The American Influence

Though the motoryachts turned out by Heesen and the sailing yachts competing in the America’s Cup may seem very different on face value, there is more at play than meets the eye.

This fall in Barcelona the very best sailing teams in the world are taking part in the 37^th America’s Cup. That race, now in its 172^nd year, has obviously seen an enormous amount of evolution in the style and design of its boats—from eye-wateringly gorgeous, classic monohulls, to the foiling catamarans flying atop the water today. With so much prestige and resources attached to them, these boats have always represented the ultimate in boat design, and help drive the yachting industry forward much the same way F1 cars set the standard for the automobiles we will be driving tomorrow. Heesen has always kept on eye on the developments in the America’s Cup in an effort to see just how these wind-driven miracles might offer the builder a competitive advantage.

The similarities between the America’s Cup and F1 is not lost on Peter van der Zanden, Heesen’s general manager of design and development. “Heesen’s yachts embody a dedication to incorporating state of the art designs and cutting edge technology to improve speed and efficiency,” he said. This is akin to how luxury cars benefit from high-performance features inspired by Formula One racing standards. The quest for perfection seen in America’s Cup racing propels Heesen to constantly enhance their yacht offerings with amenities and thrilling performance capabilities. This interplay between industries highlights the pursuit of top tier excellence in marine design and engineering.”

Van der Zanden went on to tout the enormous amount of effort that goes into the research and development behind America’s Cup boats, where engineers and designers are constantly looking for ways to make their vessels lighter and more hydrodynamic, and thus faster. He sees the same spirit of innovation at Heesen, though stresses that the strategy is a bit different, as Heesen focuses on producing boats that are efficient and luxurious.

Van der Zanden’s colleague, Heesen sales director Robert Drontmann—a former Dutch Olympic sailor himself—sees an even more direct line of approach that Heesen might borrow from the America’s Cup. “In yachting we have already seen many smaller boats with foils,” he said. “And of course large ferries have been using foiling technology for years. The foils get the boats up out of the water and thus offer a more comfortable ride. I don’t think it’s out of the question that we could see a foiling Heesen within the next ten years.”

If the idea of a foiling megayacht gliding effortlessly around the Med sounds like something out of science fiction to you, Drontmann understands. “It wouldn’t be easy to do, but then again we do relish a good challenge,” he said. “There are certain unavoidable drawbacks to foils. The weight of the vessel specifically is something that must be accounted for, because on a megayacht you have extra comforts, and that necessarily entails extra weight. If you wanted to have a boat up on foils you would need to make some compromises in terms of comfort, as the lighter the boat the better.”

One exciting option currently available to Heesen owners is the use of Hull Vane technology. A Hull Vane is a horizontal wing fitted to the transom of a yacht; effectively a foil, though not intended to lift the yacht out of the water. Instead, it provides thrust force helping to push the boat forward, according to Perry Van Oossanen of Van Oossanen Naval Architects, who developed the system. (Notably, Van Oossanen’s father Peter has been credited with designing the winged keel for the legendary boat Australia II that won the America’s Cup in 1983.) “It lowers the resistance of the hull,” he went on, “and it improves top speed, range, and efficiency.” The technology was implemented on the 42-meter Heesen Alive back in 2012 with stunning effect on the boat’s performance, to the tune of a 4,000-nautical-mile range while using 30-percent less fuel than similar hulls. “Hull Vane has worked well in the past for Heesen,” said Van Oossanen. “So we will see, perhaps it is something we could do again in the near future. I don’t see why not.”

If a boatbuilder is looking toward the future, ironically, perhaps the best place to look is at a sailing competition that is nearly two centuries old. And with America’s Cup boats reaching new heights for innovative design seemingly at every turn, Heesen owners should be thrilled to know their favorite boatbuilder is paying very close attention.

Written by Kevin Koening