Amawele

Design Criteria

“Amawele” (meaning twins in the Zulu language) is a stunningly handsome 65 meter luxury power catamaran.

Inspired by recent developments in large catamaran design and in the Dutch super yacht builders, Van Gorkom Yacht Design has conceived a unique breed of mega yacht where form and function have been seamlessly blended together to create the ultimate in cruising comfort and design practicality.

The twin hulls will provide an incredibly stable and comfortable platform for passengers and crew, while the slender hull forms are designed for maximum fuel efficiency and to reduce wave making drag. The 2 meter draft will allow the vessel to enter most anchorages and the high underwing clearance is designed to allow full speed operation in moderate sea conditions with a full load.

Construction of a Luxury Power Catamaran

Amawele’s robust aluminum construction has been engineered for world cruising operations. All structural components are modeled in 3D for a high degree of accuracy and efficiency in construction. The structure will be of aluminum plate (alloy 5083-H32) and extruded shapes (alloy 6061-T6). All scantlings, materials and weldment will be sized to comply with Lloyd’s Register ✠ 100 A1 SSC Yacht (P) MONO G6 +LMC UMS classification society rules, and will be MCA Compliant.

General Arrangement

The 4-deck arrangement consists of:

• The Bridge Deck – Captain’s cabin, lounge area, day head, ship controls and navigation, and helideck
• The Owner’s Spar Deck – Owner’s stateroom, VIP stateroom, owner’s office, gym/spa, dining/conference area, lounge and bar, sun deck, Jacuzzi/pool
• The Main Weather Deck – Three guest staterooms, media room, dining area, indoor/outdoor lounge and bar, Michelin Star gourmet galley, water sport vehicle stowage (rib, jet skis, 2-man submarine)
• Below Decks (hulls) – engine rooms, machinery space, utility areas and crew facilities, 9m tender stowage
  (It should be noted that this is a suggested interior arrangement only)

Performance

The powering efficiency of Amawele is critical to the overall success of the design mission statement. Using advanced computer modeling, the resistance and power characteristics of the yacht will be thoroughly analyzed based on the hydrodynamic and performance features of the power plants.

Additionally, an analysis was made of existing luxury power catamaran designs and other published data which gave conformation to the intended speeds and power ranges. The designers have high confidence that the quoted speeds will be met with the installed power for the displacement of the vessel. During the final design phase, the speed and power prediction effort will continue to be monitored.

The eventual choice of engines was the MTU V4000-M93 marine diesel engine running at about 75% rated horsepower for a nominal cruise speed of 18 to 22 knots. A long range cruise speed of 18 knots will provide an estimated range of 4000 Nm assuming normal consumption rates. The boat speed at full power is estimated to be 30-35 knots. The power trains will feature thrust bearings and anti-vibration components. The propellers will be large diameter, variable pitch 6 blades wheels. There will also be fore and aft thrusters for maneuvering.

Outfitting

Amawele will carry a 9 meter long deep-V tender with twin electric drive engines. This will be stowed in the forward starboard hull and launched with telescoping davits. The mother ship will also carry a 6 meter RIB powered by a 150hp outboard that will be stowed in chocks on the foredeck along with jet skis and other assorted water toys.

Another unique feature is the underwing launching compartment for the two-man submarine. The submarine is stowed underneath the circular lounging area on the after main weather deck which slides apart to expose the sub’s cockpit.

Amawele will also have the capability of carrying a helicopter on the top deck aft of the bridge. Hydraulic lifts deploy the helideck platform to facilitate landing an aircraft as big as a Eurocopter EC135.