Every time I see this yacht’s name, the famous Beach Boys’ song of the same title runs through my head. Whether or not that’s what inspired Lang Walker, the Australian owner, to commission this megayacht from Alloy Yachts, one certainty is that he’s a satisfied customer. This 58.4-meter (191-foot) performance sloop marks the third Kokomo he’ll have had built by the New Zealand yard.
Kokomo is said to be quite a technically complex project. Dubois Naval Architects has designed her with a bulb as well as a lifting keel. When raised, the keel makes her draft 4.95 meters, or 16 feet, and when lowered it brings draft to 8.10 meters, or 26.5 feet. Other components are purposely designed to emphasize performance as well. The mast and boom, being created by Southern Spars, will be carbon fiber. Considering that the mast will rise 71 meters (233 feet) into the sky, it’s no wonder this lightweight yet strong material was chosen. In fact, according to Alloy, the selection of carbon fiber for the mast in combination with composite for the entire standing rigging package saves about 60 percent over conventional steel rigging. And finally, the winch package, including vertical winches and captive reel winches, is being created in-house by Alloy Yachts. Auxiliary power will come courtesy of twin 872-hp Caterpillar engines with Hundested variable pitch propellers.
Inside, Redman Whiteley Dixon Design is designing four guest staterooms plus the owner’s suite, in addition to the usual saloon/gathering spaces. There are also four crew cabins plus a single-berth engineer’s cabin (with a Pullman) and a double-berth captain’s cabin.
Kokomo is slated for delivery in December 2009. She’ll be built to Lloyd’s X100 A1 SSC Yacht Mono G6 MCH classification.
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