One year from now, Ngoni should be putting a 17½-knot hull speed to the test. The “fast and furious” ocean-going cruiser, in her owner’s words, will leave him “feeling completely knackered from the excitement of hands-on fast sailing.” And, Ngoni will do so with a laundry list of high-performance features from Dubois Naval Architects and Royal Huisman.
Ngoni was announced at the Monaco Yacht Show in 2014. While her name wasn’t announced, she had the apt nickname The Beast. “Build me a beast,” the owner told the build and design team. “Don’t build me a wolf in sheep’s clothing. This has to be an edgy and innovative weapon; fast and furious.”
The all-aluminum, 190’8” (58.15-meter) sailing superyacht certainly looks lean and mean. Part of her speed comes from the sharp bow, with flush-deck furlers. Royal Huisman says wind-tunnel tests confirm it causes less disturbance versus a traditional shape to the headsail’s leading edge. You will, though, find tradition below the waterline. Ngoni has a lifting keel. With it up, draft is 17’4” (5.3 meters); with it down, Ngoni draws 26’6” (8.1 meters). Her one-piece keel truck comes from a solid aluminum block, supporting about 100 tons of weight from the fin and lead bulb.
Above the waterline, Ngoni has a slender hull and reverse sheer. Royal Huisman says this latter detail alone bolsters the aluminum’s strength in that section by 12 percent. Keep this in mind when viewing the video of Ngoni below. You’ll see good-size foredeck openings for the sail lockers, a tender garage and crane, a hot tub, and a contained waste locker.
The list of powerful performance parameters is not done yet. Rondal, Royal Huisman’s sister company, is making the 233-foot-tall (71-meter-tall) mast and in-boom furler. It regularly tests a scale model of the mast, boom, and square-head main as well. Once aboard, the real boom can undergo crew spot checks, due to the forward end being open. Racing enthusiasts among you will appreciate the use of two running top stays with a deflector, too. It’s due to the lack of a fixed backstay, stemming from the square-head main.
Even the rigging for Ngoni gets special consideration, for weight and drag control. She has carbon fiber standing rigging. While Nitronic, a stainless steel rod rigging, is common, Royal Huisman says carbon fiber cuts her rigging weight by 70 percent. Further helping, Ngoni has continuous shrouds all the way to the masthead, plus internal connections where diagonal stays encounter the mast tube. The shipyard says this promises fewer failure points, given her purpose, versus Nitronic.
While the Ngoni team is keeping quiet on most decor details, we do have some interior facts. Rick Baker is creating a reportedly eclectic atmosphere for the guest and owner areas. They include two guest staterooms and a master suite rivaling a penthouse. The suite is complete with books galore in a study, a steam room, and a gym.
No matter that we cannot know more for now, though. Enjoy this look at Ngoni in build, and imagine her molded-glass superstructure and full form being complete.
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