The debut model from London-based Glider Yachts is due for a public launch at this year’s Monaco Yacht Show
A new breed of high performance sports boat will be unveiled at this year’s Monaco Yacht Show in the form of the Glider Yachts SS18.
Built in Southampton by Burgess Marine, the new 60ft powercat has been designed to allow owners to sip champagne in comfort while cruising at 60 knots.
Rob McCall, chief designer and managing director of Glider Yachts, told MBY that construction of the first prototype will begin next month ahead of two months of sea trials over the summer.
Glider Yachts is currently in negotiations to secured £40million of market funding, which will allow full-scale production of even larger Glider models to begin before the end of the year. The on-sale price for the SS18 is expected to be £475,000.
Powered by four 260hp Rotax 4TEC engines, the SS18’s shallow-draft hulls have been designed to allow for beach landings and anchoring in remote, shallow bays.
The concept was born of Rob’s experience as the commercial captain of a passenger catamaran, and following discussions with naval architects and other superyacht captains he committed full-time to the project in 2009.
“Naval architects do a fantastic job of advancing hull design,” he added. “But this project has spent thousands of hours in advanced CFD analysis and is engineered beyond what any normal vessel undergoes.”
The resulting design features a proprietary stability control system that should deliver smooth cruising even when the going gets rough.
In addition to the advanced technical aspects, the Glider Yachts SS18 will also feature a luxurious interior including leather seats and carbon fibre fixtures, and a fully integrated navigational and engine management system.
Following the Monaco launch, Glider Yachts plans to press on with building a wide range of similar models with top speeds of up to 87 knots and hull lengths of up to 265ft.
