There are a lot of ships which have sparked our imagination. Referring to myself I can state, that there is virtually no month in the year not keeping my brain busy in thinking of my all-new dream yacht. When it comes to the yacht of my dreams, I´m hovering between the full-fledged race-optimized Class 40 vessel á la Akilaria or Pogo and the classic wood fitted sleek Scandinavian performance cruiser like Luffe or X-Yachts.
A concept rendering of the YD-41: Well suited for small crews, even single-handed sailing
Recently I´ve read a book in which such a dream yacht is described in detail: “The Principles of Yachts Design” is the Reference Book on imagining, drawing and finally constructing a sailing yacht. The boat I am talking of is called the YD-41. The whole book (read the review here) is assembling around construction of this virtual vessel YD-41. She is a true beauty: Sleek, flat hull and open wide stern from a Class 40, 3 cabins and all amenities from the cruiser´s section. She is a performer, yet a luxurious fast yacht. Someone should build it!
Introducing Forsatio Yachts
Well, this wishful thinking wasn’t just as wishful as it seemed, when an Email reached me some weeks ago after I´ve published the article on building a YD-41 model for my little son (read it here). Bartlomiej Wiatrowski greeted and congratulated me on my nice, small model and wrote those magic words: “We are building the YD-41!” Naturally, I am keen on getting to know everything about that project and thankful for Bart´s cooperation in answering all my questions:
NO FRILLS SAILING.com: “Bart. It´s so great to learn that finally somebody will build the YD-41 in real life!”
Forsatio Yachts, Bartlomiej Wiatrowski: “I am extremely flattered to hear that your opinion about the yacht is so high. It is truly amazing how many people have been waiting for it to be produced and how many kind words we have been hearing on everyday basis while executing the project!”
CFD-models and excessive development of the yacht´s hull design
NFS.com: “First of all, please tell us about Forsatio Yachts. Where does the name derive from?”
Bart: “Forsatio Yachts Company was established thanks to the engagement and knowledge of true sailing aficionados. Our name is a reference to the Nordic God of Justice and Truth: Forseti. His name can be loosely translated as “the Leader”. The name of the company has been connected by our clients with Italian culture, which may be strictly connected with our fascination with Italian patterns.”
NFS.com: “What about the team, the mission and origins of your company?”
Bart: “We may be a newly established company, but we have managed to start a fruitful cooperation with engineers having perennial experience in building luxurious yachts. As well as technology experts who are proficient in composite manufacturing technologies, especially with those used in aerospace and yacht industries. Moreover, we have been collaborating with leading experts in composite technology and nautical yacht equipment. Thanks to the said fact, we can guarantee that only state-of-the-art technologies will be used during production. They will be backed by our compliance with most restrictive procedures on every stage of yacht building.”
The yacht will be available as a racing version too
Bart: “When speaking of the Forsatio Yachts team: We have managed to start close cooperation with true professionals excelling in the fields that closely correspond with the consecutive stages of production. We do our best to get the most out of the knowledge of our team. Managerial team shares its knowledge gained while organizing mass production processes for such companies as MAN and Jaguar with other employees. What is more, technology engineers specializing in aerospace-related solutions have been responsible for procedure preparation and quality control. Thanks to that, we are able to create a product for the masses, the quality of which is equal to the one of custom vessels.“
NFS.com: “Building the YD-41 may be a self-evident idea, but frankly: Why and how did you decide to go for especially this boat and not any other?”
Bart: “The very beginning of our operation can be only described as surprising in nature. It all started when Sebastian Chmielewski – director of the shipyard – decided to purchase the newest copy of Zagle sailing magazine while going back from one of his journeys. There, he came across an article devoted to the YD-41 project. The content of the article also consisted of contact data to the designers, who had also written the “Principles of Yacht Design” book. Sebastian became as fascinated with the YD-41 as you are. That´s how it all started.”
The YD-41 idea comes to Life
NFS.com: “Since the YD-41 is just a concept for the book “Principles of Yacht Design” by Larsson, Eliasson and Orych up to this day: How did you manage to get the “license” or permission to build – and of course finally sell – this boat in real life?”
Bart: “Of course we´ve met with the three said designers. And after concluding a license agreement granting us the rights to the project of the yacht, we were visiting numerous shipyards, both in Poland and abroad. We were looking for a dockyard capable of creating YD-41 from scratch in collaboration with us. However, throughout our journey, we observed numerous negative habits strictly connected with mass production of less demanding vessels. It became clear for us that if we wanted to build such an unusual yacht as YD-41, we had to open our own shipyard and start a comprehensive cooperation with best professionals in the field, open to new technologies and willing to take advantage of most innovative technological standards only.”
Building the 1:1 model of the YD-41
NFS.com: “When meeting the designers of YD-41 and discussing the project, did they contribute anything new to the construction or did you take the plans and didn´t change anything?”
Bart: “We first met with the designers in September 2015. We met Michał and Lars then – they showed their appreciation and encouraged us to continue the project. About a month later, we met Rolf. Even now, we still keep in touch and our relations are truly warm. One of the expectations of the authors of the book was to ensure that they were in charge of the entire process of yacht construction by supervising every step. Michał Orych has been personally supervising the progress of works with great enthusiasm. And he is doing that every day – even now and on weekends. Talking of changes to the very boat: Since the publication of the book, only the shape of the bulb of the keel has been changed. It has made it possible for us to improve the hydrodynamic features of the vessel even more. Aside from that, the project is fully in line with its prototype described in the book.”
NFS.com: “For all those who are not familiar with the YD-41 concept: How would you describe the boat?”
Bart: ”YD-41 is definitely a Performance-Cruiser. Unlike many other boats on the market today the performance part is not just part of the branded image: Our boat is a true thoroughbred performance yacht. This can only be achieved with the low weight that Forsatio is focused on. Of course, there are so many very beautiful and well build boats on the market right now. Yet, for us it would be rather hard to find one that ticks off all the boxes. We wanted a very fast boat for true sailing experience but at the same time safe, easy to handle and comfortable for families. All this has to come together with uncompromised quality. Only then we can have unique yacht on the market that has no competitor in the series production part of the market.”
Perfectly sanded hull
Talking Business: The YD-41 and the Boat Market
NFS.com: “What will be the price for the basic version and what kind of major options does an owner have for the boat?”
Bart: “Based on our major values, we want our shipyard to build comprehensively prepared and safe yachts fitted with most advanced navigation-oriented solutions only. We plan on including: Two chart plotters with one next to each steering wheel, a high end VHF-radio with the ICE-system, as well as the module allowing to access all the key pieces of information form mobile devices thanks to the use of a Wi-Fi network. Technical parameters of the vessel require us to utilize carbon mast exclusively. The said solution notably influences the final price of the product. For example, the YD-41 with an aluminum mast would have to be almost a ton heavier, as well as significantly slower and less fun to sail. Having said that, the price of the basic version of the vessel will be equal to some 249.000 Euros excluding value added tax.”
NFS.com: “And then there´s a whole list of extra stuff for the sailing crazies …”
Bart: “Oh yes. The yacht can be additionally fitted with, among others: A carbon boom, composite sails, windlass, audio set, lithium-ion batteries for even greater performance and a lot more. We also offer adjusting certain elements of the interior to the personal needs of a sailor. Among them, there are conveniences for handicapped people and even for small children. It should be also added that right after the grand premiere, we are going to launch 24/7 helpline users may decide to take advantage of in the case of any malfunction of the vessel. We want our customers to derive pleasure from sailing and not worry about anything.”
Another rendering of the YD-41
NFS.com: “When talking of speed: The YD-41 should sail very fast. Are there any plans to have a competitive version of the yacht for the racing-oriented crews?”
Bart: “Of course. That´s something we are looking forward to. The range of offers additionally incorporates the YD-41 Racing. This version of the vessel has been designed with fast sailing in mind. It is even lighter than its basic counterpart and fitted with equipment suitable for professional sailors.”
Bringing the YD-41 to the Oceans
NFS.com: “What do you think who is going to buy the Forsatio YD-41? Do you have any first orders secured?”
Bart: “Our clients surely will be people who would like to derive pleasure from sailing. There may be lone sailors willing to sail fast as well as family guys with children, caring mainly about safety and comfort during weekend cruises. They will be able to reach places that would be unreachable with other vessels within limited time. As it has been mentioned before, there has been an immense interest in our project. I can tell you for sure that the vessels that are currently built have already been purchased.”
Series production will start soon
NFS.com: “Tell us about the project schedule and the future plans with the boat.”
Bart: “We are well within production milestones. The launch of the first yacht will take place in mid-March 2017. It will also be the time of various tests execution and trimming. The grand premiere of the vessel will be in the early summer of 2017 in Gothenburg, Sweden. Already today, we would like to invite all the individuals interested in the event to take part in it. It will be the one-of-a-kind possibility of familiarizing yourself with this unique yacht and check its performance. We would like to encourage you to also book test cruises. It has to be pointed out that the sheer amount of people interested in them is just mind-blowing. We would like to ask all the interested individuals to contact us.”
Fast sailing: The YD-41
Thanks Bart for granting this exclusive insight to Forsatio Yachts and the exciting project of bringing the YD-41 to life! I am excited to get to see more pictures of the boat, especially the interior design and all the fittings. Above all, it would be great to finally see the yacht in the water. I am convinced, that the real YD-41 will sail a lot better than my small model …
Interesting Articles & Links:
Check out Forsatio Yachts website with more information on the YD-41 here
