Every yacht design norm to be questioned and challenged

The Feadship yard in Aalsmeer has released one of the most technologically advanced and dynamically designed vessels in recent years from the confines of the build hall in preparation for final outfitting and sea trials. She is 84 metres in length and is known as Project 710 at the shipyard. The design team claims that in order to create a really groundbreaking work, the brief required them to question and challenge every accepted principle of boat design across the board, from architecture to engineering. Her low profile, horizontal design elements, and very clean shapes that flow aft from a powerful bow give the impression that she is longer than she actually is.

For the first time in many years, Feadship has released a yacht with a single-level engine room, allowing for much greater flexibility in the yacht's interior design. The British firm RWD, in conjunction with MONK Design, is responsible for both the external and interior architecture and design.

Unexpected destinations include a dining saloon on the ship's lower deck with a wall that opens to expose a terrace view above the water. There are huge windows below water level in the Aqua Lounge, which is located at the ship's stern. An innovative bow viewing lounge with double-curved glass floor-to-ceiling windows replaces the traditional mooring deck up front. There are no supporting pillars on the terraced aft decks, and the uninterrupted vistas from the deck and the entirely glazed aft internal spaces are what make this design so special.

Feadship's goal is to construct emission-free superyachts by 2030, and Project 710 is the ideal next step on that path towards innovation and world-class engineering. It is the first of a new class of large yachts that optimises for cruising speed rather than top speed, controls weight, uses electric propulsion, and can run her generators on HVO, a second-generation biodiesel that produces zero carbon dioxide emissions. Total CO2 emissions will be cut by roughly 90% thanks to the use of HVO during sea trials and delivery fill.

Diesel-electric hybrid power is provided by Feadship's FAED programme, and the electrical storage capacity of Project 710 is 4.5 times that of our first hybrid yacht, Savannah. She doesn't have any rudders or drive shafts. Two electric Veth contra-rotating thrusters provide propulsion and control. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis of the drive legs' and propellors' forms was a joint effort between Feadship and Veth, with the goals of improving efficiency and reducing vibration.

The majority of a yacht's fuel consumption goes towards running its opulent hotel. The engineering team on Project 710 investigated various methods of reusing the waste heat produced by the AC system, the pool water, the domestic water, the engine preheating system, and the air conditioner chiller. The yacht's ingenious heat pump technology allows it to absorb warmth from the ocean.

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