Steel, aluminium and passion: How a bespoke CRN megayacht is born
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Steel, aluminium and passion: How a bespoke CRN megayacht is born

Since its foundation in 1963 in Ancona, Italy, the historic CRN shipyard has always been strongly owner-oriented, designing and building unique fully-custom yachts of incredible beauty and the highest quality, measuring up to 95 metres.

Each one-off yacht is made to measure at the Ancona yard where an in-house team of project managers, engineers, project architects, technicians, and craftspeople give the client their passionate support, transforming the genesis of a yacht into a stirring journey.


From dream to design

The voyage begins with a blank sheet of paper, the first step in capturing the client’s vision. This evolutionary process of careful listening is a continual exploration of how the client wishes to experience their pleasure boat that shapes a concept, leading to an initial general arrangement plan. This forms the springboard for the next stage: refining the project in ever-greater detail, inch by inch. This can last from a few months to over a year, by when all the elements will be in perfect harmony: the layout, the hull, the bow and stern, the length, beam and draft, the performance and the features of each deck.


Down to the finest detail

With the traits of the yacht’s unique personality all pinned down, the team embarks on the stages of the detailed design. The structural side, electrical systems and utilities are entrusted to the Technical Office engineers, while the project architects and the Interiors & Design office imagine the interior spaces.

Driven by the client’s vision of the space they need inside and out the volumes in each setting are mapped out so the owner’s creativity comes fully into play. The design process continues at a finer level, various renderings with different levels of subtlest details are produced along with mood boards for the client to experience patterns and textures.

From the styles to the colours and the materials to the finishes, everything can be personalised. The owner’s now have a pivotal contribution to make; with their discerning eye, they are instrumental in choosing the mood. In a continual dialogue to get a feel for the owner's personal style, the Project Architect suggests the most aesthetically fitting solutions and selects the best suppliers. The expertise of Italian master artisans is favoured wherever possible; they can create tailor-made high-quality solutions.


The project takes shape: the stages of construction

At this point in the journey, the design – honed and tailored to the client’s personality – is now ready to meet reality, as the production work is planned out to perfection. Once the hull has been built, the yacht’s unmistakable shapes begin to emerge. Now the artisans’ expert hands get to work on the carpentry, the fitting-out and the on-board systems and installations.

While the external hull is primed and painted in a meticulous process, the carpenters come in to subdivide and construct the on-board spaces. CRN is proud to have an in-house carpentry team with over 110 years of history behind; these master craftspeople are a specialist all-Italian resource and their contribution brings a superlative level of customisation with exquisite flexibility and quality. The production stages proceed in parallel through a process of perfect symbiosis, like instruments in a symphony orchestra building to a crescendo – the completion of the piece.


The culmination of a journey: the idea is now reality

The final leg of this riveting voyage is the launch and the various stages of testing. In the months after her christening, the yacht is subjected to a searching battery of tests to verify that every detail meets the exacting standards of excellence that have always been CRN’s hallmark.

At the same time, the pleasure vessel is further embellished, as the free-standing furnishings are fitted for a crowning touch of warmth to bring out the personality of each space.

The journey that began with an idea and a blank sheet is now complete. The client has completed the metamorphosis from being simply the owner to becoming the true author of their opus.


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