New Icebreaking Megayacht Will Have Adventurous Billionaires Drooling

MAN! I don’t know what to say here? Sooper Kewl vessel or just another obscene playtoy for some megarich asshole who doesn’t pay enough tax?

[B]New Icebreaking Megayacht Will Have Adventurous Billionaires Drooling[/B]

September 24, 2015 by Mike Schuler

Cruising around the Caribbean or Mediterranean in a mega yacht may be relaxing and all, but for you more adventurous yachtsmen unafraid of a little cold and literally boatloads of cash to burn a new line of expedition vessels may be just what you are looking for.

The new line of purpose-built, Polar-capable expedition yachts, called SeaXplorer, was unveiled this week at the Monaco Yacht Show, promising “life-changing encounters with exotic cultures, majestic wildlife and spectacular wildernesses.”

Among many notable features, the SeaXplorer line is built to be Polar Code compliant, with a reinforced, double-acting hull capable of breaking ice stern-first without impacting the vessel’s overall seakeeping ability while on long-hauls.

The 65 to 100-meter SeaXplorer range was developed through a collaboration between Dutch luxury superyacht builder AMELS and DAMEN, a Netherlands-based shipbuilder specializing in a wide-range of commercial and public-sector vessels from harbor and terminal tugs to offshore vessels and security and defense.

The SeaXplorer also comes with a helicopter hanger, an ultimate dive center with optional decompression chamber, an open bridge, storage for tenders and toys, a crow’s nest with panoramic views, and a swimming pool and jacuzzi, The line also features the proven SEA AXE bow design, known for its wave-piercing bow and seakeeping characteristics.

“A number of experienced yachting clients approached us about adapting DAMEN’s professional vessels, so we knew from them that there were simply no globally capable luxury explorer yachts out there,” says Rob Luijendijk, AMELS Managing Director. “And that’s also what we heard from EYOS Expeditions who have decades of experience in bespoke luxury expeditions to the wildest places on the planet. So that’s why DAMEN began developing the SeaXplorer. The result is well beyond a pretty rendering. It’s a fully developed range – something only DAMEN could do.”

To come up with the design, Damen says that thousands of hours has been invested into research and development, ice tank testing, and real expedition pedigree through detailed design input from partner EYOS Expeditions, and exterior lines were penned by AZURE Yacht Design and Naval Architecture.

The three models in the range – 65, 90 and 100 – can stay at sea for up 40 days without a port call and travel at speeds up to 16 knots.

I am suddenly struck with the idea of converting the AIVIQ into a megayacht…an ugly megayacht but the world’s most capable? Someone get me Mister Gary’s number…I got a proposal to pitch.

I wouldn’t want to be the one to calculate the ice loads for that bow if they intend to push it into unbroken ice.

[QUOTE=Tups;169401]I wouldn’t want to be the one to calculate the ice loads for that bow if they intend to push it into unbroken ice.[/QUOTE]

from what I can see, it breaks ice going astern although I can’t image why they would go with a flat transom stern shape like that and not something more rounded?

The stern probably works just fine, but in one of the conceptual renderings the vessel has entered unbroken ice bow-first. With that hull form, the principal icebreaking process is crushing instead of bending, and the loads on the hull structures are very high, especially with that kind of thin wedge-shaped bow.

Personally, I have always wanted an aircraft carrier yacht. Not the full 1000’+ Nimitz package deal, but something you could fling a little twin-prop, or one of those new Honda jets, off of. I once saw a design for a 125’, plywood construction, “ultralight” aircraft carrier. The design was definitely cool but very, very simple. I’d like to see one of these big fancy design firms knock up a real top notch job. Something Bull Halsey could have floated around in in his retirement!

Some of the comments are pretty amusing…