If the NISI 2400 were a piece of music, she’d be the Suite for Cello & Jazz Piano Trio, written in the 1980s by jazz pianist Claude Bolling, and performed by him; Marc Michel, bass; Jean-Luc Dayan, drums; and the incomparable Yo-Yo Ma on cello. In this composition, Bolling masterfully combined classical and contemporary jazz themes. The result is a delightful romp that leaves listeners agape — loving the sound or hating it, but simply unable to ignore it. I suspect that the NISI 2400 may affect yachtsmen in the same way.
Tricon Marine, builder of the NISI line of yachts, and the Setzer Design Group collaborated on this design, and the thinking behind it appears in the company’s brochure: “Size and length are no longer taken as the key expression of an owner’s needs. Now owners are turning toward a yacht with a focus on design and function that is a unique expression of themselves.” Even a casual examination of the rendering tells us that they got the unique part right.
The NISI 2400 is a complex blend of traditional and modern themes. Her nearly plumb stem recalls an element that appeared consistently on the commuter yachts of the 1930s. Although Setzer’s take on this classic design cue looks very much like its antecedents from the waterline up, it hints at a finer and deeper entry than was common in the 1930s. Tricon calls it a wave-piercing bow.
Another deviation from the classical style is the absence of flare in the forward sections. Instead, Setzer has divided the nearly vertical topsides into lower and upper sections, delineated by what seems like a simple character line — something common on modern automobiles to break up the expanse of metal. The lower section reminds me of the business end of a World War II destroyer. Above this line, the hull broadens, which increases volume inside the yacht and enhances reserve buoyancy in the bow, helping to keep it from burying in steep head seas. Under less boisterous conditions, the chine that you see in the rendering discourages the sea from climbing up the topsides.
