I love sailboats. I despise yachts. But I can see myself zooming through the Mediterranean on board the 42m Adastra, a high-speed trimaran that looks like an alien attack vessel. It isn’t a fantasy prototype. It’s very real.
It’s being built in China right now for a Anto and Elaine Marden, a couple from Hong Kong. With a 16m long beam, this spaceship looks like a perfect place not just to fly through the oceans, but to live in. The ship can host nine people and a crew of five or six.
It’s powered by a Caterpillar C18 in the main hull, a 1150hp, 2300rpm engine. The two outer hulls hold Yanmar 110hp engines. They allow the Adastra to push a maximum speed of 22.5 knots. According to the designer’s testing, it would be an exceptionally stable ship:
Extensive tank testing and radio controlled model tests in waves have been carried out to analyse stability and performance. Outrigger height has been optimised for ease of motion at sea, and a new outrigger shape has been developed to increase stability in waves.
But, apart from the design, the ship has other space-age qualities: A superstructure made of carbon fibre with Nomex honeycomb core and a hull made of a fibre-glass/Kevlar foam sandwich. Inside, everything is custom made to reduce weight. The oak cabinetry, for example, is built using honeycomb panels instead of solid wood.
Hey, Anto and Elaine Marden, if you need anyone to write the ships log with loads of drama or just someone to make excellent cocktails, I’m your man. [John Shuttlework via Future Yacht]