| Amels 171 |  |
Upon opening the door to the suite, an observer is nearly
overcome with the musky aroma of freshly tanned leather. You travel down a short
hallway past the compact, yet well-equipped gym and enter a space the designer
describes as "ethnic chic." The walls are painted in Empire-style trompe l’oeil
drapery replicating a Napoleonic safari field tent in Africa. Chocolate brown
crocodile skin accents the wood panels on the walls and covers the desk chair in
the study, the headboards on the bed and other lesser furniture items. Throw
rugs in the bedroom and the sitting room are backed and framed in crocodile skin
with patches of beaver pelt laid in a weave pattern. The divan and two chairs in
the sitting room are upholstered in zebra hide. The overhead is painted in a
trompe l’oeil motif.
This suite is a distinctly masculine space that evokes visions
of men sitting around in sweaty khaki, snipping the ends off Cuban cigars,
sipping cognac and telling tall tales into the wee hours. From a male point of
view, there is little not to love about this unique treatment.
 Deniki’s sun deck is equipped with a Jacuzzi, a hydro-massage bed and a drop-down
TV for alfresco films. (Click image to enlarge)
"Out of constant dialogue with the owner’s wife, in every
detail we created a project that is not only for the client, but of the client,"
Heuvelmans says.
The master bath is a merry mix of marble and granite with a
fore-and-aft orientation. The raised-bowl sinks and their bases are carved out
of single pieces of marble. A connected walk-through closet provides secondary
access to the suite.
One advantage of buying a series or semi-custom yacht is that
the engineering and systems have been battle-tested. The standard engines on the
Amels 171 are 1,400-hp MTU 16V2000 M70s. They produce a top speed of 15.5 knots
and a cruise of 13. Deniki’s captain, Lawrence Cockx, describes her as a
"fantastic sea boat." Her glass bridge features a clean, attractive Praxis
monitoring system, and she is one of the first yachts to be equipped with the
Transas 4000 charting system. Her bridge features leather-upholstered port and
starboard settees that make it a popular gathering place. A Lantic audiovisual
system serves the entire yacht.
Like most new yachts, Deniki is equipped with at-sea and
at-anchor stabilizers. She is Lloyd’s classified and MCA compliant. She carries
12 guests and up to 13 crew. Waterman Marine Consultancy of France led the
owner’s team from the yard negotiation stage through delivery, providing project
management and coordination. Waterman Exclusive Yacht Service is handling
charter inquiries.
As with all Amels yachts, Deniki benefits from the
yard’s affiliation with the commercial- and military-oriented Damen
Shipyards Group, which assists with naval architecture, engineering and
production. Standardization is a hallmark of the group, which dovetails nicely
with the Limited Editions concept.
At the 2006 Monaco Yacht Show, Amels announced a Limited
Editions Amels 212, with exterior styling by Heywood, and interiors by Andrew
Winch. The first of those is expected to launch in 2011. A Limited Editions
Amels 191 is also in the works.
Deniki, with her extensive level of owner involvement, is a
prime example of the degree of self-expression and flexibility available in
today’s semi-custom large yachts. Given the reduced risk involved in a proven
design, the quality of construction and the accelerated delivery time on yachts
like Deniki, its seems an owner today would have to consider a series
yacht as an alternative to building custom.
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