Yacht Seawolf X, the Cat Crossing Oceans on Batteries: Megayacht News Onboard

Upon seeing the yacht Seawolf X, seasoned yacht owners likely will note that she’s among the largest catamarans—perhaps the largest catamaran—they’ve ever encountered. Despite catamarans becoming more popular, this project’s 140-foot (42.75-meter) length and 45-foot (13.75-meter) beam are unexpected. What’s even more unexpected, though, is that the owner didn’t set out to build a catamaran. He approached Rossinavi with the goal of building a super-high-tech and super-consumption-minded megayacht capable of crossing the Atlantic. Ultimately, he achieved his goal, as did Rossinavi in finding a customer willing to embrace its vision for cruising’s future.

Rossinavi’s first catamaran, Seawolf X employs the twin hull form for its proven fuel efficiency and stability. She also relies on an in-house developed hybrid propulsion system that the yard revealed in 2021. Specifically, it employs a pair of gensets and a battery bank, along with solar panels. The batteries can do more than permit the 140-footer to remain emission-free at anchor. She can cruise in electric-only mode for an entire day trip and 90 percent of multi-day trips, for instance. Additionally, and more importantly, the yacht Seawolf X can complete 80 percent of a transatlantic journey solely on batteries.

According to Federico Rossi, Rossinavi’s COO, the wear and tear on the propulsion system from an Atlantic crossing should equate that of cruising from Monaco to Portofino, Italy. Once she arrives, recharging the batteries via shore power should take just five hours—though using the gensets takes only two. Plus, the 1,615 square feet (150 square meters) of solar panels are sufficient to maintain necessary power in “hibernation mode,” such as a yard period.

Rossinavi yacht Sealwolf X foredeck lounge

There’s another aspect to this propulsion system, one that monitors and learns conditions and even human behaviors onboard. It’s an AI system, and it works in several ways. Firstly, it maintains a 20- to 80-percent charge on the battery bank for optimal life. Created with partners like Siemens, the AI system also measures temperature and humidity. For example, one day during the yacht Seawolf X’s Monaco Yacht Show premiere, the weather was rainy and cool. The AI system therefore turned on just one air-conditioning chiller, leaving the remainders off all afternoon. Yet another ability is monitoring current, for optimizing propulsion while underway. Another practical feature: Sensors alert the system when someone is walking around, to turn on lighting. The bottom line, Rossi says, is that it organizes hundreds of data points to learn how to save energy.

There’s more, too. The yacht Seawolf X will benefit from technological advances without a refit. As more solutions like biofuels become more widely available, Rossi says, the AI system will analyze and learn from them. From today straight through that time, its purpose is to be a power-management system that simultaneously educates the captain about better operational approaches. “It’s a small point that gives us a lot of information,” he explains.

As much as significant attention went toward tech, abundant thought went into aesthetics. As Rossi notes, catamaran styling is often boxy. Therefore, with Fulvio Di Simoni, Rossinavi presented the owner with a lower-slung, sportscar-inspired design. For the interiors, meanwhile, the owner had a clear vision, natural materials for a natural ambience. Conveniently, Rossi says that when he met the owner, he was staying in a Miami hotel whose looks seemed like they’d appeal. Once he showed the owner pictures from the hotel, Rossi remembers, “He said, ‘I love it.’” The New York-based studio Mayer Davis was responsible for those looks, so it welcomed the ability to interpret similar wishes for Seawolf X. From the beamy saloon to the staterooms in the two hulls, the interior has a calm, polished presence. Incorporating themes of the sun, sand, and sea, it shows off subtle browns, creams, blues, and more.

Having put 4,000 nautical miles under her hulls last summer, the owner of the yacht Seawolf X is clearly pleased. The superyacht—which will be stateside much of this year—supports family time in a more environmentally respectful way. Similarly, she supports it in a much more high-tech way than even other fully custom superyachts. And to think that this catamaran wasn’t intended to be a catamaran… a pleasant surprise for a pleasantly different-thinking project overall.

Fulvio De Simoni Yacht Design fulviodesimoni.com

Meyer Davis meyerdavis.com

Rossinavi rossinavi.it