In november 2009, we signed a contract with Heesen Yachts to design their new 65m flagship, details of which were unveiled yesterday (27 April 2010).

The 6500 FDHF is based on Van Oossanen & Associates' Fast Displacement Hull Form (patent pending). The Fast Displacement Hull Form (FDHF) is a new and innovative hull form with significantly lower resistance than those of well-designed conventional round bilge and hard chine hulls. Furthermore, the FDHF achieves a good over-all performance rather than only achieving optimum performance at maximum speed, while also improving seakeeping and manoeuvrability. This results in an improved economic efficiency and less environmental impact in terms of engine-emissions.

The Heesen Yachts 6500 FDHF platform was the result of an elaborate conceptual design study carried out by Van Oossanen & Associates. The result of which was a platform for Omega Architects to base their novel exterior styling on. More than half a year of further development and naval architecture has blended the exterior styling with the radical new platform into a thrilling yacht.

Van Oossanen & Associates b.v. have been involved with all of the performance aspects of the yachts built at Heesen for more than 15 years and have carried out the complete naval architecture for Galactica, Man of Steel, Sky, the 4000 Semi-Displacement series, the 5000 Displacement Series, the 5000 Semi-Displacement series, the 5500 Displacement Series and now the 6500 Fast Displacement Hull Form series.

The FDHF concept was first published to the scientific community, at the FAST 2009 conference in Athens, October 2009. Since then the FDHF has attracted much attention from private clients, yacht builders, designers as well as clients and yards outside of the yachting industry. Currently the FDHF is under development for a number of different projects, for different clients in a range of different applications.

Read more about the FDHF here or in the May 2010 issue of the Yacht Report.