The shipyard specialized in racing boats, King Marine, has just launched the first monohull with foils designed for ocean racing from its headquarters located in the former Team New Zealand base, in the America Cup Port of Valencia.
The boat is called the Flying Nikka and is owned by the Italian businessman Roberto Lacorte, a great lover of speed, an expert navigator and one of the best motor racing drivers in the world. With a length of 18.75 meters and a beam of 5 meters, its design, the work of Mills Design and KND, is inspired by the developments of the America’s Cup. A unique boat capable of reaching 80 km/h, which is the result of the experience, knowledge, and intuition necessary to design the navigation of the future.
The main difference between the innovative Flying Nikka and the America’s Cup units is its 1,700 kg lead bulbous keel, which guarantees its stability, while challenging its ability to rise above the water. It also has a rudder with elevators, flight control software, hydraulic propulsion, intelligent hydraulic circuit and machine learning.
“For us it has been a pride to develop a project of these characteristics. And being able to count on the human team of King Marine, our shipyard and our base in La Marina de València, has allowed us to face it with guarantees of success. Once again, the conditions in Valencia and the infrastructures of La Marina de València allow us to remain at the forefront of the construction of competition boats”, says Gabriel Mariani,
Flying Nikka is already carrying out its first sea trials in Valencia, showing a new type of navigation that, according to the company, we could soon see applied to passenger transport, which would mean a great reduction in fuel consumption – due to less resistance to water, since the hull is in the air, and the resistance is generated only by the foils- and greater sustainability.
2