First a sombre look, then an open smile. The first expression is due to the Darth Vader symbol on the transom, the second facial expression comes from Monica Rampezzotti, who is standing at the martial driving position of her steel-grey Otam 70HT. She christened the 50-knot fast fun machine "Darth Vader" and developed the Star Wars styling with shipyard and designer Giuseppe Bagnardi. The unusual pairing caused astonishment among many a jetty visitor in Cannes. The steel-grey base colour and the black details in the form of the air outlets and inlets in the hull and on the hardtop are reminiscent of the Dark Lord of the Sith's turbo starfighter.
Monica Rampezzotti has been closely associated with the Genoa shipyard, known for its fast power formats, for many years. And yet she had to wait 16 months for her 50-knot yacht. That's a long time for a 22.27 metre composite construction, but there are good reasons for this, as Otam's Sales Director Matteo Belardinelli explains at the welcome: "Our owners decide on every centimetre of their yacht, starting with the choice of hull fibres. We only start laminating once the weight and top speed have been determined." The distribution of glass, carbon and Kevlar fibres also depends on the customer's comfort requirements. The highly experienced powerboat pilot Rampezzotti accepted an extra tonne of weight for relaxed high-speed cruising.
Solid hull results in comfortable sailing
The extremely solid substructure of "Darth Vader" consists of four parts Kevlar and three parts each of glass and Aramat, a strong and heavy aramid fibre that is also used for bulletproof vests. Longitudinally laid carbon fibre mats can only be found in the deck and hardtop. Carbon fibre is lighter, but a very hard material that does not absorb torsion and impacts well and can also generate noise. Every Otam is contractually stipulated to have a maximum speed of up to three Beaufort, which is bearable for both man and material. Organizzazione Tigullio Assistenza Motoscafi calls the hull-deck unit a monolith. "Many owners come to us after having owned a standard yacht. Some are over 70 years old," reports Belardinelli in his pleasantly unagitated manner below deck. Like the tanks, the floor is connected directly to the hull, and all the wooden elements are cut to size by Otam carpenters on site to ensure maximum precision - in this case according to the specifications of the owner, Monica Rampezzotti.
Style matching the War of the Stars saga
Below deck, the three-cabin layout features countless references to the War of the Stars saga. In the corridor, Darth Vader gazes at you from an airbrush work; the metallic blue of his helmet merges into a dove-blue coloured wall above. Towards the bottom, shiny borders of black GRP and stainless steel strips alternate with light-coloured whitewashed oak. The ash-grey leather floor is not as dark as expected. Especially not aft, where there is a double and a single cabin. The forward owner's cabin with its leather-panelled island bed and a black-and-white image of the desert planet Tatooine above it is anthracite in colour. The backlit helmet logo of the stern reappears in the bathroom, whose shower cubicle is adorned with teak rods. Directly behind the stern is a cabin for two crew members, although the owner likes to sit at the helm herself. Rampezzotti had the dashboard modelled on Darth Vader's helmet and fitted with two large Raymarine displays.
Amazingly high level of comfort on board the "Darth Vader"
Even if large, massive doors and marble in the bathrooms cost a few kilos and therefore knots of top speed, 48 knots are still possible despite the displacement of 52 tonnes. With other propellers, even 50 knots can be achieved, claims Otam man Belardinelli. We move across the Gulf de la Napoule at 43 knots with an impressive rooster tail. The consumption: 393 litres per hour - and engine, of course. Arneson's surface drive with its five-bladed Rolla propellers is powered by two twelve-cylinder MTU diesels. The units, each with an output of 1472 kilowatts, clocked up 120 operating hours in the first season. "I particularly like the comfortable driving style. In summer, I always drive myself," says Rampezzotti, who always has a captain at her side. "I love fast boats and cars, including German ones," laughs the Italian, who set offshore records as a pilot and sat next to the legendary Fabio Buzzi, who died in 2019, as navigator, including on the 90-knot non-stop ride between Venice and Monte-Carlo. The hull, which Umberto Tagliavini designed with a 21-degree upturned centre of gravity, handles even rapid turns through the sometimes choppy seas. The level of comfort is amazingly high.
"Darth Vader" with a special design
Otam's Sales Director Matteo Belardinelli talks about the special features of the design in the cockpit as we head for the Lerins Islands: "We are talking at a normal volume, the hull is very balanced through the waves. That's the beauty and the result of the rigid hull structure." At lower speeds, the optional gyro stabiliser, a Seakeeper 16, counteracts unwanted movements of the 5.30-metre narrow glider.
Incidentally, Monica Rampezzotti belongs to a minority. Not in terms of the Otam owners' desire to take the helm themselves. No, the Genoese are celebrating great success with their customer-centred concept and solid build quality, particularly in this country. Over three-quarters of all deliveries go to Germany. Two more of the 70HT have been sold since the completion of "Darth Vader".
Matteo Belardinelli reveals at the end of the trip: "There is no plan B on fast yachts. Either they are solidly built or they will fall apart at some point."
Technical data
- Length over everything: 22,27 m
- Length (hull shape): 17,56 m
- Width:5,30 m
- Draught (full): 1,30 m
- Displacement (full): 52 t
- Material: GRP, Kevlar
- Motors: 2 x MTU 12V 2000 M96X
- Engine power: 2 x 1472 kW
- Speed (max.): 48 kn
- Speed (travelling): 40 kn
- Surface drive: Arneson ASD 14L generator:1 x Kohler 20.5 kW
- Fuel: 6500 l
- Water: 1000 l
- Navigation:Böning, Raymarine
- Bow thruster: Side Power QSH 400
- Construction: Umberto Tagliavini Exterior design:BG Design Firm
- Interior design: BG Design Firm
- Class: RINA "B"
- Shipyard: Otam, 2021
This article appeared in BOOTE EXCLUSIV issue 5/2022.
