It’s become a tradition at VPLP Design to release a new concept boat during the Monaco Yacht Show, the international show dedicated to superyachts, and this year is no different! For the 2022 edition (28 September – 1 October) VPLP is proud to present Aperio, a forty-six-metre catamaran which features two very different configurations depending on whether she’s sailing or at moorings. Let’s take a closer look.
Aperio – from the Latin “to reveal” – is a sailing yacht inspired by the notions of duality and metamorphosis. Carrying a pair of 40-metre-high wingsails, she is a 151’ catamaran created by several architects and designers at VPLP Design in collaboration with Patrick le Quément, a reference in the design world with whom VPLP has been working for over a decade. What makes Aperio distinct is her ability to take on two very different appearances, one when sailing, the other at anchor. “At sea, the boat’s powerful physique expresses her desire for motion. She is very sculptural. The marvellous fluidity of the manta ray was the main influence for her design,” says Patrick le Quément.
“Aperio is as elegant as she is fast,” says Yann Prummel, VPLP designer whose notable contributions include, in addition to this latest yacht, the firm’s previous concept boat, Seaffinity, which went on display at Monaco last year. We don’t want Aperio to impose herself on the natural world, but instead we want her to be coherent with her environment. She has a very pure silhouette. Her lines, sometimes marked, sometimes blurred, constitute a bridge between a natural, biological world and one that is purely technical.”
“Expressing the art of metamorphosis”
Once arrived at her destination, Aperio reveals another facet of her design: she unfolds to become a veritable holiday home. “We wanted to express the art of metamorphosis. The boat has two ways of expressing herself, both being equally effective,” says Patrick le Quément. “At moorings, you discover a completely new boat,” says Yann Prummel. Aperio extends extra living areas from each side, her structure spreading into a much larger space for better accommodating the people aboard. In the stern, a mobile platform can be lowered to create a comfortable gangway linking the two hulls just a few centimetres above the surface of the sea. We designed it to be a sort of Venetian bridge which provides access to the sterns and the upper deck.”
The central space is used innovatively: the open flush deck provides a very bright and spacious living area. Four cabins are isolated from each other but remain connected through this sizeable artery.
“A technically possible dream”
What is VPLP Design’s goal in developing this new concept boat? “It’s very important for us to show how innovation is a constant factor at the heart of our way of doing things, and to present original ideas. With each concept boat we try to push back the boundaries, break down the barriers, and imagine the future of sailing. This boat is a dream but she is nevertheless technically possible,” says Yann Prummel. “This boat leverages all the skill sets within the firm and opens new avenues that we would like to pursue for a production boat or a special order,” says Patrick le Quément.
Aperio is designed to accommodate up to ten people aboard, as well as five crew members. Who would be interested in a yacht like this? Yann Prummel sees her as “a boat for sharing, where several families embark together. Installing a coworking space was an important consideration for us, because it allows the boat to be used as a workplace.”
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