When tradition meets experimentation. The Heritage 9.9 US is the newest “custom made”, 10.85 metre wood and carbon fibre boat, by Castagnola Yachts, based in Lavagna, Genova. This version, inspired by the iconic Heritage 9.9, came from the owner’s idea of blending together this classic spirit with the latest technology available on the market. Behind that vintage look created through the use of wood, are two turbo diesel V8 6.6 litre engines using a General Motors base, built by Bukh, with 500 HP each.

Names Studio revised the hull, preserving all the classic flavour of the Heritage 9.9, designed by Nauta Design, enhancing its charm, but using a modern interpretation in the distribution of spaces and use of material and technology.

“The biggest challenge – explains Francesco Rogantin, founder of Names, to Daily Nautica – was certainly managing to integrate innovative material like carbon fibre and modern components with a building material like wood, which, on this vessel, is often purposefully left uncovered, in order to make its use quite obvious.”

“In regards to navigation – notes Rogantin – a boat built using this material feels completely different. You can feel its solidity and comfort. Our choice of mounting the Jolly Drive 25 T propeller transmission alongside the use of two powerful turbo diesel Bukh engines, engineered by Punch, forced us to redesign part of the hull, and in particular the positioning of the twin hull”

TECHNOLOGY BY CASTAGNOLA YACHT

Even though construction follows traditional methods thanks to the skill of their experienced carpenters, Castagnola Yacht has developed, over the years, a system that combines manual artistry with the latest technology. This is called Wood in Tech Skin (WTS) and is the process created and patented by master craftsman, Gabriele Maestri, and has already successfully been used in the construction of the Heritage 9.9 and the Heritage 15.

“The WTS – said Gabriele Maestri when talking to Daily Nautica – is our trade mark. This is a reliable system thanks to its solid structure, artisan thanks to is handmade construction, ecological thanks to its use of recyclable and natural materials, and customisable thanks to the flexibility the process guarantees. In short, it is a singular object with a high technological value that is respectful of the environment, and of Italian marine culture.”

The mahogany planking is worked using the ‘strip-planking’ technique alongside a laminating process. The exterior of the hull is then covered in a thin layer of carbon fibre and epoxy resin, then treated using breathable varnish. All of this creates a light and robust shell, ready to hold the 1000 HP of the Punch engines, which, thanks to structural calculations by Names Studio, will allow the Heritage 9.9 US to go an estimated top speed of 45 knots.

45 KNOTS AND A HYDROGEN FUTURE

Created for use as a luxurious and sporty day cruiser, but also ideal for use as a tender for superyachts, the heritage 9.9 US is extremely versatile, because of its technology. In order to make the boat even more innovative, Names Studio already has another configuration in mind.

“The Heritage 9.9 US – notes Francesco Rogantin – needs to be considered a sort of test boat. The classic lines curated by Nauta Design might be misleading, because in fact, everything about this day cruiser is focused on finding navigation solutions that bring together performance, love for the water and respect for the environment.”

“On this last front – concludes the founder of Names – is where we plan, over the next few years, to replace the turbo diesel engines with two identical ones fuelled by hydrogen. Even this momentous change was planned for in our studio when, in place of fuel storage tanks, we will need to use refrigeration tanks for the new fuel. An objective we reached thanks to streamlining the hull, defined using a number of CFD tests (computational fluid dynamics) run by our studio, based on the new displacement, the propeller surface transmission and the novel weight distribution.”

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS – HERITAGE 9.9 US

Overall length: 10.86 m

Waterline Length: 9.40 m

Maximum Beam: 3.54 m

Height: 0.88 m

Full-load draught: 0.6 m

Displacement with full-load: 6.50 t

Engines: Bukh v89 – 2 x 500 HP

Propulsion: Jolly Drive 25 T

Maximum speed: 45 knots

Cruising Speed: 40 knots

Autonomy: 160 nm at 31 knots

Fuel tanks: 720 l

Fresh water tanks: 170 l

Waste water tanks: 88 l

Number of People: 12

Shipyard: Castagnola Yacht

Master craftsman: Gabriele Maestri

Naval Architecture and engineering: NAMES by Francesco Rogantin