The Dutch yacht builder Feadship has announced plans to unveil a new concept design at next week’s Monaco Yacht Show.
This 75-meter-long design will be presented in honor of the brand’s 75th diamond jubilee. The concept, named C, was developed by the Feadship Studio De Voogt. The name is derived from the symbol for carbon on the periodic table, as carbon is the foundation of diamonds.
Inspired by the way a cut diamond’s pattern reflects and amplifies light, C shines with innovations and dazzles with fascinating perspectives, according to Feadship. This design also aims to blur the separation between the decks.
Other design innovations on board the C include the partially enclosed sea lounge on the lower deck, which can be used both at anchor and underway, a beach club with sea-level restaurants, a duplex owner’s suite, and a movable crow’s nest that rises from a private viewing deck. Two hexagonal infinity pools complement the shapes of various seating areas and the atrium.
The hull design and fully electric propulsion system, with counter-rotating inline propellers—a development of the Breathe concept and Feadship’s Savannah—are said to be 30 percent more efficient than a typical 75-meter yacht with two shafts, propellers, and rudders, according to computer simulations. The advancements in its underwater profile also result in less wake.
Feadship relies on fuel cells
As with all of Feadship’s concept yachts, the C has been fully researched and is buildable, according to the company. Building on the hydrogen fuel cell energy system developed for Feadship’s 118.80-meter Project 821, the C concept design will derive 100 percent of its energy needs from fuel cells running directly on methanol, supplemented by lithium-metal batteries.
Feadship views green methanol as the best short-term step toward decarbonizing yachting, as it has a relatively high energy density and is easy to use. The normal cruising speed with the fuel cells will be 14 knots, with a top speed of 17 knots achievable when battery power is fed into the electric DC grid. Additional energy will be passively generated by two pairs of wave-activated fins that can fold out of the hull behind the anchors. It’s estimated that energy from their motion, in a sea state of one meter, will account for one-third of the C‘s hotel load.
C is an evolution of Pure
The C is a further evolution of the remote-controlled bridge first introduced in the Pure concept design in 2021, showcasing the next evolution of Feadship’s adaptive technology, with a command center positioned on the lower deck between the crew area and the beach club.
This fully digital operations and navigation center includes the latest smart situation-awareness technology with cameras and data fusion. This technology has already been introduced into the Feadship fleet aboard the Ulysses. Its location is seen as a way to centralize crew tasks and improve communication between technical and navigational personnel. This layout, combined with a smaller, single-level engine room supported by the fuel cells, maximizes space for the owner and guests, offering the owner greater value with the same gross tonnage.
Designers Ruud Bakker and Tanno Weeda will be available during the Monaco Yacht Show to explain the technologies and explore the design with visitors through a model and video animation next to the Feadship Hospitality Center.
