Expedition Yacht

One of the most important parts of a yacht design is its interior.  Of course it has to look good but then again, if the expression ‘there’s no accounting for taste’ applies somewhere, it’s in the yacht world!

But not only  that.  To separate it from the home interior or an ‘garage’ conversion, you also have to look at the materials used to create this interior.

To me, the ideal yacht interior meets the following criteria:

1. It looks good to more people than just the owner, designer &  yacht magazine editor
2. Even better, it continues to look good (even after intensive use)
3. It’s comfortable !
4. Of course it is safe (meets all MCA/class requirements)
5. and is easy to maintain and repair (happy crew)
6. It has “noise reduction design” written all over it
7. and it is environmentally friendly (that excludes using teak decks)
8. It is also cost effective to install and finally
9. it doesn’t depend on the workmanship only a handfull of yards can offer

Let’s see point by point how we’re trying to create  the perfect interior.

1. Looking good
   Well, I’ve already put on a few posts in the interior section on what we like. 
2. Continues to look good
   That means the materials have to be low-maintainance by design (unless you want crew to spend most of their time keeping the yacht look good), easy to repair. 
   
3. Comfortable
   I guess that speaks for itself but well, we all know examples of furniture that just doesn’t sit right.  We’re also trying to maximize the headroom and have at least 7.5 ft. of height in all areas.  The bedding has to be first class; the airconditioning silent without any unpleasant draft.
   
4. Be safe
   We will employ materials that have the appropriate fire ratings, meet all the structural fire protection required by Lloyds and MCA LY2, including a sprinkler system.  Very little real wood!   It’s amazing how some multi-million Dollar conversions use ‘Home Depot’ doors!
   
5. Easy to maintain and repair
   The meet item 4 and 5, we plan to use IMO/SOLAS-approved wall panel systems, doors, and ceilings wherever required or effective.  These very sophisticated building systems are used extensively in the off-shore industry and in passengerships and ferries where fire safety AND ease of maintainance are important issues.  By using  wall foils and coverings, they can be given any look you want and turnout as ‘yacht-like’ as you want.
   
6. Noise reduction
   Essential!  Floating floors, anti-vibration mountings of panels, it’s a whole science and industry in itself for which we’ll seek professional advice.  Luckily, there’s a lot of material available to keep noise under control but it all starts with the right design. 

7. Environmentally friendly
   A lot of these wall systems now use recycled materials, halon free foils, and there excellent alternatives to teak that are not only better for the forrest but also better on your wallet, have better isolation (sound and heat) capacity and are easier to install (see this post).
8. Cost effective installation
   That’s the beauty again of the wall systems described earlier like those of Inexa or Isolamin.
9. Workmanship factor
   Getting a yacht up to ‘Dutch yacht standards’ is an expensive proposition and not one of our goals. Finding good workmanship is hard everywhere with the yachting business booming and in part of the world is not known for building fine yacht interiors.  So we try to out-design this factor as much as possible by using professionally produced furniture like that of Maritime Mobler and their partners Ekornes.  

It’s been some since I touched this topic so time for an update.  Initially we looked at high pressure water mist systems (see earlier post).  However, their power requirements and associated cost made it impractical for our relatively small yacht like ours.  But, thanks to a tradeshow we ran into an innovative product by Danish company Novenco which made us reconsider the idea.  And upon reviewing Lloyds Register rules on fire protection, we learned we needed a sprinkler system anyway as we are over 350 gross tons. At any case, the additional safety provided by a water mist system and potential savings in case of a fire are very appealing.  Even if it weren’t required by class or MCA LY2 code, given the extensive conversion we are planning, we might as well build it into the yacht now.  Adding it later would cost dramatically more. And, a little bit extra structural safety won’t hurt the resale value either.

The Novenco XFlow water mist system is a state-of-the-art and and highly efficient water mist system, that combines the greatest benefits of both high- and low-pressure systems.

A central feature is its unique water mist nozzle (see picture above) that makes it require less water, reduce risk of clogging and requires a lot less power for the pump unit.  So, we get a very reliable system using the latest technology for a very competitive price.

The pictures show that  the water mist head is almost concealed which of course is nice.

This is also a fire extinction system for category A machinery spaces. We are currently protected by an FM200 system.   Since we need the pump unit anyway, we might as well use watermist in the engine room as well.  More importantly, in case of a fire, the system saves valuable time – and therefore potentially lives – because it can be released without first having to evacuate personnel. The system operates with freshwater and uses seawater for backup. This means you will always be able to fight the fire.

Check out the two brochures below to learn more about this innovative system works and its benefits.  If you have a yacht of 120 ft or more and you want to go the extra mile in fire safety like we do, it deserves a serious look.

• Novenco water mist for yacht accommodation (PDF)
• Novenco water mist for engineroom spaces

I wrote a lot about watermist systems in another post and have since written several manufacturers for more info.  I also consulted  with my naval architect and learned that in fact we don’t need a sprinker system under SOLAS rules.  Portable fire extinguishers and of course an approved fire detection system is what we need according to the rules. This brings us several advantages:

1. We save a lot of money as the pump units of these watermist systems are quite expensive.  Not only that: our emergency generator capacity would triple just to keep these pumps going. 
2. We don’t have to get system that makes everything wet when there’s a fire.

The alternative is an array of portable extinguishers or a product called NOVEC 1230 fire protection fluid by 3M.  More about it in a future post.  Meanwhile, check out their website, the info on Wikipedia and that of reseller Kidde Fire Systems.

It’s safe, it’s clean and good for the environment.

I said it before, where would I be without the Internet? Here we are in Panama, while a maritime hub, not exactly the center of maritime technology. The Panama Canal, while impressive and very smartly designed is over 90 years old and that’s about the last time anything big happened on the local maritime scene.

So, getting info on what we need to make our project happen involves many hours of Internet surfing.

While surfing, I learned I would need a sprinker system in the guest accommodations to comply with SOLAS rules. I had hoped to use the FirePro system but is not allowed for use in accommodation spaces as it creates a fine white mist which would not help guests to find their way to the exit in case of a fire. Too bad! It’s a great concept (see other article in this section). But sprinklers make everything very wet. Many times, they do more damage than the fire itself! But, so I learned, there’s an alternative. Water mist systems. They use about 70% less water, work more efficient, assure less smoke damage, require smaller piping and are environmentally friend: they use water after all.

So far I’ve found only two companies that manufactures these systems. A finish one, Marioff, seems to be the major manufacturer and they have a very informative website. Check out Marioff’s Hi-Fog system. Can you believe they even offer gold-plated sprinklers, especially made for use in mega yachts?

And I ran into a German company, Fogtec that also manufactures water mist applications for marine use. Also a very informative site. Do check out their water mist history section. You can even watch videos of their product in operation! Those guys know how to use the Internet to inform their prospective clients. Sehr gut !  And a Norwegian company, Autronica, offers a system called FlexiFog that uses a lot lower pressure, resulting in smaller pump units that require less power. 

The following links also provide useful information about the history and use of water mist systems:

• water mist fire systems for shipboard use
  (somewhat dated but very informative with comparativeinfo)
• High pressure water mist fire protection off-shore
• Water mist: old method, new technology

My only concern so far is that these systems are expensive or so I am told. At least they look expensive . Apparently they require stainless steel piping.  There’s an estimated 220 meters of piping required.  That adds up!  But remember, we’re not using the gold-plated ones.

The alternatives solution for passenger spaces that are also SOLAS approved is a gas called FM200. Here is how it works.   The thing is, one small fire and probably the cost of replacement gas is more than what a watermist system would cost now.  It’s like buying a inkt jet printer. They give them away almost for free but then they nail you on the replacement cartridges!

Today I came accross a great new way to fight fires: aerosols. They are an ozone friendly, cost effective, halon alternative. Firepro extinguishing aerosol generators use the latest generation of the stable SBK aerosol forming solid compound (containing no pyrotechnic substances).

Upon activation the solid compound is transformed into a rapidly expanding, highly efficient and highly effective fire extinguishing aerosol, based on Potassium salts. It’s friendly to humans, equipment and furniture, easy to install and has nearly no maintainance.

• Suffocation method (depletion of oxygen levels in air below 15% at normal pressures extinguishes fire)
• Cooling method (heat absorption)
• Removal of fuel

FirePro aerosol on the other hand, extinguishes fire by inhibiting the chain chemical reactions present in combustion on a molecular level.It removes the flame free radicals and extinguishes fire without depleting oxygen.

In a typical fire, atoms and fragments of unstable free radicals react between them in the presence of oxygen. This continues until the burning fuel is depleted or the fire is extinguished by other means.

On activation of the FireProAerosol Generator its solid compound is transformed into an aerosol consisting mainly of Potassium salts (e.g. K2CO3) H2O, N2 and CO2.

The gas type 3D properties of the aerosol particles facilitate their even and fast distribution as well as their flow into the natural convection currents of combustion.The solid particles of Potassium salts a few microns in size, suspended in an inert gas, display an extremely high surface to reaction mass ratio – increasing efficiency and reducing the quantity of material required.

When the aerosol reaches and reacts with the flame, Potassium radicals (K*) are formed mainly from the disassociation of Potassium salts e.g. K2CO3.The K* bind to other flame free radicals (hydroxyls) forming stable products such as KOH. This action extinguishes fire without having to deplete oxygen.

Check the website of FirePro for more info or even better the multilingual website of their Dutch distributor for some videos showing this product in action. Pretty cool.

Unfortunately, we can only use this technology in our engine room. It’s currently protected by a Halon system but when it requires replacement, FirePro is the way to go. At any case, we plan to use it inside generator sound casings. Should we ever have a fire starting there, it can be killed before we have a real fire.