Length 50.5m
Year 2012

Better Place

2012

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Sail Yacht

The world’s largest performance sloop in carbon fiber and the first Green Star sailing yacht.

Better Place is the first megayacht of its size built entirely in advanced composites; an element requested by the client who desired high-performance as well as fine comfort.

The blue water sloop is designed to combine Wally’s trademark performance and ease of handling with all the modern comforts and amenities of a luxury megayacht. In order to boost performance she does feature a lifting keel that increases the draft from 4.2 metres to six metres when sailing, PBO rigging, and water tanks that will double as water ballasts.
The measured displacement of this mega sailer perfectly matches the theoretical data: only 250 tons, of which 88 of the ballast (fin and bulb keel) and 11.5 of the full rigging (mast, boom, PBO rigging). The Wally 50m resulted also in perfect trim.

Design and styling evolution

Developed on the lines of Tripp Design with the interiors by Wetzels Brown Partners,
the overall design, interior and exterior, is astonishing and innovative compared to any other similar yacht.
The exterior and interiors are developed following the Wally concept of inside-outside living areas, whereas the interiors open onto the exteriors and vice versa.
The 62-sqm owners’ suite is aft with extraordinary visibility and brightness. The natural light floods in from four sides of the vast stateroom: through the portholes on both sides, and the mirrored glass aft and above. The owners’ private area has direct access to the 30-sqm Terrace-on-the-sea, that is another distinctive feature of the Wally inside-outside concept.

On deck and inside

The main deck is open and free of unnecessary interruptions, the saloon, dining room and wheelhouse forming one continuous, 86 sqm open space under the deckhouse.
The saloon with panoramic views seats 20 people as lounge opening onto the aft deck with further lounge space. There is an option for the central coffee table to be converted into an additional dining for eight people.
The dining area forward seats 10 people in dining layout and can be converted into an additional lounge area with XL sofa seating six comfortably.
The forward social cockpit, directly accessible from the interior dining and lounge areas, features table seats and sun beds for up to 20-people. Beyond this, the forward deck features a Jacuzzi, finished in black, which is positioned beneath deck level and is therefore invisible when not in use, an hidden winch “cockpit” for the halyards, two large tender garages, stay-sail locker, sail lockers, and the Wally submarine anchor locker.
The 100-sqm sundeck is accessed both by an outside staircase and by an inside open staircase, leading to steering and navigation, lounge, dining, sunbathing and barbeque areas.
A particularly innovative service feature is the open food lift connecting galley, interior dining area and sundeck– a ‘suitcase’ suspended in free space, connected by a single vertical track, to lift . The sundeck dining can be converted into a huge sunbed with the addition of an inflatable mattress, providing further comfort without stretching available storage capacity.
hull side door is located amidships to starboard: when open, it converts into a swimming and tender boarding platform.
Maximising space and minimising storage requirements, a newly designed seating module has been developed for the deck in carbon and mesh with low profile cushions, for easy stowage, by the interior designers Wetzels Brown Partners, who designed all the deck furnishing.
The lower deck features the night and service areas accommodating the owners in the aft suite and up to ten guests in four double staterooms, and ten crew in five double cabins. All cabins have en-suites.
The crew and service quarter is forward with galley, laundry and crew mess.
The two engine rooms are amidships.

On Deck

The Better Place features defining lounge areas in the forward cockpit, aft deck, fly bridge, and terrace on the sea. On the fly bridge/sun deck can be found a large Jacuzzi tub; two hidden tender garages; lounge/dining area for 16; barbeque; and the navigation and helmstations.

Sailing Performance

It is estimated that in true winds of eight knots the she will achieve 11 knots upwind and 14 knots reaching. In 20 knots of true wind she will increase performance to 14 upwind and 20 reaching.
Better Place is propelled by a diesel-electric system used to improve energy management while providing a more efficient layout and reducing consumption, noise and vibration. Power for propulsion and services comes from three diesel generators.

Description of Interior Design of Better Place

Better Place has been designed to be quintessentially a Wally thoroughbred. Wally has an iconic approach to both interior and exterior design – a modern approach to yachting.

The interior design combines carbon look both gloss and satin, satin white lacquered oak, grey leather and colour matched upholstery to create a relaxed feeling. Colour-changing LED lights are used throughout the yacht and can be adjusted in order to change the atmosphere, reflecting the interior design concept to have soft and neutral tones that are coloured by the lights. The cabins are linked by a light installation, running along the spine of the yacht.

Some Wally interior design features on this yacht:
- Clean flowing lines;
- Open light spaces with available dimensions maximised
- Yacht luxury materials – carbon fibre, satin white light oak, grey leather with colour matched upholstery.
- The decoration of the yacht is in the texture of the materials and profile of the shapes, there are few added lamps, decorative cushions, vases or picture frames. Like a car this yacht is designed as one product with integral decoration rather than an exterior with an interior design added.
- Interior spaces meet exterior spaces with seamless transition.
- This is a sailing yacht in the true Wally tradition – relaxed, exclusive feel with design considered to the smallest detail.
- The Wally sparkle, that little something extra has always been the attitude towards the use of strong colour. This yacht is metallic Bugatti Blue and inside the small elements of colours have the same strong metallic quality - raspberry, ice green and sky blue.
- This is a large yacht so a changing dynamic environment is a challenge to create. Throughout the yacht LED lights can be programmed to change the atmosphere of the yacht and to complement the highlight colours.
- Audio-visual technology is a high specification from HED in America (further details available of Crestron system if you need them)

Main Deck
- Vertical connections are emphasized by an open staircase from sundeck to cabin deck> the open food lift is a ‘suitcase’ suspended in a free space attached to one vertical track – a yachting first
- The saloon/dining/wheelhouse is one flowing open space
- Seating and flooring is the same upholstery for both interior and exterior giving the ultimate open connection between saloon and deck
- Exploring the Wally principle of keeping decks open and free of clutter, a new seating module has been developed is carbon and mesh with low profile cushions to reduce storage requirements.

Cabin Deck
- This most noticeable feature is the tunnel corridor treated as a light installation with “invisible” doors to the cabins. In architectural terms this is the spine of the yacht and a guest passes through the walls of the tunnel to enter the adjacent spaces.’
- Cabins – 2 double, 2 twin, owner and 9-10 crew.
- Cabins have similar base materials – warm light grey, black gloss and carbon finishes with fresh wall bulkheads. Changing colour provided with LED backlight and ‘skylights in each cabin. The twin cabins are particularly suited to the children with a small element of ice green and raspberry.

Sundeck
- On the sundeck the dining area converts with an inflatable mattress into a huge sunbed. The forward deck has a black jacuzzi seamlessly position under the deck and invisible when not in use.
- The forward lounge space has direct connection to the interior dining and lounge spaces.
- The sundeck has BBQ/ buffet, lounge, dining and sunbathing areas

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