Ferrari chairman recommends Seakeeper gyros for superyachts
Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, Chairman of Ferrari, has praised the Seakeeper Gryo after two seasons onboard motoryacht 'Marhaba', fitted with Seakeeper gyros. The gyros have also been popular at Heesen Yachts, who has chosen to use the gyros on two of its in-build yachts.…
Ferrari chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo has praised the results of Seakeeper gyros, after two seasons of renting an Ocean 108 Commuter, the 33m Marhaba, which has recently been refit with two Seakeeper M21000 gyros.
The ‘Control Moment Gyro’ employs the physics of gryo-dynamics to deliver powerful righting force that stabilises a yacht. The gyro’s flywheel spins at high speed in a near vacuum, inside an aluminium spherical housing. The result is a near elimination of air friction, the consequence of which is the production of gyros that weigh much less, and consume very little power.
Montezemolo praised the performance of Seakeeper’s gyros, commenting: “The Seakeeper gyros’ performance has been really satisfying. The feeling onboard Marhaba has changed dramatically during navigation, due to an important reduction in roll. This allows everyone onboard, even more sensitive people, to fully enjoy the experience of Marhaba.”
Montezemolo’s comment comes after his own experience of Seakeeper gyros during a side-by-side comparison of a fun and gyro-type stabiliser. “We considered the Seakeeper gyros’ high rotational speed,” said Montezemolo, “which created a high value of angular momentum. Also, they produced limited noise and added limited weight.”
The Seakeeper gyros include an active control mechanism for performance optimisation. Whereas a passively controlled gyro must be turned off in rough conditions for fear of damage, the Seakeeper Gyro can continue to operate.
Travelling at 10 knots in beam seas, Marhaba saw the gyros and fins engage separately and together. The former saw the reduction of the standard deviation of the roll rate from more than 1.2° to 0.8°, as well as reducing the roll angle from nearly 1° to 0.6°. These results were very similar to those achieved by the fins’ sole use.
The first day of Marhaba’s zero speed trials saw an impressive 76% resonant roll reduction with the use of Seakeeper gyros, whilst day two, in which Marhaba found itself in the midst of a storm with waves whose maximum heights were approximately 1.25m, saw an equally impressive 77% zero speed resonant roll reduction.
“We recommend Seakeeper gyros because the effective roll reduction has been very important, more than expected, said Montezemolo, who added that all chosen technical requirements had been completely satisfied.
Seakeeper’s gyros have also been a particular favourite for Heesen Yachts shipyard.
Heesen Yachts’ 37m Aurelia, due for completion towards the end of this year, will feature Seakeeper’s stabilisation system. “Aurelia is a semi-displacement yacht and therefore fins are a disturbing factor,” said Rob de Wikis, sales manager with Seakeeper’s Holland distributor, Kemper en Van Twist Disel B.V (KVT). “Heesen had no experience with gyros, so they were uncertain if the predicted roll reduction could be achieved. After the sea trial, they were convinced.
Heesen Yachts is also in the process of constructing the world’s first fast displacement yacht. The 65m superyacht will launch in 2013, and Heesen has chosen Seakpeer M21000 gyros (5 units) as standard equipment.
Related Links
Seakeeper Profile | Seakeeper Website
The ‘Control Moment Gyro’ employs the physics of gryo-dynamics to deliver powerful righting force that stabilises a yacht. The gyro’s flywheel spins at high speed in a near vacuum, inside an aluminium spherical housing. The result is a near elimination of air friction, the consequence of which is the production of gyros that weigh much less, and consume very little power.
Montezemolo praised the performance of Seakeeper’s gyros, commenting: “The Seakeeper gyros’ performance has been really satisfying. The feeling onboard Marhaba has changed dramatically during navigation, due to an important reduction in roll. This allows everyone onboard, even more sensitive people, to fully enjoy the experience of Marhaba.”
The 33m Marhaba has recently been fit with two Seakeeper MW100 gyros
Montezemolo’s comment comes after his own experience of Seakeeper gyros during a side-by-side comparison of a fun and gyro-type stabiliser. “We considered the Seakeeper gyros’ high rotational speed,” said Montezemolo, “which created a high value of angular momentum. Also, they produced limited noise and added limited weight.”
The Seakeeper gyros include an active control mechanism for performance optimisation. Whereas a passively controlled gyro must be turned off in rough conditions for fear of damage, the Seakeeper Gyro can continue to operate.
Travelling at 10 knots in beam seas, Marhaba saw the gyros and fins engage separately and together. The former saw the reduction of the standard deviation of the roll rate from more than 1.2° to 0.8°, as well as reducing the roll angle from nearly 1° to 0.6°. These results were very similar to those achieved by the fins’ sole use.
The first day of Marhaba’s zero speed trials saw an impressive 76% resonant roll reduction with the use of Seakeeper gyros, whilst day two, in which Marhaba found itself in the midst of a storm with waves whose maximum heights were approximately 1.25m, saw an equally impressive 77% zero speed resonant roll reduction.
“We recommend Seakeeper gyros because the effective roll reduction has been very important, more than expected, said Montezemolo, who added that all chosen technical requirements had been completely satisfied.
Seakeeper’s gyros have also been a particular favourite for Heesen Yachts shipyard.
Heesen Yachts’ 37m Aurelia, due for completion towards the end of this year, will feature Seakeeper’s stabilisation system. “Aurelia is a semi-displacement yacht and therefore fins are a disturbing factor,” said Rob de Wikis, sales manager with Seakeeper’s Holland distributor, Kemper en Van Twist Disel B.V (KVT). “Heesen had no experience with gyros, so they were uncertain if the predicted roll reduction could be achieved. After the sea trial, they were convinced.
Heesen Yachts is also in the process of constructing the world’s first fast displacement yacht. The 65m superyacht will launch in 2013, and Heesen has chosen Seakpeer M21000 gyros (5 units) as standard equipment.
Heesen's 37m Aurelia will feature Seakeeper's stabilisation system. Credit: Martin Morrell.
Heesen's 65m superyacht will use five of Seakeeper's gyros.
Related Links
Seakeeper Profile | Seakeeper Website
NEW: Sign up for SuperyachtNewsweek!
Get the latest weekly news, in-depth reports, intelligence, and strategic insights, delivered directly from The Superyacht Group's editors and market analysts.
Stay at the forefront of the superyacht industry with SuperyachtNewsweek
Click here to become part of The Superyacht Group community, and join us in our mission to make this industry accessible to all, and prosperous for the long-term. We are offering access to the superyacht industry’s most comprehensive and longstanding archive of business-critical information, as well as a comprehensive, real-time superyacht fleet database, for just £10 per month, because we are One Industry with One Mission. Sign up here.
NEW: Sign up for
SuperyachtNewsweek!
Get the latest weekly news, in-depth reports, intelligence, and strategic insights, delivered directly from The Superyacht Group's editors and market analysts.
Stay at the forefront of the superyacht industry with SuperyachtNewsweek
