Even successful superyacht designs sometimes benefit from modifications. Such is the case with Palmer Johnson’s long-standing SuperSport Series, from the design boards of its in-house team. Three new SuperSport models are now available, with a wavepiercer hull form for increased stability and lower fuel consumption.
In fact, one is already under construction, for delivery next year. Referred to as the 48m, meaning 48 meters (157 feet), she’s shown here. If you’re familiar with the SuperSport megayachts, the 48m clearly bears a family resemblance. The same is true of the other two new models, a 42m and a 78m, measuring 138 feet and 236 feet respectively.
Palmer Johnson decided to employ a wavepiercer hull design for its advantages in cruising comfort and efficiency. Wavepiercers may look like catamarans due to having twin hulls, but they feature super-sharp demi-hulls, for slicing through seas. Their fine bows also don’t pitch the way that traditional monohulls sometimes do. The design overall boosts stability and reduces roll. It also reduces wear and tear on those aboard. These advantages are major reasons why wavepiercers are often selected as the hull forms for passenger ferries and some military craft, and are therefore making inroads into megayacht design.
Palmer Johnson is further switching the construction material for these new SuperSport Series megayachts. It’s employing carbon fiber, rather than aluminum. Carbon fiber is known for its light weight, so that has an impact on performance, too. Palmer Johnson expects the first 48m SuperSport to top out at 32 knots, for example. The shipyard also states that the 48m SuperSport will consume less than 264 gallons per hour (1,000 liters) per hour at that speed. Of course, she’ll have transatlantic range at a more leisurely 15 knots.
In terms of the megayacht’s general arrangement, the 48m SuperSport will bear popular elements like a full-beam owner’s suite on the main deck and floor-to-ceiling windows lining the saloon. If you look at the rendering above, you’ll see cutouts in the megayacht’s bulwarks. These will enhance the views from inside the saloon. Equally attractive views await from inside the skylounge, essentially encased in glass. The megayacht will also include a beach club and outdoor areas aft that can join inside ones as indoor-outdoor spaces. A 36-foot (11-meter) beam and gross tonnage beneath the all-important 500 level add to the appeal.
For further information about the new SuperSport Series directly from Palmer Johnson, please fill out our contact form.
Tom Bailey
Like the clean sharp lines …
Michelle Williams
It’s incredible, Palmer Johnson’s SuperSport Series megayachts seems to be more efficient, spacious, faster and yet stable than your average yacht – an amazing achievement. The wave piercer is a great touch and remarkably reduces fuel consumption. To be honest, I usually like the design, lines and style of the more traditional superyachts, but this one looks contemporary, yet beautiful – it’s always a shame to waste the views, so impressed by the cutouts in the bulwarks; hopefully this will become a standardised feature. Thank you for the piece Diane.
Jeff Puha
First, let me say that I’m a traditionalist when it comes to yacht design-and just about everything else. The Nordhavn 120 is my idea of the perfect blue water passage maker. Having said that, I do like this wild exterior design. Not so much the interior renderings. Way too modern for my taste. The performance claims for this vessel seem too good to be true. I would like to see actual performance numbers and characteristics after the yacht is built.
What really concerns me is all of that floor-to-ceiling glass that is completely exposed to the waves. If this boat gets caught in a force 10 or 11 storm with waves around 30-40 ft or more and gets hit in the beam with some of those waves I suspect that lovely glass would shatter and the boat would flood. That would be a catastrophic failure because of the gaping holes left behind and the boat would go down quickly. I don’t trust it.
Abraham W. Henriques II
Hello Jeff,
You raise a valid concern about the yacht being hit by a wave and shattering the glass. “If” the yacht were constructed out of aluminum or steel (it’s constructed of carbon fiber) it “might” go down if all water tight compartments were breached. In this case however, it’s made entirely of carbon fiber and as that material floats in water the yacht would not sink regardless of the damage taken on by the storm. Yachts constructed of Fiberglass would stay afloat as well.
A great example of this would be Lazzara’s yacht, the LSX 120. This yacht is constructed entirely out of fiberglass and carbon fiber.
Regards,
Abraham W. Henriques II
A.W.H., INC.