Meet the next-generation stylish family yacht that offers top performance and great fuel efficiency. Roger Hill’s latest creation “Bajaca” is a twin hull boat built in Divinycell core material. Light and sleek, it virtually slices through the water, giving a smooth and stable ride.
A stylish and modern cruiser
“Bajaca” is an 18.7-meter power cat that comfortably houses family and friends and is perfect for long range cruising and living. Designed by Roger Hill Yacht Design, New Zealand, it was commissioned with a brief for up-to-date styling above the waterline, self-contained facilities for extended cruising in remote areas, and the ability to run at 25 knots if required.
Roger Hill has been drawing boats for almost 40 years. Approximately 20 years ago, he started designing under his own name. His first boat was the 14.5m planning power cat “Life.” Since then, there has been a steady stream of interesting and varied projects. Given the project goals, it was clear to Roger that the clients needed a semi-displacement hull. Live aboard ability was critical so fuel capacity, water-making ability, power generation, and storage were priorities in the design. Noosa Marine, on the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane, Australia, was commissioned for the build, and construction began in June 2014.
Divinycell H for top performance
Because of previous project experience and construction successes, Roger decided to base the design on ATL Composites DuFLEX composite panels with structural Diab Divinycell H foam cores. Divinycell H has a proven track record, and its unique IPN chemical structure, yields impressive mechanical performance making it ideal for applications subject to fatigue, slamming or impact loads.
Diab's core saves weight
“Construction with DuFLEX makes it possible to achieve required weight, stiffness and stability and optimize fuel consumption without sacrificing comfort or performance”, says Roger Hill. “Using the Diab foam-cored DuFLEX option saves approximately 2,000 kilograms over more conventional building methods.”
The hull bottoms, lower topsides, chines and engine bearers were cored with 30mm Divinycell H130. For all other structural areas, Roger chose Divinycell H80 manufactured predominately in DuFLEX form, but also with unidirectional laminates for curved sections to optimize engineering and performance in specific areas. Non-structural interior parts were made using lower density Divinycell H60 and H35 cores to guarantee uniform stiffness, stability, and a lighter weight.
Sea living in luxury
The Bajaca was launched on the Sunshine Coast in December 2015 in front of an audience of 200 people. The modern design features an owner’s cabin measuring the full width of the hull, as well as three guest cabins. With a luxurious interior, plenty of amenities, and extensive entertaining options inside and out, Bajaca offers enjoyable living during the long range trips made possible with Divinycell H’s lightweight, high-performance properties.
Read more about Roger Hill Yacht Design: www.powercatsnz.com/public/index.cfm
Read more about Noosa Marine: www.noosamarine.com.au/
