A Peak Inside the Contemporary Luxury of Custom CdM Acala Explorer Yacht

The yacht made its debut at the Monaco Yacht Show, and the company has teased a few images of the interior. However, it’s now that we get to take a closer look at the interior and the subtle and stylish blend between vintage and contemporary design.

Acala is mightily impressive in terms of both design and naval architecture, as one would expect from a fully custom yacht. The vessel was built for a repeat customer of the company who wanted an explorer with outstanding capabilities. According to Vasco Buonpensiere, CEO of CdM, the people at the company joke around about having built the world’s smallest 260-foot (80m) yacht.

The yacht features an aluminum superstructure on top of a full displacement steel hull with a 28-foot (8.6m) beam. Hydro Tec was the company in charge of naval architecture. The exterior design, meanwhile, was handled by naval architect Horacio Bozzo, who managed to come up with a sublime profile for the 440GT vessel.

Just above the hull, on the lower deck, Acala houses its unconventional beach club, which is not the traditional water-level lounge. Instead, the owner opted for a dive store equipped with the toys needed for some underwater exploration. Ironically, the entire room is underwater, as the ceiling incorporates the glass bottom of the pool situated on the main deck. This is also where the generous crew cabins can be found, specifically requested by the owner to provide adequate comfort for long voyages.

Moving up a level to the main deck, this is where the yacht houses most of its guests within four cabins. One of them is the master suite, and it’s smaller than usual, with the owner instead opting to allocate more space to the guests' cabins. Three VIP cabins complete the main deck accommodations, with two twins relegated to the lower deck.

However, while the main deck lacks a saloon, it does have a sizeable alfresco living and dining area, complemented by a pool. The guests have easy access to this area just by passing through an interior lounge.

One would naturally wonder why there has been no mention of the ship’s salon on the main deck. That is because the owner, along with Mexican architect Simon Hamui, had other plans. The saloon is situated on the upper deck. There are a few brilliant design touches here, chief of which are the full-size doors that open up to create an uninterrupted space with the lounge outside.

The saloon itself houses a large dining table with enough room for all guests and a model of the ship situated right behind it. The Acala places a clear emphasis on social interaction, which has been a trend in newer yachts due to the decrease in the average age of yacht owners. However, everything pales in comparison to the lounge shaded by the sundeck above (where a second pool can be found). A round sofa split into four pieces wraps around a round table. This design is reminiscent of a fire pit, a place of social interaction and relaxed chatter, only this time with a glass of champagne in hand.

The interior design is described by CdM as being welcoming and relaxing due to the neutral color palette, which creates a subtle and sophisticated elegance. This cannot be argued with, as the smoked ash wood flooring is perfectly complemented by wire-brushed and oiled oak paneling. There is no slip in quality and luxury here, as most of the furniture is custom-made and upholstered in cashmere, while the rugs are hand-woven from alpaca fleece. Even more wood adorns the cabins with the master suite being decked in eucalyptus while grey sucupira can be found in the guest cabins.

Power comes from twin Caterpillar C32 Acert engines, which propel the Acala to a cruising speed of 10 knots (11.5 mph / 18.5 kph), reaching an impressive range of 5,000 nautical miles (5753 miles / 9260 km). The top speed is 14 knots (16 mph / 26 kph), but with such a relaxed and luxurious atmosphere, it would be a shame to rush anywhere on this gorgeous explorer yacht.