The COVID-19 pandemic had taken
a toll on most boatbuilding companies
and Floeth was no exception.
Eighty percent of the company’s revenue was
charter business. This forced the company
to pursue the private and luxury catamaran
market. The company is one of Asia’s leading
companies is PVC Resin Infusion enabling
Floeth Yachts to build superior boats lighter
and stronger than conventional fiberglass
builders.

company in Asia to build a wave-piercing
catamaran, previously building a 72ft
wave-piercing cat, a very stable vessel, which
doesn’t take a lot of power to perform. With its
twin 380hp engines, and a full load (certified
for 110 people) it can run at 20-plus knots.

Floeth is recognized throughout the region
as a premier builder of luxury commercial
and private catamarans, and it is an industry
leader in the use of PVC Vacuum Resin Infusion,
which guarantees the flow of resin evenly
to all areas of glass and core in the mould. The
end result is a boat that is up to 25% stronger
and 30% lighter than conventional fiberglass
construction. This is a sophisticated technique
for manufacturing high performance,
void free composites on large complicated
moulds.

But what is a wave-piercing catamaran?
As Wikipedia states: “A wave-piercing
boat hull has a very fine bow, with reduced
buoyancy in the forward portions. When a
wave is encountered, the lack of buoyancy
means the hull pierces through the water
rather than riding over the top, resulting in a
smoother ride than traditional designs, and
less mechanical stress on the vessel. It also
reduces a boat's wave-making resistance.”
The smoother ride means the boats are ideal
for passenger ferries.

Basically, two long needle-like hulls
extend beyond the bow of the boat providing
floatation that keeps it airborne. It’s a difficult
build and it isn’t suited for mass production
but it has specific advantages as very little
power is needed to travel at higher speeds.

The boat will be 110 feet long with a
45ft beam. It will be the biggest wave-piercing
catamaran ever built. There will be three
bedrooms and there will be a swimming pool
with a waterfall on the front deck and a hot
tub on the guest deck.

The boat will be launched between
the middle to end of next year. It is being
built in the company’s Rayong factory and
it will then be transported in segments to
Floeth’s oceanfront property where it will be
assembled. Many of the boat builders are still around from the first wave-piercing build back
in 2016, so they know what they are getting into.

There are other well-known electric
boat manufacturer but what will set the Floeth
boat apart is its speed, with two electric engines
it will have a minimum cruising speed of 14
knots – truly unique for an electrically-powered
boat. Most electric boats regenerate power
through solar panels but this limits their performance.
The Floeth boat will have generators
so that every 10-12 hours, running time at 14
knots, it will have two options: it can either stop
for the night while the generators recharge the
batteries, or it can switch over to two diesel-
powered engines, whose main purpose will
be for docking or extended cruising.

The boat’s owner is a condominium
developer who wants to use the boat for his own
personal pleasure, as he is an avid watersports
fan. But he also wants to use it for day and evening
cruises to entertain his high-end tenants.
The cruises will be a must-attend” event as
when the boat is finished it will really look like a
mansion on the water with waiters and service
staff on board.

He already owns a catamaran, but the
wave-piercer has a much nicer look with its low
profile hulls, and rounded bow section.

The build is truly a unique event and
the whole boating community on the Eastern
seaboard should wish Floeth the best of luck in
this once-in-a-lifetime endeavor.

The design of the boat

The designer of the boat is naval
marine architect Albert Nazarov and his
Thaland based Albatross Marine Design,
who are known for their expertise in
catamaran design, both commercial and
private. The boat model is called Astrolabe
110 (for this build it’s the SEASEARCHER
110).

This 110 yacht concept offers unprecedented
facilities and comfort, utilizing
all advantages of the catamaran platform.
Being a luxury yacht of expedition style, she
provides unlimited cruising opportunities
for her owner or for corporate events. The
design is 4-deck with large saloon and masters
quarters on the main deck.

Two additional guest cabins and
pilothouse are on the upper deck. The
Flybridge is fitted with an outdoor seating
area and steering station. The crew quarters,
galley and engine rooms are on the
lower deck. Special attention was given to
fuel efficiency, seaworthiness and a comfortable
ride. With wave-piercing bows
and high bridge deck clearance the yacht
is capable to undertake serious voyages.

The Astrolabe110 also carries a
lot of toys on board, such as tenders and
Jetskis which are essential for expedition
activities and watersports.

Note from the designer

The yacht discussed here is a new breed.
It will provide her owner opportunities for
unlimited cruising in comfort and harmony
with the environment. The yacht will have
decent range, seakeeping was given a priority,
and motion will be further reduced with the
wave-piercing concept . Space is another strong
point of multihull platforms: multihulls have
accommodation areas double the size of a comparable
monohull.

Wave-piercing catamarans combine
all the advantages of power catamarans, but
with even higher seakeeping. Such craft possess
reduced pitching motions, due to the reduced
volumes of the bow and absence of the bridgedeck
structure forward. The wave-piercing
yacht will stand out in any marina and anchorage
- the yacht will be good exposure for her
owner.

In brief, the advantages of wave-piercing
catamarans, in terms of performance, safety and
functionality are:

• Performance – reduced hydrodynamic
  resistance and thus more speed or less
  power required;
• Soft ride - reduced vertical
  accelerations on the seaway;
• Safety - high initial stability, higher
  freeboard and flotation, duplicate
  propulsion units, etc.;
• Comfort – plenty of space with excellent
  accommodation on the deck/saloon/
  flybridge area

The structure of the new 110' is designed
to Lloyd's Registers Special Service Craft, for
'Yacht' class notation. In general, the design is
developed in compliance to Red Ensign Group
Large Yacht Code (formerly LY Code).

Dr.Albert Nazarov is naval architect, FRINA,
CEng(UK), MSNAME. Since 2006 he has
managed 'Albatross Marine Design' in Thailand
- an office involved in the design and engineering of
recreational, commercial and special craft.

www.floethyachts.com
sales@floethyachts.com
English +66 (0) 852 872 957
Thai/German +66 (0) 813 565 449