Boat building, and especially megayachts, has moved far away from wood construction, so the few wooden boats left are very expensive and hard to find. Most are old sailing boats that have been renovated in the spirit of the original and retain the traditional construction.
But this boat is different because it was designed and built in 2020, so it is a modern wooden boat.
Afra is a motor yacht with an overall length of 50 m. The yacht is built by Obaid Bin Juma Bin Suloom from the United Arab Emirates,
The world's largest wooden yacht was built by soaking teak leaves in boiling water and then wrapping them around a GRP superstructure.
Based on a design by Henderson Marine International, who also handled all the engineering, she uses a 'one-of-a-kind' construction of fiberglass and teak planks covered in a gloss finish, both in the hull and superstructure. The design is inspired by the classic shipbuilding techniques used to build dhows that transported goods in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. The original process consisted of sewing wooden planks together with various fibers, although the advent of steam bending helped somewhat to modernize practices.
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Evident in the way trees sway in the wind, wood has a certain elasticity that allows it to bend into shape. The traditional process began by soaking sheets of wood in boiling water in a steam box to soften the fibers and make them more flexible.
It is designed in a traditional way in a modern design. The superyacht, Afra, can accommodate up to 12 guests and also has accommodation for 5 crew members, including the ship's captain.
The yacht harmoniously combines traditional elements of wooden yachts with modern furniture and decoration, creating a unique result.
The interior design is distinguished by modern minimal furniture in beige color and a combination of materials such as leather, marble and wood.
Guests can sleep in three master staterooms and three standard cabins with en-suite bathrooms, but the larger cabins have lavish features such as walk-in closets and full marble bathrooms.
The yacht currently represents the largest private wooden motor yacht in existence – with an official Guinness World Record pending assessment.
Power comes from two Caterpillar engines producing a total of 3,512 horsepower, which propels her to a respectable top speed of 18 knots (20 mph/32.2 km/h) and a cruising speed of 12 knots (13 mph/21 km/h).
This wooden superyacht made her public debut in Dubai in 2020. She was on display at Dubai boat show 2024 and is for sale with Bush & Noble with an asking price of $8,995,000.
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