Nebula ShadowCat: A Superb, Custom Superyacht Just for Your Toys

The idea for a shadow vessel is to alleviate the load on the mothership in terms of gear, extra personnel, provisions (including fuel), and the occasional overflow of guests. To be sure, no one gets a shadow vessel just to show off, but let’s be honest, it does help with bragging rights. It’s the surest way of knowing and telling the world that you have made it, and with a shadow vessel like Nebula, they will be praising you for it.

Nebula is one of the newest and most spectacular ShadowCats (shadow catamarans) out there and a record-breaker on its own. Perhaps the most famous is Hodor, a 2019 ShadowCat that marked the first time Incat Crowther worked with Astilleros Armon on a superyacht with extra utilitarian functions and which served to write the blueprint on how such a vessel should look. Nebula is the third product of this very unique partnership, and like in the case of its predecessor Hodor, everything about it is outstanding.

Delivered in 2022, Nebula shadows the $220 million Feadship superyacht Moonrise, which is owned by the Whatsapp co-founder and former CEO Jan Koum. The Ukrainian-American billionaire is a well-versed seafarer and superyacht owner, so he knew from the start what he wanted for his shadow vessel: more than storage for the toys that would otherwise occupy space on the mothership, he wanted accommodation for extra guests on the very rare occasions when there was an overflow, and outstanding conditions for the crew, from accommodation to leisure.

The brief didn’t specifically say it, but Nebula had to be like Hodor... but better. The result is a 67-meter (220-foot) catamaran that’s incredibly fast and efficient, stable and luxurious in ways that no other vessel out there is, especially since it’s designed mostly for crew. Aside from its ability to carry extra gear, Nebula is like the superyacht for the crew on Moonrise.

A total of 38 to 42 people can sleep onboard, but there is only one VIP room for guests. Everything else represents spaces for the crew, including specialists from the mothership and the crew of the cat itself.

Nebula offers an interior volume of 2,136 GT spread across three decks, with vast areas destined only for the crew. Kirsten Schwalgien of Schwalgien Design penned the interiors, which come in stark contrast to the neutral, utilitarian exterior, with spots of bright orange and other pops of colors, spaces bathed in natural light, and only premium materials, including a type of stone with Jurassic-era mollusk fossils that can only be obtained from a quarry in Spain.

Amenities include a “phone booth” area in one of the crew lounges, where as many as three people can get together and study or take phone calls. The name comes from the fact that the booth is soundproof, so they can do whatever they have to without bothering roommates or being bothered by them. There are two indoor lounge areas, one of which includes a bar and a nook for playing cards, a fun-styled galley with dining area, and cozy bedrooms with queen-size beds. For outdoor fun, the crew can gather on the sundeck, which also doubles as a fully-equipped, open-air gymnasium and yoga or pilates studio.

Nebula wouldn’t be a shadow vessel if it only provided extra accommodation and space for the crew, though: it’s also large enough to carry whatever toys are needed by the guests on the mothership. That said, it can’t hold a candle to the gear-packed Hodor, but that was the intention from the start. The crew at Astilleros Armon were told that the ShadowCat had to be built around a helicopter hangar.

As a result, Nebula became the only private vessel in the world to carry a very unique type of hangar, which also happens to be the world’s largest at sea. It’s 14.5 meters by 12 meters (47.5 by 39.3 feet) and can house an Airbus H145 aircraft without the need of folding its rotors, as well as spare parts and maintenance gear. It also slides almost completely into the superstructure, so as to be less visible. Next to the hangar is a fully-certified helipad, so the aircraft is ready to go at a moment’s notice without much prep.

The tender garage houses a 10-meter (33-foot) Scorpion RIB, a 7-meter (23-foot) rescue RIB, and four jet skis. The cherry on the proverbial cake is a 12-meter (40-foot) custom catamaran tender by Compass Tenders, known as the “shadow kitten” because it’s designed to match Nebula in both style and functionality. It’s a smaller yacht for the superyacht that shadows the mothership superyacht, if you will.

Powered by twin MTU 16V 4000 M73L IMO3 engines, Nebula has a service speed of 14 knots (16.1 mph / 26 kph) and a top speed of 21.5 knots (24.7 mph / 40 kph). Builder Incat Crowther doesn’t mention a range, and it might have something to do with the fact that Nebula carries a lot of extra fuel onboard for the mothership.

To end this on the same note we started, Nebula is proof that one-percenters are in a league of their own, where even their toys come with custom support gear, which comes with smaller custom support gear – and every piece of it is like a piece of art.