Kon-Tiki Boat

As Life Aquatic fans here at The Coolector, we’re definitely partial to a well-designed and aesthetically superior boat and, truth be told, we’ve not seen many classier than Kon-Tiki Boat from GAAA. This talented team have created an all-wood cabin with an ornamental overhang and a decorative skylight and breathed a new lease of life into this effortlessly cool 1970s boat.

For this project, GAAA redesigned the damaged boat after it was purchased by Chilean architect Guillermo Acuña, principal of Guillermo Acuña Arquitectos Asociados (GAAA), uncle, Fernando Acuña. In order to deliver a vessel with a modern feel that could be used to explore the rough waters of the Chiloe archipelago, the architects took the boat apart completely, restoring the damaged wood ribbing throughout.

The newly built Kon-Tiki Boat boasts a restored hull with a striking wood cabin, an enhanced deck space and a contemporary distribution plan, while managing to keep the abundant traditional character of the original wooden ship.

The 14-metre-long boat consists of three levels, with the main control room and living spaces housed within the wooden cabin space that sits atop Kon-Tiki’s deck. The boat’s cabin features an ornamental overhang crafted from wooden slats. Its structure was made from cypress wood while the finishes were hewn from mañío colorado, a style of stained pine-tree wood found in the region.

In the cabin of Kon-Tiki, a seating area is found near the stern that is topped with a skylight that cuts away space on the deck of the bridge and allows in plenty of natural light. A kitchen and bathroom can be found in the middle of the cabin, with a bedroom placed close to the stern. All the interiors were fitted out with stained pine with understated detailing to further the considered, natural design aesthetic.

Constructed with ribs crafted from coigüe wood held in place by wooden towels, the boat had an open-air cabin and a small engine room. For those with a love of all things nautical and design orientated, Kon Tiki Boat from GAAA is definitely going to be ticking all the right boxes and we’re huge fans of it here at The Coolector.

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Images: Estudio Palma.