UPDATE, APRIL 12, 2016: The 26M Ilumen has grown. She’s now the 28M Ilumen, measuring 92 feet. She remains a five-stateroom megayacht, however, and with the creature comforts outlined below.
Read on for our original article.
Though the date is not public, the 26M Ilumen from Dominator Yachts is approaching launch. So says the builder, which has revealed more details about the design and engineering of the yacht.
First, some background. The 26M Ilumen has been in development for the past three years, two of which have been devoted to design. Dominator Yachts unveiled the project publicly at the 2014 Cannes boat show.
Measuring 86’9” with a beam of 22 feet (26.5 and 6.72 meters, respectively), the 26M Ilumen is aptly named. An exceptional amount of glass is aboard, making the megayacht lighter and brighter arguably than others. The effect is particularly noteworthy, and novel, in the main-deck master suite. Arched glass rims the forward portion. And, as the video below shows, central doors slide open to yield access to a private foredeck. The 26M Ilumen additionally has a sliding sunroof in the master. A sunbed tops it when not in use.
Dominator Yachts builds the 26M Ilumen on a semi-custom basis, like its other offerings. The megayacht can feature three or four staterooms below decks, with a full-beam VIP in the former configuration. The owner of the first yacht in the series has requested four cabins. Clients work with the in-house interior design department to select woods, marbles, and more. The first 26M Ilumen will reportedly feature backlit onyx, plus zebrano, ebony, and oak.
Dominator Yachts says it has spent more than 10,000 hours on the engineering. This includes virtual-reality modeling to allow clients to “walk” through the spaces. The builder adds that it’s taken an engineering approach akin to that of military and cruise ships, although it does not specify how. Some of the practices behind the 26M Ilumen, though, are widespread in yachting. For example, Dominator Yachts used computational fluid dynamics to analyze hull performance in a variety of conditions. It then also performed tank tests. The 26M Ilumen employs a hard-chine, semi-displacement hull with a blade-like bulbous bow. Dominator Yachts terms it the Dominator HPH, for High Performance Hull. The megayacht further has Fortjes pod drives, proven to boost fuel efficiency and maneuverability.
Constructed of composite and carbon fiber, the 26M Ilumen offers three engine packages. Twin MAN, MTU, or Caterpillar engines ranging from 1,200 to 2,400 hp are available. They should permit a 29-knot maximum speed. Long distances are best at 8 knots, which should allow a 3,000-nautical-mile range.
On a related note, Dominator Yachts is developing a hybrid version of the megayacht with Siemens.
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