TECHNICAL LAUNCH – B-CRAFT AKOYA

TECHNICAL LAUNCH – B-CRAFT AKOYA

Technical launch that was six years in the making

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Finally, after many years of building, we put the B-Craft Akoya into the water. Rotterdam, close to where we were finishing the build, set the stage.

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Six years. We have repeated it many times over the last few months. Six years! Six years since the go ahead. Since the start of drawing the final plans, finishing the engineering, deciding on partners and start the build. Her Casco was built in the UK, her interior in Belgium, the finishes in Holland, the engineering of our patented part in Germany, designer items came from Italy and the engineering of the construction and hydrodynamics was done all the way in Canada. It felt like the world was watching over us that day.

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Understand this. Up until this point, everything was only theoretical. Yes, the boat was built and yes, parts were moving etc, but nothing had been put to the test. The real test. What would happen when she touches the water?
We are talking about a prototype. This means that sometimes along the way, we had to make certain decisions that would affect another part of the boat. Not just sometimes, always. We weren’t worried per se, but there was a certain tension in the air that day. What if moving a particular item brought the B-Craft Akoya out of balance? What if the hinges leak? What if the air inlets are not sufficient? What if the engine stalls? What if… what if…

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Tommy Vuylsteke followed us around that day and made a beautiful video that captured those feelings perfectly. You can watch it HERE

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Then, the moment arrived. She was hoisted from her trailer over the edge into the water. In a second, all the ‘what if’s dissappeared. She lay perfeclty in the water. She finally belonged. To celebrate, we christened her with a bottle of champagne. That moment in itself was quite the ordeal to organise, which you can see in the video. But the day was rewarding to say the least.

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The engine roared.

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The B-Craft Akoya soared.