After being finalist at this year Showboat Design Awards in the category of Interior Design in motor yachts below 500 GT, the superyacht Onika was awarded the World Superyacht Award 2015 in her category.
The award winning motor yacht was engineered, designed and built by Delta Marine in United States at their Seattle, WA shipyard, and delivered to her owner in june 2014. The Delta Design Group handled the project starting from a previous and smaller Onika model owned by the same client: they created a classic yacht, with no substantial changes and great concern for details.
Built for sailing worldwide, while relatively petite, the vessel boasts all the best features Delta offers. Her traditional tri-deck profile has walkaround, sheltered decks and the uppermost deck has a hardtop for sun protection and for the electronics mast, which can be folded over.
Created for luxurious pleasure, Onika accommodates owners and up to four guests in three elegant cabins, also housing eight crew members. An innovative feature in the layout is the so called pipe tunnel: a conduit where pipes, cables and wiring run all through the hull. Such labelled and organised connections are very important in varying degrees: regardless of priority, Onika’s unusual tunnel allows for quick inspection and correction.
A British West Indies interior styling
The yacht’s interior design and furniture is custom-designed and made with the best of materials from across the world, with meticulous details within each piece of furniture.
All the en suites have heated marble floors, with classic beach house-inspired wall decorations, and fabrics offering a colour palette of rich blue, red and green. Selected furniture pieces are shaped in bow and serpentine configurations.
The upper saloon features expansive windows and a painted, antique, white wood bookcase brighten the German oak panelling and teak-planked floors: the cumulative effect is a British West Indies air of relaxation and elegance.
The saloon and dining area have an Edwardian-period setting thanks to Impressionist pieces of art and antique pieces belonging to the owner’s personal collection.
Engineering and construction
Onika‘s engineers aimed to reduce noise and vibration as much as possible. Delta uses bushings, rubber mounts and other spacers throughout the decks, allowing them to float. She’s also fitted with “zero speed stabilizers,” which minimise her rocking in rough water when she’s anchored. The result is lowered noise and a smooth and comfortable ambient without losing the sensations of cruising on a boat.
Onika is 350 tonnes, but her composite construction made it easier for the Delta team to meet the draught target of 2.1 metres. The composite hull delivers strength with less maintenance required than a metal hull. For instance, when repainting becomes necessary, paint will adhere better. A high-efficiency displacement hull offers improved long-range capabilities and lower fuel consumption thanks to round bilges, a bulbous bow and a long easy run.
Transoceanic performances
Powered by 2 Caterpillar (C32) 1,600hp diesel engines and propelled by her twin screw propellers, Onika is capable of a top speed of 16 knots, and comfortably cruises at 13.5 knots. With her 14,720 fuel tanks she has a transatlantic range of 4,000 nautical miles at 12 knots. Her water tanks store around 2,450 of fresh water.
