The Latest Kraken 50
This month we will take a brief intermission from the Kraken 58 Birth of a Blue Water Yacht series to bring you an update on the latest Kraken 50 which will launch in April. As the finishing touches are made prior to launch, we would like to show you a retrospective of the build from the start to the present.
1.
The first step, as always, is to spray the gelcoat in the pre-waxed mould. This boat owner has selected a white finish for the gelcoat.
2.
Once the gelcoat is finished, lamination starts. After the outside skin, the structural foam is cut, laid and laminated using vacuum bags.
3.
The ZERO Keel™ receives its massive 6.4-tonne lead ballast. The keel mould is actually split in two at this stage, allowing us to laminate the space within the keel prior to the lead being inserted. Both sides of the keel mould are connected and the lead is laminated into place from the keel sump. This allows us to build the only fully integral keel in the world with no bolts, including an integrated ballast bulb.
4.
The structural stringers and frames are again cut from structural foam and laminated into place. This is a very different approach to most production yachts of today which use a one-piece skeleton that is bonded to the hull. Each structural element in a Kraken yacht is laminated in place and our transverse frames extend from the chainplates all the way to the keel base to distribute keel and rig forces. This provides the ultimate structural integrity.
5.
With the structural elements installed, the bulkheads are the next to be installed. Again, these are made from structural foam and laminated into place. Along with the frames, the bulkheads help produce a very rigid hull.
6.
One of the milestones of the build is the day the hull is removed from the mould. The mould is split apart and cranes lift the hull so that the two halves of the mould can be moved away. She looks stunning.
7.
Meanwhile, lamination takes place on the deck mould through the same steps as the hull.
8.
Once the deck is finished, it is released from the mould and the various hatch plants are removed before receiving the final touches.
9.
After a dry run, the deck is raised up and onto the hull where it is bonded into place.
10.
Whilst work continues on system installation within the yacht, the carpentry team builds and mocks up each cabin’s cabinetry. This boat owner has selected an afrormosia interior with afrormosia and ash striped cabin sole. Here we see the galley cabinetry being mocked up.
11.
The cabinetry around the navigation station.
12.
The saloon sofa area. Once the carpentry team are happy with the mock ups, they are sent to the varnishing paint shop.
13.
Here we see a section of the afrormosia and ash cabin sole, prior to varnishing.
14.
The stunning finished cabin sole sections are all ready to be moved to the boat. Afrormosia has a lovely colour and is complemented well by the ash stripe.
15.
The carpentry team also work on the cockpit table.
16.
The finished table is ready to be taken to the paint shop for varnishing. The team was very proud to show off their craftsmanship.
17.
And finally, the varnished table elements are stored in the drying room before being taken to the boat.
18.
With the deck in place, the team starts to install the stainless steel equipment, deck hatches and prepares for the Flexiteek synthetic decking.
19.
Within the yacht, the cabinetry is prepared prior to the final appliance installation.
20.
The system installation is ongoing. The electric cables and plumbing need to be easily accessible and labelled clearly.
21.
The deck is now laid, the stainless stanchions, deck gear, hatches and windshield are all in place. A water test needs to be performed overnight to ensure there are no leaks. We run a long term soak test and pressure test over a 12 hour period to ensure there are no leaks to the interior of the yacht.
22.
The Kraken 50 is prepared and loaded onto a truck. We are now ready to head to the launch point. Check back next month to see our coverage of the launch or subscribe to our social media channels.
