The salmon-hulled version of the new Y8

YYachts is developing a new version of its Y8 that develops upon Cool Breeze, the brand’s first yacht. Built for the brand’s owner Michael Schmidt, Cool Breeze was followed by individual Y8 orders, but YYachts has now developed a modified 80ft platform that offers 20 per cent more interior volume.

The German builder produces fast, luxurious carbon-composite sailing yachts at its shipyard in Wieck on the Baltic Sea. Its most popular model is its Bill Tripp-designed Y7 (70ft), with over a dozen sales, while it’s also producing the first units of the flagship Y9, a 90-footer based on the custom-built Tripp 90 launched earlier this year.

The Y8 sits between the Y7 and Y9

The Y8 sits in the middle of the range and the first three units of the new version have already been sold, with the first hull for a Swiss customer.

For the new Y8, the YYachts design and development team based in Palma de Mallorca in Spain cooperated with Surge Projects, founded by Javier Jaudenes in 2012. Surge Projects designs have won many trophies and developed yachts as Win Win or the Café Racer.

The new Y8 is designed by Surge Projects

Dirk Zademack, CEO of YYachts, said: “Javier Jaudenes is an excellent fit for YYachts with his previous projects; he is a great addition to Bill Tripp. We build fast boats that are both safe and easy to handle. That they also display outstanding design is a given.”

In contrast to the previous Y8, the new model has a wider stern and a mast set further back, which Jaudenes predicts will result in high speeds.

YYachts offers luxurious, light interiors

“The jib will provide a lot of speed. A lot of R&D results from previous projects have gone into the Y8,” said Jaudenes, who said the fact that YYachts builds from carbon suits his studio’s philosophy.

“It’s an essence of our experience and will be fast, but at the same time very safe under any conditions. The new Y8 is a lot of fun. I would describe her as a good-mood yacht.”

The Y8 offers several interior layouts

The new Y8 includes a transverse garage in the stern, self-tacking jib and separate crew access in the cockpit and flat deckhouse, where optimally placed windows prevent the yacht from overheating.

The increased volume allows for many different layout options. The owner’s suite including a separate saloon can be located either in the bow or in the stern with direct access to the cockpit. The galley can be installed open or closed, while three or four cabins can be fitted.

Options include an aft owner’s suite with direct cockpit access

By moving the engine room below the saloon floor, the yacht has a lower centre of gravity and a better balance, also increasing speed. Due to the slightly raised saloon floor, owners and guests can enjoy an unobstructed view of the sea from the saloon.

Schmidt, who founded YYachts in 2016, said: “For me, this new Y8 is a very special design. After all, I founded the shipyard with the first Y8. In between, there were quite a few orders. But yachting is always evolving due to new building materials, different rigs and the regatta scene. This is what inspires us at YYachts to continually develop new products.”
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