THE ULTIMATE RITE of passage for any billionaire is to get a superyacht — a floating palace in which the megarich can live in luxury on the sea.
These boats have cutting-edge technology, including fixed-pitch propellers combined with a Rolls-Royce central booster jet that lets them travel at the speed of a car.
The interiors put five-star hotels to shame, too.
But when you have the level of fortune that rivals a small country’s gross domestic product, you can customise your boat with whatever you want.
Prices for the smallest yachts, without extra customisation, start at €66 million.
The megarich — people with budgets way beyond that — are able to afford some of the craziest customisations.
Sara Gioanola, a manager at the Dutch superyacht builder Heesen Yachts told Business Insider that clients were demanding to have one new feature in particular on their boats: waterfalls.
Here is a shot of a waterfall placed in one of Heesen Yachts’ largest boats — the Project Kometa. The boat is 70 metres long and can achieve a top speed of almost 30 knots (about 34 mph)…
Anyone for a movie?
The waterfalls aren’t just for aesthetic purposes. They serve a couple of other cool functions as well.
“The big trend at the moment is that clients want bigger platforms to fit more guests and, at the same time, be closer to the water and the surrounding environment,” said Gioanola.
“They are wanting infinity pools, which are pools that give a visual effect of the water extending into the horizon, as well as waterfalls.
The waterfalls look beautiful but they can also create a water banner, depending on the amount of water gushing, to enable a privacy shield.
It’s tough for the paparazzi to get their shots if you’re standing behind a wall of falling water. That’s a real concern if your guests are film stars, politicians or royalty.
Waterfalls’ second purpose is entertainment: “They can also be used to project movies onto it,” Gioanola says.
If you turn up the flow on this indoor waterfall, it becomes a screen:
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