Yacht owners that have become active on the business side of the industry have called for active changes in its models during a panel at the Superyacht Forum in Amsterdam. This follows the launch of their platforms aimed at reducing charter by slashing booking fees. "Stop your disrespect." Ahoy Club's Ian Malouf advised the market.
Attending the panel were Australian businessman Ian Malouf, founder of Ahoy Club and fresh of a $578 million exit in the waste management space, Philippe Bacou, founder of Yotha and Matty Zadnikar, founder of SeaNet. All founded yachting businesses in recent years stepping over from yacht ownership. The debate was moderated by Martin Redmayne.
According to Malouf, his primary goal is to improve the market and his secondary one is to make money. "I think we’re portrayed as a one click and you’re there business, but we have a large team and we are a full-service digital platform." Malouf commented. "We have the cheapest structure in the business and we expect it will go lower before it goes higher."
Malouf's 54m Mischief
Historically resistant to change, yachting has reacted defensively in recent quarters to the entry of these new actors. Malouf described their behaviour as "cartel-like". According to Philippe Bacou, the market is responding aggressively due to the platforms reducing commissions.
"When you provide something that is automatic instead of manual it reduces costs. What we are doing is making savings here." Bacou detailed. "Of course, we all want to make money, but it comes down to global satisfaction."
Ahoy Club and Yotha's web-platforms power an online search of available yachts for charter, a digital booking process and communication system with the yacht and their concierge team. Thanks to automation, the companies say they can reduce booking prices by near 15%.
Bacou's 43m Philmi
“Their behaviour has been poor but expected,” Malouf described. “We’ve been treated like we’re coming into an industry of brokers who think they own the boats. Our pricing structure is cheaper and we’re being told by many that it’s not acceptable and that it is an act of price-fixing.”
When a representative from a large brokerage house asked Malouf whether it would have been better to go to industry bodies like MYBA or LYBRA and try to improve the sector from the inside, the Australian businessman responded.
"Sometimes you have to break things to fix things and that’s what needs to happen. You’re talking about joining arms and walking down the road, which we’re witnessing and it’s a behaviour that’s unpalatable. The question of why didn’t we go to the industry is the reason we are here. For you to even ask me that question is a joke."
One of Seanet's Benettis
"You expect me to bend a knee for the incumbent and say, is it ok for me to enter your industry? Well, you don’t own this industry and it needs a shake, is getting a shake and will be shaken by us. What happens in a market is you have a business and competitors come in and compete, and whoever provides the best service for the best price and for the best commodity usually ends up with the best business."
The representative responded, as the market typically retorts, saying large brokerage houses offer a knowledgeable brokers, which can't be matched by these digital platforms. Pointing out Ahoy Club has a concierge team, Malouf went further, saying some central agents won't present valid charters that Ahoy brings to them.
"A few central agents will block a charter from us getting to the owner. Our remedy to that is that we respect your CA agreement until you breach it by not recommending our choice. That’s when we’ll go to the owner – it’s simple and fair. We’ve done over 100 charter contracts so far – we make no money off the small charters but they’ll come through. You talk about building relationships and that’s what we’re doing."
Malouf, Bacou and Zadnikar all encouraged the market at the end of the debate to focus on the end client and not to skim clients for commissions. "Put your commission drive aside and focus more on what the client wants." Zadnikar outlined.
"Stop your disrespect." Malouf added on.
Matty Zadnikar comes from the safety monitoring space, having founded and run Z-Group for over 20 years. In 2014, the group was acquired by American industrial safety group Total Safety, which allowed Zadnikar to transform his yachting hobby into a business. Founding the company, Zadnikar announced an investment of €32 million to jump start SeaNet's fleet in the Med, which is based on a co-ownership model.
Made up of Azimut and Benetti yachts of up to 40 meters, the idea is to give owners an option to buy only part of a yacht and improve its efficiency. On a 93ft Benetti Delfino, priced at €9 million, SeaNet lets you buy a 25% ownership stake for €2.3m with annual running costs of just over €110,000 instead of €450,000. This set up grants buyers a total of 7 weeks of use of that type of boat in the SeaNet fleet for 7 weeks per year.
Ian Malouf built his wealth in waste management in Australia with the DADI Group that was ultimately acquired by Bingo for $578 million earlier this year. With the help of his daughter, Ellie Malouf, the two have now switched their attention over to yachting with Ahoy Club, a market that they're now positioning themselves to try and dominate.
Owner of the 54-meter Mischief, which Malouf is also marketing for charter through Ahoy from €137,650 per week in the off-season, the Australian businessman recently listed the yacht for sale at an asking price of €24 million.
Philippe Bacou also launched his yacht platform, Yotha, in 2018 after 15 years of experience on the ownership and charter side of the market. Earlier in 2018, the French businessman raised an additional €1.4 million from strategic investors to develop and launch Yotha. His 43-meter ISA, Philmi was delivered in 2014.
On the morning of 03 May 2015, the large private yacht Kibo (now Grace) was at anchor off Portals Nous in the island of Majorca. A party of 6 guests were on board.As was the normal practice when guests were on board, the work day started early by cleaning the exterior of the yacht and preparing various equipment and facilities for the use of the guests. It was decided that this would be a suitable opportunity to clean the rubbing strakes (known as “rub rails”) on the yacht’s hull approximately 3m above the waterline. This work involves a crew member working over the side of the yacht supported by a safety harness and a “bosun’s chair” that were secured to the yacht’s bulwarks. A deckhand / assistant engineer (“the Deckhand”2) was chosen for the cleaning duties and commenced the overside work, under the supervision of the Chief Officer (C/O) and the Third Officer (3/O).After working over the side for approximately 50 minutes, the Deckhand fell from the worksite into the water and sank below the surface. An on board rescue was commenced, and the Deckhand was recovered from water. The time from the Deckhand falling from the worksite to being recovered back on board the yacht was approximately 13 minutes. First aid was administered, and an ambulance was arranged from shore. With first aid continuing, the Deckhand was transferred to shore in the yacht’s tender where he was transferred to a local hospital for treatment.Due to being deprived of oxygen while under water, the Deckhand suffered hypoxic brain injuries and was left severely disabled. On 07 June 2017 the Deckhand died of bronchial pneumonia brought on by his immobility following the accident. A ruling of accidental death was recorded following an inquest at Birmingham Coroner’s Court.The investigation found that the primary cause of this accident was poor working practices on board and a failure to follow the yacht’s documented safety management system (SMS).
January 18, 2019
Dynamiq starts the New Year with exciting news and we are proud to announce a collaboration with the oldest and one of the most prestigious porcelain manufacturers in Europe: MEISSEN in Germany was founded in 1710 and is renowned around the world for its centuries of craftsmanship and artistic tradition. "Dynamiq’s philosophy is to work with the best companies in the industry, and with MEISSEN we are now able to offer their beautiful porcelain to our clients,” says Paola Gorla, Dynamiq’s Head of Interiors. "The Crossed Swords insignia of MEISSEN is synonymous with the highest-quality porcelain and can be seen in the top hotels and on the most luxurious yachts, including Dynamiq yachts in the future.”With two hand-picked collections perfectly fitting the interior style of Dynamiq yachts, the “MEISSEN for Dynamiq” package includes plates, cups, vases and decorative items, which can be further customised for the client by adding the yacht name or initials onto each item. Tailor-made porcelain storage will also be installed on board the yachts for safe storing."We are very happy to work with Dynamiq. We definitely share some synergies in innovative design and modern attuned products. ” says MEISSEN CEO Georg Nussdorfer. “Our dedicated specialists will be happy to support Dynamiq’s client in finding the right porcelain for him or her, as well as further personalising the collections to their needs."The base price for the full porcelain set of “MEISSEN for Dynamiq” is 26,000 euros. The exclusive package is now available via Dynamiq’s Online Configurator.
January 18, 2019
Van der Valk Shipyard in the Netherlands is making excellent progress with the construction of a 32-metre Raised Pilothouse motoryacht, the order for which was placed at the end of 2017. The first details can now be released on Jangada 2, which is being built for an experienced repeat client. Designed in partnership with Nick Top and Guido de Groot, this innovative yacht has a wide range of bespoke elements to match the owner’s very specific brief. Scheduled for delivery in May 2019, Jangada 2 is the fifth distinctive superyacht in Van der Valk’s successful custom-series line and, as the largest to date, raises the bar even higher. The four previous models were the 27.21-metre The Next Episode (2014), the 24.99-metre Jangada (2015), the 26-metre Forum (2017) and the 26-metre Nicostasia (2018).“The different lengths of these all-aluminium beauties reflect the wide degree of choice which our Raised Pilothouse design offers owners,” says Van der Valk marketing manager Yoeri Bijker. “This is enhanced by the fact that the yachts are built entirely in-house to the highest Dutch standards. Clients can go as large as 40 metres with this model or any other design in our state-of-the-art facilities. With our new Van der Valk BeachClub range also making waves in the market, the first of which will be launched in spring 2019, our yard is entering an exciting new phase of growth.” Another reason for the confidence of the Van der Valk team in the future is the significant number of clients returning to the yard for a new build after enjoying their time on a previous yacht. As one of the designers of Jangada 2, Guido de Groot has been closely involved in this project from the outset. “It was a real pleasure to work with such an experienced owner and create a very functional GA that meets the his specific requirements. The yacht will carry more crew than their previous boats so together with the captain we paid significant attention to these accommodations. Lots of work also went into the spacious galley as we optimised the functional area under the raised pilothouse. “In a similar vein, the bathroom of the VIP suite on the main deck can be closed off for use by guests during the day after swimming and the like without entering the bedroom itself. This kind of smart thinking typifies the genuinely bespoke nature of the project, which is an impressive achievement by the yard. The owner visited several other top builders before electing for Van der Valk and no other yard could offer him such a tailor-made creation. ” Other examples of specific requests on Jangada 2 include a minimalistic interior style based principally on whitewashed European oak. The flybridge deck will have an outdoor dining area, a sunbathing space with plenty of loose sunbeds and an all-aluminium hardtop providing ample shade, as well as a smart wet bar. There will be abundant space for the storage of a tender and/or toys, including a crane with a lifting capacity of 800 kilograms. This deck will also feature a handy outdoor helm station. The main deck aft will be spacious and inviting, with a wide range of loose furniture. Electrically operated curved glass sliding doors will connect this area to the roomy saloon, which will hold a sofa to port and two Corbusier LC2 chairs. The large raised pilothouse will house a cosy U-shaped sofa as well as the main helm position. Further forward will be a generous, well-equipped galley with lots of storage space, and the deck will also feature a day head. The VIP cabin with ensuite bathroom will be located furthest forward, offering some fine views.The lower deck will house a selection of comfortable accommodations for all who sail on Jangada 2. The full-beam master suite features a separate bathroom & head, large wardrobes, and an office desk to port flanked by a sofa starboard side. A second well-proportioned double suite is found on the port side. There are two more cabins on this deck designed with children in mind, sleeping up to five kids in two sets of bunk beds and a single berth. The crew area is forward on the lower deck, comprising a captain’s cabin and two cabins sleeping four other crew members, all with ensuite facilities. There is also a dedicated crew mess and pantry. The lazarette/garage aft will have capacity for two wave runners and double as a beach with a hydraulic platform.The hull of Jangada 2 is fitted with a Van Oossanen Hull Vane fixed foil for enhanced fuel efficiency along with a bulbous bow. A VEEM 145 zero-speed gyroscopic stabiliser will make sure she is comfortably steady even in choppy seas. The yacht’s propulsion package comprises twin MTU 12V2000 M96L engines with a capacity of 1432 kW at 2450 rpm, as well as twin 32-kilowatt generators. Her maximum speed will be some 23 knots, while she will cruise at a brisk 18 knots. Jangada 2 is being constructed under RINA:C✠ HULL, MACH ; Y class for unrestricted navigation under pleasure yacht registration, and will receive an additional RINA comfort class certificate.
January 18, 2019
Over its 40-year history, Heesen has developed a reputation for building cutting-edge superyachts that have pushed boundaries in design, speed and efficiency. From record-breakers such as Octopussy to more recent innovators such as Galactica Star, Galactica Supernova and Home, Heesen’s facility in Oss continues to play host to remarkable superyacht projects.The latest project to draw on this extraordinary heritage is Cosmos, an 80.7 metre aluminium superyacht that is set to push the boundaries even further. With a designed top speed close to 30 knots and an efficient cruising speed in excess of 20 knots, Cosmos will use a development of the Fast Displacement Hull Form (FDHF) coupled with innovative construction and advanced propulsion solutions to set new standards for large aluminium yachts. Although the keel-laying ceremony is due to take place later this year in May, this is not the start of the project – indeed, an extraordinary amount of design and testing has already been undertaken and completed.The proof-of-concept and testing process has comprised several stages, starting with the base naval architecture of the vessel and its hull form, progressing through extensive computational fluid dynamics (CFD) work and physical tank testing of a scale model, and culminating with the design of the propellers and rudder system. For these aspects, Heesen has drawn not only on the expertise of its in-house design and engineering department but also that of long-standing partners Van Oossanen Naval Architects, and propulsion specialists at Rolls-Royce.The first stage was to develop the FDHF concept and ensure not only that Cosmos benefitted from the efficiency and speed gains of the design, but also that the yacht could retain inherent stiffness – a challenge because Cosmos features all-aluminium construction in order to achieve the client’s desired maximum speed of close to 30 knots. The solution was for Heesen to develop the Backbone® – a method of construction that could deliver the required stiffness in the yacht without adding weight that would have impacted on the yacht’s performance. Such has been the success of the design that the Backbone® has now been patented.A 3.7m scale segmented model of the yacht was built to use in physical tank tests at the Wolfson Unit in Southampton. After initial data on hydrodynamics, resistance and speed had been gathered, the model has been radio-controlled and self-propelled in order to measure the various bending forces acting within the hull and to prove the Backbone® concept. That provided valuable data for fine-tuning the structural design and to further optimise the construction method.For such a large aluminium yacht, it is particularly important to know the real forces created by the sea on the hull, not just to meet Lloyd’s Register requirements but to exceed those and construct the boat to the highest loads that could be encountered. Using the FDHF design and the Backbone® for such a large aluminium yacht requires a slightly deeper keel depth, but this actually brings further benefits. Due to the slightly increased draft Project Cosmos has a very low block coefficient, which means that the underwater body is very slim with nice verticals in the aft ship area, for an optimal flow of water towards the propellers. This results not only in improved performance but also in higher efficiency, ensuring fast cruising with comparatively low fuel consumption.<iframe width="1067" height="600" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RgjWgN0ESCg" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>Refining the propeller design is the ongoing job of research and design engineers at Rolls-Royce. Alongside the propeller design itself, the Promas system – where propeller and rudder are integrated into a single unit to optimise hydrodynamic efficiency – has been implemented in the design. Rolls-Royce engineers started by gathering CFD information of the water flow towards the propeller. Then the design process began with Rolls-Royce proprietary software: different iterations of propeller and rudder design were tried before arriving at the optimal solution, which was then tested in physical experiments. <iframe width="1067" height="600" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h3HsopvR6Qs" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>By creating a 1:11 scale model of the Promas rudder and propeller in the test tank facilities of the Rolls-Royce Hydrodynamic Research Centre (HRC) in Kristinehamn, Sweden, the propeller design was fine-tuned not only to ensure the speed and efficiency requirements are met, but also that any potential problems with cavitation can be eliminated. Cavitation is essentially where air bubbles form in the flow of water around and behind the propeller. It is particularly challenging at high speed, and as well as affecting performance it can also have severe impacts on noise and vibration – a critical consideration for any superyacht project, especially for one close to 30 knots! Cavitation issues were identified and eliminated by adjusting the rudder design. Finally, the tests proved that the propeller performed above expectations.Project Cosmos will feature variable pitch propellers that will enable the yacht to handle both impressive cruising speeds in excess of 20 knots, as well as reaching a maximum speed close to 30 knots – a considerable achievement for an 80-metre superyacht. With the hull design optimised, the construction engineering finalised and the propulsion system going through the last stages of testing, Cosmos is already proving a milestone project for Heesen and the teams involved.“Project Cosmos is raising the bar once again not only for Heesen, but for custom aluminium yacht building in general,” says Arthur Brouwer, CEO of Heesen. “Both from a technical standpoint and from a performance point of view we are pushing boundaries. Not only has this 80.7m project been designed to reach close to 30 knots, she has been designed for fast, 20+ knots cruising in an efficient manner. The solutions we have implemented to meet all these requirements are once again driving superyachting forward – just as Heesen has done with innovative and ground-breaking projects throughout its 40-year history.”
January 17, 2019
Turkish shipyard Tansu are preparing the launch of their 35-meter CV115 yacht from Mission Class. The launch is scheduled in summer. Designers created an open deck space of 65 square meters, where an 8-meter tender can be stored, as well as crew tenders and other toys, such as mx bike. Tenders and toys can be deployed by 2,500-ton deck Hydromar cranes. CV115 will be built from steel hull and aluminium superstructure and can accommodate 8 guests in 4 guest cabins. On the upper deck, there is master suite with panoramic view. Crew quarters is for 5 people. CV115 is capable of reaching a top speed of 15 knots.
January 17, 2019