explains. ‘Simply changing the hull laminate material while retaining the same process and hull lines delivers big potential advantages,’ he says. ‘The SW105s hulls are an infused Corecell sandwich construction. The first boat Satisfaction had an hybrid Aramid outer skin and carbon inner skin whereas the second boat Kiboko Tres was full carbon laminate, which saved almost 500kg.
continues. ‘From there we know that the keel needs to be a particular configuration, so we then know the size of the rig and what it is going to weigh. From there we cross-check with the huge database of boats we've been doing with them for the past 30 years, before saying how the design will slot into their range. ‘Southern Wind can then figure out precisely what their cost is going to be and present it to the potential buyers. They are very accurate and owners really appreciate when they say it's going to cost this much and they stick to it.’ Micheli adds that ‘transparency in all phases of the design and construction process is one of our main core values’ Of the many 100 footers that Southern Wind has produced, the SW105 is the best current example of how the variety of options play out within a versatile platform. So how and where does the process start? ‘All the rigs are positioned in the same place. We don't try to move those around,’ Schmicker says. ‘ But the boats have different decks and Southern Wind is clever when it comes to installing them. They dry fit the deck first, take it off to do the interior installation and then do the final installation of the deck at quite a late stage in the construction. ‘So while the mast bulkhead needs to be in a given position, you can pretty much move things around as you wish such as cabins, galleys, that sort of thing.’
Hull construction can also vary more than clients expect, Micheli
Top: all hulls are laminated using vacuum infusion tech- niques with three-part
tooling. Smart design and construction techniques allow owners to customise the design of their deck, cockpit and coachroof, giving each yacht its own individual personality. Above:
SW105 hull number one Satisfaction covered more than 35,000 nautical miles of cruising in two years, proving her dependability and achieving the ownerʼs desire for a fast and exhilarating sailing
experience without
compromising on comfort
‘Some clients do ask about pre- preg laminates and boat number four will have a full carbon hull with Nomex and pre-preg foredeck and cockpit. Along with some other key areas of weight optimisation this boat will be more than three tonnes lighter than her sisterships, with a higher righting moment.’ The most obvious differences between the current crop of SW105s are also the best visual examples as to the variety of approaches that are possible with the semi-custom approach: the decks. ‘We have a deck saloon, a raised saloon and what we call a GT version that has a very sleek, low coachroof,’ Micheli says. ‘With a sporty deck the boat looks completely different. We have options for lower freeboards, a different deck, different keel configurations, different masts but the design platform is the same.’ While the decks are varied so too are the keels, which play a key part influencing other areas of the design. ‘From Day One we thought it would be good to offer three keel options: fixed, lifting and telescopic keels,’ Micheli says. ‘By considering this from the start we could then think about the implications for the engine room and how that affected the saloon. This enabled us to fix its position while allowing us to keep the three keel options.
‘We then looked at the height of the engine room and how that would affect the various deck options. Our tooling is set up so we can alter the camber of the deck mould, which will cater for boats of up to 140ft long. We then have semi-custom moulds
for the coachroof and the cockpit so we can vary the height for decks. ‘When the owner of SW105 number four asked for a completely different deck we didn’t have to redesign and charge for the entire deck tooling and design. Instead, we just charged for the modification work on the coachroof and the cockpit which was half the cost of a new custom deck mould and tooling.’ ‘We give you a well tried-and- tested platform and we offer you options. If you ask for an option that we have never sold, then we develop it for you. If a client has stronger opinions, we push the boundary of the customisation more. If on the other hand the client wants a faster and already well proven option, we offer ideas based on configurations that we have already built. ‘Clients who have strong ideas in some areas don’t necessarily need to write the specs for the rest of the yacht but they can still influence in the areas that are important to them. ‘One example is technical systems, where we know that the equipment selection and installations perform well, having been tried and tested. All systems are standard across many Southern Wind yachts and the crews have all been trained in the same way. Even though the systems are being refined with each new build, the crews know them well enough to understand the SWS philosophy, which makes it easier to switch from boat to boat and from project to project.’
Scenarios like these start to highlight the benefits to both client and builder of drawing from previous experience and complementing them with new ideas and configurations. So while semi-custom may mean different things to different people, experience is what counts – Micheli is certain of it.
‘So long as we have the opportunity to put our experience on the table we can be confident of meeting the owner’s expectations.’
www.sws-yachts.com
q SEAHORSE 75
ROB KAMHOOT
SOUTHERN WIND SHIPYARD
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