ICE YACHTS 60: CARBON AT THE SERVICE OF A FAST CRUISER

The project of a fast cruiser is maybe the most challenging test bed for a sailboat designer. It seems paradoxical but designing a racer or a cruiser draws specific boundaries that finally leave no doubt on the fina result. On the contrary, the creation of a project on which both the racing and the cruising soul of the same owner agree is often an insidious path devoted to the continuous search for a balance between dimensions that hardly ever coincide.

However, this path has been successfully taken by Felci Yacht Design and has recently resulted in the creation of the new ICE 60. The shipyard which is currently building her, Ice Yacht, is a beautiful reality in the world of the Italian boat industry. Based in Lombardy, the boatyard has managed to combine its innovative ideas with the experience of the former CN Yacht 2000, which was taken over in 2013, and enrich production with new technological contents.

Every single step in the boat building process is carried out within few hundred metres in the establishment of Salvirola, where the production process is always proudly custom.

That is the background to a very elegant boat, characterized by essential lines and a very clean deck plan. On the ICE 60, the arrangement of winches, the high-sensitivity rudder and the clear areas where to maneuver suggest how this boat has been conceived as a fast racer for exciting regattas with crew.

However, the size of the area situated just behind the rudders (there are 2 x 3.4 m totally free before the transom) immediately suggests the presence of a considerable lounge area and a possibile sun pad. The extendable stern unveils a swimming platform which can also be used to launch the tender. The tender garage is large enough to accommodate a 3.30-metre rib.

The whole flooring, as well as the upper part of the deckhouse, is made of high-quality teak and the elegant design is also recognizable in the electric jib furler built-in under the deck plan and shrouds connection is positioned directly on the hull. The carbon bowsprit extends for another 1.30 m to the bow and hosts the lower section of the anchor, which can therefore maneuvered without damaging the hull. When put against the wind, it provides the basis for the gennaker.

Wide and well-protected, the two seats in the cockpit can frame a folding large table. The bow with its nice “scimitar sword” shape and the evolutive chine extending from the large stern to the bow, softened by a perceptible chamfer of the chine, give a pleasant sensation of power worthy of a real racer.

The choice of the sailing plan reflects the constant search for the right balance between performances and easy handling. The mainsail develops over 130 square metres, equipped with a 90 square-metre 108% jib. The carbon mast envisages no flying shrouds and the gennaker features a remarkable surface of 330 square metres.

The powerful sailing plan forms a counterpoint to the Weldox-steel fin and a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) lead bulb for a ballast of over 6 tons. If we consider that the overall displacement doesn’t exceed 18 tons, we can easily imagine the responsiveness of this boat. The layout of the ICE 60 currently under construction foresees a 2.85-metre draft but the shipyard will offer three different solutions in the future, including a drop keel.

We have already dedicated an article to the construction techniques and know-how of the shipyard and what is certain is that they are absolutely high-quality. Hull and deck are laminated with glass and carbon fibres and epoxy resin. Their construction process includes three different steps: infusion on the external layer, vacuum-bonding of the PVC foam core and infusion of the inner layer. All the carbon structural reinforcements are directly laminated and infused on board, which ensures incomparable resistance and strength.

At the moment, interiors are available in two different versions with three or four cabins. The first one seems to be more congenial and generous in terms of volumes and comfort. Built by the artisans of the shipyard directly inside the hull (so, after that the deck is assembled), interiors result from an attentive study focusing on elegant aesthetical details and the use of composite light panels for greater weight reduction.

The project foresees a 150 HP engine, 900-liter water tanks and a 600-liter fuel tank. The launch of the first ICE 60 is scheduled for summer 2017.

Specifications