SUPERYACHT #505
May 2004
Article selected from our quarterly magazine dedicated to the largest
and most luxurious boats with information, interviews, technical
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Article by
Angelo Colombo
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"SINE QUA NON"
SIMPLY INDISPENSABLE
The well known New Zealand boatyard Alloy Yachts International has
released the details of its biggest ever motoryacht: "Sine qua
non" is its name, appearing on the transom in the acronym S.Q.N..
The boat was built for the specific requirements of Alloy Yachts
International president Gary Lane. Designed by Dubois Naval
Architects, with interiors by the Don Starkey Design studio,
"S.Q.N." began to become a reality in July 2001 when the design
phase gave way to the creation of the first structural elements in
the New Zealand boatyard.
Launching took place one and a half
years later, on 8th February 2003 to be precise, in time for its
owner to take part in the superyacht race NZ Millennium Cup which
started on the 10th. In April of the same year "S.Q.N." reached the
Mediterranean where she currently remains.
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TECHNICAL DATA
LOA: 38.60 metres
Waterline length: 33.70 metres
Beam: 8.50 metres
Draft: 1.89 metres
Displacement: 214.000 Kg.
Construction material: aluminium
Designer: Dubois Naval Architects
Interior design: Donald Starkey Designs
Class: Lloyds Maltese Cross A1 SSC Motor Yacht Mono G6 LMC
Engines: 2x1.450 Caterpillar diesel coupled to 2 ZF gearmotors and
5-blade screws
Cruising speed: 13 knots
Maximum speed: 16.5 knots
Range at cruising speed: 2.530 miles
Range at 10 knots: 4.550 miles
Fuel tanks: 36.334 litres
Freshwater tanks: 10.740 litres.
For further information contact Alloy Yachts International,
1 Selwood Road, Henderson, Auckland, New Zealand, P.O. Box 21480,
Henderson; tel. +64 9 838 7350; fax +64 9 838 7393; website
www.alloyyachts.co.nz; e-mail mailbox@alloyyachts.co.nz.
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Hull and superstructure
are entirely in aluminium, a choice which allowed the boatyard to
manage weights, optimising the distribution to full advantage of
performance and stability. It is designed on three decks of which
the upper houses the bridge, forward and extending across the
whole beam, with the wheelhouse in a central position. Aft there
is an open air living area sheltered by a rigid structure that
follows the shape of the deck surface but leaves plenty of space
to the environment, thanks to the absence of vertical structures.
The aft zone of this deck houses a Jacuzzi equipped with flow
generation for swimming. The vessel is 39 metres long with an 8.50
metre beam, dimensions that allowed the designers to develop
interiors in line with the owner's requirements but without having
recourse to stylistic forcing that would have compromised the
pleasing aesthetics of the whole. The main deck has a spacious
cockpit, almost totally sheltered by the aft projection of the
flying bridge, with a dining area and a foldaway table that seats
ten comfortably. Athwartship on the transom there is a sofa that
follows the curve of the structure while at the sides there are
two safe and handy companionways down to the spacious stern
bridge. From the cockpit you access the indoor saloon through an
automatic glass door. Here there is a corner bar, a card table,
sofas, armchairs and numerous accessories for relaxation. Forward
there is the area for formal dinners which stretches the whole
width of the superstructure and has a table that comfortably seats
ten. On the same deck, slightly forward of the amidships area, the
indoor bridge, which is actually developed on an intermediate
level between the main and upper decks, is equipped with an office
corner, private bathroom and the wheelhouse in a central position
with windows that ensure 180° visibility. Forward of the
bridge there is a spacious study and the owner's cabin with a
private lounge, two bathrooms, double bedroom, dressing room and
large perimeter windows also offering a 180° panorama. The
open area forward on this deck houses a tender and davits for
handling. There is another tender aft, a Rib Novurania 530 DL, in
the garage under the cockpit sole, handled by electro-hydraulic
systems, as is the jet-ski Sea Doo GTX 4 Tec which is kept in the
same place. As the owner is a scuba enthusiast the garage aft has
a station for refilling air bottles. The lower deck of "S.Q.N."
has two spacious adjacent double-bed cabins with en suite
bathrooms, plus another with twin beds on the starboard side, also
with private bathroom. Then there is a gym which, on request, can
be transformed into another double cabin. The interiors are all in
precious wood which lends each environment a high level of welcome
and elegance, consonant with the importance of the design. Forward
of the guest area, the lower deck houses the skipper's cabin and
two double cabins for the crew, plus bathrooms and relaxation
areas for personnel. All the rooms on board have plasma screen and
DVD reader, including the saloon and the gym, for a total of eight
independent systems. Moreover, each room has a hi-fi system with
cordless headset, thus avoiding disturbance of other guests'
privacy. These are only a few of the details developed by the
designers to ensure maximum comfort for all those aboard during a
cruise. But special attention was paid by Alloy Yachts in the
development of safety apparatus. For example the smoke and fire
detector system that operates in every corner of the yacht ,
systems for the control of on-board plant by means of touchscreen
technology, surveillance cameras in all sensitive areas such as in
the engine room and externally for 360° observation around
the vessel . All this is additional to what is prescribed by MCA
regulations, to which "S.Q.N." corresponds in every structure and
compartmentalisation. Alloy Yachts has also paid special attention
to soundproofing the interiors by means of sound-absorbing
materials that ensure total heat and sound insulation with regard
to the exterior. The structure as it stands also guarantees
considerable absorption of vibrations, with top comfort under all
points of sailing. Of course the on-board electronic systems are
in line with the vessel's potentialities and with international
standards for this type of boat. "S.Q.N." is an exclusive yacht
which its owner was able to build by daily taking part in its
construction and with the possibility of intervening in the
smallest detail in order to obtain a custom built superyacht.
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