Curvelle’s 33.7-metre Quaranta catamaran, in build at the Curvelle shipyard in Istanbul for launch at the end of this year, promises more than just a spacious and stable superyacht: the yard is looking for owners to benefit from a €1.43 million syndicate ownership scheme.
“With syndicate ownership there is an optimum number of part-owners that can take maximum advantage of the windows of operational time,” says Curvelle’s head and director of marketing Luuk V. van Zanten. “We’re offering seven syndicate shares for a year-round, Mediterranean-plus-Caribbean operation. The initial response has been very positive and three owners have already taken shares in the first yacht.”
Each syndicate share is set at €1.43 million – “the same as buying a typical new VAT-paid 55ft motor cruiser!” points out van Zanten – and there will be annual running costs around €200,000 per year, which includes crew costs, servicing and the relocation of the yacht. Two sets of crew will rotate during the cruising season, which is set at 35-40 weeks, guaranteeing at least five weeks cruising for each member and at least one week on board during the key months of July and August. Additional boat time can be purchased at a preferential charter rate.
“We are giving owners the chance to do what they want,” says van Zanten, who adds that each yacht will be managed by an individual company set up for that purpose. Each syndicate member is free to leave the scheme when they want, according to the terms of the syndicate agreement.
A key aspect of the Quaranta is its flexibility. The yacht brings the usual benefits of the catamaran form, with huge deck spaces and internal volume, while large windows fill the guest cabins with light. “The accommodation areas can transform the yacht for each cruise depending on the mix of guests. The six double cabins can be reconfigured into three VIP suites or more than 20 other combinations with just a few hours’ notice for the crew,” says van Zanten. “This scheme has been in planning for almost four years and we have seen the problems that previous schemes have had, one of which is the lack of flexibility of the yachts.”
The yacht will launch at the end of this year, with sea trials in January in readiness for the 2013 season. Potential members of the scheme pay a €150,000 downpayment into an escrow account. The company has plans to establish ten yachts worldwide.
For more renderings of the Curvelle Quaranta click through our gallery.