Employing a construction technique atypical for a custom yacht of her dimensions, the Wally 101 hull has come out of its mold. The carbon fiber cruiser-racer, with super-sleek lines, remains on pace for a 2023 delivery.
The fourth Wally for this customer, the sailing superyacht has styling and interior design by Wally’s in-house team, plus naval architecture from Judel/Vrolijk & Co. Since the owner intends to compete in regattas, the yacht meets the requirements of the Wallycento box rule. Briefly, this sets specific parameters for length, beam, displacement, and more to ensure best performance. The Wally 101 has an LOA of 101 feet (30.8 meters), a beam of 24’7” (7.49 meters), and a weight of 56 tons. Wally says the latter is about 20 percent less than similarly sized and capable projects. Additionally, it says that about 40 percent of the Wally 101’s weight is in her lifting keel.
More notably, though, Wally constructed the hull by using female molding techniques. Because this approach is more costly, it tends to be employed for series production. However, Wally believed it was the right technique for this project due to resulting in an essentially perfect hull. In fact, the yard states that it added just minor filler in fairing the hull. This is further significant, since fairing adds weight—and, of course, owners like this who prioritize performance want as little additional weight as possible. “Our laminators have been with Wally since the brand’s first days,” says Luca Basani, Wally’s founder and chief designer. “Their collaboration has helped us to develop techniques that bring the absolute best out of the high-end materials pioneered by Wally.”
The Wally 101 has more in-house-developed benefits, too. For instance, she uses Magic Trim, a hydraulic ram integrated with the push-button sail-handling system. Furthermore, she has the Magic Traveler system, which adjusts the clew position via hydraulic rams. Both of these are crew-labor savers.
Currently, the yacht’s hull is back inside the build shed. Bulkheads are going in, as are piping, tanks, and additional components. Her deck, meanwhile, is still in its mold.
Judel/Vrolijk & Co. judel-vrolijk.com
Wally wally.com
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