Floating Fantasy
Two Orange County boat designers create the ultimate in sailing luxury
A gourmet kitchen, a Jacuzzi on the back deck and a master bedroom with 270-degree ocean views. Welcome to the world of luxury sailing, where going nautical no longer means giving up life’s finer pleasures – thanks to the award-winning boat design partnership of Pete Melvin and Gino Morrelli.
Known worldwide for their highly sought-after, multi-hull racing yachts, the Newport Beach-based duo are leading the way in designing race-quality catamarans with all the trimmings.
Where other luxury sailing yachts may offer five-star amenities, few designers manage to combine these pleasurable perks with an ocean craft that still offers world-class racing performance. Like the speedy 65-foot catamaran with twin outdoor Jacuzzis (one for the master suite and one for guests) that sold for US$5.5 million. “The sky, or your imagination, is the limit,” says Melvin. “Come in with a wish-list and we will make it come true.”
This is no production-line business. Between working on designs of smaller boats for other sailing companies and making time for their own racing interests (both men are avid sailors), Melvin and Morrelli design just three or four luxury yachts per year.
Currently, the two sailing enthusiasts are undertaking a conceptual study for the design of a 130-foot, high-performance yacht for an East Coast client with corporate entertaining in mind. Featuring six staterooms, a gourmet galley, a conference room, and space for everything from surfboards and windsurfers to jet skis and a dinghy, the catamaran is a floating palace for businessmen seeking a boardroom escape.
A project of this magnitude takes more than 12 months to complete (with conceptual planning lasting six-to-eight months alone) at costs reaching upward of US$3 million.
Standing among boat hulls in their Fullerton factory, Morrelli says the key to this and other yacht designs lies in the vessel’s super light-weight, carbon fibre skeletons – allowing extra weight to be carried where their clients want it most.
“We use our racing boat experience to build light and strong structures so our clients can carry their toys,” he explains. Like the amateur chef who requested 75-pounds of storage space for her spice collection and gourmet kitchen utensils, or the reading enthusiast who wanted scope to carry 150-pounds of paperbacks.
While another SoCal boat builder with Orange County roots, Hobie, rules the waves when it comes to smaller catamarans and day-sailers, Morrelli & Melvin Design and Engineering is leading the way with fast, high-end yachts created with the luxury owner in mind.
Says Buzz Sands, the Newport Beach owner of a Morrelli & Melvin-designed 70-foot power catamaran whose fully-crewed vessel awaits him in the balmy waters of Baja: “These guys are probably the best boat designers in North America. My catamaran is fast, it’s fuel efficient, it’s nicely equipped with art,” Sands grins, “I’ve even been known to drink a few beers on board.”