THEYACHT

The leading business magazine for the construction,

management, ownership & operation of luxury yachts

Issue 56
report
November 2003
Fast and Furious
After revolutionising the sailing yacht market, Luca Bassani, founder of Wally Yachts,
now attempts to change the face of motoryachts with the arrival of the incredible Wally
Power. This prototype project promises to be the McClaren F1 of the yacht market.
Photos by Gilles Martin-Raget
 WALLY POWER

I first encountered a Wally yacht while we were cruising with the owner The interior on the main deck comprises three zones: driving and engi-
on board during the late summer of ’94 in the waters off Newport, RI; neering ‘dashboards’, a seating/dining area with a sort of carbon
S/Y Wally Gator II, now Nariida, was cruising too. However, watching her boardroom look, and a lounging area. These are divided by use rather
beam reach a blistering pace through a racing fleet of 12-metre yachts than by physical structures.
of varying vintages, cruising seems too mild a description. The lounging area is airy and light: white cushions are designed for
Nearly ten years later I went to Portofino, where company founder informal relaxation and the massive window areas are enhanced by the
Lucca Bassani presented the latest innovative product from Wally yachts drop-down bulwarks whose primary functions are to increase the
and his imagination, the Wally Power 118. This prototype for a semi- available light and the opening up of the view from here. This is particu-
custom series was constructed by Intermarine Rodriquez, naval archi- larly advantageous for those in the low lying seating, as the average eye
tecture by Intermarine & Wally, interior and exterior styling by Wally and height there would otherwise only provide a side view of the bulwark.
Lazzarini Pickering Architects, and the interior furniture by World Wide From a practical standpoint the section that drops down on port will
Wood. The Wally Power yacht is clearly continuing the Wally philosophy house a Med. side-boarding ladder in the final versions.
of innovation while retaining the stylistic elements, both functional and The interior dining area can be configured in two ways: one as a dining
visual, that define a Wally yacht regardless of the constructing shipyard. area, the other as underway seating. In this latter mode the dining table
Like Wally Gator it’s splits longitudinally
even a (kind of) and is moved, then
green colour. Her stored over the
chameleon-like paint adjacent port and
finish appears quite starboard storage
different depending cabinets. The
on the angle of seating is then
light: between an secured to locking
appropriately points in the deck.
stealthy black and a The exposed carbon
more conventional(!) fibre tessellations of
metallic turquoise. the table itself and
The Wally Power the structure again
118 is Lucca echo the work of
Bassani’s interpreta- Escher.
tion of an ‘open’ The decks either
high-speed yacht, side of the super-
aimed at the upper structure are of a
end of the market generous width. Sig.
sector currently Bassani admitted
occupied by the they could in fact be
Mangustas and reduced and the
others of that ilk. main deck super-
With the plumb bow structure volume
of a New York increased. This
commuter (or seems hardly
indeed of a Wally necessary given the
sailing yacht), the spaciousness of the
air intakes of a jet fighter and a superstructure reminiscent of a stealth interior. Additionally, the luxuriously wide side decks enhance the
aircraft, her looks are indeed distinctive. exterior experience.
A straw poll of colleagues produced no middle ground of responses: One detects the sailing yacht influence again in the lounging and dining
you love or hate the look of this yacht. One thing all would agree is the cockpit situated forward of the superstructure. It is clear that the
difficulty of judging the size of the yacht. There is an Escher-like lack of envisaged lifestyle is predominantly outdoor or on-deck; this area will
or confusion of scale. When arriving at Portofino I could see the yacht at probably be the seating of choice on all but the calmest days.
anchor; although knowing her length, and despite surrounding conven- Accessible from the side deck and from the driving area by a lifting
tional yachts, it was visually difficult to tell her size until a crew member door, this space is designed for use only with the yacht at rest, certainly
appearing on deck provided a reference. not while underway at speed. This ‘cockpit forward’ concept is the result
‘Open’ would initially seem to be a misnomer; notwithstanding the of the desire to have an area which is cool, being open to the breeze at
forward lounging cockpit and aft deck the yacht appears essentially anchor, yet private when stern to a dock. Two tables can be raised for
enclosed. Viewed externally the ‘crystal prism’ superstructure has an dining or lowered to produce a large, cushioned, external lounging area.
aggressive even foreboding and dark aspect. This is belied on entering There is a lexan split-screen forward which can be raised to moderate
the space. ‘Open’ is, however, an appropriate label, as the superstruc- the breeze should it be excessive. The sailing yacht influence is also
ture, bounded by glass and carbon fibre (with glass predominating), is displayed in an overt manner by the sunshade over this area, which is
just that. Lucca Bassani says the major feature of the yacht is "trans- made from high-tech North Sails carbon fibre re-inforced sailcloth
parency". If a client wants an ‘open’ then at least the illusion of ‘staying supported by the ubiquitous carbon fibre poles.
outside’ and lots of glass is necessary to achieve this. S. Bassani This is not envisaged solely as a dayboat, although owners may choose
sought to achieve the ambience of "a New York loft afloat"; this he has to put it to that use. There is comfortable accommodation below for
clearly done. three couples. The below decks area lacks port lights – this keeps the

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72
 WALLY POWER

hull line very clean. The master cabin, head and corridor are kept from summer season, along with desirable enhancements, will be incorporat-
being gloomy by the use of innovative skylights which extend from the ed into the final ‘production’ models. The passerelle will be another inno-
forward end of the fore cockpit through the forward half of the salon. vative feature as it is destined to be (when fitted) a combined swim
These skylights will undoubtedly inspire careful choice of where to walk platform and passerelle.
amongst female guests wearing skirts or, for that matter, gentlemen We were taken for a test drive in quite lumpy conditions. Although we
sporting kilts! did not break any of the yacht’s own speed records, the conditions
Coupled with the intelligent use of light-coloured fabrics and unobtrusive proved S. Bassani’s contention that the yacht should be capable of a
lighting the overall effect is, in common with the rest of the interior, high high percentage of maximum speed in conditions up to force 4. We
tech without being overtly so. There is a Zen-like atmosphere without achieved 52 kt of a current 60 kt maximum without major passenger
being sterile or cold. One might expect that the amount of undressed discomfort; there was some slamming producing the very minor effect
carbon everywhere could appear oppressive; it would undoubtedly lack of a cutlery drawer unexpectedly sliding open. In any sea other than flat
appeal to those for whom yachts should always feature raised and calm there will be some degree of discomfort in any high-speed vessel.
fielded panelling or high gloss burled wood, but in this context it serves However, it was minimal and on returning to a slow (!) 33 kt the impres-
to underscore the performance focus of the vessel. Even the Karbon sion was of a much slower speed so smooth was the ride. Noise levels
Kahzis – as featured were remarkably low.
in The Yacht Report The sound level was
issue 51 – seem styl- not measured as such,
istically appropriate. but judged from the
Guest, crew cabins subjective impression
and the galley profit gained listening to the
from traditional deck verbal notes I recorded
prisms to compensate during the sea trial. It
for the lack of a was evident that there
natural light source in was an acceptably low
the hull. The crew level of noise in the
accommodation is salon and dining areas.
adequate and in fact When on a higher level,
well in excess of what this applied even with
is often provided in the aft doors open. One
other performance sound which cut
open yachts of (pre- through everything with
dominantly) Italian con- the aft doors open was
struction. There are the Italian ensign (flown
three cabins and two from, of course, a
bathrooms for crew, carbon fibre staff)
along with a galley of cheerfully self-destruct-
reasonable size and ing in the 53-kt breeze.
the crew mess. Below Regrettably, I neglected
decks the yacht has to enquire how many
considerable accom- they had got through
modation volume, during the summer!
with an impressive In common with many
headroom of approximately 2.2 m. I estimate about half the volume high-performance machines, I suspect the noise level behind us was
below decks is technical spaces, which is quite an achievement given rather higher than when on board.
the requirement to accommodate three gas 3 turbines, two diesel Currently six potential clients – whom Sig. Bassani describes as “warm”
motors, two gensets plus the propulsion and ancillary systems. The if not actually “hot” – have shown interest in the Wally Power yacht. All
master cabin even manages to feature a sunken bath, admittedly of intend to re-visit the yacht at the season’s end and the company is
hipbath proportions. confident of achieving a sale in the short to medium term. The yacht will
Forward of the lounging cockpit below a full-width lifting section of deck be offered in three versions, ranging in price from €14 to €21 million.
is a recessed area. In this testbed version of the yacht it houses a The ‘entry level’ model will feature twin MTU diesels; an intermediate
tender; however, storage jet ski or other water toys would be an option, model two Cummins 370/twin gas turbines, both yachts with twin
as is S. Bassani's not entirely frivolous suggestion of using the area for KaMeWa jets; and finally the three-turbine version/twin Cummins/triple
a jacuzzi, sauna or plunge pool. He suggested that the subsequent lack KaMeWa jets for clients seeking the ultimate performance. Currently, the
of a tender could be addressed by having a Wally tender which would potential clients are evenly divided between the all-diesel and all-singing-
follow the yacht around. The only downside to this I could envisage and-dancing versions; currently no clients have expressed interest in the
(apart from cost, which, anyway “if you have to ask . . .!”) is that the intermediate version. Sig. Bassani points out: “. . . they go for the
Wally tender cannot in fact match the larger Wally Power in top speed, extremes”.
the gasoline version giving away 10 kt to the larger yacht. This is hardly Discussing the yacht’s cost, he expressed some concern that the
insurmountable, however; at top speed the difference over a two-hour industry and potential clients might focus on the upper price tag and
trip of 120 nm amounts to only 24 minutes. judge the Wally Power concept too expensive on that basis. He correctly
The current yacht is, as mentioned, a testbed for the marque; the modi- points out that the two-diesel version is broadly in the price range of
fications to ameliorate the minor problems discovered through the similar yachts.

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75
 WALLY POWER

My feeling is that the triple-turbine version is like all ultra-high-perfor-

mance or highly collectible transportation – if a client really desires it,
then fulfilling that desire and achieving value rather than absolute price
will be the issue. Again, “If you have to ask the price . . .”

I asked Lucca Bassani what was the one technical challenge that stood
out above all the others he encountered when building the Wally Power
118. His unequivocal, monosyllabic response was “weight!” Construction
of any yacht is a complex process full of trade-offs and necessary com-
promises, but much more so the construction of a high-speed yacht.
The yacht is available in three options. The one currently built is the full-
spec version. Wally is clearly proceeding steadily to ensure this yacht
achieves what they require. Launched in November 2002, she
completed dock trials in December, and was then moved to La Spezia
for installation of the interior and sea trials. During the summer season
she had been selectively displayed to potential clients and press, while
being continuously assessed by Wally with a view to implementing
improvements and refinements on subsequent builds.

Propulsion Package
The yacht displaces 95 tons and is powered by three DDC TF 50 gas
turbines of 5600 hp/4176 kW each. The port and starboard TF 50s
drive KaMeWa steerable jets through MAAG gearboxes up to a maximum
rpm of 1,250. For manoeuvring, these jets are powered by two
Cummins 370 hp/276 kW diesels. The centre line TF 50 drives a
KaMeWa booster jet with no steering capability.
This power combination provides a variety of functionalities. Operating in
delivery mode using Cummins 370s only the range is approx 2,000 nm
at 9 kt with the maximum fuel load of 23 tons. In high-speed ‘economy’
mode, that is using 2 TF 50s 360 nm is achieved. Finally ‘balls to the
wall’, with all three TF 50s in use, the range is 400 nm at a speed of
approx 57 to 60 kt. Maximum speed is dependent on sea and wind con-
ditions; also the ambient temperature of the combustion air has a
profound effect. The power figures shown above are based on an air
temperature of 15o C, somewhat cooler, Sig. Bassani admits, than the
operating conditions found during the average Mediterranean summer
season.
Ducts on port and starboard draw in the combustion air and consider-
able care has been taken to guard against the induction of sea rather
than air. The first line of defence is just inside the duct entrance: a
louvered grill on the bottom of the air duct to allow any water to drain
away; aft of the duct just before the entrance into the engine room is a
dump flap which can be operated to drain away any water in the duct.
Finally, an electrically operated flap can, when required, close off the
ER space completely from the external duct. I suspect the primary
purpose of this flap is cutting the air supply in the case of an engine
room fire.
The turbines are provided with a freshwater wash facility. The chief
engineer carries out a freshwater turbine wash before each shut down.
While somewhat in excess of manufacturer’s recommendation, which is
hours based, this is an essential and easy guarantee of turbine
longevity in the hostile marine environment. The turbines are controlled
and monitored from the port side of the bridge by three identical
control systems and screens manufactured by Radio Zeeland DNP B.V.
During the sea trial I attended, one of these panels was out of commis-
sion. This amply illustrated the triple redundancy inherent in the system.
Any one or all of the turbines could be controlled from any panel. During
the sea trial the outer turbine was spooled up and put into operation; the
control panel was then used to start and control the centreline unit.
During this procedure the normal operational data from the outer turbine
could not be accessed while operating the centre line unit; however,
alarms from the outer unit have priority and would appear for the

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76
 WALLY POWER

operator. Believe it or not, there is in fact a shortage of small gas stronger; you cannot beat the sea.” Fast ferries, he says, can maintain
turbines, and yes, 4.1 megawatts is a ‘small’ turbine. Sig. Bassani told 40 kt in conditions up to force 5 at least partly
me the TF 50s for this build were one year late due in part to change of as a result of their size. He does not expect the 118 to achieve fast
ownership of the vendor, Lycoming being acquired by Detroit Diesel, ferry performance – it is “a dinghy compared with them”. However, he
which was then acquired by Chrysler, which was then acquired by contends that the other high-speed open yachts currently offered to the
Daimler. market may only achieve top speed around 20% of the time due to
The vessel is manoeuvred using the Cummins diesels. The non-turbine weather constraints. He claims they must reduce to approximately 30
Wally Power will use MTU 400 series main engines diesels; in this case kt at force 3 and 15 kt at force 4. The Wally Power, he believes, has a
the Cummins units are not necessary. Low-speed manoeuvring seemed hull and propulsion package which will allow the 20% mentioned above
quite effortless. In fact, on the day of the sea trial, the retractable bow to be increased to between 50% and 60%. In speed terms this repre-
thruster was out of commission; despite this the entry and exit from sents a reduction for the 118 to only about 40 to 45 kt at force 4
Portofino was carried out with ease. For those owners who wish a quick conditions.
getaway, the TF 50s can be ‘turned on’ with little delay; they will spool During the summer Wally has discovered that the current chines are
up from cold to ready state in as little as two minutes. too hard and, although efficiently fulfilling the requirement to keep the
Considering how yacht dry, they
critical weight is in cause irritating,
such a project I though not
was impressed to d a m a g i n g ,
discover a full Hi slamming in even
Fog Fire Extinction slight seas. These
System had been will be modified on
installed. The space future hulls. It has
for this unit was also become clear
achieved by dispers- that the impeller
ing the component pitch of the water
parts of the unit jets is not optimum.
below the crew This too will
accommodation. be modified to
Another weighty yet produce a turbine/
indispensable item is jet/impeller combi-
the 7.2 ton per day nation capable of
RO unit. producing the
I was surprised that maximum feasible
a fuel centrifuge was speed for typical
omitted, Racors Mediterranean
being used instead. summer conditions.
Perhaps with a Any potential pur-
maximum fuel con- chasers who might
sumption of 58 wish to use their
l/min, Wally consid- Wally Power in
ered that the fuel cooler summer
wasn’t sticking climes would be
around in the tanks long enough to grow bacteria! Even so the possibility advised to specify such on ordering!
of bunkering contaminated or dirty fuel is still a real risk; with a flow rate Tank testing was carried out in Sweden at SSPA’s facility. They found
of 58l/min the Racors will gum up quite rapidly. the hull to be very stable, with good tracking characteristics. Although
SSPA, like most tank-test facilities, gains the majority of its business
Hull from the commercial shipping sector, their America’s Cup Yacht experi-
Wally and Intermarine Rodriquez were responsible together for the hull’s ence gained tow testing Victory Challenge hulls designed by German
naval architecture. The shipyard’s skills and experience gained in con- Frers Jr and fast ferry tank testing made them a wise choice for the
structing composite mine hunters and high-speed craft made them an project.
obvious choice to build the Wally Power. Sig. Bassani, however, stated The 118 hull form is a deep V of 22 deg at the stern, coupled with a
that that though they constructed this prototype the ‘production’ models straight stem or plumb bow. This bow is designed to act as a ‘kind of’
are unlikely to be constructed at Intermarine. There are two other hulls wave-piercing bow in bad conditions. To achieve this it is easily trimmed
currently completed at the yard; after that perhaps subsequent builds down using the Humphree Interceptor Trim System, of which more later.
are destined to come off the ways at Wmagic, Wally’s purpose-built The hull is constructed from advanced composites.
5,500-sq-m shipyard facility in Tunisia. The bottom of the hull is solid fibreglass, 30 mm thick, to guard against
Luca Bassani’s vision for the Wally Power was quite clear. In parallel damage from, for example, striking floating objects. Topsides from the
with the lifestyle issue of creating "a different way to live on board" waterline are a hybrid fibreglass/carbon composite with balsa core; on
dealt with elsewhere, he wished to produce a hull with specific parame- deck this becomes a Nomex/full carbon composite. The hull can get on
ters. It would be designed not solely to achieve top speed in optimum the plane at 30 kt and stay on the plane down to approx 23 kt.
(flat) conditions. Of equal importance was achieving high speed for as The yacht has been constructed to the requirements of DNV; however,
much of the time as possible. Sig. Bassani says, “The sea is always she is classified RINA as some aspects of the construction made full

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79
 WALLY POWER

DNV classification impractical. DNV’s structural requirements, such as ignored; once secured to the dock and with lines adjusted these covers
requiring the superstructure to be designed and constructed to can be replaced.
withstand a green wave over the whole structure at a forward speed of Forward, the line handling arrangements are similar, hidden beneath
60 kt, were complied with. two hinged hatches. Here too is another hatch leading to a further
The superstructure uses a carbon fibre frame to which the glass panels technical space below the tender bay. Along with various parts of the
are glued. The glass itself is an exotic composite of Lexan and glass in hydraulic system this houses a ‘typical’ Wally anchor system. This
a triple laminate. It is coincidentally bullet proof and designed to reduce deploys as on other Wally’s via ‘bomb bay’ doors, again serving
heat transmission. This latter is only partly effective. Sig. Bassani admits equally aesthetics and practicality; the position reduces swinging at
that the salon air conditioning is an area of weakness despite six anchor and keeps weight aft. Aesthetically the chain is hidden and
fancoils, and states that the capacity will need to be increased. there are no unsightly anchor pockets. This compartment also houses
The TV dome and radar antenna and are hidden in the top of the glass the retractable bow thruster and provides line, fender and other
superstructure, and the running lights are also concealed within a clear storage. Port aft there is a steering station on deck there is also
section of this area. The steaming lights are carried on a mast which is another forward.
raised or lowered when required.
Tender Handling
Trim and Ride Control System The ‘roof’ of this compartment, the deck in effect, is raised hydraulically
The yacht utilises the Humphree Interceptor System. Rather than a trim on three rams. In the crane for the tender, weight control is quite
flap this is a trim ‘bar’ which is extended down from the transom to evident – the crane is concentrically mounted on one of these rams,
intercept the flow. which becomes the
This creates or pivot. The crane
reduces, in other boom is of a
words controls, lift. skeletal space
It was observed to frame design and
very effective during uses wire and turn-
the sea trial. The buckles to support
manufacturer claims and brace the
a superior lift/drag structure.
ratio. That is high
lift/low drag. They Weight Control
claim a reduction of It is clear that
approximately 10% weight control was
in the weight and the major concern
power of a flap-type on this project.
system. This can be Both MAAG and
used instead of jet KaMeWa provide
steering, though some unwelcome
this is not used on surprises. In one
the Wally Power. case a gearbox item
The interceptor of an anticipated
system can also be 2 tons was
utilised for ride found, on receipt,
control and this is to weigh 2.7 tons.
fitted though not The rest of the
currently commis- yacht outside
sioned on the 118. the engine room
achieved a final
Engine Room weight within 5% of target.
Lucca Bassani actively invited all critical comment, which he felt would Wally’s website details an 88-foot version of the Wally Power ‘coming
help make the 118 a better yacht. The best I could manage was: the soon’. This will use two TF 40 turbines and a single Yanmar diesel. She
wipers are ugly and, in view of Rain-Ex, unnecessary, and the engine has a design speed of 75 to 80 kt with this propulsion package.
room space is small. Although it is true to say that the ER is horribly
cramped, it is equally not a reasonable criticism. To have a spacious ER A Final Word: Regulation
with the items of equipment needed for the yacht’s envisaged use, good If ever there was a clear argument for a coastal use MCA yacht defini-
accommodation for guest and crew, a hull that will perform and an LOA tion or a modification of the large-yacht code to accommodate such
of 118 is an impossibility. Though it is cramped it is also by no means vessels, it is enshrined in the Wally 118 concept.
unworkable. Over 24 meters.
Could conceivably be chartered.
Docking, Line and Anchor Handling 12.5 megawatts of power but on placing voyages 740 kW; the builder’s
These operations have clearly been given careful consideration. Minor intention is clearly to produce a limited range 12.5-megawatt vessel,
items like recessing mini cleats to attach fenders and major ones like which on delivery becomes a long-range 740-kW vessel.
unobtrusive but correctly positioned fairleads are addressed. Everything The maintenance and repair of the gas turbines will need anyway to be
is hidden without functionality being sacrificed to aesthetic considera- contracted out to shore-based gas turbine specialist service facilities.
tions. Aft line-handling areas are hidden beneath removable covers on The rest of the ship’s systems are those of a ‘normal’ 36-m vessel and
port and starboard. These also conceal fire hoses, fill points and well within the abilities of a competent 36-m yacht chief engineer.
warping winches. This is very practical; however, aesthetics are not Captain Tork Buckley

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80
 WALLY POWER
Editor’s Note
Following the Monaco Yacht Show I made sure that my return flight
allowed sufficient time to experience the Wally Power 118 at speed.
After sending Captain Tork Buckley to Porto Fino to test and report
on this radical yacht, this was one project I wanted to see for
myself. During the show I walked through the yacht with the Wally
team to see the details and witness the unique layout and style of
the company’s first entrant to the world of power. Sunday came and
so did the rain, but not put off by the elements we pushed away
from the dock, a team of journalists and an American TV crew all
anxious to comprehend the ‘raison d’ètre’ of Luca Bassani’s latest
creation.
Being a prototype, one expects details to be slightly unfinished and to
have a few technical hiccups, that’s what these projects are all about.
But as you can imagine, no one was really interested in how perfect the
project was, it was more about the concept and performance. This was
a new wave of yachting, a radical design with extreme power and a
unique spatial arrangement. As is often seen in the motor industry,
concept cars are the birthplace of new ideas, solutions and designs.
The next generation of cars adopt the best aspects of the radical
projects that clearly are designed to make an impact and perhaps keep
their in-house designers happy.
THE YACHT REPORT
In the case of the Wally Power, although the project is designed to go fast –
we achieved some 57.4 knots off Monaco that morning – it is fair to say
that this is only part of the story. The yacht not only looks good both at
speed and at rest, it also feels good when lounging on board or sitting at
the elongated carbon table, aft of the helm station. This is a whole new expe-
rience; no formal spaces, no crystal, no mirrors (apart from in the
bathroom), no gold or shiny wooden surfaces, just an ambience of relaxed
lighting, visible skylines and horizons with minimal obstruction. This is a
yacht on which to relax and have fun, both in, on and off the water. As the
hull cuts through the wave, we almost experienced the fear of flying at zero
altitude.
Although this may not be the most successful sales project in the
history of yachting, one would expect the very special clients in our
industry to want to be part of this phenomenon. I feel compelled to
draw the analogy of the McClaren F1: only a few can afford it, no one
really dares to drive it to its full potential, but those who own it are very
comfortable in the knowledge that they do so. This is a special project
and one that will make a significant impact on the way owners think
about their yachts in the future . . . I suppose you could call it the fun
factor. Anyone who experiences the Wally Power will be guaranteed to
smile an excited smile, even a childhood grin. At the end of our trip,
after Luca Bassani had put the project through its paces, that same grin
was splashed across his face. Need we say more?
MHR
82