92m Project Touchdown readies for launch

The USA-based yacht builder Nordhavn presented a new project of a 45-metre research vessel Nordhavn 148. The vessel with designs from the Dutch studio Vripack was revealed at the recent Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.The model will be the debut superyacht entirely built of metal in the brand’s history. She will also become the yard’s new flagship, displacing the 36.75-metre N120 model.Jim Leishman, Vice President of Pacific Asian Enterprises, Inc., which manufactures Nordhavns, says:We’ve talked about building a larger boat for a while now. It would be something specifically meant for the most challenging worldwide conditions.The ice class explorer needs is set to come out innovative in many ways for Nordhavn itself. The project is difficult to classify to a specific category, therefore, the shipyard speaks of it as a crossover, which combines the features of commercial ships and luxury superyachts.PAE looked to Vripack, with whom they’ve had a successful partnership on the interior design of the Nordhavn 80, to mentor the project and head up engineering. Vripack has overseen the design of the most notable of Northwest Passage-exploring yachts and have a rich, successful history of building in steel. Marnix Hoekstra, co-creative director at Vripack expressed:Nordhavn were keen to tap into our explorer heritage. Nordhavn boats are renowned for venturing to remote off-the-beaten-track destinations, and so the aim was to demonstrate to owners that this significant latest model has been conceived by a design studio that has a proven track record in this arena.Not many details on N148 have yet been disclosed. Key to the design are Vripack’s reinterpretation of particular features, including a flared, rounded bow, the yard’s interesting combination of square and round windows, and an industrial chic aesthetic.It is also known that the internal volume of the new model, designed for 12 guests and 10 crew members, will exceed at about 25% that of N120 (constructed of FRP), with 495 GT against 400 GT. The yard explains rejection to use FRP by lower costs and a shorter delivery time due to greater convenience in working with metal.The new Nordhavn 148 is expected to be built in less than two years. There is also a probability that the construction will take place in Europe, and not in China or Taiwan, where other Nordhavns are built due to the cheaper cost of the Asian assembly.

DutchCraft, a subsidiary of Dutch builder Zeelander Yachts, has revealed an eight-metre DutchCraft 25 tender, to be 100% electric and fully built of carbon fibre. The boat’s international premiere will take place at Boat Düsseldorf in January 2020.With her modular design, Dutchcraft 25 is a multi-purpose tender. She can serve as a diving boat, sports fishing boat or even a family day cruiser. A practical and multifunctional boat with a colourful design, DC25 is very similar to the 17-metre DC56 model. The latter was well received during the recent Cannes Yachting Festival and got a nomination for “The European Power Boat of the Year 2020” award.DutchCraft Sales and Marketing Manager Floris Koopmans expressed:With a clear remit to give owners the flexibility and fun they desire from life on the water, backed up by robust and practical design, the DC25 is a natural addition to our offering. There is nothing else like it in the size category; the sheer capacity and range of uses is phenomenal.The vessel has quite impressive transforming capabilities. For example, soft benches with backs for a company of 12 people convert easily into a flat space for transportation of, for instance, a pair of jet skis. Furthermore, a hardtop above the centre console can be folded to make it more convenient to store the tender in a garage of a superyacht (with folded top, the vessel’s height makes 1.97 metres).The authors of DC25 model paid close attention to landing and disembarking, since with her shallow draft of 0.82 metres, the boat can easily approach the paradise islands. For this purpose, there is a door in the nose, which becomes a gangway in the lowered form. The stern bulwark leans back and turns conveniently into a bathing platform.Another feature that helps save space aboard DC25 is her compact electric transmission sitting low. Moreover, DC25 is said to come with complete absence of vibrations, almost no noise.Koopmans added: “At DutchCraft, we believe electric propulsion will be key in a future that cares about ocean preservation. We are committed to investing in this positive movement, and the technology that we have developed for the DC25 is a step in the right direction.Still, the tender will be capable to run for about 75 minutes at a speed of 32 knots, and for up to 6 hours at the leisurely 6 knots. Meanwhile, the hull form of the boat also contributes to her speed characteristics. Developed in-house by DutchCraft in-house, it has a "deep V" shape for on-water efficiency. At present, the yard is also developing a limousine version of the model. It will feature a greater comfort and will be less vulnerable under different weather conditions.The base price on DC25 starts from € 275,000.

Italian builder Perini Navi has announced the sale of the first 47-metre hybrid sailing yacht out of their E-volution line, where the ‘E’ stands for electric. With the yacht’s construction already begun on spec, the delivery to her European owner is scheduled for summer 2021.The hull of the 47-metre is currently in build at the yard in Tuzla, Istanbul, and will arrive into the Viareggio shipyard in spring 2020 for completion.Edoardo Tabacchi, Perini Navi Vice Chairman & Majority Shareholder, comments:The S/Y 47m E-volution is a project we believed in strongly from the very start. This is why we accepted the challenge of starting construction on spec and we are very happy that the market has proved us right.Built from aluminium with a carbon-fibre boom and rigging, this sloop features naval by the Perini Navi in-house team and a 1,275 sqm sail surface. Perini Navi has evolved its classic keel design in this new version. It offers a shallow draft to allow the yacht venture closer to the coast. A sophisticated swing system also guarantees optimal safety in case of collision.Perini Navi Style & Design Director Franco Romani penned the vessel’s exterior lines. The yacht’s interior design will be developed by Perini Navi in collaboration with Marco Costanzi Architects. Like the other vessels in the E-volution series, the S/Y 47m introduces a new concept of space, while extensive glazing draws exceptional light into the interiors. The transom has been innovated, too. It now opens to the sea through a large beach area with a sunbathing zone and a fold-down platform. The saloon on the main deck feels like an effortless extension of the cockpit and aft deck with which it creates an open-plan space of around 20 metres in length.The S/Y 47m E-volution has three guest cabins in addition to the master suite aft and a versatile cabin which can convert to an office or a gym depending on the owner’s needs. A spacious flybridge of around 90 sqm offers uniquely generous space for a craft of this type.After the S/Y 42m E-volution and the S/Y 42m E-volution GTS, the S/Y47m is the third vessel in the E-volution gallery sold by the yard in the last 15 months, and is a testament to the success of this modern and high performance new line. The yard has also recently presented new Falcon Rig Gallery.Meanwhile, Perini Navi currently has the largest number of over-40-metre sailing yachts under construction in the world. Its production plans span the building of seven yachts, five of which are sailing yacht and two motors.

At the recent Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show 2019, the 43-metre superyacht Majesty 140 by UAE-based shipyard Gulf Craft received a prestigious “Best in the Show” award. The vessel took delivery earlier this year, ahead of the Monaco Yacht Show.The title of the “Best in the Show” boat is annually awarded to new models at FLIBS. Independent experts, who are not directly related to the yachting industry, evaluate architecture, design, technology and technical characteristics of applicants. For instance, this year’s jury included American IndyCar racing champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, the designer and head of the Creative Workshop Studios, Jason Wenig, and the marketing director of Ulysse Nardin, Francoise Bezzola among others.The builder first introduced this model during the 2018 Dubai International Boat Show and has sold four units since then, with a fifth under negotiations. The tri-deck Majesty 140 represents a collaboration between the shipyard’s in-house Design Studio developing her exterior lines and naval architecture and Cristiano Gatto Design Team responsible for her interiors.Majesty 140 features a spacious beachfront deck with balconies on both sides aft of the main deck, a Jacuzzi on the sundeck and two large opening sunshades on the hardtop. The full-height glazing in the main and upper decks, large and expansive interior and exterior spaces meant that the guests can enjoy a limitless flow throughout the yacht.The collaboration with Cristiano Gatto Design Team comes following the successful introduction of the Cristiano Gatto designed Majesty 175, the brand’s first megayacht project due for launch end of this year. The Majesty 140 features five staterooms with the full-beam master in the forward main deck. The owner’s stateroom also features a private extendable balcony, a bathtub and walk-in wardrobe among many other amenities.Key interior materials include Italian leather, Onyx Costa Blanca marble and crystal door handles. The open-plan saloon on the main deck includes an L-shaped wrap of seating and a dining area for up to ten guests, while other key features include a superyacht beach club and a skylounge of 55 square metres.With her 398 GT of interior volume, the vessel was built in compliance to MCA LY3 Cayman Island registry. The Majesty 140 is powered by twin MTU 16V 2,600hp engines toa top speed of 20 knots. She cruises comfortably at 16 knots and can reach an extended range of 4,000 nautical miles at an economical speed of 10 knots. This is not the first award for Majesty 140, which also received World Yachts Trophies award for “The Best Interior Design” among yachts from 30 to 50 metres, during the Cannes Yachting Festival.

On the 3d of November, upon the end of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show 2019, one of the exhibited boats was arrested by local authorities. The 22.5-metre motor yacht Sunseeker is reportedly worth over $ 4 million. That way, the yacht was secured from ‘being handed over to a wrong person’.Courtesy: Kevin Turner From the exhibition area, the boat was driven to an undisclosed place, where she will be kept until the court resolution is stated. National Maritime Services, court-appointed third-party custodian, will taken responsibility guarding her.Four parties are participating in the trial related to her. So far, the failed buyer of the 22-metre is Kevin Turner. In May 2019, he filed a lawsuit against Sunseeker International, its US distributor Sunseeker USA, and Fort Lauderdale-based broker Rick Obey & Associates, one of the largest Sunseeker dealers in the United States.Turner accused the broker of refusing to ascribe to him $ 4 million, which Turner transferred on the construction of the boat. At the same time, Obey and Sunseeker are mired in another lawsuit: the manufacturer refuses to take responsibility for the catastrophic engine failure on the yacht of Obey’s customers on their first trip in May 2018.As a result, the payments that Obey transferred to Sunseeker for projects under construction or sales on spec first slowed down and then completely stopped even before Turner’s boat was delivered to the owner. According to Sunseeker’s USA spokesman Stacy Schwartz, Obey simply could not pay for the construction of Turner's boat.'In order to prevent future damage,' the contract between Sunseeker USA and Obey was terminated in March this year. In June, the broker received a court order to stop positioning itself as a partner at Sunseeker USA. Turner claimed, it took about 10 days of hard work to find out that ‘his’ boat had departed to the USA from the UK. Identification numbers in the carrier's waybill proved it was the same Sunseeker. Obey admit that Turner has become an innocent hostage to the situation, and are trying to help him get his boat.According to Alan Swimmer, head of National Maritime Services, vessel arrests are routine but rare. About 100 yachts get arrested annually around the world. In Fort Lauderdale, which is considered the yachting capital, such incidents happen 5-10 times a year. Most often, it takes place when a boat becomes the subject of a commercial dispute.