Tony Castro Yacht Design have been shortlisted for the International Yacht & Aviation Awards 2014.  Their project Ecomar 40 will enter the Yacht Concept Design 30-50 meter category.

Tony Castro have developed a super-efficient 40m , 35 Knots performance powerboat design, combining luxury with economy and reasonable speed.  In particular they were keen to develop a design that could half the running costs using a max of 4000 HP compared with a contemporary 40m powerboat using conventional propulsion with 8000 Hp.  This yacht follows the philosophy that less-is-more, simple-is-best.  It is intended as a very light but well built yacht, comfortable, strong and meant for sea going passages.  The systems are designed to be as simple as possible, easy to maintain and complex integrations are to be kept to the absolute minimum.

In order for powering predictions to be realistic a preliminary weight estimate was calculated. Initial investigations placed the vessel at approximately 80 tonnes displacement. This value allows the vessel to reach target speeds, which range from 30 to 35 Knots, depending on weight loading.  The intention is to design a yacht that represents good-value–for-money, easy to service and maintain, using the best of equipment where it makes sense but avoiding “fashion” induced excesses or overspec’ed equipment, and yet very fast for its length.