All-Composite Yacht “Galaxy of Happiness” Debuts in Monaco

Latitude Yachts’ futuristic, all-composite 53 meter (~174 foot) multihull trimaran known as the “Galaxy of Happiness” debuted at the Monaco Yacht Show. The yacht and its twin, simply named “Galaxy,” were designed by Coste Design & Partners in a record 2.5 years. According to Valdis Irbe, co-owner of Latitude Yachts, they are the biggest trimarans in the world. The Galaxy of Happiness’ exterior decks were laid with naturally grown Burmese teak and fabricated and fitted by Italian company DUCA Solutions using “innovative vacuum technology.” The yacht can carry up to six passengers, has a cruising speed of 20 knots and can reach a maximum speed of 28 knots. Both yachts were built in Latvia using Gurit’s SPRINT™ prepreg material molded in glass and carbon composites and featured Corecell™ M foam. As Gurit explains, Corecell™ “provides a combination of high shear strength with low density, high elongation, high-temperature resistance and low resin uptake.” The material was used for the yacht’s “slamming area,” as well as in the superstructure, hull and multiple decks. For the secondary bonding, the yacht builders used Gurit’s Ampreg 22 and Spabond 340LV products. Gurit says most of the parts of both trimarans were built in one piece with a one-shot process, including the hull and its engine foundations. During construction, Gurit paid numerous on-site visits to support the manufacturing process and to discuss complex areas of the construction in more detail with the builders. "Taking Gurit on board for the entire composite material package supply and process support was a perfect decision and very much helped us achieving such a great result,” Irbe said.