Magic Carpet-e, the latest member of the Maxi class, is taking part in its first regatta this week: Palma Vela. Designed by the naval architecture firm Guillaume Verdier, this new 100-foot yacht features a canting keel that tilts both aft and sideways, and it\u2019s powered by a battery system. An innovative superyacht that required nearly 30,000 hours of design work!<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first, Lindsay told me to design the boat I wanted. But the final version has little to do with the original concept,\u201d says Guillaume. \u201cWe worked like crazy on it, but ended up scrapping it and designing something else, more in line with the previous boat.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, no foils, but a yacht that combines performance and comfort.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a racing yacht that doesn\u2019t actually race that much\u2014about five events a year in the Mediterranean,\u201d Herv\u00e9 explains. \u201cAside from that, the owner wants to cruise for two to three weeks a year. So it had to perform well under IRC but also be livable, with a cozy interior.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe wood you see inside is just veneer,\u201d says Guillaume. \u201cIt\u2019s made by companies that build furniture for aviation\u2014honeycomb core, carbon, and a thin layer of wood. And a good part of the interior is removed for racing. We worked with Axel de Beaufort on the interior design.\u201d<\/p>\n
In terms of performance, the team leaned on their offshore racing experience to design a lightweight yacht for its size\u2014around 37 tons, shaving off about 10 tons compared to the previous Magic Carpet.<\/p>\n
This 100-footer features a canting keel, \u201clike on an IMOCA.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea behind the canting keel is to avoid a poor righting moment,\u201d says Guillaume.<\/p>\n
But to access Mediterranean ports, the keel needed to retract without compromising the yacht\u2019s livability. The team came up with a keel that tilts aft, reducing draft from 7 meters to 4.5 meters.<\/p>\n
\u201cA real challenge,\u201d says the team, especially because the bulb remains horizontal when the keel is retracted.<\/p>\n
In front of the keel is a daggerboard (\u201ccanard\u201d), which moves vertically and tilts sideways to provide lateral resistance when the keel is canted to windward.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn that sense, it\u2019s similar to Comanche (a VPLP\/Verdier design), which performs well upwind,\u201d explains Verdier.
\n\u201cWe also have two vertically retractable rudders, with a hydraulic system, for better control on reaching and downwind points of sail,\u201d adds Herv\u00e9.<\/p>\n
Another key design feature: the yacht is 100% electric, requiring a large onboard battery bank.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese boats consume a lot of power. Everything is hydraulic, and the engine usually runs continuously,\u201d explains Guillaume.
\nThe owner, however, wanted a quieter, more eco-friendly solution.<\/p>\n
To achieve this, the boat\u2019s captain and lead engineer collaborated with the Williams racing team, who have extensive experience with Formula E cars.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are enough batteries on board to match several electric cars, using high-voltage systems similar to those in racing vehicles. For day races, the battery bank is usually sufficient to run independently.\u201d<\/p>\n
But can all these innovations\u2014developed through 30,000 hours of design\u2014be applied to larger-scale, production boats?<\/p>\n
\u201cPushing the boundaries always teaches us new things,\u201d say the architects.
\n\u201cEventually, these innovations become more common, especially in cruising yachts. What we\u2019re learning here about battery storage will help drive future advancements. And maybe more owners will be willing to invest in them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Length overall:<\/strong>\u00a030.48 meters (100 feet)<\/p>\n Beam:<\/strong>\u00a07.2 meters<\/p>\n Draft:<\/strong>\u00a07.1 meters (reduces to 4.5 meters with tilted keel)<\/p>\n Air draft:<\/strong>\u00a046 meters<\/p>\n Displacement:<\/strong>\u00a037 tons<\/p>\n Architect:<\/strong>\u00a0Guillaume Verdier<\/p>\n Builder:<\/strong>\u00a0Persico Marine<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Magic Carpet-e, the latest member of the Maxi class, is taking part in its first regatta this week: Palma Vela. Designed by the naval architecture firm Guillaume Verdier, this new 100-foot yacht features a canting keel that tilts both aft and sideways, and it\u2019s powered by a battery system. An innovative superyacht that required nearly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"portfolio_entries":[261,238],"class_list":["post-8775","portfolio","type-portfolio","status-publish","hentry","portfolio_entries-monohulls","portfolio_entries-ultimates"],"yoast_head":"\n