In a motor boat world dominated by heavy, highly powered planing boats there seems to be little relationship to modern sailing boat designs. However in the last decade huge increases in performance of offshore racing yachts have been made, bringing speeds previously only thought possible by power boats. This is in part due to highly efficient, easily driven hull shapes. It is this type of hull form coupled with a relative light weight that gives this modern pleasure powerboat its ability to do so much more with a litre of diesel.
With a moderate decrease in ultimate speed compared with a planing boat of similar accommodation volume, this vessel returns significant benefits in terms of fuel consumption and pollution emitted. Less energy is wasted creating a large wake so typical of modern powerboats. The formula for this new design when compared to a conventional planning power boat seems to follow:
1/4 the horsepower – 1/2 the weight – 2/3 the speed – 3 x the range
Couple this efficiency with very usable interior and above deck spaces and better seakeeping characteristics and you truly have new millennium boat design.