2 great interviews with 2 great guys that really are leading the yachting industry ... this type of content is exactly why your channel is in a league of its own!!
Wow! A home run in your interviews. The designer is at the peak of his game and Icon has proven what is possible with Ragnar. I almost expected Thor to sail off in a Viking long boat at the end of the video.
So cool! Let’s innovate the yacht industry by converting more and more ships. Killing 2 birds with one stone, as I really like the ecological benefits of this method. Besides that I think those ships are the coolest, most badass yachts one can have, beyond words👌 Espen is such a visionary and a true artist. Wishing you all the best and happy to see more in the future.
Really fascinating, thanks. I really understand why converting an existing vessel is a thing. As a former a Royal Navy engineer I love the fact that you have to design within existing parameters but that the vessel is already been proven, rather than designing from scratch with a more artistic eye but who knows if it even floats! Also you get some much more for your money by buying second hand!
Hi David. Ragnar is a truly awesome yacht. The new donor vessel looks like my dad's supply and rescue, red hull with white line, same bridge and bow helipad "Cam Defender" another great video from Monaco. Thanks 😊
Thank you for sharing this vlog with us all.... What a fantastic insight into both Icon and the designer ... if "Master" is anywhere near as good as Ragnar it will be world class....
Good questions same i would have asked👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼LOVE THE CHANNEL 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👊🏽Been waiting for a week for this vid.👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼❤️❤️❤️ SUPPORT FROM ROTTERDAM NETHERLANDS 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼❤️❤️❤️
Great interviews David. I am hoping Icon will allow you to do another series of videos of the build of new project-similar to what you did with Ragnar. I will say this, as far as the trend of explorer yachts are concerned, I think the desire to explore has always been there it is just now that technology has allowed the high net worth individuals to be away and still stay in contact with those that they need to to keep their businesses going. I know I will never be able to explore the world on one of these ships, but I have always enjoyed exploring the ocean, ever since growing up and watching Jacques Cousteau and his adventures. He’s one of the reasons I got into diving. I suspect it may be the same for the owners of these ships as well.
I love the idea of recycling, refurbishing, and refitting older vessels. I worked on the crew that laid the teak decks on lone ranger back in the 90s for Peter Lewis and we did the refit in Miami before it sailed to Cincinnati to pick him up. Ended up meeting up with the crew while I was working in Martinique a year and a half later and dry dock on windsong. That was a beautiful ship!
David, ahead of his time? The World's first Superyacht the " Christina O " was a WW2 Canadian war ship, converted after the war by Onassis. This was most famous private yacht in the world. She is still in use today.
The guy from Icon Yachts did not want to overly pay tribute to the fact that Yachts For Sale was the primary tool that marketed Ragnar to the world. If it wasnt for this channel, the yacht would not be as popular worldwide as it is today. That's a fact
It's got to be so cool (!?) when designer / shipyard / potential owner all come together like that. I'm very much looking forward to it being a completed project.
Thanks David for this great video. One interesting question is how much owners approximately in percentage could save if they buy an existing vessel and convert it.
Thank you David for another awesome video. I now have to increase my penny saving methods for the next Icon reveal. You and your production team are so good at what you do. Although this could work out in my favor, if everyone else gets on the new Icon project bandwagon then Ragnar will be yesterdays news and might be more affordable for me. (:
European English and American English have so many differences. Here in the U.S. we spell it Conversion. ;) Seriously, I enjoyed the video. I hope you get access to this conversion like you did Ragnar.
So I have a question, I see that so many Newer Superyachts, Magayachts and Gigayachts, their Bows are shaped differently. Some are like inverted, concave, and traditional like a cruise ship is their a specific reason or just a customer's choice? Some are angular or curved
David, great interview, as always! Very informative, and I personally can't wait to see the results of the collaboration. Small critique: Cut out the background music during the interview. Espen's low-keyed tone and the near whisper-level interaction between you two just don't match with the happy, bubbly nature of the tune in the background. I like the channel's musical theme, but in this case, I feel it's a distraction during the interview. Just my take.
There is no doubt that the clientele evolves and changes just like in any market . one either adapts or becomes a 🦕 . The concept of consumerism , the process of purchase and of course choice of product all evolve and transform . I truly understand the lure of these vessels and growth in this sector . Creative regards
I find myself wondering how Espen and others in the industry reconcile the fact a lot of the money changing hands is dirty. Everything from designing to building/refitting to resale to fuel and provisions and the crew is tainted with dirty money. All of the largest vessels were built and are supported with dirty money. Every business in the supply chain from textile manufacturers to rope makers to port facilities and their vendors all take a share of the illegally obtained funds. Let's not forget lenders, insurers, flag nations, agents and agencies, vessel management companies, charter management companies, etc., etc.,......everyone is welcoming, if not seeking out dirty money to enrich themselves with dirty money. How on earth does any of them reconcile this? That said, I know I have personally enjoyed the benefits of some of these illegal funds. Each time I arrive in a new or upgraded marina or port, I am mindful the need for and building of posh new marinas and/or upgraded services is, at least in part, if not completely down to this dirty money causing an explosion in larger and more opulent yachts with their ever demanding criminal owners. In this video the two largest yacht models Espen has displayed belong to Putin and his right hand man Usmanov. That's not to say Espen had any knowledge of the owner's identity when designing and completing these builds with the shipyard. Did Espen know these were being built for corrupt Russians....most likely. Few honest business titans can afford such vessel's. Not to mention the secret military infrastructure and technology built into them. However, Espen has a long standing collaborative relationship with Lürssen. Declining to work on historic vessels Lürssen has been hired to build could prove fatal for their equally beneficial relationship. To conclude, we all unknowinly support immoral, if not criminal activities with our purchases and/or profession in one form or another. Particularly when it comes to human exploitation overseas, and domestically, to a degree. Others knowingly support immoral and illegal activities and dirty money but choose to ignore the facts for their own personal enrichment. In my opinion such individuals are as corrupt and guilty as those paying with illicit dirty blood money. The transformation of clean money to illicit dirty blood money requires lives to be lost, destroyed, and/or heavily impacted for generations. How anyone accepts or dismisses this well known fact is beyond me. Now that Russian aggression has turned into full scale warfare, with the West refusing to play the role of a spectator sitting idol on sidelines, I would hope the industry finds its morals once again and refuses to accept tainted money for the foreseeable future. I would expect the real estate industry to do the same. If not, perhaps going forward, businesses profiting off of illicit funds should themselves be sanctioned. No exceptions.....not even for fuel suppliers, crew, architects, or anyone in either trade. By refusing to accept or launder illicit funds, the incentive to obtain ill-gotten funds is greatly diminished. Sure there are a million ways to launder illicit funds. However, the more difficult it is to spend dirty money, the better we can all sleep knowing we did our best to refuse it. For over twenty years now we've watched dirty money being laundered out in the open with impunity. Not just impunity.....our governments courted and enticed these criminals with incentives to bring, spend, launder, invest, and park this blood money in our countries for the sake of short term economic gains. Each new administration finds news was to entice even more illicit wealth into the country. Wow.... that went from an intended comment about Espen's amazing work over the years to a rant and then to politics. I guess I am feeling a bit more rage towards dirty money polluting yachting than I thought. Blood money is staining the enitre yachting industry. As I said my hands have certainly been stained as well. Not to the degree of the individuals in this video, but stained nonetheless. For my own sake I must now do everything I can to ensure I limit my exposure to blood money, from large ventures to day to day expenditures and choices. Cheers!
