Wally founder Luca Bassani took me for a spin onboard the first 26.23m WallyAce yacht Kanga in Ravenna, Italy yesterday.
The unusually-styled WallyAce design, which we first reported on in October 2010 offers high volume, comfort, stability and reduced fuel consumption. Kanga, launched in June, was the first to leave the yard, but two more have been ordered, with launch dates at the end of 2012 and in spring 2013.
Onboard Kanga the 7.75m beam feels extremely roomy, especially in the saloon and aft deck, while the two lower deck VIP cabins have 2.3m of headroom and enormous openable windows on to the transom platform. Kanga’s owner chose a four cabin layout, with two twins further forward, but a three cabin option is also available, joining the two VIPs to create one enormous master cabin.
‘The third owner who has made an order wants it open,’ says Bassini, ‘and for us that is the cherry on the cake.’
To reduce fuel consumption and increase performance, Kanga features an innovative displacement composite hull with the Wallybow, a vertical bow aimed at piercing waves, with an incorporated bulb. This feature was designed by Wally, Allseas and Luca Bassani Design.
To the same end, Kanga features two low-RPM 385hp Caterpillar engines that give Kanga a top speed of 13 knots and a cruising speed between 11.0 and 11.5 knots. At 12 knots she is expected to have a range of 3,000nm, at 9 knots 5,000nm and at 8 knots, 10,000nm. On our visit she was consuming 21 litres of fuel at 9 knots.