📦 Shipping Constraints (The "Box")
All components must fit within a single High Cube 45ft Container for global shipping to assembly yards.
Max Payload Weight
62,000 lbs
Buoyancy Target: 27,500 lbs (Rated at desired waterline). Structure weight must stay well under this to allow payload (humans + provisions).
✅ Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Core Specs
The baseline product: A comfortable, spacious, low-cost, solar-powered yacht capable of ocean transit and coastal living.
Superstructure: The Living Triangle
- Geometry: Equilateral Triangle, 44.0 ft per side.
- Function: Structural frame + Living Area Walls (Floor-to-ceiling: 7 ft).
- Enclosure: Fully enclosed, climate-controlled living space.
- Walkway: 3 ft wide external walkway w/ aluminum grating (wave-pass-through) & railing. Mounted 1 ft above keel/wall bottom. Diagonal braces from walkway to wall.
- Access: Two doors on Aft (Back) wall: 2 ft in from Port corner & 2 ft in from Starboard corner.
Propulsion & Buoyancy: The 3 Foil Legs (Trimaran Config)
- Count: 3 Legs (attached near triangle vertices).
- Geometry: Length 21.5 ft | Chord 8.5 ft | NACA 0035 Foil Profile.
- Container Fit Mod: Trailing edge tip (last 0.5 ft) truncated to fit 8.9 ft container height.
- Orientation: All 3 legs parallel; Blunt/Leading edge Forward (Low drag transit).
- Draft/Displacement: 50% Submerged (approx 14.5 ft draft / 14.5 ft freeboard on leg). "Soft" SWATH behavior (~14% buoyancy change per ft of heave).
- Positioning: Foil center (thickest) + 1.5 ft radius inside triangle footprint; positioned as close to triangle vertices as constraint allows.
- Thrust: 2x RIM Drive Thrusters per leg (Port/Starboard), 1.5 ft diameter, mounted 2 ft up from leg bottom. Fixed orientation; Steering via Differential Thrust (Tank-turn capable).
- Heave Plates: Bolt-on plates on lower leg sections for motion damping.
- Access: Integrated ladder on forward face of upper (dry) half of each leg.
Power & Redundancy Architecture
- Battery Storage: ~25% Displacement allocated to LiFePO4 packs (Located LOW in legs for stability).
- Triple Redundancy: Each leg has independent Charge Controller + Inverter + Thruster Pair.
- Solar: Full roof coverage.
Tender / Dinghy
- Type: 14 ft RIB (Shipped deflated).
- Propulsion: Yamaha HARMO Electric Outboard.
- Stowage: Mounted sideways on Aft center, shielded from wind by living area while underway.
- Deployment: 2 Aft supports + 2 lowering ropes.
Internal Structure & Packing Logic
- Cross-Bracing: Beams connecting wall midpoints at Floor & Ceiling level → Forms internal 22 ft equilateral triangle. Max unsupported span = 22 ft.
- Modular Infill: Remaining floor/ceiling panels bolt-in.
- Container Packing Plan:
- Starboard Wall (Right): 3 Legs stacked/nested (2 nested foil-to-foil, 1 alongside) running full 44.6 ft length.
- Port Wall (Left): 3 Wall Sections standing upright (7 ft tall) side-by-side (~3 ft width total).
- Center Void: Ample volume for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, interior fit-out, dinghy, hardware.
🚀 Planned Optional Extras (Roadmap)
These upgrades transform the MVP into a "City-Ready" platform.
OPTIONAL
Active control surfaces on heave plates/foils to counteract wave motion underway.
OPTIONAL
3x Helical screw anchors + motorized tensioners (Port/Stbd pairs per corner). Creates near-zero motion "parked" mode (Caribbean/low tide only).
OPTIONAL
Autonomous traction kite system for fuel-free ocean crossing / range extension.
OPTIONAL
Structural walkway + docking interface for safe human transfer between units at sea.
OPTIONAL
Cooperative station-keeping & thrust vectoring for linked seasteads; minimizes walkway relative motion during transit.
💡 Brainstorm: Additional Customer-Facing Optional Extras
Beyond the core engineering roadmap, here are high-value options seastead buyers typically prioritize:
🏠 Habitability & Comfort
- HVAC & ERV Marine-grade Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) Heat Pumps + Energy Recovery Ventilators (critical for sealed "triangle" envelope).
- Grey/Black Water Treatment Certified Type II/III MSD or advanced MBR (Membrane Bioreactor) for zero-discharge zones.
- Desalination 2x 50-100 GPD Spectra/Katadyn units (Redundancy).
- Interior Fit-Out Packages "Studio", "Family (2BR)", "Office/Work" modular furniture kits (CNC flat-pack).
- Acoustic Insulation Composite damping layers on foil legs & wall panels (reduces foil "hum" & rain noise).
- Smart Glass / Electrochromic Windows Privacy & solar gain control without curtains.
⚡ Energy & Resilience
- Wind Turbine Retractable mast-mounted VAWT (Vertical Axis) for night/storm power.
- Backup Generator Small DC Diesel/Propane genny (5-8kW) in dedicated sound-shielded leg compartment.
- Hydrogen / Methanol Fuel Cell Long-range range extender for ocean crossings.
- Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) Bidirectional EV charger on walkway for electric dinghy/tender charging.
🌊 Marine Systems & Safety
- Dynamic Positioning (DP) Class Upgrade thrusters/IMU/GNSS for automatic station holding (no anchor needed).
- Stabilized Gangway Telescoping active gangway for ship-to-shore or ship-to-ship (complements Walkway option).
- Underwater Inspection Drone Docking garage on leg for hull/prop/heave-plate inspection.
- Fire Suppression Engineered FM-200 / Novec 1230 in battery bays & electrical lockers.
- Liferaft Davits SOLAS compliant auto-deploy rafts mounted on walkway structure.
📡 Connectivity & Ops
- Starlink Maritime / KVH / OneWeb Dual redundant dome mounts on roof (gimballed).
- Bridge/Nav Station Dedicated helm station with integrated chartplotter, radar, AIS, VHF, autopilot UI.
- Condition Monitoring System (CMS) IoT sensors on bearings, thrusters, battery temps, hull stress, bilge; dashboard + satellite alerts.
🏝️ Lifestyle & "Community" Features
- Retractable Swim Platform Hydraulic platform off stern (dinghy moves aside) or side door.
- Rooftop Deck Hardtop Retractable hardtop over portion of solar array for shade/rain shelter without losing all solar.
- Aqua-culture Mounts Standardized hardpoints on legs/walkway for kelp lines, oyster cages, fish pens.
- Drone Landing Pad Designated zone on roof w/ inductive charging & tie-downs (package delivery / filming).
- Modular "Pod" Bay Standardized 10ft/20ft ISO corner casting slots on deck for swappable modules (Workshop, Guest BR, Lab, Cargo).
📐 Critical Integration Checks (Next Engineering Steps)
- Container Packing Verification: CAD nesting of 3x Foils (21.5' x 8.5' max section) + 3x Wall Panels (44' x 7' x 10"?) + Dinghy + Hardware = Volume & CG check.
- Structural FEA: Triangle frame loads (bending moment at vertices from leg attachment + wave slamming on walkway).
- Hydrostatics/Stability: Confirm 27,500 lbs displacement @ target WL with 25% battery weight low in foils. Check GM (Metacentric Height) for 7ft CG height living area.
- Foil Cavitation/Ventilation: RIM thruster placement (2ft up) vs foil surface pressure gradients at max speed.
- Leg Attachment Interface: Bolt pattern at triangle vertex handling thrust (fwd/aft), lift (heave), and yaw moments.
- Electrical Architecture: 3x Independent 48V/380V DC buses? Grounding/Zinc strategy for 3 isolated foil structures.