The enthusiastic owners of the first unit of the new SW108, now under construction for delivery in 2023, shared their experience of Southern Wind and the Smart Custom approach in an recent interview with Superyachttimes. An excerpt of the article can be viewed below.
SW108 HYBRID: the Southern Wind Smart Custom approach
Owners of the first SW108 Hybrid on the Southern Wind Smart Custom approach.
In mid-2021 the South African shipyard Southern Wind announced a new sailing yacht concept, one that went beyond a single vessel and focused on a fresh new approach to semi-custom yacht design – ‘Smart Custom’.
Created to enrich the process of yacht design and construction, the Smart Custom concept was unveiled alongside the first model which would feature the approach; the hybrid SW108. With exteriors and interiors by Nauta Design and naval architecture by Farr Yacht Design, the SW108 began with a formidable platform and it is no surprise that the first owners of the series signed on the dotted line before the end of the year. The husband and wife duo are enthusiastic sailors and they shared their experience of Southern Wind and the Smart Custom approach first hand with SuperYacht Times.
When it came to the customisation of the yacht, how did Southern Wind apply the Smart Custom approach?
Southern Wind has been very open to input and extremely accommodating. The process was so much more than just choosing the fabrics, colours and some features.
I already mentioned that we adapted the naval architecture with Farr to our brief. We very much liked the original deck design, but then worked with Nauta and SWS to refine various elements including changes to the coach roof and a new transom.
We had particularly big ambitions for the design and quality of the interiors. Massimo Gino and Patrick Pigoni at Nauta developed a completely new design for us that is light and airy and will showcase the workmanship Southern Wind is capable of. The entire process was very creative, stimulating, and a lot of fun. The collaboration between Nauta, the yard and us has been very fluid and Nauta were incredible in translating our ideas into a coherent design. Their guidance on aesthetics and practical considerations was invaluable and gave us confidence while we tried to push the envelope.
Since this is the first boat of the new series, it would be lovely to see some of these new ideas finding their way in future yachts.
Services
Charter
A charter with a Southern Wind allows you to live an ultimate cruising experience. Discover our Charter fleet.
Brokerage
Our Brokerage team has been responsible for most of the purchases of SWS yachts for sale. Browse our Brokerage fleet.
Customer Care
