WHAT THE BOATS ARE LIKE

Our primary goal in our motor yachts is to produce an elegant, even stately, and seaworthy boat. Internally, we have striven for a relatively spacious feel with significant provision for privacy, rather than crowding in as many people as possible. This, combined with the high length / beam ratio of the boats, produces a surprisingly long boat for its accommodations, but also a boat that should be pleasant to be on board in almost any conditions.

As is the case with all of our interiors in boats large enough to have enclosed cabins, our first interior priority (after safety) is a private, comfortable owner's cabin, with its own private head. In this case the boat is large enough to permit a private shower as well. As is the case wherever we can manage it, the shower is separate from the head, as our Chief Designer is of the strong view that having the shower in the head leaves the next person to use the head with a hot, damp place to have to deal with, as well having the head unavailable to anyone else when someone is showering. Due to limitations on fresh water capacity, it is assumed that the showers will use sea water for all but a final rinse, though of course that could be changed if an owner so required. The cost would be that fuel capacity would probably have to be reduced considerably. While that is not out of the question for a coastal cruiser, we don't feel that the reduction in cruising range is necessary.

The owner's cabin on this boat also features a roomy lounge area which can be used for conversation, reading, catching up on the financial markets, or other such activities. There is also a wide screen TV mounted forward of and above the bed for those who (like one member of our team) like to watch TV while falling asleep. There are two emergency overhead exits from this cabin, while the main exit is through a very short hallway formed by the head and the shower, and leads to the after companionway, which is located on the starboard site forward of the owner's shower, not in the aft end of the cabin. This is not a novel arrangement, it was used in the 1920s and 1930s, and so is another part of the traditional yacht concept, though we used it because it made a nicer cabin for this boat, not for the sake of being traditional.

Forward of the owner's cabin, there are two guest cabins, each featuring two berths and a private head. There is a guest shower as well, separate from the heads, but shared by all the guests.

Forward of the deckhouse, there is a galley and small dining area where someone can sit to eat a snack. The galley is a U-shaped arrangement, with the stove situated so that the chef can face forward while cooking, making it much easier to work while underway with a mild seaway running. Forward of the galley is one more enclosed cabin, suitable for a professional couple or possibly for children of the owner. It too has an enclosed private head.

The deckhouse is devoted to steering the boat, and to a spacious dining area which can accommodate up to 8 persons. There is also a small wet bar opposite the steering station.

The deck layout features a covered aft sitting area, which can be enclosed with plastic surroundings if the boat is in a windy area, or to permit being on deck in a light rain. Above the central portion of the cabin is a 17 ft shoreboat, and the motor yacht's mast is arranged to serve with its boom as a hoisting arrangement for the shoreboat.

While the boat is powered by twin Caterpillar diesel engines, there is a smoke stack, which is not only for appearance, but also serves to vent exhaust and other gases from the engine room, which is located below the deckhouse.

There were actually two versions of this hull, one with a deep forefoot, and one with a shallower forefoot. After some discussion within our team, we settled on the shallower one, as it makes maneuverability of the boat better, and may also slightly reduce any tendency of that boat to "trip" over its forefoot and broach in a following sea, a tendency that all boats with vertical stems and comparatively deep forefoots have to some extent.

The choice of the split level sheerline was for aesthetics: both the split level and continuous sheer are traditional, but after preliminary drawings with both for another proposed boat, it was decided to use the split level, and we have stayed with that decision. We believe there are some real problems with having lots of flair forward, so the flair in this boat is very moderate. This is also somewhat more traditional, though there were a number of boats built in the 1920s and 1930s with a lot of flair forward too. While the boat might take a little more spray in some conditions, we assume that people will either be inside the boat, or on the after lounge deck, not on the foredeck when the boat is underway. The moderate flair will reduce pitching motion in a seaway, providing a smoother "ride".

One key question in the lines development for this boat was decision not to use a forward bulb under the waterline. These have some ability to reduce drag, at least at certain speeds, and it is claimed by some that they reduce motion in a seaway, a claim which may have some merit. The concept, as close as we can tell, seems to have originated with Admiral David Taylor who was doing very early model testing for the U.S. Navy toward the end of the 19th Century, so in that sense they could even be called "traditional". However, they definitely do not seem to be traditional for these motor yachts -- we found only one boat from this era which had one and we are not at all sure that it was original -- and the decision was made not to use one.

Range and speed are additional considerations. For this boat, assuming it is built approximately as envisioned here, and is equipped with the engines and power train used in evaluating its performance potential, we would expect this boat to be capable of a top speed of a little over 16 knots in smooth water, and would expect it to have a cruising range -- at its anticipated smooth-water cruising speed of 11 knots -- of about 1730 nautical miles with its 2030 gallons of diesel fuel and twin Caterpillar C12 diesel engines. It is important to note, though, that these performance estimates need to be verified by model testing, which should also be utilized to devise optimum stabilizers, and so they must be considered estimates until that model testing is done, which will take place only when there is an actual commission for the boat.

The 61 actually was developed before the 84. We began by working out what the right length was for this boat. It took some work too, due to the fact that we wanted the smallest boat that would provide the interior we wanted. We tried designs in the low 50 ft region, and then worked very hard on a 56 ft version, but always we either had to leave something out that we really wanted in, or it was just too crowded. The result was the 61 that is shown here...

There is a strong family resemblance to the 84, and much that is said above about the 84 applies to 61 as well. What we call the "commercial" version of the 61 -- the one for general consideration (we also have a version with an office instead of the guest stateroom) -- accommodates 6 people, presumably two couples and a couple of kids (but could even be one or two professionals instead). The main points of focus are the large owner's cabin, head for each sleeping area, and a shower separate from the heads, avoiding the need to use a wet dripping head after someone's shower, and also avoiding having to wait to use the head while someone is finishing their shower (the reader will no doubt recognize that we have a strong dislike for having to do that).

While there is (opposite the galley) a small dinette suitable for a quick sandwich or for chatting with the chef while he/she is working on a meal, the main dining area is in the upper deck house aft of the steering station. Early on, one of our design team members, Cyndel, came up with the idea of a table that could not only fold open to a larger table, but could also be raised and lowered, thus serving as a dining table or a coffee table. It's a bit of a squeeze, but 6 people can dine at that table.

Opposite the steering station is a small wet bar. This is another source of some on-going consideration: this area can instead serve as a dumb waiter to bring food and beverages up to the deck house level from the galley below, but that would have to be at the cost of the wet bar. This will have to be one of many "owner's choices". The drawing shows the wet bar. Use of the dumb waiter would also require considerable redesign forward, as the forward head would have to be relocated to make room for the lower end of the dumb waiter.

Like the 84, the 61 has much of the heavy weights concentrated amidship, both to facilitate the upper deck house, and to concentrate the heaviest weights more-or-less in the fore/aft center of the boat, thereby minimizing tendency to pitch when driving into a seaway.

Also like the 84, the 61 has a shore boat above the main cabin, and a mast and boom arrangement for launching the shore boat. In this case, the shore boat is 12.5 feet long.