Case Study
Floating floor for the superyacht‘M.Y. Red Sapphire I’ (NL)

Outstanding vibration isolationand optimised acoustics
Virtually no change to the efficacy ofSylomer® after more than 20 years

Renovation of the floating
floor on the superyacht‘M.Y. Red Sapphire I’

Description of the project
The superyacht ‘Red Sapphire I’
was built in 1998 by Heesen Yachts
in the Netherlands. It is 39.1 metres long and 7.98 metres wide.
The semi-displacement aluminium
hull enables a maximum speed of35 knots. The exclusive interior,
designed by James McFarlane, provides space for ten people in ﬁvecabins.
Maximum comfort
In 2018, the yacht was completely overhauled. One key design objective was to offer guests and crew
the highest possible level of comfort
while travelling. With that in mind,
it was of paramount importance toprovide maximum isolation for thevibrations caused by the engines,
pumps and drive systems and to prevent footfall noise. To achieve this,the internal structures were decoupled from vibrations using an elastic bearing on the ship’s flooring.
This also reduces the occurrenceof secondary airborne noise, ensuring a quiet atmosphere aboard the‘M.Y. Red Sapphire I’.
Superior long-term behaviour
In order to meet the demanding comfort requirements, a professional vibration solution was essential. The
outfitter Autore, located in the United Arab Emirates, opted for Getzner’s
proven floating floors, as they had
done when the yacht was first fitted

out in 1998. The floors are mounted on elastic bearings to ensure thatmost of the vibrations generated by
the yacht are not transmitted to thefloor, and to reduce noise in the cabins in the long term.
It was the excellent long-term behaviour of Sylomer® that impressed Autore the most. When the outfitters removed the high-tech material as partof the renovation work, it had almost
the same properties that it had when
it was installed more than twenty
years prior. “The static and dynamic
material characteristics had remained

virtually the same despite the effectsof salt water, salty air, oil and dirt,”
says Omar Malas, the project manager responsible at Getzner, confirming
the results of the laboratory analysis.
The thickness of the material also remained practically unchanged dueto the outstanding creep behaviour
under permanent load. This demonstrates the long-term efficiency ofthe material in terms of reducing
vibrations.

Schematic showing the structure of the ship’s floor
Floor structure(laminated wood and marble)

Sylomer®
Strip bearing

Steel deck

Stiffening element

Mineral wool

Floating f loor of ship made from Sylomer® strips

The Getzner Solution
For optimal vibration protection,
the hull and walls were clad with12.5 mm strips of the Getzner material Sylomer® thus decoupling theinternal shell from the ship’s hull.
The ship’s flooring, which consistsof laminated wood and marble, wasbedded accordingly.

Alongside its stable temperature andoutstanding residue behaviour, thehigh dynamic effectiveness with low
deflection is a key benefit of the hightech material. Sylomer® is also extremely easy to work with and bonds
perfectly with steel, aluminium andwood.

Consistent long-term
behaviour of Sylomer®
Sylomer® maintains consistentmaterial behaviour for more than
20 years:— Virtually unchanged material
characteristics for static anddynamic permanent load
— The thickness of the material
is virtually unchanged— Low creep behaviour— Temperature resistanceof the material— Excellent residue behaviour— High dynamic effectivenesswith low deflection
Furthermore:— Easy to work with— Bonds well to steel,aluminium and wood
— Resistant to salt water,
salty air, oil and dirt
— Successfully used aroundthe world to bed ship floors
in large shipyards

Facts and figures at a glance
Restoration of the superyacht ‘M.Y. Red Sapphire I’

Renovation:
Client:Retrofitters:
Vibration isolation:
Scope:
Duration of renovation
project:
Completion:

1998
Heesen Yachts, Netherlands
Diaship Design, Netherlands
James McFarlane, USA
39.1 metres/7.98 metres
Motor yacht
35 knots

Ali Property Investment
Autore, United Arab Emirates
Getzner Werkstoffe GmbH
60 m2 floating floor using Sylomer® SR 55
9 months2018

Getzner Werkstoffe GmbHFounded:Chief Executive Officer:
Employees:
Turnover in 2019:
Business areas:
Headquarters:
Locations:

Ratio of exports:

1969 (as a subsidiary of Getzner,Mutter & Cie)
Juergen Rainalter
490 (of which 360 in Buers)
EUR 114.1 million
Railway, construction, industry
Buers (AT)
Berlin (DE), Melbourne (AU),Munich (DE), Stuttgart (DE),Lyon (FR), Amman (JO), Tokyo (JP),Paris (FR), Pune (IN), Kunshan (CN),Beijing (CN), Charlotte (US)93 percent

Further information can be foundin the fact sheet ‘Comfort on board
ships and yachts – vibration suppression and reduction of airborne noise in
shipbuilding’.
This can be downloaded fromwww.getzner.com/downloads/broschueren/ or is available in printed
form from Getzner.

AUSTRIA — Bürs GERMANY — Berlin — Munich — Stuttgart FRANCE — Paris — Lyon JAPAN — Tokyo INDIA — Pune
JORDAN — Amman CHINA — Beijing USA — Charlotte AUSTRALIA — Melbourne
www.getzner.com

CS Red Sapphire I en © Copyright by Getzner Werkstoffe GmbH | 02-2021

Year of construction:
Shipbuilder:Architect/exterior designer:
Interior designer:
Length (LOA)/width:
Type:Max. speed: