Lexus has launched its first sports yacht concept, developed in collaboration with the Toyota Marine Department, where the idea was born, and the Marquis Yachts–Carver Yachts Group owned by Pulaski, Wisconsin, USA, where the yacht prototype was built.
A premium performance yacht was conceived as an expansion of the Lexus brand into new areas of lifestyle and recreation. In the summer of 2015 concepts from the design team were evaluated and the selected proposal continued to be refined throughout 2015 as the Marine Department engineered the construction and onboard marine systems.
On January 12, 2017, Lexus revealed the result of this project: a running proof-of-concept for a Lexus Sports Yacht, at Di Lido Island on Biscayne Bay, Miami Beach. The concept won an award at the Japan International Boat Show where Toyota Motor Corporation took the opportunity to announce that the Lexus Sports Yacht would receive also major upgrade.
The first Lexus Sports Yacht is an open yacht for recreational day-touring seating up to eight guests, powered by twin high-performance Lexus V8s and featuring styling and handling by Lexus Design Centre based in Toyota City, Japan.
The design of the Lexus Sports Yacht concept has the upper deck and outer hull seamlessly bonded around the inner structure, each piece a single massive hand-laid composite of two-part polyurethane epoxy resin reinforced with hand-laid woven carbon fibre cloth, a composite material called carbon-fibre reinforced plastic, or CFRP.
CFRP is the technology used in the structure of race cars and supercars like the Lexus LFA, high-performance aircraft, competition skis and bicycles, and world-class racing sailboats. The Lexus Sports Yacht concept’s unique CFRP construction saves nearly 1,000 kg compared to a similar yacht in fibreglass reinforced plastic (FRP). The underwater hull design is stepped to reduce resistance or drag and improve handling balance at high speeds.
The concept sports yacht is powered by twin 5.0-litre V8 gasoline engines based on the 2UR-GSE high-performance engine of the Lexus RC F coupe, the GS F sports sedan and the new LC 500 grand tourer. Each engine produces over 440 horsepower / 446 DIN hp / 328 kW, driving the yacht at speeds up to 49 miles per hour (43 knots) through a pair of hydraulically controlled inboard/outboard stern-drives. A bow-thruster with joystick control aids in docking.
The captain controls and monitors onboard systems from a colour touchscreen panel at the helm; screens show GPS navigation, digital charts, surface radar, underwater sonar, lighting and entertainment systems. The captain’s seat is power adjustable; the armrests fold out to become jump seats on each side for very special guests.
The forward passenger cabin is inviting in luxurious Lexus leather with wood and glass details. A standing height, sofa seating for six with a table and air conditioning create a comfortable environment for intimate entertaining. The galley features a two-burner stove, sink and under-counter refrigerator; a beautifully finished head includes a shower. An integrated audio-video entertainment system is fully networked, with 4G Wi-Fi & WAN. Sound reproduction is by Revolution Acoustics surface-mounted drivers using the ceiling panel as a transducer, powered by a Mark Levinson Reference digital amplifier.
The upgrade for the first Lexus Sports Yacht concept is a sports fly-bridge cruiser and is about 50 percent larger than the original. At 20-metres, the boat will be able to accommodate up to 15 guests and is designed to have three luxury staterooms, each of which contain their own private washrooms, as well as a separate area for crew quarters.
Lexus plans to outfit the boat with its connected services including smartphone integration, maintenance services, remote diagnostics and a high-end entertainment system. Leather interiors and handmade wood will come standard.
