When, leading up to the Cannes Yachting Festival, renderings of the Superfly GT 42 surfaced, it’s safe to say it piqued my interest. It wasn’t just one thing that stood out: it was everything. From the bemusing name, which brought to mind cheesy bass guitar licks and handlebar mustaches, to its twin-stepped hull design and spaceship-esque lines, which looks like something out of a futurist’s crazy fantasy—it all somehow worked for me. This was shaping up to be one hell of a yacht.
Taken together, the Superfly concept seamlessly blends performance with supercar styling out on the water. Designed by the Turkish naval architects of Red Yacht Design, you wouldn’t be wrong for thinking it looks more like a collaboration between Christopher Nolan and Lamborghini.
Someone that would assuredly welcome that comparison is Michael Reimer, CEO and owner of Flying Flipper. When Reimer acquired the Scandinavian boaterbuilder in 2014, he did so with an eye towards enhancing the racing-turned-leisure-boat-manufacturer’s sporty offerings: each one imbued with a racing pedigree by its founder, boat designer and racer Sigurd Isacsson.
“The idea for the Superfly came part from the legacy from our previous model, the GT 32, and part from my desire to create something never seen before in this segment of boats,” says Reimer.
Those equal parts—of building off a solid foundation of the past whilst looking to the future—come together in this new model. The Superfly shares the same layout as the previous GT 32 “only longer, wider, and of course with a totally new and modern design language,” says Reimer. Luckily, Red Yacht Design was fluent. Playing off the performance aspect, Reimer, a boat enthusiast and designer himself, worked with the design team to add a retractable glass hardtop to the layout—or what Reimer calls part of their “wow factor.”
Want to feel like a Formula 1 driver? Simply press a button on the remote to slide the roof up or down. Everything is controlled from the single helm seat, facing a wraparound digital dashboard and 360-degrees of sightlines. Behind the captain, a U-shaped settee comfortably fits six, while a central fold-up table pops out at the push of a button, with the captain’s chair spinning aft to face guests for al fresco dining.
Superfly GT 42
But to truly honor a racing legacy, and not be derided as all flash and no substance, you need to consider the performance. “We can easily say that the performance and power factor are the heart of this design,” says Red Yacht Design Naval Architect and Marine Engineer Fatih Sürekli. “We took the center of gravity aft and lowered the outboards.”
To top it all off, the boat has two cabins—one forward and a large owner’s cabin aft—a salon with its own dining table and galley, and a wet head, which is why the center of gravity was so important. “We used every single ounce of volume to create something different for this market,” says Sürekli. “At the same time, with twin-stepped hull and 22-degree deadrise, we wanted to achieve a performance hull that has excellent seakeeping.”
Accommodations aside, this has all the makings of a driver’s boat. Flying Flipper offers the Superfly in a variety of models, with the flagship 42-RS sporting three Seven Marine 627 outboard engines for a combined 1,881 horsepower; which, if you so choose it, will get the Superfly moving at an estimated top speed of more than 65 knots. (It also has an eco-friendly hybrid option with a Torqeedo electric inboard engine.)
An open version (featuring a large sun deck instead of the aft cabin) of the Superfly GT 42 is poised to make its debut at the Stockholm International Boat Show next year. Reimer feels there is a big demand for a Superfly GT with the same unique exterior design as the aft cabin version. “The vision was to create something jaw-dropping and something never seen before,” adds Reimer. We’re eager to see it in person, but if the renderings are any indication, it seems like they might have nailed it.
Flying Flipper; [email protected]
