Lighting is not just an aesthetic detail, but an integral part of design, functionality, and the onboard experience of a yacht. At Metstrade 2025 in Amsterdam, Europe’s leading trade show for the marine industry and technologies, this theme will be the common thread running through all Opac’s new products on display.
At the 37th edition of Metstrade in Amsterdam, Opac will showcase a collection of solutions for its covers in which lighting becomes a key feature of both comfort and style. With new illuminated soft-tops, the arm awning, and the lamellar hard-tops with integrated lights – all exhibited at the show in the Dutch capital – a new way of enjoying life at sea takes shape.
Illuminated soft-tops
The yacht soft-tops designed and manufactured by Opac are retractable covers made from high-performance fabrics, developed to offer protection and comfort while cruising without compromising on lightness or elegance of design. In this field, the Turin-based company boasts a long heritage rooted in the automotive sector, where it has been developing and producing high-quality convertible roofs for decades.
In Amsterdam, visitors will be able to admire a soft-top with an integrated header featuring LED strips that are virtually invisible when switched off. This solution makes it possible to effectively illuminate an area that is typically challenging from a lighting perspective. The LED strips, positioned along the bows, are discreetly concealed and fully integrated into the interior lining.
Arm awning
The Rolling Sun Awning, or arm awning, is designed to be discreet and invisible when closed, yet highly efficient once open. Thanks to an electric mechanism, it can be extended according to the owner’s needs, and when no longer required, both the fabric and arms automatically retract into a dedicated low-profile compartment, preserving the aesthetic lines of the yacht.
At the Amsterdam show, a model equipped with a movable front bar prepared for LED lighting will be on display. Lighting can also be integrated into the arms, in the form of LED strips or spotlights, ensuring a uniform and customisable distribution of light.
Lamellar hard-top
The adjustable-blade hard-top (shading blades) has been enhanced with an elegant and practical feature: lighting for the area beneath the roof. This allows the onboard spaces beneath the structure to remain fully usable even when the blades are closed—areas that typically host much of the yacht’s social life and that, during the evening or night, greatly benefit from proper lighting.
Two types of lighting are available: LED spotlights, perfectly harmonised with any existing lights in the headlining of the area where the hard-top is installed, or LED strips installed between the individual blades. The latter are invisible when switched off but, once illuminated, create a striking effect reminiscent of sunbeams filtering between the lamellae.
Carbon poles
Also on display in Amsterdam will be the carbon poles designed by Opac to support and tension shading sails. Lightweight and strong, they can be customised in length and, upon request, supplied in a removable version to facilitate stowage.
A new fastening system will debut at Metstrade, offering refined aesthetics both when the poles are in place and when the system is disassembled, while also ensuring easier installation. The range is further expanded with new, increased diameters developed to meet the specific needs of super, mega and giga yachts—confirming Opac’s continued focus on the technical and stylistic evolution of its products.
Lighting solutions are also being explored for the carbon poles, to highlight their lines and contribute to creating evocative atmospheres on deck during the evening hours.