UK composite build specialist Green Marine has had a busy start to the summer. Not only is the yard just about to launch a Reichel Pugh 68, but also the first WallyCento is due to leave her build shed on 18 June, just in time for the Solent superyacht cup in July. Moreover, 28 May marked the end of the first phase of construction of the Briand-designed 33m yacht Inoui, as the hull was moved from her shed to the dockside where she was lifted into the hold of a cargo vessel for transportation to Holland – and Boat International was there exclusively for the occasion.
Inoui is being built for an experienced owner who wanted to retain the comforts of his last yacht while augmenting the performance aspects. His previous yacht was a prominent competitor at most of the major superyacht regattas, notable in particular for its vivid coloured hull. Inoui will continue that theme, with a vibrant green colour scheme already chosen for the topsides.
The build of the hull itself has resulted in some interesting thinking, not least in the method of joining the deck and the hull. ‘The wide bulwarks meant that the usual flange at the deck was not an option,’ explains Green Marine CEO Marcel Müller, ‘and if you go further down the topsides for the join you get print-through from the secondary bonding which we definitely didn’t want. So we decided to make the join at the waterline.’ This means that the topsides and the entire deck have been moulded as one piece – quite some feat. ‘This has great advantages,’ Müller continues. ‘The laminating is very easy as you can do it without using scaffolds, and the hull and stem area are also very easy to do.’ Likewise, the coachroof was moulded as one piece, even incorporating the handrails.
Briand’s hull design borrows elements from across the ages in order to meet the owner’s brief for a timeless look – the transom is pure 1980s; the plumb stem pure 2000s; and a square-topped main on a powerful fractional rig brings her bang up to date. She will have a removable bowsprit, and if her hull appears slender – particularly when compared to what Müller describes as the ‘triangles’ that form the bulk of the modern high performance fleet – that is because her berth has limited beam. The result, however, should mean a hull that not only performs on all points of sail but which should offer an upwind speed advantage over her beamier rivals.
Racing, however, is only one aspect of the build, and with the owner keen to retain the comforts of cruising that he has enjoyed on his previous yachts, weight will be added in the form of sound and vibration insulation. Moreover, she will not sport some sparse racing interior, but will be fitted out to designs from Andrew Winch.
Inoui will shortly arrive in Amsterdam, where she will be transferred to a barge for transportation to the Vitters yard for her fit-out. She is expected to leave the yard for commissioning and sail trials next Spring, in time for a June 2013 delivery.