A yacht () is a sail- or motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing.
The Commercial Yacht Code classifies yachts and over as .
Racing yachts are designed to emphasize performance over comfort.
Etymology
The term,
yacht, originates from the
Dutch language word
jacht (pl.
jachten), which means "hunt", and originally referred to light, fast sailing vessels used by the
Dutch Republic navy and the Dutch East India Company. Typically, a
jacht would scout ahead of larger vessels in a fleet.
History
The history of pleasure boats begins with rowed craft in Pharaonic Egyptian times, and other vessels in the waters of Myanmar, India,
Mindanao and Japan. Anglo-Saxon royal
pleg-scips (play ships) of the 8th-century featured ornamented bows and sterns and had the capability of cooking on board.
Sail
The history of sailing yachts begins in Europe in the beginning of the 1600s with the building of a pleasure vessel for the son of King James I of England. While other monarchs used naval ships for transportation and conquest, James I was the first English monarch to commission the construction of a yacht—for his son Henry, Prince of Wales in the early 1600s.
Pleasure vessels acquired the name
yacht after the time of Charles II, who spent time exiled in Europe and visited the Netherlands, where a variety of
jachten were already well developed as pleasure boats for the elite classes since the beginning of the 17th century. Upon his restoration to the English crown, Charles was presented with a
HMY Mary and later commissioned a series of royal yachts, which included at least one experimental
catamaran. The first recorded
Yacht racing between two vessels occurred in 1661, followed by the first open sailing competition in 1663 in English waters.
Starting in 1739, England found itself in a series of wars—a period that saw a decline in yachting. In Ireland, however, the gentry enjoyed yachting and founded the first yacht club in Cork as the Cork Harbour Water Club in 1720. English yacht racing continued among the English gentry who founded England's oldest yacht club in 1775 to support a fleet at Cumberland. With maritime peace, starting in 1815, came a resurgence of interest in yachting. Boatbuilders, who had been making fast vessels both for smugglers and the government revenue cutters, turned their skills again to yachts.
The fast yachts of the early 19th century were Fore-and-aft rig , , and . By the 1850s, yachts featured large sail areas, a narrow beam, and a deeper draft than was customary until then. Racing between yachts owned by wealthy patrons was common, with large wagers at stake. The America's Cup arose out of a contest between the yacht, America, and its English competitors. Both countries had rules by which to rate yachts, the English by tonnage and the American by length.
In the late 19th century, yacht owners would base their choice of vessel upon preferred lifestyle and budget, which would determine the size and type of vessel, which would most likely be a fore-and aft, two-masted sailing vessel. A treatise on the subject, A Manual of Yacht and Boat Sailing, provided detailed information on selecting, equipping, sailing, seamanship, management of the paid crew, and racing such vessels. It included a brief section on steam yachts, the recirculating coil steam engine just having made such yachts efficient enough for leisure travel on the water.
Power
While sailing yachts continued to exist, the development of reliable power plants created a new category of pleasure craft. The power plants started with the
steam engine and transitioned to the internal combustion engine. Whereas sailing yachts continued to be steered from the after portion of the vessel, power yachts adopted the bridge in a forward cabin structure that afforded better forward and sideways visibility.
Steam
The history of steam yachts starts with large sailing yachts with a
Steam engine. Early examples, driven with paddle wheels, had a railed platform from which the person conning the vessel could walk across the vessel above the main deck, the origin of the bridge. In the late 18th century, steam engines became more efficient, spars were removed and
Propeller became standard.
Steam yachts evolved with the development of the steam engine. Ultimately, engines employed pistons driven by steam within cylinders, connected to a crank shaft, which drove a propeller.
Near the end of the 19th century, came into widespread use.
Large steam yachts were luxurious; their staff included a captain, Engine officer, and stewards, as well as deck hands.
Internal combustion
Nicolaus Otto and
Gottlieb Daimler developed practical four-stroke gasoline engines, starting in 1876. Beginning in 1898 engines increased in horsepower from to by 1906. Some were destined for
Motorboat, other for motor yachts.
for boats were demonstrated in 1903.
Diesels became a more prevalent type of power plant in the 20th century thanks to their low cost of operation and reliability.
Classification
The Recreational Craft Directive requires that all vessels sold in the
European Union and United Kingdom satisfy one of four design categories, based on the
Beaufort scale and seas that they are designed to encounter:
-
yachts are fit for conditions that exceed wind force 8——and maximum wave heights, encountered in ocean passages and extended voyages.
-
yachts are fit for conditions that are less than wind force 8——and maximum wave heights, encountered in ocean passages and extended voyages.
-
yachts are fit for wind force 6——and maximum wave heights, encountered in exposed coastal waters, bays inlets, lakes and rivers.
-
yachts are fit for wind force 4——and maximum wave heights, encountered in sheltered coastal waters, bays inlets, lakes and rivers.
The of Great Britain and its dominions defines a as one that is or more at the waterline and is in commercial use for sport or pleasure, while not carrying cargo or more than 12 passengers and carrying a professional crew. The code regulates the equipping of such vessels, both at sea and in port—including such matters as crew duty times and the presence of a helicopter on board. The code has different levels of standard for vessels above and below 500 Gross tonnage.
Whereas large yachts may carry no more than 12 passengers, yachts are solely for the pleasure of the owner and guests do not carry the passenger restriction. Yachts may be identified by flag—the country under which a yacht is registered.
Construction
Originally, all yachts were made of wood, using a wooden keel and ribs, clad with planks. These materials were supplanted with iron or steel in steam yachts.
In the 1960s
fiberglass became a prevalent material. These materials and others continue in use.
Whereas yachts of and below may be constructed of
fiberglass, larger yachts are more likely to be constructed of steel, aluminum or composite fiber-reinforced plastic.
-
Wood construction, using conventional planks over ribs continues. Hard-chined boats made with plywood is an infrequent technique, whereas yachts made with the WEST system—plies of wood strips, soaked in epoxy and applied over the boat frame—provide a durable, lightweight and robust hull.
-
Metal hulls from steel or aluminum offer the opportunity for welding components to a completely watertight hull. Both metals are vulnerable to damage due to electrolysis. Steel is easy to repair in boatyards around the world, whereas aluminum is a much lighter material.
-
Fiberglass construction is best suited for Mass production yachts, using a mold and is therefore the most prevalent material. Fiberglass skins comprise plies of roving (glass fabric) and matting, soaked in resin for the hull. Decks typically have a core of balsa, or PVC foam between layers of glass mat. Both elements of construction are vulnerable to intrusion of water and the development of blisters below the waterline.
Transport
As an alternative to the traditional passaging (sailing or motoring), yachts can also be shipped, usually when the destination and cruising is more important than the passaging,
as it generally eliminates costly and time-consuming ocean crossings.
Trailers, whether private or commercial, are often used to transport small yachts for short distances. As the yacht size and the over-land distances increase, yacht owners typically employ commercial trailer services to move vessels.
Yachts are also transported by Container ship, arranged through freight forwarders. Container shipment costs are almost independent of distance shipped and depend more on imbalances in container locations. It is significantly less expensive and has greater flexibility with respect to timing and destinations. The drawback to container cruising is that there are a limited number of yachts that have the necessary sizes that fit in a standard container.
Accommodations
Depending on size, a cruising yacht is likely to have at least two cabins, a main salon and a forward
State room. In smaller yachts, the salon is likely to have convertible berths for its crew or passengers. Typically the salon includes a dining area, which may have a folding, built-in table. The salon is typically contiguous to the galley. A cruising yacht is likely to have a head (bathroom) with a marine toilet that discharges waste into a holding tank. Larger yachts may have additional staterooms and heads. There is typically a navigation station that allows planning the route.
Systems
Onboard systems include:
-
Electrical power, provided by batteries recharged by a motor-driven alternator (sail) or by a generator set (motor)
-
Water, stored in on-board tanks, refilled on shore or replenished with a Desalination
-
Sanitation, provided by toilets using seawater and discharged into holding tanks.
-
Refrigeration by ice or an engine-driven mechanical system.
Modern yachts employ a suite of electronics for communication, measurement of surroundings, and navigation.
-
Communications equipment includes radios in a variety of bandwidths, specifically for maritime use.
-
Instrumentation also provides information on depth of water under the vessel (Echo sounding), windspeed (anemometer), and directional orientation (compass).
-
Navigation electronics include units that identify a vessel's location (e.g. GPS) and display the vessel's location (chartplotter) and other vessels and nearby shore (radar).
Sailing yachts
for
cruising versus
racing embody different tradeoffs between comfort and performance. Cruising yachts emphasize comfort over performance. Racing yachts are designed to compete against others in their class, while providing adequate comfort to their crews.
Cruising
Cruising yachts may be designed for near-shore use or for passage-making. They may also be raced, but they are designed and built with the comfort and amenities necessary for overnight voyages. Qualities considered in cruising yachts include: performance, comfort under way, ease of handling, stability, living comfort, durability, ease of maintenance, affordability of ownership.
Categories
Cruising sailboats share the common attribute of providing overnight accommodations. They may be classified as
small (easy to haul behind a trailer),
and
off-shore.
sailing yachts are a category, apart.
-
Small yachts are typically shorter than length overall.
-
Near-shore yachts typically range in size from length overall.
-
Offshore yachts typically exceed length overall.
Design
Design considerations for a cruising yacht include seaworthiness, performance, sea kindliness, and cost of construction, as follows:
-
Seaworthiness addresses the integrity of the vessel and its ability to stay afloat and shelter its crew in the conditions encountered.
-
Performance hinges on a number of factors, including the waterline length (longer means faster), drag in the water (narrower hull with smooth appendages), hull shape, and sail shape and area.
-
Sea kindliness is an indicator of steering ease, directional stability and quelling of motion induced by wind and waves.
Multihulls offer tradeoffs as cruising sailboats, compared with . They may be catamarans or trimarans. They rely on form stability—having separate hulls far apart—for their resistance to capsize.
Rigs
have been uncommon in the construction of cruising boats, since the mid 20th century. More common rigs are
Bermuda rig,
Fractional rig, cutter, and
ketch. Occasionally employed rigs since then have been the
yawl, schooner,
Wishbone rig,
catboat.
Gear
Sailboats employ
standing rigging to support the rig,
running rigging to raise and adjust sails, cleats to secure lines, winches to work the sheets, and more than one anchor to secure the boat in harbor. A cruising yacht's deck usually has safety line to protect the crew from falling overboard and a bow pulpit to facilitate handling the jib and the anchor. In temperate climates, the cockpit may have a canvas windshield with see-through panels, called a "dodger". Steering may be either by tiller or wheel.
Engine
Cruising yachts have an auxiliary propulsion power unit to supplement the use of sails. Such power is inboard on the vessel and diesel, except for the smallest cruising boats, which may have an
Outboard motor. A sailboat might have a engine,
whereas a sailboat might have a engine.
Racing
Racing yachts emphasize performance over comfort.
World Sailing recognizes eleven classes of racing yacht.
Design features
High-performance rigs provide aerodynamic efficiency and
efficient hulls minimize drag through the water and sideways motion.
Racing yachts have a wide selection of weights and shapes of sail to accommodate different wind strengths and points of sail. A suite of sails on a racing yachts would include several weights of jib and spinnaker, plus a specialized storm jib and trysail (in place of the mainsail). Performance yachts are likely to have full-battened kevlar or carbon-fiber mainsails.
Underwater foils can become more specialized, starting with a higher-aspect ratio fin keel with hydrodynamically efficient bulbs for ballast.
An example for a full-rigged ship yacht which is also one of the world's most complex and largest sailing yachts at 88 m (289 ft) is the Maltese Falcon.
Motor yachts
Motor yachts range in length from before they are considered
Superyacht, which are and longer. They also vary by use, by style, and by hull type. As of April 2020 a yacht,
REV Ocean, was under construction,
which when launched would replace the
Azzam as the longest superyacht.
Classification
The United States Coast Guard classifies motorboats—any vessel less than , propelled by machinery—in four classes by length:
-
Class A: motorboats less than
-
Class 1: motorboats
-
Class 2: motorboats
-
Class 3: motorboats
Style
A motor yacht's style can both be functional and evoke an aesthetic—trending towards the modern or the traditional. Among the styles, mentioned in the literature, are:
-
Cruiser – A Cabin cruiser has a displacement hull for economical, long-distance passage-making.
-
Sports cruiser – A sports cruiser has a semi-displacement or planing hull for fast trips.
-
Sports fisherman – A sports fisherman has a semi-displacement or planing hull for fast trips and carries gear for recreational catching of large fish.
-
Expedition – An expedition yacht has a displacement hull for economical, long-distance passage-making to remote destinations. These are also called yachts.
-
Lobster – A lobster yacht is styled like a Maine lobster boat and has a semi-displacement or planing hull for fast trips.
-
Trawler – A trawler has conservative, traditional styling and has a displacement hull for economical, medium-distance passage-making.
Hulls
There are three basic types of motor yacht hull: , , and , which have progressively higher cruise speeds and hourly fuel consumption with increased engine power:
-
Full-displacement hulls move the water up and out of the way of the vessel, making a wave. They are limited in speed by the square root of the waterline length multiplied by a factor, depending on the units used. Added horsepower cannot increase the maximum speed, only the size of the waves produced.
-
Semi-displacement hulls allow speeds that are faster than the hull speed of a displacement vessel because they rise somewhat out of the water and create smaller waves. They also provide greater comfort than planing hulls.
-
Planing hulls require sufficient power for the boat to slide up onto the surface, which avoids the need to use power to lift water out of the way of the vessel. Such vessels have flat surfaces on the undersides.
A typical semi-displacement yacht has a wedge-shaped bow, which promotes penetrating waves, that transitions to flatter, wider surfaces aft, which promotes lifting the vessel out of the water—the "deep vee" hull, designed by Ray Hunt, found in approximately 75% of modern power boats.
Cruising motor yachts are available in a range of styles as two-engine , ranging in length from with top speeds ranging from .
Engines
Motor yachts typically have one or more
. Gasoline-powered motors and engines are the provenance of
and
Boat racing, due to their power-to-weight ratios.
Two engines add expense, but provide reliability and maneuverability over a single engine.
Motor yachts in the range might have the following hull, horsepower, cruise speed, and hourly fuel consumption characteristics:
-
– two diesels to cruise at , consuming .
-
– two diesels to cruise at , consuming .
-
– two diesels to cruise at , consuming .
Superyachts may employ multiple diesels
See also
Further reading
- *
- *
- *
- *
