When setting up a yacht, we seek to choose equipment to match the mission of the yacht at hand. Just as our experienced engineering and design teams would not choose a generator or an air-conditioning compressor that was too small or too large to the task, the same goes for the selection of power on the yacht.
Of course, the wrong choices have been made in the past (though not in our company), and we’ve all seen the results. Boats that have engines that are too large for the application result in increased weight, the need for additional fuel tankage, and tight installation in the engine room, to name just a few problems. Likewise, undersized power can mean engines do not produce enough oomph, resulting in underwhelming performance and overworked engines that withstand more wear and tear and require more maintenance (and thus provide more downtime).
No matter which model of Summit Motoryacht our buyers are considering, they can approach the decision knowing that the choice of engines were considered carefully within the design process. They provide the right amount of power for the yacht, and, linked to the ZF reduction gear, turn the shafts at the proper speed for the propellers we have set up for the yacht.
An engine room that’s designed around the engines is very important. It means that the engines aren’t shoehorned into a space much too small for them. The shaft angle, a critically important trait to ensure good yacht performance and efficiency, will always be correct. When engines have room around them, an owner can make proper inspections and also reach critical service points. This ensures that the engine will be maintained for optimal service and will generally result in reduced downtime.
A good engine room in a yacht in the 50- to 70-foot size range is often also expected to hold other onboard equipment, and that rule is true on all our designs. Our engineers review the maintenance specs and service points for all the yachts in question to ensure they are viewable and reachable when positioned in the engine room. Because our boatbuilding history reaches back into the constructure of pure-full-displacement bluewater trawlers, we understand the need for simplified maintenance and the ability to conduct repairs in less-than-ideal circumstances, and the peace of mind that our owners derive from knowing that checks have been made and can easily be made again, to ensure smooth, surprise-free operation.
While initial yachts have been built using the conventional shaft-drive engine configuration, we also understand the efficiency of a purpose-built pod-drive system cannot be denied—they often use less horsepower to deliver speed and maneuverability, with less fuel needed, which lightens the load in line with the Michael Peters Yacht Design concept.