HIGH SPEED

Record Chasers by Dieter Loibner

hen it comes to world-record in the 78' (24m) wave-piercing trima- composite vessels; and by using cleaner- Wcircumnavigations, powerboats ran Earthrace, powered by 2x 400-kW burning fuel, both are attempting to are no match for sailing . In (540-hp) Cummins MerCruisers. mitigate the copious emissions of green- 2016–17 Frances Joyon nearly cracked Compared to the nonstop Jules house gases on this voyage. the 40-day barrier, sailing 26,412 nau- Verne sailing record, Bethune’s com- tical miles nonstop in 40 days, 23 bustion-driven voyage covered less dis- The German syndicate hours, and 30 minutes, averaging a tance, stopped for fuel and repairs, and smidgen under 27 knots to claim the bypassed all the epic capes and the Frank Peter Hartmann, a Hamburg- coveted Jules Verne Trophy. Rudder Southern Ocean—as allowed under based marketing expert, is helping the damage in the Indian Ocean recently Union Internationale Motonautique German syndicate The FAST One put in ended a promising record attempt by (UIM) rules. Currently, two campaigns a serious record bid with a foil-assisted the French Spindrift. On the aspire to push Earthrace off its pedes- vessel and German engineering. Hart- power side, the current record stands tal, one in England, the other in Ger- mann: “I’m not a boat insider, but my at a comparatively modest 60 days, 23 many. While the Brits are in the final father, a shipbuilding engineer who used hours, and 49 minutes, which included stages of building their boat, the Ger- to run a yard in , told me several refueling stopovers and a mans are still raising funds. But there about Professor Hoppe.” Karl-Gunter course of 24,000 nm at an average of are notable parallels: Both hope to Wilhelm Hoppe is a retired professor approximately 16.4 knots. It was set in better the current record by 10 days from the mechanical engineering depart- 2004 by New Zealander Pete Bethune or more; both favor aluminum over ment of the University of Stellenbosch,

20 Professional BoatBuilder Three ambitious pending record attempts—two global and one transatlantic—look to new hullforms, advanced construction materials, and cutting-edge fuel and propulsion technologies.

South Africa, who taught fluid mechan- 40-knot boat speeds. “It will not be Back in Germany, Hoppe’s colleague ics, and mechanical and marine engi- possible for a usual planing hull to and business partner, Gerd Gerdsen— neering. In the 1980s and ’90s he drove carry so much fuel and run these high a retired naval architect who has the development of hydrofoil-supported speeds with the enormous range, worked with notable yards including , aka HYSUCATs, and now except with very large units.” Hoppe Abeking & Rasmussen and Lürssen runs Foil Assisted Ship Technologies added that FASTcc’s performance soft- Shipyard—put the finishing touches (FASTcc). For an in-depth look at this ware, developed over the last 30 years, on Hoppe’s platform concept, a 25m technology, see Gunther Migeotte’s will be used in the final design stages (82' ) foil-assisted for a design brief in Professional BoatBuilder of The FAST One. crew of eight to 10. The boat will be No. 157. The term Hysucraft refers to any 26m (85.3' ) LOA, 20m (65.6' ) LWL, While the story of the HYSUCAT boat that uses foils designed by 8m (26.2' ) beam, and 1.5m (4.9' ) brand is long and convoluted, the hull- Hoppe’s company. “The Hysucraft maximum draft. The data sheet also form is proven and has been applied to also has enormous improvements in lists 40 knots top speed fully loaded recreational and commercial craft seakeeping, and the foil introduces a and a maximum range of 800 nautical from 6.5m to 80m (21.3' to 262.5' ), considerable damping effect, which miles at 38 knots cruising speed. including power catamarans, rigid- was highly appreciated by the U.S. Gerdsen suggested that a successful bottom inflatables, tour and fishing Army Corps of Engineers.... We have round-the-world record attempt with boats, fast-ferries, and workboats and designed a number of these 55' to 60' such a craft would require the power patrol boats for military use. It’s not [16.8m to 18.3m] survey boats in the of two 1,200-kW diesels (e.g., MAN, unreasonable to think that it might suit USA, built by various shipyards. MTU) to deal with an overall displace- C o ur t e s y S af eh a ven M rine the ultimate offshore endurance test. “For The FAST One, crew comfort on ment of 70 metric tons (154,300 lbs), “In general, the performance gain such a long trip is of utmost importance. at least 30 t (66,000 lbs) of which is against a usual planing hull will be Also, in certain waves the resistance reserved for tankage. The longest more than 40%,” Hoppe explained in of [a] Hysucraft is reduced far below legs of the proposed route, according an e-mail. That means the hull can be the one on flat water. In usual boats the to Hartmann, are about 2,200 nauti- powered by smaller diesel engines and resistance in waves increases consid- cal miles, from Manzanillo, Mexico, consume less fuel while maintaining erably and especially in head seas.” to Hawaii and from there, 3,500 nm to

Facing page—Safe- haven Marine’s Thunder Child, shown in sea trials off the Irish coast, later set a circumnavi- gation record for the “Long Way Round” Ireland. Left—A render- ing shows the 85.3' (26m) German catama- ran The FAST One, inspired by commercial foil-assisted craft like high-speed ferries in

C o ur t e s y The F ast One service for many years.

April/May 2019 21 high speed: Record Chasers

Guam. Start and finish ports must be will get built from stainless steel—no are better suited for all-round use and identical but can be chosen by the experiments with titanium or car- can be [adapted] for changing condi- team, which will include members of bon fiber. The main foil forward will tions and payloads,” Gerdsen said. the German police and German Mari- be installed in the 3m [9.8' ] tunnel To spare the atmosphere, the team time Search and Rescue, who are between the hulls, so it is protected, has chosen carbon-neutral synthetic experienced in driving high-speed and it gets ‘mirrored’ by the smooth fuel (synfuel) refined from synthetic vessels in adverse conditions. sidewalls of the hulls, which increases crude, which in turn is produced The primary build material is corro- efficiency.” The goal, according to the through steam electrolysis, and CO2. sion-resistant aluminum with plate team, is to travel 2,000–3,000 nm at Maintaining carbon neutrality, how- thicknesses from 2.5mm to 4.5mm speeds well above 30 knots. Hoppe ever, requires the use of renewable (0.01" to 0.18" ). It’s robust and easily noted that “to run most efficient, The energy like wind, solar, or hydroelec- repaired in a stopover port or with an FAST One will need active trim devices tric power. An alliance of several com- underwater welding torch should an at speed and…fuel transfer tanks to panies announced plans to produce emergency occur under way. correct the LCG [longitudinal center 8,000 tons of so-called Blue Crude per “Carbon fiber for a one-off is too of gravity].” year in a 20-megawatt plant in Heroya, expensive. Besides, it’s easier to find Regarding the drive system, he Norway, beginning in 2020. aluminum welders than someone who pointed to positive experiences with Additionally, the vessel’s design seeks has the skill and gear to fix damaged adjustable-pitch propellers by Servo- to optimize aerodynamics, since air carbon in a remote place,” Gerdsen gear on older HYSUCAT ferries (e.g., drag adds up to 30% of total resistance explained. “We’d use extruded profiles Rheinjet­ and Nordblitz), in service for traveling at 40 knots in calm condi- as much as possible. We calculated three decades. “Jet drives are more tions. Lastly, the team plans to use that the foils should carry up to 50% of effective at very high speeds but not at smart electronics to help avoid colli- the total weight, or about 35 t. The foils slow speeds or rough seas, because of sions with unknown floating objects, will not protrude below the keel and the trapped air. Adjustable propellers which can be made visible on the water’s

22 Professional BoatBuilder C o ur t e s y The F ast One The concept builds on a proven technology developed for military and commercial vessels. Fixed foils span the cavity between the hulls to reduce draft from 4.9' to 3' (1.5m to 0.9m) and lessen drag for a more efficient and comfortable ride. surface at a distance of up to 1.5 nm. “The current UIM record was set at the efficiencies of foil-assisted plan- To get a sense of the chances such a an average speed of 16 knots by a ing. As a result, The FAST One will boat stands to break the round-the- semi-displacement hullform, which ideally be shooting for an average world powerboat record, I contacted gave the vessel a wide range of effi- speed of 22 knots and higher and Australian naval architect Scott Jutson ciency options,” Jutson explained. “In perhaps even approximating average (see Rovings in PBB No. 151), now the case of a foil-assisted craft, [a speeds closer to the sailing records. based in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, speed of] 16 knots approximates Certainly, on good days the boat can and specializing in fast power catama- hump speed, a resistance peak that sit on 30–32 knots all day long, which rans, including foil-assisted boats. the vessel must overcome to achieve is a real sweet spot [when] running on

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April/May 2019 23 high speed: Record Chasers the main foil and the rear foil clear budget of 8+ million Euros for design, Reclaiming the record and drag-free. At these speeds, the build, fit-out, and operational funds.” for Britain range curve flattens out, and this is If successful, the platform of The FAST where the record will be under threat.” One could also be remarketed as a fast- Prior to Earthrace in 2008, the While the theory sounds plausible, ferry, a search-and-rescue vessel, or a around-the-world powerboat record of putting this boat in the water will luxury yacht, using the same hull with 74 days, 20 hours, 58 minutes was set by require serious cash. Hartmann, who different superstructures and interi- a British team in 1998 on Cable and told me he contacted potential build- ors, he explained. For now, that’s still Wireless Adventurer, a trimaran designed ers, estimates the team will need “a some way off. by Nigel Irens. Now Team Britannia, an effort led by English adventurer and entrepreneur Alan Priddy and travel and outdoors writer, photographer, and broadcaster Clive Tully, is angling to reclaim it. Priddy, a veteran of a previous (abandoned) record attempt with the 33' (10m) rigid-bottom inflatable Spirit of Cardiff, first made

photos: Billy Black noises in 2011 about trying to tackle the Earthrace record. After setbacks that resulted in repeated delays, he appears to be closing in on completing Excalibur, an 80' (24.4m) aluminum boat with a hybrid hullform, which Priddy calls “fast displacement.” Excalibur was designed by naval architect professor Bob Cripps, who’d been the engineering manager at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) for 18 years before assuming technical roles at VT Halmatic and BAE Systems Surface Ships. Without foils or an aggressive wave-piercing bow, the vessel’s arrangement looks downright conventional, which is exactly what Priddy and Cripps intended. “I am not prepared to go into great technical details, but I can say it is three hull shapes in one, ranging from very Our customers have high pointed at the bow, fairing out to a “expectations for their yachts, rounded bilge in the middle, followed and Alexseal delivers on them. by a shallow V at the stern,” Priddy said. We’ve been spraying Alexseal “The pointed end cuts a hole for the since we went into business rounded bit to go through while the rear and it’s made us believers.” flat(ish) bit gives it speed. It is not par- ticularly heavy for an 80' boat, and its displacement is dependent on laden JB Turner weight. Obviously, with 30 tons [of die- President and GM, Front Street Shipyard sel] its draft will increase, but until it is fully fueled, the final draft is difficult to measure accurately. To give a description of fast displacement: our boat is a bit like ALEXSEAL.COM an RNLI Shannon Class on steroids.” EU: +49 (40) 75 10 30 > USA: +1 (843) 654 7755 Priddy continued, “The boat is still very long and very thin below, designed See us at • Booth 316 to sit in and on the water and charge

24 Professional BoatBuilder through everything. It is my belief [that] modest, but Priddy believes that part of diesel fuel. Emulsification, which has wave-piercing boats do not work under the magic is in the boat’s six 6,000-l been around for decades, improves the 100' [30.48m]. My fear is [that] the bow (1,585-gal) fuel tanks, not just in the atomization of hydrocarbon molecules will dig in [when] running downwind engineroom. The trick is emulsified fuel, by increasing their surface area, which and cause the boat to broach.” also known as “water-in-diesel” (WiDE), can lead to a more complete burn and As of this writing, the plan called for or hydro diesel, an alternative propellant improved power output. sea trials in spring of 2019, with a start for combustion engines that, according Why isn’t this technology more widely later in the year. Along the 24,000- to the Clean Fuel website, “can be used used? Clean Fuel mentions two reasons: mile course, the boat will pass through in almost any existing engine setup with Stability and uncontrolled micro-explo- the Suez and Panama canals, cross the little or no costly additional modifica- sions, two problems the company claims Tropic of Cancer and the equator, and tion or retrofitting.” Priddy, who’s chair- to “have cracked...by using the latest will start and finish off Gibraltar. man of three businesses, including mixing equipment, along with an emul- Planned ports of call to repair and Clean Fuel Ltd, wants to make combus- sifier, or stabilizing solution.” refuel (permitted by UIM) are said to tion more efficient, so he can go farther This record attempt showcases not be Puerto Rico, Acapulco, Hawaii, with every full tank. just Priddy’s adventurous leanings and Guam, Singapore, Oman, and Malta. “We have designed a mini oil refinery, one of his company’s products but The vessel’s principal dimensions which takes seawater, cleans it, and then also British talent, skills, and technol- given by the team are LOA 80' (24.4m), we mix on the move,” Priddy explained. ogy, which is why he calls it Team Bri- maximum beam 16' (4.9m), draft 30" He said burning the processed fuel can tannia. Priddy from the team website: (76.2cm), build weight 15 t (33,000 lbs), significantly reduce nitrous oxide and “We have secured the funds to com- fuel capacity 8,000 U.S. gal (30,000 l), particulate matter compared to standard plete the project, and now that we have and a projected range of 4,000 nm. Excalibur’s propulsion system con- sists of 2x Fiat PowerTrain C13 500, 6-cyl diesels with 500 hp each at 2,000 rpm, and 2x Castoldi Turbo Drive 490 HC water jets with built-in reduction gear and electronic neutral clutch. Com- pared to The FAST One, the system is

Above—Excalibur is loaded for transport to her final fit-out. The 80' (24.4m) hull shows a fine entry that flattens out toward the stern. Right—Team Britan- nia’s team leader, the entrepreneur and ocean adventurer Alan Priddy, poses between the two FPT C13 500, 6-cyl

diesels during their installation. C o ur t e s y Te am Bri ta nni a (BOT H )

April/May 2019 25 high speed: Record Chasers fired the starting pistol on the con- Priddy, who hopes to trim the exist- The Irish go for the Atlantic struction process, there is no going ing record by 10 days, sounds less con- back. In a few months’ time we will fident about a definitive starting date: Also in the record game, albeit “only” have a stunning cutting-edge power- “Although the boat will be ready by on the North Atlantic route from Nova boat that later this year my team and I spring, it is generally felt we should Scotia to Western Ireland via Green- will sail round the world quicker than wait until late October in a hope the land and Iceland, is Safehaven Marine, anyone has ever done. In doing so, we world’s media will be fed up with an Irish outfit that specializes in pilot will bring the world record back to Brexit and want something interesting vessels, patrol and workboats, and mil- Great Britain, where it belongs.” to talk about!” itary interceptors from 11m to 18m (36.1' to 59.1' ). According to the web- site, the choice of this challenging route was dictated by the fairly limited fuel capacity of their vessel, Thunder Child II, a S.A.R/interceptor with a molded SEALED length of 21.5m (70.5' ) and a LOA of 23m (75' ). On this crossing, the crew CONNECTION will have to deal with the probability of ML-XT SYSTEM storms and icebergs, but they will also have access to stopover ports within NO MORE WORRYING ABOUT LOSING their vessel’s range. The longest planned YOUR SEAL OR MISALIGNMENT open-ocean leg between refueling points is 758 nm, comfortably within the boat’s maximum range. The total voyage is 2,400 nm [4,500 km], and with modern forecasting the team proj- ects that it should be possible to time the attempt during a settled period. “And considering the general three- day…accuracy of a forecast, [that] only leaves two days of risk, and with luck [and] relatively high speed, we should be able to avoid or outrun any fronts, or at least avoid the worst of the system. However, it must be accepted that we will encounter some bad weather at The rugged ML-XT Sealed Connection System from Molex some point in the voyage.” Another reduces critical failures by redefining seal reliability in wire challenge is the brief period of ice-free connections for off-road and marine applications. waters off the southern coast of Green- land, most likely between mid-July and J2030 power-wash test capable | IP69K rating the end of August. For this record project, Safehaven Marine’s managing director and resi- New ML-XT Solid Pin Terminals are now available! dent designer, Frank Kowalski, devel- Heavy-duty and larger wire gauge sizes now oped a new model, XSV20, which provide you with the options you need. according to press materials “fuses a twin-stepped asymmetrical catamaran hullform with a wave-piercing mono- hull, to create a hybrid design that delivers the rough-weather and high- speed dynamic transverse stability of a View ML-XT series stock at catamaran with the steep head-sea capabilities of a deep-V monohull.” The waytekwire.com/ML-XT yard’s six-month R&D program culmi- or call 800-328-2724 nated in 12 different scale models that were tank-tested “to optimize the

26 Professional BoatBuilder C o ur t e s y S af eh a ven M rine (BOT H )

Above—Thunder (LOA 17.8m/59' ), a planing and wave- Child II, bigger and piercing hybrid hull, which served as a bolder than her pre- kind of trial horse for TC II. They cov- decessor, is based on a S.A.R./interceptor ered the 2,000-km route in 34 hours, 1 with wave-piercing minute, and 47 seconds including four bow and longitudinal hours of stops for refueling and shoot- hull steps. Right—To ing video footage along the way. With power the 70.5' long open-water passages, the impres- (21.5m) vessel sive performance served as a tune-up beyond 50 knots top for the Atlantic record attempt. speed, Safehaven Compared to their successful run Marine installed four around Ireland, the odds on a trans­ Caterpillar C8.7 650-hp engines and atlantic rush are going to be a bit lon- four Helices ger, just like the distances to be covered SDS3L surface on waters that can be rough or even drives. hostile, offering the crew of Safehaven Marine few safe havens along the route. Kowalski: “The risks associated with design’s performance characteristics will supply four HE series interceptors, this attempt cannot be underestimated. and hydrodynamics.” The XSV20 is fitted on the transom and coupled to At such northern latitudes we are out- constructed from Scott Bader vinyl­ an active automatic trim-control and side the range of any rescue service, and ester resin with a fully foam-cored stabilization system. certainly in Greenland and the North structure in E-glass with some carbon Kowalski, who no doubt sees this as Atlantic to Iceland there is virtually no fiber and Kevlar reinforcements. another opportunity to showcase his safety net. Survival in a life raft at these The vessel, accommodating six crew firm’s core competencies, has good latitudes, even in the summer months, who will sit on shock-mitigating seats reason to be confident, having set a would not be long, and we are outside by Canadian manufacturer SHOXS, record on the “Long Way Round” cir- the shipping lanes.” will be powered by four Caterpillar cumnavigation of Ireland in 2017 that Godspeed to these Atlantic sailors. C8.7 650-hp engines, four ZF 325ATS included rounding Rockall, a desolate twin-speed gearboxes, and four France rock in the Atlantic, 310.7 miles (500 About the Author: Dieter Loibner is an Helices SDS3L surface drives. Projected km) off Ireland’s northern coast. He editor-at-large of Professional Boat- top speed is “well over” 50 knots; cruis- and his crew were racing Thunder Child Builder. ing speed is expected to be in the 40-knot range. Fuel capacity of the four Resources integral tanks is 12,000 l (3,170.1 gal), divided into a 5,000-l (1,320.9-gal) BAE Systems Surface Ships: baesystems.com/ Jutson Marine Design: jutson.ca/blog/ main tank and a 7,000-l (1,849.2-gal) en/our-company/our-businesses/maritime Safehaven marine: safehavenmarine.com/ backup tank, with the possibility of Clean Fuel Ltd.: clean-fuel-ltd.com/ home transferring 2,000 l (528.3 gal) of fuel to TheF ast One: the-fast-one.com/ Servogear controllable pitch propellers: servo Foil Assisted Ship Technologies (FASTcc): gear.no/controllable-pitch-propellers a bow tank to optimize LCG as dictated ww1.hysucraft.com/ Sunfire synthetic crude refiners: sunfire by conditions. France Helices surface drive: francehelices .de/en/ The boat’s maximum range will vary .fr/surface-drive-system-uk.htm Team Britannia: teambritannia.co.uk/ from approximately 800 nm (at 40 kts) Hysucat: hysucat.com/ to about 1,000 nm (at 30 kts). Humphree

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