Bruce Barsumian has had a lifelong love affair with boating. He has built and modified boats since childhood, having owned 11 watercraft of all shapes and sizes throughout his lifetime. More than a decade ago, he got the itch to design and develop a yacht that would meet his own exacting needs and demands. "I developed this boat because there wasn't anything that could do it all," he says pragmatically.

An electronics engineer by trade and owner/partner of a highly successful company manufacturing counter surveillance detection equipment, Barsumian set out with the sole driving goal to create a luxury yacht that would go fast with smaller than normal engines, at maximum efficiency and comfort. Tapping a team of highly experienced yacht designers, naval engineers, yacht builders and industry experts, he is exceptionally proud to launch the yacht of his dreams 14 years later, the AXCELL 650.

"Historically, most manufacturers have increased a vessel's speed by simply installing larger, more expensive engines which results in greater weight and larger fuel requirements," said Barsumian. "All of this inevitably leads to the requirement for a stronger, heavier structure, along with increased draft for bigger props that sit deeper under the boat and all for only a few knots of benefit."

"With the right mix of technology, I found that a reversed design spiral could achieve the same goal by actually using less horsepower, smaller fuel tanks and a lighter structure," he explained. "Borrowing from the highly successful Hovercraft industry, we developed a new High Efficiency Surface Effect Hull form and created large, open air chambers in the bottom of each of the catamaran's hulls, and injected them with pressurized air. The result? More than 50 percent of the vessel's weight is now supported on an air cushion that eliminates most of the hull's water induced drag, creating an absolutely amazing ride!

Dubbed HybridAir® by Barsumian, this revolutionary new technology creates a whole new benchmark in yacht design, coupled with all the liveaboard comfort and great styling befitting a new industry niche trendsetter.