MOONRAKER SCALE RC YACHT (OVERSIZE)

Moonraker Scale RC Yacht

The Moonraker was completed in 1992 and its top speed of 77 mph makes it the fastest mega-yacht in the world at present. The boat's owner, John Staluppi, had previously held the record with his yacht OCTOPUSSY (61.5 mph). Staluppi entrusted the layout and design of the new vessel to Frank Mulder, whose Dutch studio, Mulder Design, specializes in high-quality motor yachts. The yacht was built at the Ulstein Elkefjord Marine yard, which is part of the 'Norship' consortium of Norwegian dockyards.

The Moonraker cost more then 15 million DM to build, and was originally designed to be fitted with three MTU diesel engines: two 16-V 396 T8 94's, each rated at 3480 BHP outboard, in conjunction with two steerable KaMeWa jet units, and a central 1200 BHP 12-V 183 TE 92 combined with a booster jet. However, tank testing showed that this combination would only produce a top speed ofabout 52.8 mph. The centre diesel engine was then replaced by a Textron Lycoming TF-40 gas turbine, rated at 4600 BHP. Total engine power is thus 11,560 BHP, and the boat achieved a speed of 77.05 mph during sea trials off Norway.

The Graupner Moonraker RC Mega Yacht is 58" long, has a beam of 11.2", weighs 17.85 pounds, and is 1:25 scale.