Here’s a look at a brand-new vessel, a 50-knot catamaran from France, that represents a marriage of marine and aeronautical engineering. Indeed, the new cat, named Monaco One, is shaped like an inverted airplane wing, and it’s so efficient that it uses only half as much fuel as a comparable monohull would.
Monaco One is a product of the Advanced Aerodynamic Vessels yard in La Rochelle, France. The 39-foot cat was just delivered to the Ports of Monaco to serve as a 12-passenger ferry from Port Hercules to a new marina in Ventimiglia, Italy. The Monaco government says it’s much more environmentally friendly than a helicopter.
A recreational version of the $1.5 million boat is coming next, with the same hull design and speed, but with an articulated roof that opens to an enormous aft deck that the owner can arrange for any purpose he or she wishes – entertaining, fishing, diving, whatever.
Advanced Aerodynamic Vessels says it spent years of R&D and sea trials in high seas and strong winds to develop the boat, with input from naval architects and computer fluid dynamics specialists. The faster the wing-shaped cat goes, the more lift it generates, and the lighter it becomes on the water, greatly reducing drag and fuel consumption.
Monaco One is powered by twin 350-hp Yanmars with surface drives. It cruises at 45 knots. The company says it has a range of 250 nm at 50 knots.
You can see it in action in the video below.
Specs.: LOA: 39’; Beam: 23’; Draft: 2’; Disp.: 15,000 lbs.; Fuel: 184 gals.; Water: NA; Power: 2×350-hp Yanmars. Read more: http://aavessels.com
