- For the Classic or Contemporary Yachtsman
Laurent Giles Naval Architects Ltd. is a long established yacht and ship design and architect firm. Established by Jack Laurent Giles in 1927, Laurent Giles can boast that they have an archive of more than 1,300 unique and historical designs than anyone in the world. Some of the historical designs are used even today by Laruent Giles Naval Architects Ltd. and integrated with the latest technology to design classic ships and luxury yachts.
The luxury yacht Samar is one of the newer designs to launch by Laurent Giles. Samar is a 252’ luxury superyacht with a contemporary steel and aluminum exterior design that is being chartered for cruises in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean, or wherever the customer would like to go. With a 6,000 nautical mile range, Samar can accommodate an around the world cruise. Facilities for 12 guests and up to 26 crew members include a spa pool, an open bar, a movie theater, hot and cold pools, a steamroom, and a gymnasium.
The yacht is equipped with a guest elevator and two service elevators. Samar is truly a wondrous sight when sailing the high seas, and even more wondrous is the experience of looking out onto the sea from the sun deck. The interior design can be described as regal, fit for a king and queen. She charters for EUR 650,000 per week. You might need two weeks to take in the full experience that is Samar.
There are over 40 yachts under construction around the world currently that were designed by the team at Laurent Giles. To accommodate the vast worldwide business, Laurent Giles Naval Architects Ltd. has opened a second office in Auckland, New Zealand on the North Shore. This office will serve the southern hemisphere and the Far East clients.
Laurent Giles specializes in the design of yachts and superyachts, both sailing and motor, but all luxury in their own rites, as well as tall ships and commercial vessels. The firm also handles refits and refurbishes, but the main focus is in the superyacht market. Barry van Geffen is the managing director at Laurent Giles. Barry started as an apprentice with the company in 1971 and worked his way up the ranks to director in the mid 1980s. Barry is also heading up the New Zealand office. Other team members include Stephen Wallis, technical director, David Lewis, director, and Adrian Chisnell, naval architect.
For the amateur boat builder who is not a naval architect, Laurent Giles Naval Architects Ltd. will sell the plans for many of their most popular classic yachts. Most notably is the Vertue, a classic 25’ sailing yacht. The original plans are laid to rest at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. The design firm, however, has retained the intellectual property rights and sells the plans along with the rights to call the new vessel a Laurent Giles Vertue. Laurent Giles also offers support throughout the building process at an hourly rate. These homemade yachts have an outstanding resale value, although few who put that much work and love into a project such as the Vertue would ever want to sell it.
Laurent Giles Naval Architects Ltd. can be found at the new New Zealand office or at the home office in Lumington, Hampshire, UK. They have a very nice website with telephone and e-mail contact information, as well as an overview of each of the types of craft they design, which is quite an interesting read. I especially enjoyed the Tall Ships section, but the luxury superyachts is not to be missed. Laurent Giles Naval Architects Ltd. are masters at their craft and strive to be envied by all in the industry.
