Yacht Designer and Naval Architect, Josh Rodriguez from RODRIGUEZDESIGN has released images of his latest design the 690 GTO making it one of the world’s biggest centre console boats.

It wasn’t that long ago, that if you had twin engines, you were big time. Today, quad, quintuplet and even sextuplet racks of massive horsepower outboards have leaped the performance bar. The same goes for size. Twenty five years ago few could conceive of a 40-foot centre console boat, but this is a different decade and demand has changed.

Enter the new 690 GTO by Josh Rodriguez’s studio, RODRIGUEZDESIGN. This 69.88 ft (21.3 m) giant is designed to push hard with 6 x V8 powered Mercury 450R’s or 6 x V8 powered Seven Marine 627 outboards with the option of an inboard engine configuration also available.

However, performance and size are not the only jewels in this King’s crown. RODRIGUEZDESIGN has put the ability of customization at the forefront of the 690 GTO’s exterior and interior layout creating options aplenty.

“We are extremely happy to finally be able to announce the next step in big centre consoles. She’s the biggest, meanest, baddest centre console out there.”

Josh Rodriguez, owner of RODRIGUEZDESIGN.

On the exterior, you can choose from a different set of standard elements. The cruising version has an open aft deck with external hard top supports, an aft sun pad, workstation, covered U shaped seating and a 4 seat row for the dashboard. Moving forwards, the cruising option has a sun pad on top of the console, and another seating / al fresco dining area at the bow, which also acts as a large sun pad with the aid of an up-down table.

Stepping down inside the boat, the interior layout is also highly customizable. The cruising version has a two cabin layout, with the master cabin located forward and the VIP cabin located aft. This configuration has one head (bathroom) which is accessed directly from the master cabin and also from the saloon. The saloon accommodates 6 people around the large u-shaped seating arrangement, with an up-down table that allows it to turn into a double bed, sleeping a total of 6 guests. There is also a large galley, with an electric stove top, sink, microwave and dishwasher.

On the other side of the spectrum, you can choose a full fishing spec boat with the 690 GTO.
This would see two large live bait tanks aft, inner hard top supports to give full walk around capabilities for fishing and the same configuration under the hard top (u-shaped seating, which can be turned into two rows of 4 seats and a 4 seat dashboard row).

The 690 GTO can also be equipped with a tuna tower / fly bridge. Moving forwards, the fishing spec keeps the sun pad on top of the console or alternatively this can be switched out for glass to create a large skylight on the lower deck and a full walk around at the bow by eliminating the front seating. Of course these are just two versions of the 690 GTO, but the boat can really be configured any number of ways in between to suit the owner’s needs.

All variations of the 690 GTO centre console come standard with push out balconies, which on the cruising version act as a connection to the sea, away from the engines and on the fishing version act as a tuna door, which helps hauling heavy fish from the sea directly onto a lower height.

The reach and appeal of the centre console boat has certainly broadened over time, and the customization options seen in the 690 GTO just gives this giant longer arms. RODRIGUEZDESIGN can certainly stand behind the 690 GTO as the biggest, baddest and meanest centre console boat out there.

690 GTO Specifications at a Glance

• LENGTH: 21,3 m (69,88 ft)
• BEAM: 4,96 m (16,27 ft)
• DRAFT: 1,12 m (3,67 ft) (approx.)
• ENGINES: 6 X Mercury 450R or 6 X Seven Marine 627. Inboard engine configuration is also possible.
• SLEEPS: Up to 6 People

Monaco based yacht builder Dynamiq adds new configurable GTT 160 superyacht to their lineup.

Founded in Monaco in 2014 by yacht broker and designer Sergei Dobroserdov, Dynamiq is the young yacht building company behind the sporty GTT 160 superyacht concept targeted at the next generation of yachting enthusiasts.

Aimed at active owners equally comfortable navigating the globe as they are enjoying lazy island-hopping holidays, the GTT 160 is capable of Transatlantic crossings and is a more manageable and economical sized yacht that still affords the same luxuries usually associated with much larger superyachts.

Speaking of the latest addition to the Dynamiq lineup, CEO Sergei Dobroserdov recalled, “The idea was to create the most attractive proposal for a superyacht of just under 50 metres. There are so many 50-metre yachts below 500GT available, but they all look very similar with pretty much the same functionality. We asked ourselves ‘What can we bring to the market that makes more sense for our clients?’ The answer was to focus on modern owners priorities and leave the less important things aside. So we decided to design the GTT 160 with the accent on the key factors: well-being, efficiency and price.”

With a focus on well-being and in a first for a superyacht this size, the main deck aft has been designed around the large 120sqm beach club that includes a hot tub for 12 guests along with a sauna, hamman and gymnasium while on the upper deck, guests can enjoy the cinema lounge with a 75 inch movie screen or gather at the entertainers bar.

Designed to accommodate 12 guests comfortably, the GTT 160 features six luxuriously styled guest cabins and crew quarters for up to eight staff. Situated on the same deck as the beach club, the stately master stateroom is found at the main deck forward and includes two large private side balconies.

To complete its versatility, the GTT 160 has room for a 21-foot tender in the forward garage and comes with a touch-and-go helipad platform able to accommodate helicopters with a maxium take-off weight of 3,000kg.

Prices for the Dynamic GTT 160 begin at €19,900,000 with speed upgrades like the sports focused “S Version” available for an extra €850,000 (engines upgraded to a more powerful set of MAN V12-1800 engines to increase top speed to 23 knots).

As a highly configurable superyacht, Dynamic GTT 160 owners can use the online configurator to select extra packages including the limited “CARAT” edition (+ €1,000,000) offering the entire exterior being painted with Royal Gold metallic paint, a stabilization and silent package, Bentley Home interior furnishings, a Steinway Lyngdorf audio package, Serdanili gold bathroom accessories, Miele kitchen appliances, upgrade to marble throughout the superyacht and a host of other luxuries.

Alternatively if you don’t want the entire CARAT package, owners can also select individual upgrades such as metallic paint option for an extra €125,000 or interior packages like the “Minotti for Dynamiq” package for €275,000, the “Sabrina for Dynamiq” package for €445,000 or the accessory package from Bottega Veneta including cashmere throws and decorative pillows for €58,000.

In an often overwhelming decision making process, Dynamiq’s easy online configurator allows the yacht design to be easily customized and pricing transparent right down to the last detail.

Between superyacht owners, designers, naval architects and superyacht charter companies, a serious and practical approach is underway to continue making the marine industry Eco friendly.

Across the globe there has been increasing talk amongst the yachting industry regarding sustainability, the responsibility of owners to adopt green technologies and measures shipbuilders can take to help protect the environment.

Already many superyacht builders like Icon Yachts, Feadship and Lürssen have been engaging innovative Eco friendly technologies including the use of hybrid propulsion systems which engage multiple energy sources to lower carbon emissions and reduce noise pollution to the marine wildlife.

Superyachts like the award-winning Oceanco built Black Pearl which currently holds the record for the world’s largest sailing yacht at 360ft, uses a combination of “wind power” to fill her giant sails along with a hybrid propulsion system when required and is said to be able to cross the Atlantic without fuel.

Meanwhile, Turkish shipyard Bilgin has just completed their largest superyacht to date, the 262ft Tatiana, which complies with the International Maritime Organization’s IMO Tier III certification requirements and features a special exhaust system that produces 100% clean air emissions.

Up and coming yacht designers are also keen to imagine a greener yachting future with creative concepts like French designer Julien Cadro’s ‘Ecoo’ superyacht, featuring an Avatar styled hull made out of bamboo fiber instead of steel, designed as part of the recent Rossinavi Design Challenge.

Raphael Suleau, CEO of superyacht charter and brokerage Fraser Yachts, has also noticed an increase in owners wishing to adhere to “green yachting” standards and clients asking for Eco-conscious superyacht charter options, including charters that offset emissions by “multi-tasking” and carrying out marine research activities while engaged as a charter yacht.

One such superyacht in Fraser’s charter fleet is the 251ft Yersin, a multi-purpose trans-ocean explorer yacht with ZERO emissions that can explore the globe without a trace and gain access to some of the most remote parts of the world thanks to its minimal impact on the environment.

Created for an owner whose inspiration stemmed from adventurers like Tintin and Commander Cousteau, M/Y Yersin has a research laboratory and hospital onboard and can be used for the scientific study of the unique marine life it encounters. Along with educational initiatives, guests and crew are also required to use chemical-free products and all garbage and waste required to be sorted and recycled accordingly.

In 2019 Fraser also acquired the new 183ft yacht M/Y Baba’s into its charter fleet which was built using engines that are fully compliant with the new International Maritime Organization directives on “clean exhaust”. These measures will be in force from 2021 onwards, so Baba’s is the first Pleasure Craft to embrace this technology more than two years ahead of the upcoming global standards.

Guests onboard 109ft M/Y Robbie Bobby can take comfort that her owner see’s environmental issues as very important. He is trying to get rid of plastic water bottles, replace the water toys with electric ones in order to reduce consumption and pollution, and also change the tender and yacht’s engine to be more efficient.

Superyacht designers themselves are also actively looking to raise awareness in the industry, with superyacht designer Dan Lenard of renowned design house Nuvolari Lenard, embarking on a solo journey across the Atlantic Ocean in a 33ft sail boat made from abandoned performance yacht parts  in a bid to draw attention to the state of the oceans.

“While a public beach appears to be clean due to a meticulous daily cleaning of the appointed services, a yacht reaching for remote places is discovering easily the real sad state of beaches, coasts and also the water itself – plastic has now reached practically every part of the world’s seas”.

As a yacht designer for some of the most iconic superyacht builds to do date, Dan firmly believes it is the responsibility of each and every person to alter our actions and habits to ensure the preservation of our oceans.

As Dan Lenard says, “We can enjoy the sea or destroy the sea. It is a choice.”