Sustainability: Motor Yacht Builders – Fairline | Yacht Style

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Fairline’s Targa 65GT has a hull design by Vripack

While Alberto Mancini has received a lot of credit for the stylish exteriors of many recent Fairline models, the Fairline Yachts Design Studio focuses much of its effort on designing efficient hulls with the world’s leading naval architecture and engineering firms.

Since 2016, Fairline has worked with Dutch firm Vripack including on its largest models, the Targa 65 and Squadron 68. More recently, the builder worked with Slovenia’s J&J Design on the F//Line 33, the shipyard’s fastest-ever yacht at 48 knots, when fitted with twin 430hp Volvo Penta V8 sterndrives.

Wayne Huntley, Fairline’s Design and Engineering Director, says that for all its new hull forms, the shipyard has a particular focus on improving the hull efficiency from displacement to planing speeds.

“We look at the volume of displacement, centres of buoyancy and floatation, plus the centres of gravity optimising the performance of the vessel throughout the transition stages,” Huntley says.

“We’re constantly analysing the resistances created to improve and refine our hulls.”

Typical speed/resistance curve showing transitional speeds from displacement to planing

At displacement speeds, waterline length is key and Huntley says about 75 per cent of the drag created is through frictional resistance. Other factors include resistance from the wave making and vortices produced by the vessel moving through the water, with air resistance a minor factor. Fairline therefore increases waterline length to optimise the beam-to-length ratio and reduce drag.

“When transitioning from displacement to planing, it’s important to keep the hump wave to a minimum,” Huntley says. “This allows a smoother transition, so the bow doesn’t point to the sky as you start to transition on to the plane. All these aspects are calculated and considered in each new hull form.”

Ultimately, weight is the most important tactor in efficiency, so Fairline reviews the materials and methodology used in production to reduce this, while also ensuring materials are sustainable.

“We concentrate on sourcing sustainable components and ethically sourced materials throughout the design and development of each vessel,” Huntley says.

Fairline’s fastest yacht, the F//Line 33 has a deep V hull design by J&J Design

Depending on the size of the yacht, the shipyard abides by regulations set by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). And as engine manufacturers are responsible for complying with regulations for emissions and other related factors, Fairline only selects engines that have full and latest compliance.

Huntley says Fairline “is committed to becoming more environmentally friendly” and that hybridisation is high on the agenda, with all new designs capable of being fitted with lithium-battery technology and hybrid-propulsion systems.

“We can use this power to run the vessel silently for extended periods without needing a generator to be run. When coupled to the correct hybrid-drive system, this power source allows the vessel to be manoeuvred at displacement speeds without running the engines or generators,” Huntley says.

The first F//Line 33 in Asia is in Singapore

“As technology evolves and improves daily, we’re looking at how this technology can best be applied to our yachts, improving our vessels’ designs, becoming cleaner and greener with each and every generation moving forward.”

Huntley says the shipyard is also considering solar power, but like many other motor yacht builders, is waiting for the technology to develop further before implementing it.

“Solar power is becoming more efficient as technology progresses,” Hunley says. “When designing any new vessel, it’s important to look at every power source available to us. We constantly review all aspects of the power supply and review energy demands to see what possibilities there are for integrating renewable energy sources within the designs.”