Plenty of concept projects have been put forth by megayacht builders and designers in recent months, but this one particularly caught my attention. She’s a 180-footer from the design team at Vripack, emphasizing good seakeeping and good care of the crew as much as creature comforts for the owner and guests.
Since she’s intended to be a charter yacht, the Vripack Explorer has a one-to-one crew-to-guest ratio to ensure personalized service. Ensuring it further, the chef’s cabin is conveniently located right near the galley, something I have never seen on any yacht, proposed or real, in the 15 years I’ve been covering this market. The dozens of megayacht chefs I’ve interviewed over my career practically bound out of bed in the morning because they love what they do: personalizing dishes for a variety of palettes. Imagine how much more creative and productive the chef of the Vripack Explorer could be.
And imagine how much more enjoyable charters would be for crew and guests alike because of the attention Vripack paid to motion and vibration. The naval architects say they optimized the hull to keep vibrations due to slamming to a minimum, and they chose active-fin stabilizers to control roll. Tank tests have helped them fine-tune roll response at anchor in mimicked swells as well.
Because most crew cabins are placed forward on the lower deck, bow slamming is a big concern, but so is aft slamming. So Vripack analyzed wave resistance, reducing it by about 10 percent, to six-percent total resistance. A trim wedge was optimized to reduce the required shaft power. And power was reduced by about five percent, reducing the risk for aft body slamming due to the increased transom immersion. Twin Caterpillar 3512Bs, a common power package for yachts 30 feet smaller, should provide a 15-knot speed and 4,500-nautical-mile range.
As for creature comforts, the Vripack Explorer proposes plenty of alfresco areas, as the illustration here shows. There are also accommodations for 12 guests–four staterooms on the lower deck and an additional two VIPs on the main deck forward. The latter is certainly unusual, but consider that sometimes charter parties are comprised of a few couples; why not treat more than one to optimum views out those big windows? No worries if someone overpacks: This 1,074-gross-ton 180-footer has a whopping 15 tons of dedicated stowage space; as Vripack wryly notes, “Finally, a place for your suitcase!”
And why not treat everyone to a variety of onboard and on-the-water fun: PlayStation and Wii games are part of the audio-visual package in the playroom, there’s a disco as well as a gym, and toys ranging from a speedboat to a HobbiCat encourage exploration of anchorages.
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