Dutch yard Feadship has teamed up with French studio Merveille Yachting to present plans for a 77.11 metre Eco Explorer concept.
Presented as part of Feadship Unveils, a YouTube series in which the yard presents unbuilt designs, the Eco Explorer is described as “a genuinely eco-responsible superyacht”.
Presented by Feadship commercial director Bas Nederpelt with Merveille Yachting co-founders Nicolas Cantenot and Jérôme Vollet, the concept encompasses “the best of both worlds” of motor and sailing yachts.
Cantenot revealed that work began on the project a year ago. One key feature is a mast system with wings “that can be propelled at twice the strength as a traditional rig,” Vollet said, meaning that fuel consumption is vastly reduced on board.
The concept also features a “much lighter” hull shape, another feature that further reduces fuel consumption.
Cantenot and Vollet said the Eco Explorer’s computerised wings, which eliminate heeling while underway, mean this concept is likely to appear to traditional motor yacht owners.
The computer-controlled wings make the sailing experience on board “much more like a motor yacht than a sailing yacht,” Cantenot said.
“You use it as a motor yacht although the wind is going to be one of the major components of propulsion,” he added.
Speeds of up to 18 knots can be reached in “just a regular wind” while top speeds are estimated to be around 25 knots.
Elsewhere, the yacht is able to produce renewable energy in three different ways.
“First we actually regenerate the kinetic energy of the boat under wings through water turbines that will create electricity. Second, we have wind turbines with vertical axis on top of the masts. And third, we have solar panels,” Cantenot explained.
The combination of the production of renewable energy, the lighter hull shape and reduction of energy used mean fuel energy consumption on board has been reduced by an estimated 50 – 70 percent compared to an equivalent boat, Merveille said.
A beam of more than 19.11 metres meanwhile provides ample living space on board, including a large beach club aft with a 15 metre swimming pool. Accommodation is for 12 guests in six cabins and up to eight crew members on board.
Speaking about the project, Nederpelt said: “We always try to be at the forefront of innovation and innovating in terms of efficiency but also sustainability in a broader sense and we feel as one of the leader in the industry that we need to take responsibility.
“This very project is probably the most perfect examples of one of the best ways to go in the future.”