Fabiani Yacht at the Venice Boat Show: innovation goes on

Fabiani Yacht‘s booth at the Venice Boat Show, set in the wonderful historical context of the Arsenale, shows off 6 models of the innovative projects of absolute value divided in two categories: classics and hybrids. These are yachts ranging from 23 meters to the flagship’s almost 31, characterized by a cutting-edge style that definitively breaks away from the stylistic standardisation of today’s market.

The boatyard is particularly proud of the new hybrid models which, beyond their stylistic achievements, mark an important milestone in technological solutions based on retractable photovoltaic systems.

At first glance, they look like traditional boats but, when the panels are extracted and extended by hydraulic systems in just three minutes, the ideological and functional leap that the boatyard is proposing becomes clear. So design, innovation and environmental sustainability come together in a single solution that saves energy and respects the environment, without sacrificing comfort and luxury of modern yachts.

Fabiani Yacht’s biggest model – as well as the true innovation presented at the Venice Boat Show – is the 101 Hybrid which, fitted with an impressive set of solar panels, has a displacement of 104 tons and sails totally at zero cost and in absolute silence, using only solar energy.

The retractable solar panels emerge both from the sides of the boat and towards the bow from special housings located in a cavity between the saloon and the flybridge. In the event you need to get your destination quickly, the solar panels can retract in a couple of minutes so that you can start the diesel engines and sail under power.

The boat is equipped with 200kW electric engines that can deliver a speed of over 6 knots. The 101 and 100 have the same hulls, with the only difference that the 100 has a panoramic cabin located on the main deck towards the bow from which, lying in bed, you have a 180-degree sea view.

Equally successful at the boat show was the 100-footer model, launched before the 101 but with the same purposes, equipped with a 150-square-meter structural sail covered with solar panels that effectively propels the boat in favourable winds, especially from astern. The sail can withstand fairly strong winds, but intelligent management is still required and, in any case, a system that monitors the structural stresses involved alarms the skipper in the event of too much wind and retracts the sail independently.

The mainsail, made up of three sections, is adjustable to allow maximum use of solar energy combined with the mechanical wind energy: it can be positioned vertically when the sun is low on the horizon or horizontally when the sun is at its zenith or the wind is too strong; the two side wings can be adjusted independently.

The total surface area of the solar panels installed on the 100-footer amounts to about 350 square meters, with a power output of around 380 kW. Fabiani Yachts has simulated a cruise in the Tuscan Archipelago, from Cala de Medici to Capraia, where the crew bathed in the sea, and then Corsica, where the crew passed a night aboard. The journey continued in the Elba island, with another overnight stay on board, before returning to Cala de Medici. The total cost of the cruise was zero euros, with the 4,000HP endothermic engines always off. When propelled by the diesel engines, the boat can easily reach 25 knots.

All the technological solutions have been patented. The hull design has taken into account the type of navigation, the speeds and the stresses involved. Lateral stability is such that there is no need for stabilisers: fluid dynamics studies have shown that, under a wind of 100 km/h at two-thirds of the sail (absurdly placed longitudinally), the hull only heels by 5 degrees.

Common to all models is the patented stern platform that can take on four different positions: it can drop one meter below the water level and therefore raise to the sea level or extend the deck surface to the cockpit level or even to the flybridge level to create an amazing terrace overlooking the sea, obviously protected by stanchions.

But the most innovative solution is that the garage can accommodate a Smart car, thanks to the stern platform that can be brought to the same level as the dock. From the garage, a soundproofed corridor between the two engine rooms gives direct access to the sleeping area, without any difference in level, offering a patented solution of the highest comfort.