The first Ferretti 1000 has been launched at the Italian builder’s Cattolica shipyard for a French owner. Ferretti said the vessel is its first-ever 100 percent wide-body vessel. The designers made “comfort” the yacht’s mantra, expanding the interior and exterior social spaces to create a home on the water.

The Ferretti flagship was designed by Ferretti Group’s Product Strategy Committee (led by engineer Piero Ferrari) and Engineering Department, with exterior design work by architect Filippo Salvetti and a new interior design concept by Ideaeitalia.

“It heralds a new style, based on even more simple and clean-cut forms,” said Salvetti. “They give the yacht a strong, spontaneous and graceful appearance with an extremely fresh and vibrant silhouette. The new concept for on-board flows that has been introduced here is set to become an iconic part of all of the large vessels in the range.”

Glass is prominent on the exterior, allowing light into all decks, while teak is featured on the exterior, from the walkways and stairs to the flybridge, and even on the curves of the hatches. The 1000 also used carbon fiber for more than just aesthetics. All of the superstructure, including the hardtop, is made from the lightweight material. There are multiple stairways across the exterior to allow for quick movement between levels.

On the stern is a new, enlarged social area measuring over 430 square feet, with a beach club that connects the swim platform to the cockpit. The swim platform is designed not only to lower the tender into the water, but three steps on each side that open as the platform lowers provide easy access for swimmers. The tender garage, with space for a Williams 445 tender, Jet Ski and two Seabobs, comes with independent access on the starboard side. This type of setup would typically be found on a much larger yacht.

The five-stateroom interior has also been super-sized, with the main lounge’s floor-to-ceiling windows providing an intimate view of the sea, and a 107-sq. ft. galley that is significantly larger than yachts in the same class. It’s also equipped with every appliance a gourmet might have in his home kitchen. At the touch of a button, an electric wall panel also opens, revealing a bar that links to the galley area, so friends can watch the chef prepare meals, creating yet another social opportunity.

“The new flagship is an exciting choral work permeated by the flair, vision and passion of so many skilled and talented people who represent the winning factor for Ferretti Yachts,” said Alberto Galassi, Ferretti Group CEO, on launch day. “This fantastic yacht really is a beautiful private island on which to imagine your future, in contact with the sea and the finest ‘Made in Italy’ marine expertise.”