Internationally renowned boat designer revolutionises hydrodynamic hull performance
The Ultimate Boat Company has launched a new range of high-speed powerboats designed by internationally renowned naval architect, John Moxham.
Moxham, who is 86, has had an illustrious career in the marine industry, from designing military high-speed craft through to creating the UK’s fastest RNLI lifeboat (E-Class Mark I). He was also at the forefront of using GRP for boats, designing the first mass-produced outboard-powered cabin cruiser, the Microplus, and is well-known for his work on high-performance designs for brands such as Avon, Ribeye, Scorpion and now The Ultimate Boat Company. This latest venture is, he says, “the pinnacle of my career”.
For the portfolio of powerboats, John has completely redesigned the hull to fundamentally redefine the way a planing hull interacts with the water.
The revolutionary and patented hull technology introduces a unique compression or hydraulic lift, resulting in superior manoeuvrability, performance and stability. Hydraulic lift is generated by modifying and then manipulating waterflow beneath the craft. John’s designs, which always start life on a traditional drawing board before being converted to CAD, apply fluid dynamic principles developed for advanced supersonic aircraft to reimagine hull technology and hydrodynamic performance.
The hull improves waterflow across the propellors, increasing grip to achieve superior manoeuvrability and tighter turning with little loss of speed.
It also introduces a major practical advantage by enabling the helm to easily maintain a constant visual on the horizon through its linear transition onto the plane, derived by mitigating stern squat and associated bow lift.
Each of the new hulls has been designed for a specific application within UBC’s range of commercial craft, with all models optimised to deliver best-in-class features. The range comprises of; Professional (up to 10.5m), Coastal (up to 8.5m), Offshore (up to 16m), Seafari (up to 12.5m), Search & Rescue (up to 8.5m) and Tactical.
The material being used to manufacture John’s pioneering new hulls is also unique. UBC is the world’s first boat builder to use a sustainable composite material called DANU for its hulls. This super-strong material is less brittle than carbon fibre, twice as strong as fibreglass and circular (no end of life), which means that UBC powerboats are built to last a lifetime.
Jeroen Wats, UBC’s Technical and Innovation Director said, “What John has done is to reimagine hull technology and hydrodynamic performance using principles that were first conceived during the development of the XB-70 Valkyrie supersonic bomber. This enables the boats to go faster, corner incredibly and provide greater secure handling, stability and comfort.”
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