secondary helm station, a bar, a barbecue, and a dining area forward, as well as a bar and lounge aft. More lounge space can be found on the foredeck, with seating and sun pads fronting the yacht. 

The interior, designed by American studio Marty Lowe, accommodates 10 guests across five staterooms. The highlight is, of course, the full-beam owner’s suite on the main deck, which comes complete with a marble en suite, a private study, a separate dressing area, and panoramic views. The remaining two doubles and two twins are located on the lower deck, along with crew quarters for eight crew.

In terms of power, the yacht is equipped with propulsion technology developed through Feadship’s Advanced Electrical Drive program. That almost certainly means a hybrid diesel-electric system, though the yard did not explicitly say that. It did say that propulsion and steering are delivered by thrusters that significantly reduce drag while enhancing efficiency.

Project 717 was sold to a long-standing Feadship owner, according to a statement shared last September. The yacht will now undergo final preparations ahead of transport to the North Sea, where sea trials will take place before her delivery in spring.