The hydrogen powered Pinstripe

SWEDEN, Vargön. While there are tender manufacturers that offer environmentally conscious hybrid propulsion systems, Gray Design has revealed a nine-metre concept with a hydrogen propulsion system called Pinstripe. Inspired by a pinstripe suit, the tender was initially developed as a VIP transport boat for high fashion brands to ferry guests around a marina.

“One of the purposes of this tender is to serve as a supply boat,” explains principal designer at Gray Design, Eduard Gray. “The bow is laid out to provide a frontal loading area that is protected by stainless steel strips, allowing for easy loading and unloading of supplies. The central stairway enables quick access for fast turnarounds on busy days.”


The design includes a flexible modular seating system, making it possible to offer guests additional legroom, create extra seating for high capacity transportation, or the seating can be completely removed to accommodate cargo. However, the main feature is the inclusion of a hydrogen propulsion system that was first presented at the 2012 Dubai Yacht Show by Egypt-based Alexys Yachts.


The Egyptian firm claims to have perfected a way of storing and propelling marine vessels using this environmentally friendly fuel. It is an exciting prospect and one that Gray hopes to invest in further. “We are one of the first companies to access this incredible technology and will be developing more designs in the future based on this ground breaking technology,” says Gray.

The propulsion system is not only beneficial to the environment but is expected to perform well too with a top speed of 38 knots when combined with a carbon fibre structure developed in collaboration with Caterham Composites.


“I met with Caterham Composites in January 2013,” says Gray. “The team is looking to expand their composite expertise into the field of naval engineering and have already been involved with Alex Thompson's racing team. The innovations on this boat can be seen in the hull optimisation and engineering by Caterham Composites, as well as the flexible seating design and the hydrogen fuel drive.”

Pinstripe will be able to accommodate up to 11 guests and once signed, construction of the boat will likely commence at Turkish shipyard Ned Ship, based in Antalya.

Related Links:
Gray Design - company profile

---

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.