How these superyacht stabilisers take onboard comfort to the next level

Noise and 24/7 comfort: two things that can make or break a luxury yacht experience - and this applies not just to guests with seasickness and sleepless nights, but to the crew, too.

It is the acceleration and deceleration in between each change of direction that affects a person's balance; not the up-and-down motion as most people tend to think. A yacht not only rolls, but it also corkscrews, a motion known as ‘yawing’. What stabilisers do is cancel out the rolling, softening the yaw in the process. Working against acceleration is tiring for even the most experienced crews as they are continually expending energy to oppose the ever-changing movement while being seasick can put a charter guest off boating for life. That’s why good quality, effective and reliable stabilisers are key.

BOAT talks to one of the industry's top companies specialising in yacht stabilisation, CMC Marine, about its products, focus on innovation and continued mission to keep comfort top of mind.

Quieter, quicker and more sustainable

Boasting a 90 per cent market share of yachts built in Italy, CMC Marine was founded in 2005 by Alessandro Cappiello, who had developed new electric stabilisers and wanted to bring them to the superyacht industry. Traditionally, the task had fallen to hydraulic systems to counteract the roll, but CMC Marine’s electrically-powered versions were quieter, reacted more quickly and were more sustainable as they don’t use oil.

CMC Marine's Poole office is the contact point for Northern Europe and the UK market whereas Fort Lauderdale in the US is the hub for the US and Asian markets. Additionally, the company has an extensive service network covering 27 global locations providing both retail and technical services so yachts can call on CMC Marine’s help and expertise anywhere they are in the world. The newest facility is Poole in the UK, which was opened in July 2023. The team there has been working closely with the company’s northern European clients such as Feadship, Moonen and Sunseeker.

One of CMC's most successful shipyard projects is a collaboration with Conrad. They first implemented a stabilisation system on the iconic motor yacht Viatoris, launched in 2018, followed by a bow thruster and stabilisers on ACE, the award-winning Conrad C144s motor yacht series, launched in 2022. Their collaboration has continued on hull number two Extra Time from the C144s line and on the motor yacht Moonlight, currently under construction.

"We highly value the professionalism and support of CMC Marine," says Pawel Polak, project manager at Conrad Shipyard. "With each project, we can count on technical assistance at all stages, from equipment installation, through connection and technical tests. The equipment is top-notch, just like its performance during use."

New product ranges

As well as the Stabilis Electra and Waveless Stab Electric Fin Stabiliser Systems, which offer over 30 different combinations, CMC Marine’s range includes Dualis Electric thrusters and Directa, the industry’s first fully electric steering system. Recently, the company premiered its new LR 180 and LR 250 models, the latter being the largest electrically actuated fin system the company has ever produced. The two new units are designed for boats from 50 to 100 metres in length.

This spring CMC went a step further, with two exciting new developments: the introduction of Stabilis 5.0 and an exciting new partnership with gyro stabiliser manufacturer, Gyro Marine.

The new Stabilis 5.0 model comes complete with an innovative algorithm that improves on-board performance and exploits all the benefits of CMC Marine’s Stabilis Electra system: immediate feedback on roll motion reduction; performance optimisation based on sea conditions; latest-generation Mitsubishi electronics; interchangeable AC/DC power supply; DALI (Display, Assistance & Log Interface) system. The system ensures even faster and easier yacht management, as well as better reliability and performance for the same power, latest generation remote assistance and high versatility.

A partnership with Gyromarine means that CMC Marine now includes gyroscopes in its product range. Now, yachts of any size can choose a number of different combinations of stabilisers and gyros to maximise comfort both at speed and at anchor. CMC Marine can work on custom yacht projects across different shipyards and come up with a perfect solution no matter what the hull’s length and specs. Alessandro Cappiello, CEO and founder of CMC Marine, explains that the agreement doubles down on their intention to provide cutting-edge technological solutions. “Fin stabiliser and gyroscope systems aren’t in conflict with each other,” he says. “What they do, in fact, offer is the possibility of integrating and optimising their stabilisation effects both at anchor and underway, as well as satisfying extremely specific technical requirements.”

A focus on innovation

To date, over 2500 CMC systems have been delivered and installed on yachts of all sizes, and the company’s turnover has doubled over the past three years. CMC Marine has also consistently invested in R&D, leading the market with a series of innovative solutions for yachts from 24 to over 100 metres. Last year, it announced a €10 million growth plan, with more exciting new technologies when it comes to stabilisers, thrusters and steering systems in development. When it comes to reliable, customisable and sustainable solutions, you can count on CMC Marine to steady the ship.

For more information about CMC Marine, contact the team today.

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