The dream boat
Mitch Pachoud, Director of New Zealand-based Voodoo Yachts, recounts vividly the epiphany that led his father, Dave, who co-founded the company, to create a flawless boat. “It came from him being out there for the third straight day of perfect weather in the middle of another ocean crossing thinking, ‘we could be doing any speed at all, if only we had the capability and range’, something that didn’t yet exist.”
Coming from decades of boat-building and design experience since he opened his shipyard in 1987, Dave set out to create a yacht that combined the best of all worlds. His vision was to create a yacht that combined absolute luxury and utmost quality with high speeds, extreme fuel efficiency and adventure capability, which would enable people to traverse oceans and reach destinations in ways previously considered impossible.
In 2010 the Voodoo Yacht prototype was conceived, and with it the birth of a new class of yacht – the high-speed, hydrofoiling expedition cruiser. Since then, the company has built a range of vessels, varying in size from 60ft to 100ft, each uniquely capable of handling difficult ocean conditions and combining high performance with onboard comfort and a sense of “hovering” above the water.
The pivotal breakthrough for the company was in its unprecedented application of hydrofoil technology to luxury motor yachts. The exceptional fuel efficiency of the “Xpedition Wing” – developed by Voodoo Yachts’ engineers – enabled the boat’s hulls to be propelled at speeds of up to 50-plus knots, easily outdistancing other, less efficient boats. Voodoo Yachts’ craft also use sustainably sourced materials for their airy, attractive interiors – sustainability is a watchword for them. “We lead the way already in terms of fuel efficiency, to apply it to interiors is a logical next step.”
As proud New Zealander “boaties”, the Pachoud family has the ocean in its blood. The Voodoo Yachts team spends a lot of time on its boats, rather than in offices, developing new ideas in research and development, always looking for improvements. “We’re breaking boundaries, pushing forward as far as we can, regardless of what the rest of the market accepts as possible,” says Mitch. “The adventurous yacht owner puts their trust in people who lead, who have a spirit of adventure and pioneering themselves. We understand them better than someone just building a boat in a factory.”
They believe this passion transmits to their customers. “Our clients tend to be discerning people who value their freedom to live life on their terms and, to them, our yachts offer that – you have more options than with other yachts, to go fast, to go far,” he says. “And our boats are battle-hardened in the sort of rigorous weather you find in the South Pacific – we’ve proven their capability in serious conditions over the years.” Strength and engineering work seamlessly behind the scenes of a luxury yacht of the highest class.
Moreover, Voodoo yachts are adaptable: usable for luxury cruising, scuba diving or more onerous ventures; and high levels of customisation are available. Mitch cites one client looking to explore The Kimberley, in northwest Australia. “It’s a beautiful, rugged and isolated place, but has unique boating challenges. There are 12- to 14-metre tides and the landscape changes dramatically between them. They need to be able to set the boat on the ground for servicing, to land and refuel a helicopter onboard and they wanted it to be the fastest yacht we ever built. Well, we build it and they’re going to have a lot of fun with it.”
