Anyone who wants to exercise on a superyacht currently goes to the gym. Deutsche Yachten member multiplex is now turning the foredeck into a work-out zone.

Large yachts over 60 meters in length almost always have a gym on board. After all, if you’re used to regular exercise on land, you won’t want to do without it on the water. These gyms are often equipped with three to five machines and are located on the lower deck in 90 percent of the cases. It has to be said, however, that they are mainly designed for owners and guests who like to work out indoors. Fans of ball sports such as volleyball, basketball or even badminton have had to resort to courts near the harbor or anchorage and leave the yacht for this purpose.

The Bremen-based multiplex GmbH has recently provided a remedy with its sports court concept – provided the foredeck of the yacht is large enough. Jan Reiners, CEO of the German yacht equipment specialist, says: “The bow area of large yachts is often only used as a touch-and-go platform for the helicopter. So when we were first approached with the desire to find a solution for how ball sports could be played on the foredeck, I was electrified.” Together with his 20-member team, Reiners developed a system of telescopic carbon poles and a fine-mesh net that can be stretched to a height of 4.30 meters. The poles, which weigh only eight kilograms, are inserted into the deck by bayonet, rotated and locked in place; they are positioned at precisely defined distances so that the net, which is subdivided by many zippers, can be brought to tension very conveniently.

Jan Reiners: “All parts are unambiguously labeled, so that assembly is extremely easy for the crew. You should allow around two hours for a sports court measuring around 170 square meters.”

Jan Reiners: „Alle Teile sind unmissverständlich beschriftet, sodass der Aufbau für die Crew extrem problemlos ist. Für einen rund 170 Quadratmeter großen Sportcourt sollten rund zwei Stunden einkalkuliert werden.“

Any sport for which there is enough space can be played on the fenced-in field. A classic is the game of basketball, for which multiplex naturally also supplies the appropriate basket. Equally, volleyball, table tennis or badminton can be played on deck. If the foredeck is large enough, the installation of a full-fledged tennis court is also possible.

As voluminous as the sports court looks when assembled, as handy it can be packed. As usual from multiplex, the Bremen equipment specialist delivers all parts in padded bags, the maximum length is two meters. Thus, the outdoor gym conveniently disappears into any storage space when not in use.

Claus-Ehlert Meyer, Managing Director of the German Boat and Shipbuilders Association and thus also of Deutsche Yachten, is enthusiastic about the innovative strength: “Products like this are what distinguish the members of our working group. Multiplex is considered the world market leader for carbon equipment in the megayacht segment and this is once again more than evident with the launch of this sports court.”