Symphony

• LOA: 101.5 m
• Gross tonnage: 3,463 GT
• Beam: 14.1 m
• Delivered: 2015
• Builder: Feadship (De Voogt Naval Architects)
• Exterior design: Tim Heywood
• Interior design: Zuretti Interior Design
• Propulsion: four MTU engines, top speed about 21 knots

The first Feadship past 100 metres

When Symphony was handed over in 2015 she cleared a barrier the yard had never crossed, becoming the first Feadship to run past 100 metres and the longest yacht built in the Netherlands at that point. At 101.5 metres and 3,463 GT she carried the yard firmly into flagship territory that only a handful of builders can reach. Her steel hull and aluminium superstructure were engineered to cross oceans in genuine comfort. The project set out to prove that Dutch full-custom quality could scale to the size of a small ship. She stands as one of the most significant deliveries in the modern history of the yard.

Her importance runs well beyond raw length. Symphony showed that a yacht of this volume could hold the joinery standard and finish that Feadship owners expect from a far smaller commission. The six-deck arrangement gave the design team room to work on a scale closer to a private house than a boat. She opened the way for the run of very large Feadships that followed across the rest of the decade. For a buyer weighing the top of the market, she reset the idea of what a Dutch flagship could be.

Tim Heywood lines on a grand scale

The exterior is the work of Tim Heywood, a designer known for giving very large yachts a calm and confident stance. On Symphony he drew a long hull with a gently raked bow and a measured run of horizontal glass that keeps the six decks from reading as a tall wall. A beam of 14.1 metres gives her real internal volume and a stable platform at sea. The proportions carry the length with ease and give her a timeless profile that has aged well. De Voogt Naval Architects developed the hull form beneath the styling.

The outdoor spaces are where that scale becomes real luxury. A six metre swimming pool with a glass bottom sits on the main deck and pours daylight into the room below it. The bridge deck carries an outdoor cinema, and the sun deck holds a large spa pool for warm-weather cruising. Broad terraces on several levels give owner and guests generous room to settle in at anchor, with long views over the water from the upper decks. Each level was shaped to work as its own open-air setting through the day.

The first Feadship ever built past 100 metres, and the longest Dutch-built yacht of her day.

Zuretti volume below decks

Inside, Symphony is the work of the French studio Zuretti Interior Design, long practised in dressing the largest yachts and grand hotels. The volume here allows tall ceilings and wide social rooms, the kind of proportions that bring a superyacht close to the feel of a private residence. She is arranged to carry up to 20 guests across eight cabins, with the owner given a private deck of real generosity. Fine materials and careful detailing follow the Feadship standard throughout. The finish rewards very close inspection, which has long been a hallmark of the yard.

With space of this order the interior can hand whole rooms to a single purpose. There is room for formal and informal dining, a wellness area, and quiet retreats set well away from the busier decks. A crew of around 38 supports the yacht without intruding on guest life. The layout keeps owner, guests and service moving through the vessel without friction, which is the true dividend of building at this length. Natural light reaches deep into the yacht through her generous glazing.

Power for a small ship

Symphony is driven by four MTU engines in a package built for a heavy displacement hull that is meant to cross oceans in comfort. The yard has cited a top speed near 21 knots, a strong figure for a vessel of this tonnage. She was engineered with efficiency in mind, and Feadship has reported meaningful reductions in energy use against a conventional layout of her size. Large tankage and technical spaces support long autonomy far from port. Her deep draft of 4.1 metres gives her a settled, ship-like motion at sea.

Engineering a hull past 100 metres is as much about comfort as speed. At this length the naval architecture aims to keep motion gentle in a seaway, so life aboard carries on normally when the weather turns. Redundancy is built across the critical systems, in line with the expectation that a yacht of this value will cruise remote waters. Stabilisation holds her level at anchor as well as under way. The result is a flagship engineered for reliability over many thousands of sea miles.

A flagship at the top of the market

Symphony sits among the small group of private yachts that only a few clients in the world can commission and run. Building a vessel of this length and finish is a statement few yards can answer, and it strengthened Feadship's case with the wealthiest buyers. Yachts of this class change hands rarely, since the pool of owners able to operate a 3,400 GT vessel is very small. She has kept a steady presence at the leading anchorages since delivery.

For an owner she offers the reach and volume of a flagship with the finish of a Dutch full-custom build. The scale suits large family groups, extended cruising and serious onboard hosting across several open-air decks. Operating a yacht of this size is a long-term commitment, which makes her a natural fit for a committed owner at the very top of the fleet. Symphony remains a benchmark for what full custom can deliver at length.

Who it is for: The owner who wants a true six-deck flagship at the very top of the size range, with room for large family groups and serious hosting.