[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Guardando le barche all’ancora in una bella rada, ampia come quella del Frontone a Ponza, oppure osservando gli yacht da crociera ormeggiati in un porto glamour come Bonifacio, viene naturale chiedersi quale di quei gioielli di tecnologia e di yacht design potrà essere il più performante. We are not talking about boats designed specifically to break the various records set by the World Sailing Speed Record Councilor off-shore boats with only a mini-cabin below deck, or one-off models designed and built to the specific requirements of wealthy customers. We are talking about normal cruising boats with all the comforts needed to live at sea for many days and mass-produced by a shipyard.
To break the 50-knot wall a motor boat needs a hull of a certain length (say 80 feet and up) and engines of a certain power (say 5,000 horsepower and up). Two factors that bring the boat's weight to around 100 tonnes. Moving such a tonnage at that speed is certainly not child's play. Yacht designers and motor engineers are obliged to go to the extremes of their knowledge; and the work in the shipyard also demands precision and construction quality of excellence.
Here are the three fastest cruising boats in the world. And we are very pleased to see that there are two Italian yards on the podium (well, one and a half).
Mongoose 108 'Why not' - 55 knots
It was the flagship model of the Viareggio-based shipyard Overmarine for many years. Designed by Andrea Bacigalupo and Stefano Righini, it was an immediate market success. Its overall length is 33.5 metres, and its displacement is 190 tonnes. Many engines have been proposed on this model over the years. The best performing is the one with the two Lycoming gas turbines that discharge their 8,770 horsepower into the water through three Rolls-Royce waterjets. Giving full throttle means literally flying over the water, enveloped by the majestic sound of the turbines that closely resembles that of a jet taking off.
Wally Yachts 118 'Galeocerdo' - 60 knots
The futuristic lines of this boat have become a real status symbol in the nautical world and not only, since this model has also been used in some Hollywood productions (The Island, for example). A project born from the vision of Luca Bassani, founder of the Italo-Monegasque shipyard (read more go here), who wanted to build a yacht that could maintain a high speed even in difficult weather and sea conditions. The design phase was very long and thorough, with tests in the tank and in the wind tunnel. Only ultralight technological materials, such as carbon fibre and titanium, were used for the construction. an incredibly low displacementfor such a yacht: 95 tonnes. Galeocerdo is powered by three Vericor gas turbines, each connected to a Rolls-Royce waterjet unit. Maximum output is 16,800 horsepower.
Millennium 140 'World is not enough' - 70 knots
42-metre vessel, constructed entirely in aluminiumwhich holds the record for the cruise ship fastest in the world. This superyacht is the first creation of the Millennium shipyards, a company founded in 2005 with the explicit aim of building the most beautiful, comfortable and fast yachts on the planet. The naval architect who designed this beautiful beast of the seas is the Dutchman Frank Mulder. The interior is distinguished from the competition by a particularly luxurious style bordering on the opulent. The 165 tonnes are propelled at a speed of 70 knots by two 18-cylinder Paxman turbo-diesel engines (10,870 horsepower) combined with two Lycoming gas turbines to reach the power monstre of 20,000 horsepower. Here too, propulsion is provided by three waterjets.
Sources: Boatinternational.com[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][mk_button dimension=”outline” corner_style=”full_rounded” size=”medium” icon=”mk-icon-home” url=”/” align=”center” margin_top=”30″ margin_bottom=”0″ margin_right=”0″]Torna alla Home[/mk_button][/vc_column][/vc_row]
