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Palmer Johnson’s first composite series yacht, Alter Ego, packs a lot of volume and vitality into a 123-foot raised pilothouse design.
by Kate Simpson
photography by H. Shaw McCutcheon
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08/01/2005
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| Palmer Johnson 123 |  |
Americans like things big: businesses, cars, celebrities,
homes. So when European design firm Nuvolari-Lenard teamed up with U.S. builder
Palmer Johnson to create something different for the American market, it had to
figure out how to marry its inherently sleek Italian style with grand American
size.
 Alter Ego’s spacious lounging and dining
salon. (Click image to enlarge)
With sleight of hand and a trick of the eye, designer and
builder achieved the seemingly impossible; a chic, attention-grabbing 123-foot
yacht with an interior that holds voluminous, eminently livable spaces.
| Click on the Spec tab at top to see complete list of resources. |
Alter
Ego is the first of a new series of composite-built,
raised pilothouse yachts. Its eye-catching design is in step with Palmer
Johnson’s new "back-to-the-future" boat building philosophy. The "back" refers
to a time when Palmer Johnson, under the direction of Mike Kelsey, regularly
lived on the cutting edge and wowed the world with innovative creations. A
change of ownership in 2000 didn’t fare well for the company. Then Timur
Mohamed took over in 2004, and the company is again building in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, with renewed energy and focus, and a Kelsey – Mike Kelsey Jr. – at
the helm. Today, Palmer Johnson is drawing inspiration from past achievements
that were ahead of their time, such as crafting the fastest boat in the world in
1979, and building the lipstick-red, carbon fibertopped, 50-knot
Force of
Habit in 1988.
 The on-deck master stateroom would make a tri-deck proud.
Note how the walnut furniture pieces stand out against the lighter cherry bulkhead. (Click image to enlarge)
"It used to be that when you spend ten, twelve, fifteen million
on a yacht you would get something you would be recognized for," says Dan
Lenard, one of the two principals behind Nuvolari-Lenard. "Now that
megayacht production has doubled in the past five years, you cannot distinguish
yourself."
"Highly styled" is the new buzzword at Palmer Johnson.
"When a person
passes one of our yachts at the
dock, we want him to say ‘Wow,
that’s a
Palmer
Johnson,’" says President Mike Kelsey Jr.
First came the pet
project of new
owner Mohamed, a line of
Euro-style 120-foot aluminum
sport yachts. Then,
recognizing
that not everyone wants a metal boat,
Palmer Johnson delved into the
composite market when the perfect
opportunity presented
itself.
Top: Its ensuite bath is a showcase of Calcutta gold and
emperador marbles. Bottom: One of the three guest rooms belowdecks, the
full-beam VIP includes a sitting and office area. (Click images to enlarge)
Before taking over Palmer Johnson Inc. in Sturgeon Bay, Mohamed
and, more visibly, Kelsey were running a different operation in Savannah,
Georgia, under the same product name. Palmer Johnson Savannah bought the assets
of the talented composite shipyard Intermarine, including three 123-foot hulls
and the mold.
While the hulls were extremely well constructed, thanks to the
vacuum infusion process developed by Intermarine (see TechTalk), Palmer
Johnson and Nuvolari-Lenard breathed life into the design. Discarding the
original superstructure, the team created something very different for an
arguably saturated market segment.
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