CALIFORNIA 52’ INNOVATION AWARD WINNER

Waterdream, the Vripack-designed California 52’ has received the prestigious Best Innovation Award at the World Yacht Trophies in Cannes. The boat was officially launched at the Scheepvaartmuseum in Amsterdam in August 2020 and has already gained international fame.

The innovative boat is based on Human Centred Design (HCD) to optimise guests’ experience during a day on the water. It is a practical, versatile boat for a weekend away with family and friends, but a one-man cruise is just as much fun. The ‘James Bond’ boat has a minimalist, classic design that offers generous amounts of space compared to other weekend boats; and all centred around achieving an optimal human-centred experience. In addition, the new model with its all-aluminium hull and selectively chosen materials is 80% sustainable.

Dutch-based Waterdream is a modern brand that has been building boats since 2012 for a variety of lifestyles. The California 52’ is a collaboration with Van der Valk Shipyard and Vripack Design Studio. The new award-winning Waterdream model was built entirely by hand in less than five months using state-of-the-art technology. The driving force behind this HCD approach was a strong focus on innovation to ensure we meet our clients’ expectations.

Bart Hoekstra, co-creative director at Vripack, comments: “Without a doubt, the biggest innovation within this project is that from day one we applied a Human Centred Design approach, ensuring that the design, build, development and communication is focused on the ‘human’ aspect.”

Aluminium was carefully selected as a build material for the following reasons: its sustainability (100% recyclable), light and strong and allows for easy customisation. The weight to speed ratio of the California 52’ is one of its lowest in class making her extremely fuel efficient.

By clever design, the California 52’ has a large interior volume with full headroom without sacrificing on exterior space. Typically, the interior space is compromised in design in favour of exterior areas. But using the HCD design approach, the result is well-balanced space distribution that allows all spaces on board to function effortless.

The helm has a unique position; a fully free, unobstructed position in the centre of the cockpit, putting the driver at the centre of the action. This allows them to be surrounded by family and friends.

Another unique cockpit feature is the garage for a jet-ski or tender in the stern, allowing the owner to comfortably take toys or tenders on the trip for guaranteed extended boating fun.

The California 52’ hull lines have been extensively optimised using Computer Fluid Dynamics (CFD). This results in an extremely efficient hull, not only at full speed but especially at cruising speeds. This is an important element, as studies have shown that owners prefer to sail at cruising speed around 83% of the time. The value of comfort at high(-er) speeds is an undervalued aspect of design, and yet imperative for true boating enjoyment.

Certain calculations around comfort have been made to optimise the hull lines and weight balance of the California 52’. This has resulted in a 30% reduction in the occurrence of sea sickness (the Bell Ratio) compared to the industry standard. Also, the dynamic trim is a large contributor to levels of onboard comfort. The California 52’ hull design ensures a 50% reduction of dynamic trim over the full speed range. This means that at hump speed the trim is just six degrees, and at cruise and/or max speed this is just four (excluding effect of trim taps) allowing the visibility forward to be fully optimised.

The extensive use of virtual reality tooling during the design process enabled a ‘first time right’ development process that allows for a very short build time. A shorter lead time represents both money and value to an owner. In fact, the California 52’ allows for a semi-custom build to be combined with the typical short lead times of GRP production boats.

Ultimately, the California 52’ had an aesthetic that ultimate proves the value of Human Centred Design. It generates a truly better boat for the owner. It goes far beyond looks and taste, and maximises levels of enjoyment and satisfaction for the owner and their family.

The Waterdream California 52’ is a unique build. Waterdream’s signature of always setting the new standard of boating truly applies to this new model. This 52-foot weekend-boat has, among the highest quality, some unique new innovations.

The first innovation is about sustainability. The full aluminium hull and superstructure are made of 100% green recycled aluminium. This means that over 80% of the boat is recyclable, which is important to Waterdream’s mission to make the world better for future generations. Vripack has succeeded in its objective to make the boat lightweight and fuel efficient, and the boat has the lowest fuel consumption/speed ratio in its class.

The second innovation is its layout. The well-conceived layout is unique and will change the way owners consider sailing their own boats. Behind the beautifully designed full carbon W-shaped steering console with matching carbon steering wheel, the captain forms part of the party on board with plenty of space around him for guests. Together, with the solo sailor’s manoeuvrability of the boat, this puts the emphasis back on fun for owners who wish to sail their 50-foot boats themselves.

The California 52’ also has the largest outdoor space and the highest cabin height of over two metres in its class. Waterdream goal from the outset has always been nothing but the best guest experience. Fun, quality and functionality are three factors that sit in perfect harmony. Speaking of fun, the California features an innovative garage and is the only 52-foot boat of its kind to carry a stand-up jet-ski in its garage.

Alongside these innovations, Waterdream understands how owners want to be assisted. Every Waterdream California comes with the Waterdream Service Model including the arrangement of berths, captains if needed, and a world-wide service; even stocking the fridge and cleaning the boat forms part of Waterdream’s philosophy.

With the new California 52’, Waterdream has surpassed its philosophy of building every new boat with the best innovations in its class.