Marine

Fast displacement hull makes for parsimonious hybrid superyacht

Fast displacement hull makes for parsimonious hybrid superyacht
The 50-meter Heesen Home superyacht
The 50-meter Heesen Home superyacht
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The Heesen Home takes to the high seas
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The Heesen Home takes to the high seas
Heesen has fitted a hybrid powertrain to the Home
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Heesen has fitted a hybrid powertrain to the Home 
The Heesen Home will make its debut at the Monaco Yacht Show
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The Heesen Home will make its debut at the Monaco Yacht Show 
The 50-meter Heesen Home superyacht
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The 50-meter Heesen Home superyacht
There's space for 12 guests in the six cabins of the Heesen Home
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There's space for 12 guests in the six cabins of the Heesen Home 
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There's nothing quite like traveling the world and experiencing new cultures, but even the most intrepid explorers occasionally feel homesick. Heesen Yachts has set out to eliminate homesickness by letting the well-heeled take their home (or one of them, at least) along on their travels. The YN17850 Home superyacht is designed as a luxurious 164-ft (50-m) hybrid retreat for the fuel-conscious billionaire.

Although superyacht owners are unlikely to be concerned by the price of fuel, Heesen has worked to make sure the Home sips at its diesel instead of swigging. Power comes from a pair of 600-kW (805-hp) engines, which are smaller than you'd expect from a yacht of this size, made possible in part by the efficient Fast Displacement Hull design from Van Oossanen Naval Architects.

Along with the diesel engines, the Home has a pair of water-cooled electric shaft motors making a combined 254 kW (340 hp) of power. Top speed is more than 16.3 knots (19 mph, 30 km/h) in diesel only mode, and a handy nine knots (10 mph, 16.6 km/h) in "silent cruising mode." Having the option to run on combined diesel and electric power makes this the world's first Fast Displacement yacht with hybrid power.

The Heesen Home will make its debut at the Monaco Yacht Show
The Heesen Home will make its debut at the Monaco Yacht Show 

With a maximum fuel capacity of 45,000 liters (11,888 US gal) and fuel consumption of 98 l/hour (25 gal/hr) in diesel mode or 45 l/hour (12 gal/hr) in hybrid mode, the Home has a max cruising range of 6,840 km (4,250 mi). According to Heesen, that's a handy 805 km (500 mi) more than the owner originally demanded.

Aside from what's happening under the skin, the Home is also a very pretty piece of design on the outside. The slick profile is the work of Frank Laupman of Omega Architects, who has given the boat a vertical bow and long, sweeping spray rails, while the floor-to-ceiling glass windows make for an airy interior.

Inside, designer Cristiano Gatto has worked to make the cabin feel bright and sophisticated with matte two-tone finishes throughout. There's space for 12 passengers in the six cabins, with four separate decks including the top sundeck. Gatto told Boat International the owner demanded a white, grey, silver and burgundy color palette, while freestanding furniture features throughout.

There's space for 12 guests in the six cabins of the Heesen Home
There's space for 12 guests in the six cabins of the Heesen Home 

The rooftop sundeck is home to a (presumably well-stocked) bar, and there's a spa on board as well. Given there's space for 12 guests, there's also an area for dining and entertaining. After all, what good floating home doesn't have a dedicated area for dinner parties on the high seas.

Having put the Home through its first sea trials, Heesen has handed it over to the owner, but it will be on display at the Monaco Yacht Show between September 27 and 30.

Source: Heesen Yachts

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4 comments
4 comments
Lucrucurvruds
98L... Wow, that's almost nothing. Other boats of this size need something far north from the hundreds. That's really impressive
Bob
Since when is 19 mph fast displacement? Does it have stability planes to keep it from rolling in heavy seas? 164 ft. and only has room for 12 guests? Other than an impressive range, I don't see this as too desirable.
christopher
Big waves. Looks like someone got some numbers wrong in the fast-displacement calculator.
pat
Interesting...I can well believe this vessel is more efficent than its peers, but the amount of fuel it uses (and carbon it emits) is eye watering. According to my maths, thats around $20,000 to sail from the UK to the canaries and back! I'll stick with my $80 EasyJet fare I think. Maybe its about time the super rich found more constructive and less polluting ways of spending their cash...