Alright, let me tell you about my little adventure with the Wally Yacht 118. It wasn’t like I was building one, obviously, but I got super into it for a bit, trying to really get it, you know?

Getting Hooked
So, it all started when I stumbled upon a picture of this thing. Bam! It just hit me. Looked like something out of a sci-fi movie, not a boat you’d see bobbing in the harbor. That sharp, angular design, all black – it was just so different. I thought, “I gotta know more about this beast.” That was the spark, the moment I decided this was going to be my next little project, my “practice” in understanding design, I guess.
The Deep Dive Begins
First thing I did was just to immerse myself. I hit the internet, not for boring specs sheets at first, but for pictures. Tons of them. From every angle I could find. I wanted to see how it sat on the water, how the light hit those crazy flat surfaces. I probably spent a good few hours just saving images, making a little digital scrapbook.
Then, I started looking for videos. Seeing it move, that was a whole other level. You see pictures, it looks static, powerful. But then you see it cutting through the water, and man, it’s like a stealth fighter for the sea. I watched interviews with Luca Bassani, the Wally founder, trying to catch his philosophy behind it. It wasn’t just about making a fast boat; it was about making a statement.
Trying to Capture It
After soaking all that in, I felt like I needed to do something more active. So, I got out my sketchbook. Now, I’m no artist, not by a long shot. But I tried to sketch its basic form. It was harder than I thought! Those angles, they look simple, but getting them to look right on paper, to give that sense of menacing power, that was tough.
- I focused on the bow first – that sharp, almost weapon-like prow.
- Then the flat, unbroken lines of the superstructure.
- I even tried to get a feel for the dark, tinted glass that makes it look so mysterious.
My sketches were, well, let’s just say they weren’t going in any museums. But the act of trying to draw it, it forced me to look even closer. I started noticing little details, the way certain lines flowed into others, the sheer audacity of the design. It wasn’t just about looking cool; there was a brutal efficiency to it.

What I Figured Out
Spending that time, really focusing on the Wally Yacht 118, it wasn’t about becoming an expert. It was more about appreciating the sheer guts it took to design and build something so unconventional. In a world where so many things look the same, this yacht just screams individuality. I found myself thinking about how its design principles could apply to other things, not just boats. That idea of stripping things down to their essential form, making a bold statement.
So yeah, that was my little “practice” with the Wally 118. Didn’t sail on it, didn’t design a new one. But I spent some quality time getting to know it, and it was pretty cool. It’s amazing what you can get out of just focusing on one thing for a while and trying to understand it from the inside out, even if it’s just with a pencil and a bunch of internet pictures.