Feadship Yachts Unveils 56m Superyacht Concept: “Qi”

Feadship Yachts unveiled their 6th Future Concept at the 2011 Monaco Yacht Show. Like her predecessors, Qi has been created by De Voogt Naval Architects to reflect the likely requirements and desires of the next generation of clients. With a length of 56 meters (183’9”), Qi is designed to generate a fresh sense of energy among her owners and their family & friends as they reconnect with nature in the most inspiring surroundings.

The word Qi (pronounced chee) represents an Eastern idea of a circulating life force or energy flow that permeates creation. This notion neatly encapsulates the essence of the 2011 Future Concept Feadship, incorporating the lines of the Chinese character in its design and making the most of her surroundings both inside and out.

The ancient way of writing ‘qi’ in Chinese consisted of three wavy lines, an image of one’s breath as seen on a chilly day. These curved lines are clearly visible in the shell above Qi’s waterline and mirrored in the hull. Another inspiration both visually and conceptually was the snow owl, an elegant creature that spends most of its time soaring gently or in steady flight.

Snow owls are renowned for the way they protect offspring in their nest, and Qi too features protected areas for the whole family. At the same time the superyacht can also be opened up to allow guests to bask in the environment and enjoy all forms of outdoor entertainment and watersport.

“Qi combines phenomenal views of the changing environment outside while enhancing a safe and secure feeling within,” says Ronno Schouten, who led the team of Feadship yacht designers and naval architects during the 10-month project. “We set out to prove that a wish for privacy need not conflict with open panoramas and an easy connection to the water. The yacht’s luxury areas are centred around the energy tower, which rises through all decks and connects people literally and metaphorically with the outside world. The glass exterior bathes the interior with light at this virtual centre point, offering fabulous views and a genuine sense of outdoor-in living. The fore and aft ship open areas provide a seamless transition from private to public, from interior intimacy to outdoor pleasures.”

Qi offers all the facilities imaginable for maximum onboard comfort aboard a Dutch superyacht. Her 4 guest cabins are located on the lower deck, each with sliding doors to their own private terrace. Amidships her hull doors open up to reveal a gigantic spa and a portside gym. The main deck lounge offers stunning vistas and be easily transformed into a party area, seating and relaxation zone or a gigantic cinema with a 180-degree screen. Coziness is assured on the sun deck, where a ‘camp fire’ can be enjoyed at night in the center of the Jacuzzi.

A blend of past experience and future thinking is also seen with Qi’s propulsion set-up. In 2010 De Voogt came up with the revolutionary Breathe concept, which reduces fuel consumption by 20-40% at cruising speed. The subject of enormous interest, this system has been developed in more detail with Feadship‘s suppliers and is now ready to be incorporated in a new design.

To achieve such fuel consumption the hull has a wedge-like shape with the center of buoyancy far aft, while the wave damping aft body creates negligible stern waves. As there is only one shaft line, appendage resistance is significantly reduced. The system has only one main propeller, making the most of the very latest innovations. Reliability is ensured by fitting a large contra rotating and azimuthing stern thruster just aft of the main propeller. This can provide Qi with a speed of up to 12 knots, sufficient for getting home should something happen to the main engine.

While a conventional twin screw megayacht will lose all its propulsion capacity in case of fire or damage in the engine room, Qi’s propulsion concept sees the main engine and generators placed in separate rooms to guarantee the highest level of redundancy.

Three different propulsion modes can be distinguished. In dynamic positioning or diesel electric mode only the generators will be running, providing clean and quiet operation up to 12 knots. In range mode only the medium-speed diesel will be operating, consuming 10 percent less fuel than its high speed equivalent. Electrical power for hotel load and the thruster are provided via a shaft generator, further reducing fuel consumption and generator running hours. Finally, at full speed both the main engine and generators are deployed to offer maximum power.

For another opportunity to see Qi on display this year, visit the Feadship stand at the 2011 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (October 27 – 31).