Vicem 77 Classic Flybridge Yacht for Sale

Vicem Yachts (pronounced "VEE-cham") builds classic style luxury motor yachts that are enjoyed by discerning yachting enthusiasts in many parts of the world. Crafted largely by hand at the company's shipyard in Istanbul, Turkey, Vicem models range from about 35' up to 150' in length.  Currently there are more than 150 Vicems afloat in Europe and the USA.  Since the company was founded more than two decades ago, the Vicem brand has become synonymous with impeccable craftsmanship, upmost attention to detail and quality, and widely respected cold-molded construction.

The Vicem Classic Series, introduced in the USA in 2001, includes models ranging from 34' to 72'.  These strikingly handsome yachts are an established favorite among Vicem owners.  Based on the achievement of the Classic Series, Vicem launched the Cruisers series in 2008.  These larger yachts, now ranging from 65'--115' are also attracting a great deal of attention.  We also build Sportfish models, ranging 54'-66'.

In 2008, Vicem started construction of its first composite 150' megayacht, which is a collaboration of world-renowned designers, Frank Mulder and Art-Line Design supported by a project management team with global experience in this area.

In recent years, Turkey has been am emerging powerhouse in the world of boat-building.  Vicem Yachts stands as the best example of this emerging market, with many years of experience and a fine reputation as an elite builder of classic, elegant motoryachts.

The cold-molded construction operation simply involves layers of thin veneers, oriented at different angles, glued over a mold.  The glue in this case being a specially formulated epoxy resin.  The marriage of engineered wood with formulated resins yields a hull that is lighter, stronger and more durable than a traditionally built boat.  There are two basic reasons for this:

1- Firstly, laminating several layers of wood at 90-degree angles optimizes the unidirectional strength of this naturally flexible product, making it ideally suited to resist and absorb the complex forces applied to a hull in a seaway.  Secondly,

2- Wood is a very strong material.  However, this strength is unidirectional, meaning you can easily bend the wood in one direction but it would break if you try to bend it in the other direction.  Binding together several layers of wood at 90-degree angles makes the hull much stronger in resisting the complex set of forces that effect the vessel during navigation.

Preventing the hull from absorbing more moisture than ideal is crucial in a wooden boat.  Many woods are two or even three times stronger when dry than they are when saturated with  moisture.  The cold molding system aims to keep the wood dry.  The epoxy soaks deep into the wood, sealing it off from moisture and oxygen.  Keeping the water out means no swelling and no rotting.  The glued joints are firmly bonded for long periods of time.  Through this method, the hull skin is built upon a wood frame in four directional layers of African or South American Mahogany (Sapele) composite planking.

The first layer (-45 degrees) is fastened to the frames, keel, chine and sheer strake with galvanized nails and saturated with epoxy; the second layer (+45 degrees) and third layer (90 degrees) are fastened and bonded with epoxy and stainless steel staples, while the fourth layer (0 degrees) is fastened via epoxy and stainless steel strapped staples that are then removed, leaving behind a smooth hull with no visible markings.  For larger, heavier yachts, an additional inner layer of edge-fastened strip planking mechanically locked together in a bead and cove fashion, with two outer layers of diagonally fastened mahogany planking, is required.  Both methods have mahogany laminated internal structural members for the keel, chine, sheer and beams.

The final structural construction step requires coating the entire bilge area, engine room and exterior of the hull with 10oz E-glass cloth, epoxy resin and a polyurethane paint system.  The exterior of the full is finished on top of the E-glass by multiple steps of long boarding, epoxy fairing compounds, epoxy primers and polyurethane paint to achieve a mirror-like finish.  The result is a yacht that has all the advantages of a laminated wood hull, such as natural insulating properties for sound and humidity, and is also stronger than standard fiberglass and traditionally built wooden yachts.

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