Mochi Craft Long Range 23 winner of the UIM Environmental Award

The UIM rewarded the research and development carried out by the AYT – Ferretti Group for the successful production of the long range navigation Mochi Craft motor yacht.

Mochi Craft Long Range23 is a first-class example of environmental friendly motor yacht with focus on reduction of consumption, emissions and noise. Scrupulous fluid dynamics studies were carried out both through internal Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) system and with models tested in the naval towing tank at Potsdam (Germany).

These studies resulted into reduction of resistance and friction/attrition to movement mainly due to the hull. Several test demonstrated that the Mochi Craft Longe Range 23 consumed, at the same speed (i.e. 12 knots), half than comparable motor yachts. It is also equipped with ”parallel hybrid propulsion”, diesel and electric system that permit to the motor yacht to navigate at low or zero emission and allow the navigation even in severely protected marine areas.

The “ZEM” (Zero Emission Mode) Hybrid Propulsion System

The innovative hybrid propulsion combines the reliability of the traditional diesel, which when selected transmits power directly to the propellers, with the ability to cruise in ‘Zero Emission Mode’, driven by two 70 kW synchronous electric motors applied in series to the propeller shaft and engaging with the reduction gears. The motors are powered by a pack of Lithium ion batteries, the most advanced technology in this field.

Exclusive Ferretti patent it can operate in 5 different modes:

• DIESEL PROPULSION AND ENERGY STORING: The diesel engines, as well as handling normal propulsion, operate the electric motors. In this way they work as generators, rapidly recharging the propulsion battery pack.
• DIESEL-ELECTRIC: The electric motors, disengaged from the diesel, drive the propellers and are powered by the on board generators and the propulsion battery pack.
• ZEM Propulsion: The propellers are powered by the electric motors, disengaged from the diesel and operated exclusively by the propulsion battery pack, providing totally silent, zero emission operations.
• ZEM Function: All the on-board utilities are powered by the propulsion battery pack, including air conditioning, boiler and ARG, enabling totally silent, zero emission functioning of the boat. Modes 3 and 4, for example, allow owners to enjoy the exclusive, unique experience of entering a bay, lying at anchor for several hours with full on-board functionality, then leaving, secure in the knowledge that the entire operation has been carried out in total silence and with zero emissions. In this way the yacht has no negative impact on the local environment.
• PLUG-IN: During stays in port the propulsion battery pack is charged through a dedicated shore power connection. All these modes are easily managed through a specially developed monitoring system. Touch screen selection of the various modes of propulsive energy transfer is immediate and intuitive. This new technology, also made possible through significant international collaborations, marks a concrete step forward by the nautical industry towards greater respect for the environment, an objective that Ferretti is working towards through its constant commitment to research and development.

The FER.WEY (Ferretti Wave Efficient Yacht) HULL

The FER.WEY (Ferretti Wave Efficient Yacht) hull, the result of years of research and development by AYT, is an innovative type of hull, described as ‘transplaning’, which enables owners to cruise with great comfort and efficiency in the intermediate speed range where both planing and displacement hulls generally behave in an abnormal way. At the same time the hull greatly reduces the rolling effect and guarantees low aft wave turbulence.

The FER.WEY transplaning hull allows this craft- tested by Ferretti in the Potsdam naval test tank after studies at the CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics)- to pass the 15 – 16 knot level gradually with a perfectly horizontal attitude, reaching 20 knots. A craft of this size would normally enter the planing hump at around 13 – 14 knots, already assuming a stern-down attitude at 12 knots. What’s more, in contrast to a classic displacement hull, where resistance rises dramatically with the longitudinal attitude when nearing critical speed, the FER.WEY hull’s resistance rises less drastically as speed increases. Another significant feature is that this hull doesn’t reach a definite ‘hump speed’, a performance need experienced by planing craft.

As a result, the FER.WEY hull offers owners:

• A stable longitudinal attitude, allowing owners to move around the craft in comfort, experiencing no marked change in attitude as speed varies.
• Maximum cruising efficiency up to 15 knots, a feature provided by the action of the prominent bow bulb, which cuts wave drag on the hull.
• Significant reduction in rolling.

Finally, the special shape of the FER.WEY hull allows the craft to rest on the sea bottom while protecting the
propellers from impact damage, and allows owners to access areas that would be a risky proposition for other types of hull.

Tags: featured, full-image, Mochi Craft

Category: Shipyard News, Superyacht Innovations