Expeditionyacht.org

When thinking about the ideal helicopter for an expedition yacht, this is a nice one to have around.  Reliable, spacious and folding blades. The Eurocopter AS 350B2 is a single-engined utility helicopter that can accommodate up to 7 passengers. Development of the AS 350 Ecureuil started in the early 70s under the Aérospatiale banner. The first flight of an Lycoming LTS101-powered machine took place on 27/06/1994. The second prototype was fitted with an Arriel 1A and took to the air on 14/02/1975. Certification (with a Turboméca Arriel 1B turboshaft powerplant) was achieved in October 1977. The single-engined AS 350B2, powered with a Turbomeca Arriel 1D1 engine was certified in April 1989. The AS 350 is marketed in North America as the AStar or SuperStar. The helicopter divisions of MBB from Germany and Aerospatiale from France merged in January 1992 to form the Eurocopter Group.

The three main rotor blades mean it has shorter blades than the Bell Jetranger that can carry only 5 people.  And, they are foldable which is important when you have three main rotor blades ! And as you can see above, we just found a 3D model.

We’re still looking for that interior look that’s both elegant and warm. Timeless but not the super-classic teak & copper everywhere.  My taste is definitely European but not the minimalist Italian look with lots of light-colored leather.  I also want it  to be easy to maintain (removable carpet on hardwood floor for instance) and eliminate the local workmanship factor as much as possible because it’s not very high.  So no elaborated ceilings or lots of detailed woodwork.

There are some images of things I like. What do you say?

The above images are of the Moonen Nilo.

Below two images of Dixon Design (British)

This saloon is nice. Our ‘Almendro’ wood has a lighter color and the chairs on  the left are not quite my taste but I’ve seen a lot worse.

Finally, this below is Hakvoort stuff. Probably can’t afford that and the white carpet…. grrr. But it looks good and I like the storage compartments.

It’s not easy…  but we’re getting closer to knowing what we want.

For some time I’ve been looking for pullman beds that where comfortable enough to sleep an adult and easy to get our of the way, with feeling you’re sleep in a train cabin. Would there be a pullman solution that could kind of dissappear out of sight yet be very easy to get back in place? 

Yes, there is.  The come from the passenger ship suppliers in Eastern Europe.  I found a Polish (Banco) and a Finnish (SBA) supplier. They come with light fittings and best of all, a gas strut to make putting it back up effortless.  OK.  They look a little utilitarian but with a nice foil like those of Gislaved, they can be turned into elegant pullman beds that will look good for years to come.

And not only that, I also found a real-world sample of how this can look on a yacht.  The Heesen Yalla no less.  Look at the ceiling of this stateroom below.  A very elegant way to turn a twin stateroom in a room that accommodates four guests without the train-cabin feeling.