Design
The completed yacht was transported from Royal Huisman’s HQ at Vollenhove to its Amsterdam facility for launch and seatrials
locations. However, we also thought it was possible to build a lighter aluminum high- performance superyacht. Royal Huisman was not afraid to invest in research to explore and develop all manner of innovative weight-saving possibilities. They really chased the details.’ Nilaya is the first yacht built according
to Royal Huisman’s new Featherlight method, which aims to narrow the gap in stiffness, displacement and thus performance between aluminium and carbon yachts. Described by the shipyard as a holistic process rather than a specific set of building techniques – ‘not a single process or construction material, but an integrated, multi-disciplinary approach focusing on weight reduction through advanced construction technology’ – Featherlight puts a strong emphasis on finite element analysis (FEA) and parametric modelling to achieve a wide range of gains in structural engineering. ‘Royal Huisman used FEA of Nilaya’s 3D model to fine-tune the engineering to a much higher level, adjusting plate thickness in the computer and predicting longitudinal stiffness or deflection,’ naval architect Jim Pugh explains. Royal Huisman has made a major R&D investment in its Featherlight technology,
which the shipyard regards as an important step in the evolution of its own DNA. It has developed its own in-house software tools for parametric modelling, which enables its design office to determine precisely the right thickness of any construction material for any location to achieve the design parameters. This empowers them to make smart decisions regarding, for example, the relative merits of aluminium and carbon in any structural application. It also allows them to design and optimise composite structures and components, in which carbon and aluminium are bonded together. Featherlight construction can also involve gluing aluminium components to each other rather than using fasteners. The last time Nilaya appeared in
system and selecting direct expansion and fan coils for each room, the total weight of the yacht’s hotel systems was reduced by 600kg. Rondal, meanwhile, managed to reduce the weight of the sailing systems significantly (see pages 82-83). Conventional materials for reducing
‘Use of a tribrid propulsion system allows a weight saving of 2,000kg compared with a conventional propulsion system’
noise and vibration, such as foam panels lined with lead, add a lot of unwanted weight. To stay within Nilaya's interior weight budget, Royal Huisman made extensive sound attenuation studies and developed sophisticated composite panels using cork, foam, honeycomb and other materials. The owners were offered three options
Seahorse (February 2022 issue), halfway through her build, she was known only by the enigmatic code name Project 405 and already her ambitious weight saving targets were generating a fair amount of interest. Now completed and launched, those targets have been fully achieved and her displacement is 11 per cent lower than a yacht built to the same design by the usual methods. How was that achieved? Like a racing yacht build, continuous weight monitoring is a crucial part of the Featherlight process with a dedicated weight engineer assigned to the project from start to finish. Reichel/Pugh and Nauta Design worked with Royal Huisman on a daily basis throughout the design and build, jointly overseeing the weight study. An overall weight target was agreed
Nilaya’s high-modulus carbon Rondal mast was stepped in Amsterdam
80 SEAHORSE
and every aspect of the build was given its own weight budget. With integrated teams exploring all the elements of the boat concurrently, everyone was aware of how each decision impacted others. Suggestions for improvements were shared and analysed in real time. For example, by a taking critical look at the high-voltage air conditioning (HVAC)
for the yacht’s interior cabinetry with different levels of weight, sound insulation and finish. Royal Huisman also developed a
“tribrid” propulsion system that provides three ways of powering the variable-pitch propeller and offers emergency ‘get home’ propulsion without the need for a separate third engine and gearbox. That alone saved two tons. Every incremental reduction in the yacht’s displacement in turn reduces the amount of power required for motoring, so the engine itself can be lighter and the engine room smaller, leaving more space for accommodation inside the hull. ‘I am proud of the investment we have
made in advanced engineering and of the way teams from Royal Huisman and Rondal advanced new solutions to meet the brief from very knowledgeable clients and designers,’ Royal Huisman’s chief executive Jan Timmerman says. ‘Nilaya's owners also deserve congratulations for pushing everyone to achieve just a little bit more and for encouraging innovation at every step. Nilaya will be the world’s lightest aluminum sailing superyacht for her length; she rewrites the script for high- performance superyachts.’
www.royalhuisman.com
❑
GUY FLEURY
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