Review: Moonen 94' "Nilo"

Nilo’s engine room sports full walk-around, non-skid aisles with excellent space allotted for maintenance of the big twin CAT C32ACERT diesels. A good part of Nilo’s extra length is to provide room for the larger engines.

A round-bilge hull was chosen for smooth sea keeping, but accented with sharper chines to meet the performance protocol. At Nilo's intended operational speeds, the entrance of the waterline needed to be narrow, graduating to a fairly aggressive bow flair for blue water capability. To keep it dry, a spray-rail was incorporated for higher speeds, but not so pronounced that it accentuated slamming and noise at anchor.

Nilo utilizes Controllable Pitch Propellers with prop cones. Although CPP is nothing new, it is not often seen in yachting, with the exception of sailing yachts which have embraced the technology for reduced drag under sail by allowing the propeller blades to weather vane. There are many advantages to CPP that result in easier handling, maneuverability, safety and performance. CPP allows lower operating speeds, without the abrupt movement associated with gear engagment. It also allows the pitch of the prop to be matched to the RPM and torque curve of the engines. The net result is longer engine life, smoother transitions and typically, increased acceleration and top speeds.

On the subject of transitions, performance and safety top the list of CPP attributes. For example: Nilo can accelerate from 0-20 knots in only 20 seconds and from 0-top speed (26.5 knots ) in only 40 seconds. Also the crash stop is extremely smooth because pitch and rpm are reduced and subsequently increased in reverse in a very controlled way. This results in a crash stop of only 2.5 ship lengths but what is more impressive is the smoothness of the whole crash-stop.

And finally, Nilo utilizes prop tunnels for reduced draft, allowing her to swing larger propellers with a reduced shaft angle. A keel was added for longitudinal stability, as well as prop protection. Special attention was paid to blade tip-to-hull clearance to further insulate the vessel from noise and vibration.

Moonen was fortunate to have a client who was a knowledgeable yachtsman and proved to be extremely helpful with many practical aspects of the build. Being a large ship owner, he understood the many advantages of current ship technologies, including the merits of Controllable Pitch Propeller systems, which ultimately convinced him to adapt the same for Nilo. Emile stated "In this gentlemen, we had the perfect client to build our first high speed yacht with CPP"...

... and members of YachtForums couldn't agree more!

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Review by Chuck Gnaegy.​

Specifications:

LOA: 94’
Beam: 21’5”
Draft: 6’
Disp.: 166,000 lbs.
Fuel: 4250 gal.
Water: 650 gal.
Power: 2x CAT32ACERT
Max Cruise:” 26.5 Kn @ 2300 rpm
Cont. Speed: 18.5 Kn 10% load
Range at econ: 2,500 nm

For further information contact:

Moonen Shiipyards
Graaf van Solmsweg 52 5222 BP ’s
Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands
+31 (0) 73 6210094
www.**********

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