WallyPower 118′: the 20-year-old boat that still sets the standard

History is made up of such important dates, events and names that define a before and after, and it has been said many times that, in the world of boating, Wally represents one of these cardinal points. Since its debut in the sailing world in 1994, Wally has marked a paradigm shift. In 2001, it launched its motor range with the famous Wally Tender 45, the progenitor of a market, that of megayacht tenders, and a design, the sleek, minimalist walkaround, that have been successful beyond all expectations. But among all the shipyard’s models, there is one that has become a real benchmark: the WallyPower 118′

WallyPower 118′

The boat that still sets the standard

That of Wally’s first project is a design that is still cutting edge today. How do you mean? Take the case of the brand new EVO R9, a new 90-footer which both in its aesthetics (masonry and superstructure) and in its pursuit of extreme speed (over 60 knots) has numerous points of contact with the progenitor of Wally’s motor designs.

The 118 brought to boating concepts such as the vertical bow, the monolithic hull, in the case of the Wally totally without openings. And then the superstructure, all glazed-an absolute novelty at the time-and defined simply by a large trapezoid, like a large shark fin. And perhaps it is no accident that, that 118′, was christened precisely Galeocerdo, meaning Tiger Shark.

Or we still think of the bulwarks that open up to increase the surface area. We are talking about what are now commonly referred to as “knock-down terraces.” If seeing all this at sea hardly surprises us anymore, it is because someone – Luca Bassani, founder of Wally – cleared them through customs more than two decades ago now.

The yacht that saw ahead

Launched in 2003, it has appeared in an episode of Top Gear and even in a Hollywood movie, but WallyPower 118 is much more than an avant-garde yacht design. It all stemmed from the search for a high-performance hull, which involved some very prestigious names: Rodriguez, a historic shipyard of turbine-powered high-speed hulls; Intermarine, a benchmark in composite work, thanks to its history of military contracts; and Ferrari, at whose wind tunnel, in Maranello, aerodynamic flows were studied to power the engines through the showy air intakes on the sides.

All this results in a living work of fiberglass, and extensive use of carbon composites from the waterline to the superstructure, to ensure a strong and light structure. Propulsion is provided by a CODOG (COmbined Diesel Or Gas) system, which is a hybrid consisting of two diesel engines and as many as three gas turbines, which manage to put out an impressive 16,800 hp. But as much as one may be a nautical novice, one does not need to be a designer to understand how disruptive its lines are. In short, one could devote pages to this model that literally set the standard, both from a design and a technical-engineering point of view, but I’ll just give a number: one. Like the number of examples that were built of it. So pioneering and extreme that it remained the only representative of its class. And this yacht, with class, and personality, has plenty of it. In short, a true number one.

Le 8 barche a motore che hanno fatto la storia di Wally