(Engineering · 9 Sep 2026)
Steel below, aluminium above
Why every HALCYON over 60 metres has a steel hull and a light-alloy superstructure.
Steel is strong, quiet and forgiving. It is the right material for the part of a yacht that meets the sea.
Above the waterline, every tonne lifts the centre of gravity and makes the yacht roll. So the superstructure is aluminium: a third of the weight.
Joining the two is a craft of its own. The bimetallic strip between them is welded on both sides, then sealed against corrosion for life.
“Weight high up is the enemy of comfort. Aluminium is how we keep it low.”
The hull plates are 8 to 12 millimetres thick and are shaped cold on a press. It takes four months to plate an 88-metre hull.
Then 1,400 litres of filler and 900 litres of paint, sanded by hand between coats until the topsides are a mirror.
Good paint lasts ten years. We guarantee seven.
