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HAIR salon king and powerboat champion Steve ‘Stefan’ Ackerie has designed and built a $10 million state-of-the-art catamaran.
Drawing on the same design principles of ‘round-the-world racing yachts, Ackerie’s Hairazor vessel sets a new high-water mark for marine innovation.
The catamaran is 25m long and almost 9m wide, draws 1.4m and weighs 25 tons and was built with revolutionary construction techniques at Gold Coast City Marina Coomera.
The structure comprises e-glass over a balsa wood and foam core with carbon fibre and Kevlar reinforcing, resulting in a boat less than half the weight of and requiring half the horsepower to achieve the same speed as a traditional same-sized craft.
“It is built like a racing yacht rather than a power boat. It is stronger and stiffer and constructed to have a very kind sea motion. The boat will perform like a wave-piercing cat. It won’t roll or breach and it creates virtually zero wash,’’ says Ackerie.
Ackerie is a six-time Australian speed boat champion who holds the record for the fastest crossing of Bass Strait. He says Hairazor was designed for long-range economy rather than pure speed.
“It was technology rather than brute power I was interested in,’’ he says.
“It delivers incredible fuel efficiencies for a boat its size, with economy levels equivalent to a 40ft (12m) mono hull.”
Powered by two turbo diesel 430 horsepower engines, compared with the 1200 horsepower engines considered standard for a boat of its size, Hairazor has a cruising speed of between 15 and 17 knots, a maximum speed of 23 knots and a range of around 2500 nautical miles.
It has four cabins with sleeping for up to 15 people, a suspended spiral staircase with glass treads, four bathrooms and extensive use of marble.
Blending inside and outside spaces, the galley and entertainment area is positioned on the aft deck, which can be closed off to the weather in necessary.
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