If you want to know what "Big Joy" was built for and for whom, the first thing to do is take a look in the open lazarette. When the bare feet move from the teak of the stern platform to the chequer plate floor, colourful kite bags, surf and SUP boards, climbing and tennis equipment, diving tanks and a compressor are revealed. Next to it is a workbench with an over-complete wall of tools above it. Four mountain bikes, an enduro bike and two Honda scooters are also parked here when fully occupied. In order to be able to quickly set off on them for sporty land activities, the passerelle on "Big Joy" emerges from the platform mirror and acts as a transport ramp. This also works when the tender parking space is occupied, as the six-metre-long RIB from ZAR lowers a separate platform.
"On our Dominator, the scooters were on the flybridge and we always had to lift them down with the crane," says Harald Gumbiller, highlighting an extremely important point in his understanding of yachting. It should be quick and the solutions should be simple. The orthopaedic surgeon and managing director of a medical centre in Prien am Chiemsee used the Dominator 68S and previously an Azimut 50 extensively in the Mediterranean - without a crew. The 53-year-old visited numerous trade fairs with his wife, medical colleague and children. "We looked at a lot of yachts, but there was far too little space everywhere," says Gumbiller. "With all the 90-foot boats, I asked myself: where do I put my stuff?" There was literally not enough storage space at the front and back or it was barely accessible. In particular, nobody could store their jet ski in any meaningful way. However, quick access via the hull fluke was essential for the Gumbillers in order to use a tender alternative in the harbour and to be able to launch or land kites on kitesurfing trips even in strong winds.
After the doctor was met with shaking heads everywhere he went at the trade fair stands, the decision was made: we would build according to our own ideas and - very importantly - within the hull length limit of 24 metres. Because the father of the family still wanted to be at the helm himself and be able to operate the yacht together with his wife. A veritable explorer with three decks and a clearly structured layout was to fulfil Gumbiller's XXL requirements.
The requirements that owners place on their custom yacht vary in terms of quality and quantity; sometimes they are expressed hastily or formulated vaguely and handed over to designers. If the bulging specification sheet is the result of years of brooding over ideas, this can lead to an overly intellectual approach and concepts that are difficult to realise. Not so with Prof Dr Harald Gumbiller. When he says: "We knew exactly what we wanted", you immediately believe him. The orthopaedic specialist sees himself as a holistic physician, and his approach to building his own yacht was just as holistic. Everything is connected to everything else.
Patients with low back pain consult him, as do many professional athletes. Numerous players from the German national ice hockey team as well as well-known tennis and football professionals from the German Bundesliga put their trust in him. Gumbiller is President of the German branch for Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture at Shanghai Fudan University. He is also a lecturer in osteopathic medicine and chiropractic therapy. It is often temporomandibular joint dysfunction that causes back pain. Or sometimes pain in the ankle is associated with shoulder problems. This is why Gumbiller and his colleagues usually treat the entire body.
The family scrutinised over twenty shipyards across Europe for their individual construction project. "We obtained offers from Italy, Poland and the Netherlands," recalls Gumbiller. Ultimately, the Turkish shipyards won him over in terms of price and craftsmanship. The deciding factor in favour of Arkın Pruva was "perfection", says Gumbiller. The most important reference of the yacht builders from Antalya is the Rob Humphreys design "Tempus Fugit". The J-Class interpretation, projected down to 27 metres, was commissioned by Erbil Arkın, who took the construction of his 42-metre gulet "Daima" as an opportunity to found the shipyard in 2007. "Big Joy" was the first motorised format from the shipyard of the sailing-enthusiastic hotel entrepreneur and the first composite work. The experienced yacht builders only used wood to construct the mould. It was solid and wet laminated with epoxy resin and on PVC cores.
During the 18-month construction period, Harald Gumbiller flew from Munich to Antalya 20 times. During one of the visits, he realised that the original designer had made the owner's deck aft of the bridge too small. It was torn away and rebuilt. At this point, Karatas Yacht Design became a new player in the project. The Istanbul-based designer with thirty years of professional experience carried out recalculations and, above all, ensured that the centre of gravity had not slipped too far upwards. After all, the superstructure rises 7.50 metres into the sky, so "Big Joy" is exactly as high as it is wide.
This is where the electric stabilisation unit from Humphree comes into play. Gumbiller remembers the first test run in August 2018, when there were twenty people on board and the waves were one and a half metres high: "I was supposed to accelerate to full speed and ended up at 19.7 knots. Then it was time to turn completely. I sat on the flybridge and initially did a leisurely lap. Then I turned fully and was amazed: the yacht travelled as if on rails and only tilted by one degree. That was gigantic!" The reason for the cornering stability and smooth running in wind and waves is to be found in the underwater hull: two outer fins on each side of the hull move in coordination with each other and with the trim tabs at the stern. The system also works in zero-speed mode, which is maintained by batteries for up to four hours.
That leaves the wind susceptibility of the high superstructures when mooring. "I do have strong bow and stern thrusters and my Dockmate, but we don't head for harbour in crosswinds of 30 knots or more and weather like the big boys." As both children are studying medicine, the couple now also use "Big Joy" on their own. The ingenious arrangement of the mooring winches on the bridge deck and one deck lower at the stern is evidence of this. This allows fast and efficient mooring manoeuvres with mooring lines without having to use the anchor winches on the main deck. The engine room is also spacious for a yacht of 27 metres in length and offers the headroom that no semi-custom provider could give Gumbiller. "I repair a lot of things myself and want to be able to access a pump immediately, for example." The two Kohler generators, the Tecnicomar wastewater treatment plant and, of course, the MAN twelve-cylinder engines, each with an output of 1029 kilowatts, are also easily accessible. They draw fuel from a 17,500 litre tank, which is connected to an Alfa Laval cleaning system and Gianneschi diesel pump. "I refuel when the diesel is cheap. So every two years," jokes the captain. At eight knots, the family crew even has a range of 4666 nautical miles. However, if the speed is set at a constant 19 knots, the range shrinks to 628 nautical miles.
In addition to easy manoeuvrability and maintenance, uncomplicated "cleanability" was also essential. There is a retractable water hose on each outer deck and compressed air for blowing off at the bow, in the jet ski garage behind and in the lazarette. Pragmatic and clever ideas also resulted from the brainstorming sessions on the layout, such as the day toilet on the main deck, which is accessible from the outside. A laundry located opposite the galley on the same level guarantees short distances. The three equally large VIP suites on the lower deck have also been realised. The most unique feature, however, is the owner's cabin, which has been moved from the main deck to the bridge deck. "This means the children can party with friends one floor below," says Gumbiller happily. This spacious layout is otherwise only available on formats over 40 metres in length.
They also had clear ideas for the interior design: "We didn't want any frills, shiny wooden surfaces or unusual colours." The couple found the required simplicity in the furniture and decoration in the yachts from Tansu Yachts and were able to recruit their designer Burçin Akın to create the three "Big Joy" decks. In addition to the focus on grey and white, they are also characterised by practicality: the saloon and cabins are darkened by roller blinds, and all the seating furniture is covered with robust Sunbrella fabrics both inside and out. The surfaces of the bathrooms and galley are made of Corian, a mineral material that can be sanded down. And there is a Weber gas barbecue on the flybridge because the electric versions don't get hot enough for the owner.
Colourful interior accents are provided by cushions or the solid natural wood table tops for the dining tables with their stainless steel bases. The one on the main deck in front of the galley, for example, is made of pine wood that was first burnt and then sealed with wax. Harald Gumbiller explains how the outside tables came about: "We didn't like the shipyard's suggestions at all. So I travelled with the chief engineer from Antalya to a sawmill inland. We chose a type of poplar from dozens of blocks of wood and had the board sanded." Harald Gumbiller also reports that he and his wife like to eat near the galley, sitting at the counter and on the bar stools.
There is a consensus when it comes to choosing a favourite place - also or because the reading corner between the saloon and dining area harbours a danger: "Everyone always falls asleep there straight away because it's so comfortable!" The couch behind the steering position is actually intended for sleeping on watch. Nocturnal long sleeps were less on the programme on this year's summer cruise. Instead, "Big Joy" completed a tour of Sicily with many stops at the best kite beaches and a finish on Pantelleria. The two children only occupied their VIP suites on the lower deck for a limited time due to study commitments. When asked about the possible use of the crew cabin in the bow, we hear "No, no, it's still unused!". But that could change soon, "Big Joy" is for sale. The price, it should be revealed, includes VAT, as the voluminous 27 metres were taxed in Malta after delivery. "So without any models," as Gumbiller emphasises. He decided in favour of the German flag and an entry in the Regensburg shipping register. Hence the southern German home port.
The Mallorcan brokerage house Medusa set up the website german-exploreryachts.de for marketing purposes - an apt description for this unusually well thought-out family yacht. The technical virtues that Germans are said to possess abroad resonate here. Gumbiller's brief description is: "A space miracle that can be sailed by two." If a new owner is found, the plan is to build it again at Arkın Pruva and in the same form. "With a few small changes," Harald Gumbiller hints. The yachting enthusiast will reveal exactly what these changes will be at the German Superyacht Conference in Hamburg at the end of February 2022, when he will talk about the exciting story of how "Big Joy" came to be.
Sören Gehlhaus
Stellvertretender Chefredakteur BOOTE EXCLUSIV
