Alpha Centauri has launched superyacht luxury hydroplane

Alpha Centauri has launched its first prototype, which aims to combine the luxury of a superyacht tender with the speed of a hydroplaning raceboat.

This 8.3 metre speedster was designed to be the Lamborghini Miura of the seas, and can serve as either a superyacht toy or a super-fast tender. Seating capacity is for just four passengers, accessed via a fighter jet-style lifting canopy.

The British company behind this super-fast tender is unapologetic about its single-minded design: “It’s impractical, woefully inefficient and terrifying,” Alpha Centauri’s Chris Phillips told Boat International. Nonetheless, he predicts that hydroplane technology in superyacht tenders will one day become as commonplace as mid-engine design is in luxury supercars.

Meant to combine the luxury of a tender with the speed of a race boat, the Alpha Centauri Hydroplaneresembles a fighter jet

The hull is made using cellular sandwich composite construction, with a stainless steel space frame giving high rigidity and low weight at just 1650kg. Designed with the aid of computational fluid dynamics software this hull gives an exceptionally low coefficient of drag.

Inside the four bucket seats, Raymarine navigation, digital dashboard and a sound system by Rockford Fosgate are located in an ergonomically sculpted dashboard and centre console with inset laser cut stainless steel panels.

 

Alpha-Centauri - the first luxury hydroplane to enter the leisure market--

The hull is made using cellular sandwich composite construction, with a stainless steel space frame giving high rigidity and low weight at just 1650kg. Designed with the aid of computational fluid dynamics software this hull gives an exceptionally low coefficient of drag.