Hands-On innovation at Morrelli & Melvin
November 4, 2009
A common attribute among designers and engineers at Morrelli & Melvin is the ability to build what they design. We believe that the hands-on experience enables our team to not only design products that can be built efficiently and economically, but also leads to innovation in materials and construction methods.
Gino Morrelli started out working on racing cars and boats in his family’s back yard as a teenager. He built his first boat with his dad and brother, a 33-foot Crowther trimaran in high school. Soon after he started his first company, Climax Catamarans, designing and building 18-square meter cats. He has been entrenched in onshore and offshore race-boat construction efforts since the early 80’s, managing and participating in the construction of 60’ ocean racing catamarans, Formula 40’s, the 1988 Stars & Stripes America’s Cup catamaran and many racing beach catamarans. Today he manages the Product Development side of our business where he helps bridge the gap between design engineering and our customers’ production lines. His many years of experience in racing, design, as well as on the shop floor, help us design boats that are beautiful, perform well, and are practical and economical to construct.
Pete Melvin has been creating innovative vehicles since his youth. Not discouraged when the boat he built as a 6-year old did not float, he rebounded and built a fast motorized skateboard by the time he was 10. Pete and his father designed and built several Optimist dinghies and then formed a company to build them. They used Nomex honeycomb and carbon fiber long before these materials gained acceptance in the marine industry. Pete has always designed, built, rigged, and prepared his own race boats, creating many innovations along the way and gaining valuable hands-on experience. He recently designed and built an innovative electric motorcycle that goes 50 miles on a single charge at up to 60 mph. His motorcycle is a test bed for lithium battery and electric propulsion systems that are increasingly finding their way onto M&M’s commercial, military, and pleasure boat designs.
38 Feet of Great Vacation Sailing is Launched
July 24, 2009
Sunsail 384 hulls in sling being lowered by crane into the water
Sunsail celebrated the launch of the new Sunsail 384 catamaran from the Robertson and Caine factory in Cape Town, South Africa the week of July 14, 2009. The first yacht in a major fleet to feature solar panels, over thirty of the new catamarans are heading for Sunsail destinations across Asia and the Caribbean this fall and the Mediterranean next spring. Sunsail’s total fleet purchase plan for 2010 is over 140 new yachts, demonstrating confidence in customer demand and in line with Sunsail’s strategy of continued growth with an exceptional fleet.
The Sunsail 384 has been exclusively produced for Sunsail, with the design completed by performance multihull architects Morrelli & Melvin Design & Engineering, Inc. This catamaran is a market leader, designed for high performance with a generous sail plan, yet is also highly practical and easy to sail, making it an ideal entry level catamaran.
Bright, comfortable interior
Morrelli & Melvin design a wide range of racing, cruising, and commercial yachts. Our designs have won the America’s Cup, numerous World and Continental championships, Round the World and Transatlantic records, and multiple industry awards.
Look for details and a review of this new cruising yacht in upcoming issues of Yacht World Magazine
And, find out more about Robertson and Caine and the production luxury boats they build at www.robertsonandcaine.com .
SunSail’s full announcement is available at www.sunsail.com/media/press-releases/
ABOUT SUNSAIL
Sunsail celebrates its 35th anniversary this year, offering a wide choice of sailing vacations for all skill levels, with over 900 yachts in 28 locations worldwide. In addition to bareboat and skippered yacht, Sunsail provides fun flotillas, sailing school courses, beach club resorts, corporate and incentive team building events.
Stable, easy to sail cruising catamaran
Sunsail was founded in 1974 and is owned by leisure travel group TUI Travel PLC, a FTSE 100 leading international leisure travel group. Sunsail’s Gold LEED certified headquarters is located at 93 North Park Place Boulevard, Clearwater, FL. For yacht sales information, call 1-800-817-0807. For yacht vacations, visit www.sunsail.com, or call 1-800-772-3500.
Case Study: Tank Testing Models in China
December 5, 2008
World class towing tank at the Shanghai Ship & Shipping Research Institute (SSSRI)
Responsible: Bobby Kleinschmit, Morrelli & Melvin Design & Engineering Inc.
Client: Neil Clarkson, Windcat
Location: Hangzhou Sino Eagle & Leopard Co. Ltd
Fuyang/Hangzhou, P.R. China and SSSRI Shanghai, P.R. China
Project: Assisting Model Boat Builder, Hangzhou Sino Eagle & Leopard Co. Ltd and Tank Testing 24m power catamaran at SSSRI
Duration: Nov 08-Dec 08
“We found a world class towing tank at the Shanghai Ship & Shipping Research Institute (SSSRI). The tow tank was not far away from Hangzhou Sino Eagle & Leopard Company where we had built the 1/12th scale model of our 24-meter power catamaran. The tank was long and wide, could create accurate wave profiles and it had a fast carriage. It was perfect for the tests that we were conducting, because testing with a faster carriage gave us more accurate results for the high-speed power catamaran.”
Bobby K, Naval Artchitect setting up the test model
“We ran the test under the worst scenario for the boat, which meant trimming the boat to compensate for a lot of heavy cargo on the bow. The engineers at the tank were really interested in our project and made some recommendations about how to trim the boat differently and shift the cargo around. We did some more tests based on their recommendations and incorporated the improved results into our final design.”
“The test reports were similar to ones that we receive from other tanks around the world and they were delivered in the same time frame. The extra service and attention made the difference. I am sure that we will use SSSRI again, especially for projects with limited time and limited budgets.”- Bobby Kleinschmit – Engineer Morrelli & Melvin Design & Engineering
