SUNREEF YACHTS INTRODUCES THE INNOVATIVE IPS SYSTEM TO THE POWER CATAMARANS RANGE

In 2013 Sunreef Yachts has done something rather extraordinary from an engineering Stand point. Together with VOLVO engineers, the company's in-house engineering department has developed an innovative IPS system installed on the new 60 Sunreef Power LILU-YACHT . IPS systems make maneuvering of the boat much easier with the possibility of side cruising and easy turning just with one joystick. Despite being widely used on regular motoryachts, they are very uncommon on catamarans, especially large-sized yachts in which the shipyard specializes in.

The shipyard decided not to build a completely new hull, dedicated for IPS propulsion, but to modify the existing hull of the 60 Sunreef Power model. There were several challenges associated with arranging placement for IPS units in the engine rooms and with the correct positioning of IPS units in relation to water level and hull position. This task is rather simple for wide monohulls but requires much more planning on catamaran narrower aft sections. The research resulted in success and the positive results have even surpassed the owner and Sunreef/Volvo engineers’ expectations.

The shipyard is already considering some further improvements on the hull shape that could allow for closer turns hence giving better maneuverability in very small spaces, like crowded marinas. The IPS system will be therefore offered on all power catamarans available at Sunreef Yachts.

The engineering department is already working on the new motoryacht model, the 90 Sunreef Power and doing a lot of hull optimization calculations to enhance the performance, motion at sea and savings on fuel. The hull had originally been forcast with a standard shaft line. The company is now working on the IPS version of this boat so that 2 propulsion systems can be available on the same hull shape, according to the demand. Sunreef Yachts keeps working closely with Volvo to foresee the further development on their IPS range for that size of Superyacht catamarans. With this system on our super catamarans, Sunreef Yachts has opened a new chapter in nautical engineering.