Currently, Sunseeker’s yacht range includes 12 models, with the largest being the 161 Yacht. A 13th series premiering in 2020 promises to be different. She’ll be the first Sunseeker megayacht model featuring an MTU hybrid propulsion package on a standard basis. In fact, she reportedly will be the first semi-custom megayacht model from any builder automatically incorporating the system.
Neither the builder nor the engine company is commenting on the size of the yacht, nor the new series name. The sketch above is a hint, however, that the Sunseeker megayacht model is a trideck. Furthermore, the two companies do plan to reveal more details at the Düsseldorf Boat Show, which starts this weekend.
For now, the focus is on the propulsion system. It features a pair of MTU 12V 2000 diesel engines, producing 1,947 hp apiece. (That kilowatt rating leads us to believe the specific MTU engine is the 12V 2000 M96L.) The system also incorporates gensets, electric propulsion modules, and batteries, along with, of course, monitoring systems. Interestingly, Sunseeker says the package can expand on a modular basis if a client so wishes.
Regardless, the benefits of the system are akin to those of other hybrid packages already in use on the water. The Sunseeker megayacht model will have six operating modes, for instance. Two of them, “smart hybrid” and “charge hybrid,” permit all the different power sources—meaning the engines, batteries, etc.—to come into play as needed, automatically. In addition, the system offers a silent mode. As the name states, owners and guests aboard the Sunseeker megayacht model won’t hear any machinery sounds. It’s because the batteries will provide all the juice necessary, whether underway or at anchor. For example, while the yacht is moving, silent mode can run for 40 minutes. At anchor, meanwhile, you get even more time, two hours.
Yet another option among the six modes: electric mode. With this, the gensets power both the engines as well as the yacht’s hotel load (lighting, climate control, etc.). The mode offers some fuel savings, plus lower sound and vibration levels. That, of course, is ideal if the yacht needs to make overnight passages, or long trips between destinations.
So, why develop this hybrid-powered Sunseeker megayacht model? Sean Robertson, Sunseeker’s sales director, says it’s customer demand. “The way owners are using their boats continues to evolve, with efficiency and noise reduction now as important as features and volume, which all contribute to their ultimate purchase decision.”
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