SILK ISSUE • n° 34 • 2023
FABIANI YACHT MY
62’
Designed to enable owners to enjoy family holidays at sea, the MY 62’ is the yard’s smallest model but still incorporates many innovative features, with special hybrid propulsion based on a patented 105-square-metre retractable solar panel array that enables long, silent voyages with zero consumption
by Samuela Urbini
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Arendering of the MY62’, the latest project from Fabiani Yacht, immediately shows that it is something revolutionary, a highly-innovative yacht that has captured the attention of many visitors at the most important boat shows, most recently Boot Düsseldorf early this year. Three-dimensional models make it even clearer just how extraordinary this 19.25-metre family yacht really is. The retractable 105 square metre solar panel array enables the yacht to sail at 6-8 knots for nine hours at six knots or four hours at eight knots, wrapped in silence as if on a sail yacht, at no expense and with zero environmental impact. The solar panels are concealed in the double layers of the main deck and the flybridge canopy, and small electric motors extend them to the front and sides. They can function while under way in suitable weather conditions, increasing the electric-powered range. The system has been patented by Maurizio Fabiani himself, the passionate founder of Fabiani Yacht, a young Livorno-based yard. Initially it enjoyed the legacy of the Intermare yard, founded in 1973 and then closed in 2008 as a result of the crisis in the yacht-building industry, which Fabiani transformed into a totally new concern, building larger yachts than the previous Intermare models. His products are based on technological innovation, unique models, respect for the environment and beauty of form. The brand’s offer currently comprises five models from 62 to 101 feet long, all available in either a classic or hybrid version.
However, it’s Fabiani’s hybrid system that merits the closest attention, as it is not the classic electric propulsion drawing energy from batteries charged by diesel engines – the power is generated by the retractable solar panel array and is then stored in the batteries, cutting consumption, pollution and noise levels when under way.
Of course, these yachts also have two diesel engines (MAN 1300 hp units on the MY62’), providing a cruising speed of 18 knots.
Caring for the environment is one of the key elements of the yard’s philosophy, expressed through its development of the special hybrid propulsion model but also its choice of materials – all the yachts are designed as aluminium builds, using no fibreglass, making them recyclable.
The layout of the MY 62’ is rational and optimised. It has a 6.19-metre beam and large windows, the main deck is spacious and airy and features a large saloon with sofas, armchairs, TV aft and a bar/ kitchen with scenic dining room forward.
The helm station, air conditioned and with opening windows, is on the flybridge, with a generous cockpit and panoramic sunpad space forward. Below deck the sleeping area comprises three double cabins with bathroom and two with bunk beds for the crew.
The interiors of the MY62’ draw inspiration from those of the topof-the-range 101’, and are bright and elegant, with select materials like marble in the bathrooms, which can, of course, be personalised on the basis of the owner’s desires.
www.fabianiyacht.it
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On the main deck, the bright saloon (above) and the bar/ kitchen with scenic dining room (below). Opposite page, a stern view with the solar array deployed and the multifunctional platform that goes from one metre below the sea to the flybridge
The owner’s cabin on the forward lower deck is also full of light thanks to the choice of furnishings, which can be personalised by the client. It is accessed through a corridor running along the yacht from bow to stern, making it also convenient for differently-abled guests
questions to Maurizio Fabiani President of Fabiani Yacht
What type of owner is the MY62’ intended for?
This project is intended for families, and has a considerable amount of space on board. It’s the most compact model in our offer, a solution we’ve developed to attract potential clients to interior layouts that are attractive, practical, easy to use and offer satisfaction and reliability.
Your first model, the 77’ hybrid, is currently under construction. How is that progressing?
All the projects are carried out in collaboration with the engineer Mario Grasso’s Navirex Design, with who we’ve stablished an on-going synergy. The hull’s ready, we’re working on the superstructure. Until the build is complete we think that people won’t be able to appreciate its potential to the full without a degree of scepticism. One on the water, though, it will amaze crew and guests.
Can you explain the virtues of the multifunctional platform, your patent, which is present on all your craft?
It’s a platform mounted aft that move from a metre below the water, especially convenient for swimming, to the flybridge, becoming a beach club, gangway, travel-lift or extension to the flybridge or cockpit, with “candleholders” that rise to form a parapet to provide safety. Our platform goes around 2-3 metres higher than its equivalent on other yachts. When at berth it lines up with the quayside and an extending element with a folding steel ramp provides easy access on and off so that wheelchair users or pushchairs can board or disembark safely.
As well as environmental awareness your projects also show respect for differently-abled people. Could you explain your choices?
Apart from the multifunctional platform, there are no interior stairs between the various decks and below deck a central corridor runs from bow to stern so that differently-abled guests can also access their cabin independently, avoiding any potential inconvenience.
What advantages are offered by your hybrid yachts?
There are the classic two diesel engines on board our yachts. The electric motors are on the inverter. If you’re sailing under diesel power the electric motors can be disconnected. If you want to access a marine reserve where sailing under electric power is permitted, these yachts can enter if you switch off the diesel engines and sail on battery power alone, in total silence with zero fossil fuel consumption and zero pollution.
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