Onboard gyms gaining popularity

One of the first onboard gyms appeared on Canadian HMCS Stormont frigate, now known as Christina O

This military vessel was bought by Aristotle Onassis back in 1953, and all in all the Greek billionaire spent over four million dollars on her refit. However, this is more of a mere historical fact, as the mass craze for a healthy lifestyle on board started much later, early in the 1990s. Thus, for Feadship, for example, the first superyacht with a dedicated fitness area  was Yemoja. The 47-metre classical boat designed by De Voogt Naval Architects with interiors from Larvor was built for an African chieftain and launched in 1994.

Unspoken leader

Since that time onboard gyms have evolved beyond recognition and keep developing by leaps and bounds. Thus, Abeking & Rasmussen has earned the unofficial status of the leader in this field: three of the superyachts built by the company from Lemwerder are equipped with the kind of fitness areas that most full-fledged sports clubs on land can’t even dream of.  

One of the brightest examples is the 98-metre Aviva! She was built for the British billionaire, who is a fan of padel tennis, which is a kind of mix of tennis and squash. Padel tennis is incredibly dynamic and requires a special court that has to be 20 meters long, 10 meters wide and 6.5 meters high. On the owner’s request, the shipyard’s inhouse experts teamed up with designers from Raymond Langton and literally built the superyacht around this court, located in the very centre of the vessel. A complicated stabilization system allows one to play even at full speed, and the players don’t feel any pitching at all. 

Abeking & Rasmussen portfolio can also boast the 72-metre Cloudbreak explorer designed by Espen Oeino and Christian Liaigre studio for the owner, who is a fan of extreme sports. According to Oeino, Cloudbreak was created as a platform for cruising the best freeride ski and surf spots, while during the breaks one can work out to keep fit, as part of the beach club is a fitness area. In addition to Pilates and athletics gear, there is also a minimalistic sauna with a plunge pool and a massage room. There is a convenient direct access to the wellness area from the guest cabins. 

At last, there is the Elandess. Her gym is located on the lower deck opposite the so-called nemo lounge (a room at water level with glass walls and seating for observing the underwater life). The gym features expansive glazing, too, so that while working out one wouldn’t be bored but get inspired by the views. 

Serious approach 

Acccording to Mark Healy from MH Fitness Management, it’s extremely important to include the gym in the project design from the earliest stage. The space dimensions and the ceiling height determine, what kind of equipment will fit in best, which allows one to avoid costly changes at a later stage. The decision to have a gym is often made after the design concept has been approved. As a result, one can end up having a limited and boring space, disappointing for the owner.

MH Fitness Management are the British experts in luxury private gym design for yachts. Among their successful projects there are gyms on the A mega yacht from Nobiskrug, the Katara and the Pacific giants from Lürssen and the Big Fish from McMullen & Wing. The founder of the company, Mark Healy, is a fitness guru, who has worked all over the world, including over six years in Moscow. Healy remembers that he found himself in this business about 20 years ago, and he completed his first superyacht project in 2006. It is interesting to know that he had spent five years working on the Maltese Falcon with Tom Perkins, as his first specialization is rehabilitation of clients with cardiovascular problems. 

MH Fitness Management is not the only major player on the market. Their competitors are their fellow countrymen from Gym Marine. The founder of the company, Edward Thomas, used to work as part of a crew on superyachts. One of his duties was polishing the equipment in the onboard gym. That is where he noticed that because of the salt all the dumb-bells and weight plates often got so rusty that they had to be replaced. He realized that nobody in the world made specialized equipment for onboard fitness areas. And that is how his business came into being. 

Gym Marine were the first to make exercise machines and dumb-bells of stainless steel with an admixture of molybdenum. This material is particularly resistant to corrosion, high temperatures and aggressive environments. Later, the company started making gyms for superyachts on a turnkey basis. Their first project was Lürssen’s Lady Lara built in 2014. The gym was located on the owner’s upper deck, which was a real breakthrough for the time. 

Ball in play

As for the sports the passion for which is so strong that it transfers to yacht design, basketball has a special place in history. Larry Ellison was the first to have a basketball court with a ring and a shield on board a superyacht. Late in 1990s the co-founder of IT giant, Oracle, bought the 74-metre Eco superyacht (though her name is misleading, as it is the world’s first yacht with gas turbines, burning 240 litres of fuel in two days at full speed – Editorial note) from the heirs of the Mexican media magnate, Emilio Ascarraga, renamed her Enigma and changed her to his taste. The boat that was already one of Top-5 most recognizable boats in history became even more remarkable. Ellison put a basketball ring on the main deck. Later, the billionaire sold the Enigma, and late in the 2000s built the 88-metre Musashi with Feadship. Her designed provided for a court from the start. It occupied almost all of the outdoor area on her elongated aft. Other examples of superyachts with basketball courts are David Geffen’s Rising Sun (138 m, Lürssen) and more modern MY Anna and Joy (100 m and 70 m respectively, both by Feadship). The company that was in charge of equipping the latter two was Superyacht Tenders and Toys, or SYTT.

Josh Richardson from SYTT notes that large foredecks or helidecks are rarely utilized and are often left unused. On MY Joy and MY Anna, they turned them into play decks and outdoor gyms. For example, on MY Anna, which was the largest superyacht built in the Netherlands at that time, one can play 5-a-side football. The foredeck is covered with astro turf and enclosed with a robust three-metre high net on all sides, which is safe for the players and keeps the balls on board. There are floodlights for playing after dark. And when the owner and guests are not on board, these outdoor areas are a real benefit to crew welfare and team morale. 

Sporty character 

It might seem that Abeking and Feadship are the only shipyards that boast great gyms, but that is not true. Competition is fierce, and for example Oceanco had a few top-notch projects, too: in 2007 they built the 82-metre Alfa Nero with a gigantic aft open pool (which is likely to be the first of this kind) and a gym on the bridgedeck. Five years later they completed the 88-metre Nirvana, which featured inset treadmills and mirrored ceilings, to make them look higher. 

Sam Sorgiovanni  believes, that when designing gyms on superyachts, engineers often forget that these areas have to be spacious, and every extra metre matters. On the Nirvana, for instance, they solved this task in a really innovative manner, and in addition to inset treadmills, they thought of mirrored ceilings, which worked out best.

Wider designers on the Cecilia superyacht found place for a gym on the beach club. It turned out to be quite compact, but due to the fold-out balconies there is a great view on three sides. One can exercise outdoors and at water level. Many of Amels superyachts from the famous Limited Editions series are equipped with fitness areas. For example, the Volpini 2 features an exercise bike, a bench and a rowing simulator on the bridgedeck. Despite the narrow hulls all the three superyachts from Perini Navi manufactured under Picchiotti brand and created in collaboration with Philippe Briand’s Vitruvius Yachts (from Exuma to Grace E) are equipped with gyms. Heesen experts in performance aluminium yachts are now trying to equip almost all their boats with gyms, too. One can find wellness areas of different levels on the hybrid Home and on the Galactica Super Nova.

Despite the fact that almost all of the advanced gyms for superyachts are provided by three players (MH Fitness Management, Gym Marine and Superyacht Tenders and Toys), sometimes the industry features really interesting "invited" experts: once Moran Yachts & Ship invited record-breaking sprinter, Usain Bolt, to design a gym for the 88-metre Quattroelle from Lürssen shipyard, and the champion managed to do the job quite successfully.

Everybody’s hobby

Superyachts’ sizes don’t matter that much: one can organize a gym even on a relatively small boat of about 40 metres. For instance, Heesen Yachts designed a fitness area on the upper deck of the 42-metre Alive, where it became part of the upper VIP suite. And Benetti made a dedicated gym area on their 38-metre Iron Man.

Mark Healy thinks that everything depends on the owner’s wishes, and at times a fitness area can be the second most important space on board after the saloon. He remembers arranging a gym on the 45-metre Big Fish explorer. It turned out to be a compact, but functional space. On the other hand, making a gym in a cramped little gangway on a 90-metre mega yacht is a “real challenge”, in his opinion.

Edward Thomas agrees with Healy, as a gym can be arranged anywhere on a yacht. If there’s little space, it’s enough to dedicate a small area and store the exercise machines separately. Sometimes one of the crew cabins is turned into a gym. His personal ‘record’ is making a full-fledged gym on a 34-metre Princess, while the largest project he has ever worked on is a 180-metre mega yacht that boasts three fitness areas.

Just a few years ago gyms were the prerogative of motor superyachts, but now there are more and more sailboats equipped with gyms. The outstanding custom sloop, Ngoni, from Royal Huisman is probably one of the best sailing superyachts of recent years. And the gym on her board is appropriate. The flooring is of nice to touch maple wood, the walls are of thin, but firm glass, and it all looks hi-tech to match the style of the yacht. Prior to that, the project managers from Gym Marine had equipped the owner’s house, and they made custom weight plates, dumb-bells and clamps of special marine steel for Ngoni. High quality gyms can be found both on large and small sailboats. For example, the Badis and the Maltese Falcon from Perini Navi (70 m и 88 m), but there are examples among more compact sailing boats, too. 

Edward Thomas thinks that every year there are fewer and fewer restrictions in terms of gyms organization. Such companies as Technogym, Hoist, Precor and Lifefitness create the most advanced and efficient exercise machines both for land and sea. But sometimes they do have to implement really unique projects, like, for instance, custom-made machines of light-weight materials, because the weight does matter a lot for a yacht. 

On the rise

Superyachts are quite likely to feature new, exciting ‘sporty’ solutions in the nearest few years. Why not use the potential of support vessels with their giant free areas, and start equipping them with full-fledged gyms, while the aft platforms are ideal for playing sports like lawn tennis. In fact, one can even make an ice-rink there!  Punching bags on yachts are no longer a novelty, so we are waiting for other innovations like TRX simulators, crossfit halls with truck tires, anti-gravity yoga, HEAT (High-Energy Athletic Training) and so on. 

“In premium health clubs and specialist fitness boutique studios there is a change from traditional indoor personal training sessions using fixed gear and cardio towards more dynamic multi-activity fitness and wellbeing solutions”, says Josh Richardson. “Yachts often break boundaries in terms of luxury and design, but often fall short in fitness and guests onboard are offered quite a stale fitness environment. We believe it is time to introduce owners and guests to folding training walls, specialist flooring, interactive floors and walls, and the use of music. Let’s face it, we all require more motivation at times! Bringing into yacht gyms online racing and training against other competitors can be really motivational and fun". 

Technological progress keeps blurrring the lines between what’s possible on a yacht and what's not. What seemed incredible five years ago, is a standard for the industry today. It is highly likely that healthy lifestyle will stay in fashion for years to come, and it means that this segment will keep growing, taking up more and more space in yachtsmen's lives.