Such a large number of boats with “holes” in the hull would have been unthinkable a few years ago. Today, if your boat does not have at least one side window, it cannot be considered as a contemporary trendy boat. Just to be clear, portholes have always existed but, since 2018, hulls have at least 1,500 cm² (0.12 m²) of transparent surface while a conventional porthole installed on a 40-footer 20 years ago did not exceed 25 cm of diameter: about 491 cm² and therefore less than one third. The 76-foot Riva Perso, for example, features 40 squared meters of glass! Regardless of sizes, the true novelty is the aesthetic impact of glazed surfaces. Safety is not a problem: they are bulletproof and, of course, wave-resistant. The result is a great amount of natural light below deck as well as completely new boat design. So here is a selection of what the market currently offers to medium-sized boats. Sometimes, focus is less on functionality and more on aesthetics, as proven by some shipyards that install fake windows to have a dark piece on the hull.
