A year after Strand Craft partnered with Ned Ship Group as its build partner, the Strand Craft series megayacht models have finalized engineering packages so that construction can start.
The initial Strand Craft megayachts, created by Gray Design, were the Strand Craft 122 and Strand Craft 166. They received quite a bit of international attention due to their sleek styles and, more so, the custom car in what’s typically the tender garage.
The car garage remains, though buyers can have any number of luxury sports cars instead of a custom option. In addition, the original designs have been changed somewhat and are now part of a three-yacht series. Specifically, the series includes the models shown above, the SC 133, SC 166, and SC 199. The LOAs for each are, respectively, 131 feet (40 meters), 164 feet (50 meters), and 197 feet (60 meters). Ned Ship Group says construction time should be two to two and a half years, depending on LOA.
Remaining unchanged is the Strand Craft focus on light weight and high speed. Carbon fiber and composite construction will take care of weight plus bring the curvaceous profiles to life. As for performance, each should see a top end around 48 knots with standard twin- or triple-MTU engine configurations and KaMeWa waterjets.
Now, any yacht operated at high speeds burns a good deal of fuel and sees shorter cruising distances. Therefore, Ned Ship Group and Gray Design are now offering an alternative “range extender package,” allowing a range of more than 2,000 nautical miles. Egon Faiss, marketing director for Ned Ship Group, explains: “In addition to the two to three main engines, there will be two extra smaller engine blocs with 2 x 1200 hp installed with retractable propellers or with special gearboxes connected to the main jets. By using the smaller blocs, the yacht is consuming much less fuel, but cannot reach the top speed. It will be, then, a normal cruising speed as on normal yachts that size. In that case, and as the fuel consumption will be much less, there will be an increase of the range with the same fuel-tank volume. The main engines can also be preserved from engine hours.”
Regardless of megayacht model, buyers of a Strand Craft will have input into the general arrangement. Gray Design and Ned Ship Group do have suggestions, of course. The SC 133 (above) and SC 166 are each intended for six to eight in the owner’s party, accommodated in either one master and two guest staterooms or two VIPs and two guest cabins. Six crewmembers plus a captain will man the yacht. The SC 199, meanwhile, can accommodate six to 10 in the owner’s party, with two to four guest cabins accompanying the master suite. In the case of four guest staterooms, the SC 199 loses the extra saloon forward on the upper deck. Regardless of guest head count, the SC 199 will also house seven crewmembers plus the captain.
Yet another suggestion that buyers will be hard-pressed to wave off: a retractable pool on the SC 199’s aft deck and a fold-down balcony forward in the master suite. If a buyer opts for the one-master/two-guest-cabin configuration, Faiss says, the room can instead be a cinema, an indoor pool, or even an extra saloon (a third one, besides the main saloon and upper-deck saloon).
Speaking of the saloon, Faiss says that on each megayacht model, the main saloon is envisioned as occupying much of the main deck. That means the dining area gets relocated… but not to the upper deck. It’s on the lower deck, close to the galley, and can have an additional lounging area aboard the SC 166 and SC 199 due to their larger LOAs.
Construction will start when contracts are signed.
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