Performance Yacht Sales

Performance Yacht Sales

Performance Yachts: An Introduction

All sailing vessels can basically be called yachts (unless you’re looking at a fishing boat or a water freighter), the real difference lies between the types of yachts. Depending on how a yacht is constructed, for what purposes and what method of movement it uses, is what differentiates one yacht from another.

Certain yachts are made to offer higher speeds and stability. These may be termed as high performance yachts or just performance yachts. These usually come with multiple propulsion systems which help them travel in different sea and wind conditions. Along with these propulsion systems, the yachts come equipped with water jets that reduce noise and improve handling.

There’s no saying which yacht is better than the other, it’s just that performance yachts offer passengers higher speeds and greater stability. Many people are just as comfortable in slower yachts because they appreciate a certain type of sailing experience.

Sailing Yachts VS Motor Yachts

This is one fundamental difference between performance yachts and sailing yachts. Sailing yachts usually have low powered engines, because these rely mostly on their sails and wind power to move about in the sea. These yachts can’t move at high speeds and can be blown off-course since the wind really drives them. You can try steering these, but if you come across choppy waters or if the wind doesn’t agree, then you can have problems controlling them.

Sailing Yachts

To avoid people getting stranded altogether until the wind slows down or changes direction, these boats come equipped with small motors to help steer the yacht.

A high performance yacht on the other hand, is a powerful machine that moves through the sea only on its engine’s force.  Typical motor yacht designs don’t even have masts for the sails.  These vessels run on diesel powered engines to cut through any weather conditions and are built with stabilizers to improve the sailing experience.

With a motor yacht, you don’t have to be worried about the unsteady sea or whether you’ll be left stranded because the wind isn’t strong enough. The motor yacht is often called a high performance yacht because of all these extra features for speed and stability built into them.

Motor Yachts

As far as the luxury’s concerned, there’s no reason to say that one is better than the other.  Sailing yachts can be designed equally as lavishly as a motor yacht; it’s ultimately the difference between speed and stability that separates the two.

Are Luxury Yachts any Different from Performance Yachts?

The simple answer is no. People assume that luxury yachts are fundamentally different because of sizes and weights or some other reason. The real question is, how do you really decide on what luxury is?

Luxury Yachts

Also, a high performance yacht doesn’t only go fast, it also offers smoother sailing than others. So it ought to be clear that a high performance yacht could very well be a luxury yacht as well.

What Makes a High Performance Yacht?

There is no set standard for what a high performance yacht is. Boat designers have their own ideas on improving boat designs, so we just have this vague standard that says these are faster and more stable. There is no-one design that can make a yacht in any way better than others and every manufacturer has their own way.

There may be no necessary design differences between high performance yachts and other types, but certain principles do dictate their manufacture.

Reduced Drag

Air resistance is a major cause of instability and low speeds for yachts. Keeping aside the complex physics, when a yacht begins travelling fast enough; it begins hitting against a wind force going in the opposite direction. The faster the speed the stronger the opposite wind.

This creates resistance to the ship propulsion and might make it slower or unstable. In fact, the broader the fore of the ship, the more resistance the ship will come against. To reduce this resistance, yacht designers try to make the fore narrow and increase the broadness of the deck as you go down the ship.

This lets your yacht sort of cut through the wind and improves the speeds at which it travels as well as how smoothly it sails.

Sometimes designers might even use different materials to create the yachts. Most recent models for the fastest boats are built with carbon fiber, which is a lightweight and very durable material. This also helps improve how fast your yachts can travel.

Powerful Engines and Water Jet Propulsion

Some of the fastest yachts in the world can travel at speeds over 60 knots. They manage these speeds with the help of engines which generate immense horsepower. A high performance yacht is unlikely to come without these engines.

The horsepower generated by these yachts can be as high as 10,000 Hp. This allows them to carry heavier loads, more people and still travel at high speeds.

Along with the engines, these yachts also come equipped with water jet propulsion systems to improve the stability of the craft. A water jet takes in the water under the vessel, to then force it out of the back to increase the speed of the yacht.

These systems also improve handling and turning, by creating a much more smooth turn as the jet of water from the propeller also changes direction. When combined together, a high performance yacht can give you greater speeds and smoother handling compared to other yacht types.

High Performance is Subjective

As we’ve said before, you can’t decide what a high performance yacht is. Although there are some features you’ll find common across Performance yachts, the definitions differ. People might think a yacht just needs to skip smoothly to be high performing, others want speed. Fact is, these design differences actually create more than just stability and speed.

High performance yachts are capable of carrying heavier loads, may be more spacious and some of them might also have longer cruise ranges. It’s really for you to decide, some sailing crafts are better than others but as far as your luxury is concerned; you get to choose what the best is.

Performance Yacht Sales brokerage is a team of sailing and marketing specialists who connect buyers and sellers of high quality yachts. Our listings include used Riviera and Cabo yachts, as well as Catamarans, express cruisers and sail boats. Get in touch with our offices in Maryland, Florida and California for more information on our listing services or to hire us as your yacht brokers.

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