both designers and builders are engaged in a very demanding challenge: finding competitive solutions both for the first cost and for the subsequent management and maintenance costs.
In this framework a new concept for the construction of pleasure crafts needs to be set up.
The main target is the design of a more energy-efficient ship, by optimizing speed, range and fuel consumption. Meanwhile, the pleasure craft must show charming lines along with wide and comfortable arrangements.
The paper deals with the proposal of different solutions for the propulsion system of a motorsailer yacht catamaran 24 m long. In particular, a comparison between conventional and two Diesel-electric propulsion systems is performed to find the better configuration in terms of global efficiency and fuel consumption. All the analyses have been carried out taking into account the energy demand of the various
users on board within a proposed set of operational profiles of the ship. The complete energy balances and the power management distribution diagrams of each examined propulsion system are presented.
