History beckons
Oceanco's latest collaboration with BMT inspired by polynesian history.
28 February 2018
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BMT’s latest collaboration with Oceanco and Lobanov Design Studio, the 115-metre Tuhura, was unveiled at the Dubai International Boat Show. The design has taken inspiration from Polynesian history dating back thousands of years and been applied to the modern-day superyacht.
James Roy, Yacht Design Director at BMT explains: “1700 years ago, the Polynesians decided to move and settle in a new land. Their mode of transport? A Canoe. This simple, yet robust design, sitting at around 18 metres long and about 5 metres wide, would carry up to 20 people and all their possessions and food including animals.”
The thinking behind revisiting basic primal forms is to evoke a sense of exploration and discovery. Lobanov has followed up with this latest design following the success of Jubilee in 2017. BMT’s hull development has enabled Lobanov to draw upon the curves associated with the shape of a canoe.
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“Our Tuhura is a simple idea,” explains Igor Lobanov, “The thought was to take a natural shape similar to those seen in the earliest canoe-type craft and augment it multifold to a larger scale, using modern technology.”
Tuhura’s exteriors are complemented by Achille Salvagni’s interior design, which takes inspiration from East Asia and the Pacific Islands.
“Tuhura is a megayacht conceived for a dynamic owner, nevertheless the timeless sense of peace and calmness are the main characteristics,” says Salvagni.
“This softness and dynamicity are reflected in the humble elegance and sensuality of the primitive organic shapes echoed throughout.”
BMT not only developed the canoe-like hull of Tuhura but has also developed the propulsion system. Naturally, the canoe presented very little problems when it came to hull development due to its simple design. The canoe shape offers low overall resistance, good seakeeping and excellent manoeuvrability, however, integrating a modern propulsion system presented some challenges.
Having assessed various possibilities, the team selected the ABB hybrid Azipod® CRP (contra-rotating) propulsion system, which provides fuel efficiency, excellent manoeuvrability and silent operation.
James Roy continues: “The hybrid CRP system, is inherently efficient and perfectly suited to the canoe form. There is a synergy between the efficiency of the hull form and that of the propulsion system, leading to a yacht which marries a simple evolutionary hull with an evolutionary advanced propulsion system.”
The propulsion system is aligned to Oceanco’s philosophy behind the project, offering the owner the possibilities of entering uncharted waters often prohibited to large motor yachts.
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