An intensive rebuild at Feadship is entering its final weeks, and the 138-footer (42-meter) at the center of it is visible for the first time in a year. The Istros restoration has been a major undertaking, particularly in the midst of the pandemic, honoring her classic history while incorporating forward-thinking engineering.
The reconstruction and restoration of this 1954 Feadship started in April 2019. At the time of her original launch, she was one of the largest yachts ever built in The Netherlands. While she cruised around the Med for many years, she ended up in poor shape early last decade. In early 2018, the current owners had a shipyard in Malta remove the superstructure and strip the hull, both of which were rusting. The hull arrived at Feadship’s Makkum shipyard last spring, still structurally sound in spite of the rust. The Feadship team designed and built a new superstructure, marrying it to the hull while maintaining social distancing and other safety measures in recent weeks.
While the Istros restoration continues, with a classic-meets-contemporary, family-oriented interior in a Scandinavian style, one of the more interesting new aspects is her electrical power system. The owners wanted something cleaner and greener, and of course reliable. Therefore, the megayacht—whose name translates to “inspiration” from Greek—incorporates a microturbine.
Microturbines are not new sources of power. However, they are new to yachting, having become more powerful in recent years while remaining compact. The microturbine aboard Istros features a 65-kW turbine genset that delivers D.C. power to a battery bank. That battery bank will handle peak electrical loads, plus distribute power via a D.C.-to-A.C. converter. Therefore, this eliminates the need for an extra exhaust-emissions treatment system, which further occupies more space. Additionally, it lets Istros meet IMO Tier III emissions standards. Even more benefits include little to no vibration, silent operation, less maintenance, and cost efficiency.
Look for the Istros restoration to finish in time for the megayacht to cruise this summer.
Feadship feadship.nl
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