One of the finest boating writers of his generation, Peter Cumberlidge passed away last month following a lengthy battle with cancer
Peter doing what he loved
best, cruising with his wife Jane
and sharing their experiences
with the readers of MBY
Motor Boat & Yachting is deeply saddened to share the news that Peter Cumberlidge has passed away at the age of 67.
For the last 38 years Peter has been lighting up the pages of MBY with colourful, life-affirming tales about the joys of cruising. That light has now been extinguished after Peter lost his battle with cancer last month.
It’s hard to believe that until a few weeks ago he was still sending in copy, correcting proofs and suggesting story ideas for the months ahead. It’s a testament to his remarkable work ethic and the tireless support of his wife and first mate Jane that the September issue of MBY appeared as usual with a typically uplifting column and seven-page feature, both written from Peter’s hospital bed. Such was his determination not to let his readers down that it never occurred to him to take a break until the decision was taken from him.
His choice of career stemmed from a lifelong passion for boating in all its rich and varied forms. The moment he discovered he could combine his two great joys of cruising and writing, he knew he’d found his calling. An avid sailor as well as a motorboater, he submitted his first magazine article in 1981 – a vivid story about cruising on his beloved 1936 gaff cutter Stormalong – and by 1983 he was writing full time for MBY’s sister magazines Yachting Monthly and Practical Boat Owner.
His first article for MBY was published less than a year later in the form of a beautifully written and brilliantly observed commentary on the unsuspected literary talents hidden within the pages of the Admiralty Pilot guides.
“These worthy and reliable tomes, compiled by professional seamen with a sense of style, can transport you wherever you feel like wandering, amongst all manners of dangers and in any combination of climatic conditions,” was how Peter introduced the subject – a sentiment that could well apply to Peter’s own much livelier writing style.
Tom Willis, editor of MBY from 1985-1990 recalls that Peter’s copy “blew in like a fresh south westerly, instantly making the turgid 4,000-word pieces from red-faced old buffers that we usually received seem redundant overnight”.
It wasn’t just Peter’s determination to make every word count that marked him out as the definitive cruising writer of his generation, it was his uncanny ability to make it feel like you were on board with him. Whether it was the sense of excitement that comes with making landfall somewhere new or his evocative descriptions of a deserted Mediterranean bay, it was as if you were seeing it all through his eyes.
But above all it was Peter’s love of good food and fine wine that ran through his copy like a rich seam of gold. On occasions it seemed as if his cruising itineraries were built around getting from one favourite pub or restaurant to the next, while enjoying the many coastal delights en route.
It’s no exaggeration to say that over the course of his career Peter’s countless magazine articles and nine different books have done more to encourage people to get afloat and make the most of their boat’s cruising potential than any other writer of his generation. He will be sorely missed, not just by all of us at MBY, but by the many thousands of readers, who for a few minutes every month let themselves be carried away on one of his joyous adventures.
Bon voyage Peter. There will never be another like you.
If you’d like to show your gratitude for Peter’s help and advice, Jane Cumberlidge has set up a JustGiving page in his name to support the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust and help young cancer sufferers go boating.
Is this the boating safety breakthrough we've all been waiting for? Hugo Andreae fits CoastKey’s latest wireless kill cord to his Karnic 2250
Regular readers will know I get quite aerated about the subject of kill cords. In an age where cars are packed with sophisticated safety devices such as automatic lane control and emergency braking, I struggle to comprehend why we are still relying on a piece of string and a kill switch.
I get that there’s something to be said for keeping things simple but as a growing tally of accidents has shown, they are by no means foolproof, with sticking kill switches, frayed cords and brittle plastic all adding to the problem.
But by far their biggest weakness is that even the most experienced skippers, myself included, sometimes forget to clip on. This rarely happens when you first set out but at some point you’ll need to leave the helm to retrieve a fender, attach a line or answer a call of nature and in your hurry to get back to the helm it’s all too easy to forget to clip back on.
There are two solutions I can personally recommend. The first is Lifecord – a smart kill cord that recognises when it’s not being worn and alerts you to it with flashing lights and an audible alarm. It’s simple, affordable, fits every kill switch and requires no installation (£89.95 from cordsafe.co.uk).
The second is a product called CoastKey that uses wireless technology to link you to the helm with the aid of a remote control key fob. You either wear it on a lanyard round your neck or clip it to a belt loop or lifejacket.
The beauty of this is that it gives you the freedom to move around the boat with the engine still running. However, if you do fall off or get thrown from the boat, the signal is lost and the engine cuts out just like it does with a manual tether.
I’ve been using the first generation CoastKey on my boat since 2013 and would never now buy a sportsboat without one. The battery in the key fob seems to last forever, it has always killed the engine whenever I’ve taken it for a swim or walked away from the boat and only twice in six years has it triggered unnecessarily, both times when I’ve been sat in the back of the cockpit and someone has blocked the signal.
However, there were a couple of minor irritations. The fob itself was quite chunky, there was nothing to show you it was working, and if you lost the fob, the process for overriding it was painfully slow and easy to forget.
Keen to show me how things had progressed, CoastKey sent me the latest version to try. Thankfully it uses the same connector that I’d already had plugged into the control unit of my 200hp Suzuki outboard so it was just a question of drilling a hole in the dash for the new helm display and plugging it in.
The RYA has revealed the results of its latest survey in which a third of respondents reported a killcord failure
The new fob is smaller and neater, the dash display provides visual reassurance of its status via coloured LEDs and a four-number keypad allows you to set your own code and restart the boat (without the code) if the fob wearer falls overboard.
As with the old system you start and stop the engine(s) using the fob, and you can add up to two other remote functions such as engine trim or an anchor windlass. I have the former so that I can lower the engine and fire it up while standing on the bow ready to cast off.
It’s pricier at €575, but it’s well worth it for the convenience and peace of mind it brings. There isn’t an official UK distributor but Southampton-based engineering firm Proteum can supply and fit them or you can order directly through the CoastKey website.
In light of the tragic death of Fabio Buzzi, we wanted to remind people of what a remarkable person he was, as Hugo found out when he met him for an exclusive preview of the Sunseeker Hawk 38
MBY editor Hugo Andreae at the helm of the Sunseeker Hawk 38 prototype with Fabio Buzzi riding shotgun. Photos: Matt Higham / Sunseeker
What do Sunseeker, the SBS and parrots have in common? The answer is a 76-year-old Italian powerboat racer by the name of Fabio Buzzi.
At an age when most competitors have long since hung up their racing boots in favour of comfy slippers, Buzzi is not only setting new speed records (he broke the record for diesel powered boats last year), he’s also supplying patrol boats to 43 different military corps and designing and building the hull of Sunseeker’s new superboat – the Hawk 38.
Oh, and he’s obsessed with parrots. Really obsessed. His company logo is a parrot head and one entire office at FB Design’s factory near Lake Como in Italy is a giant aviary in which colourful parrots fly around, preening, squawking (in Italian of course) and landing on the finance manager’s desk.
The indoor parrot aviary that also doubles as FB Design’s finance department
Avian eccentricities aside, the man is also a powerboating legend with more accumulated experience of building and racing fast boats than any other person on the planet. From marathon offshore events to river racing in hydroplanes and everything in between, there is nothing the man hasn’t competed in. And won.
Cowes-Torquay-Cowes, Round Britain, Offshore Class 1, USA Superboat – the list goes on. Even the hand-picked collection of boats suspended from the ceiling outside his office includes everything from a tiny wooden outboard-powered single seater (his very first race boat) to the monstrous quad-engined Red FPT and a hydroplane powered by a gas turbine engine from a helicopter.
I could happily spend an entire week in Buzzi’s company listening to racing anecdotes and the intricacies of modern hull design but I’m here for a reason – to drive the Hawk 38, Sunseeker’s first true performance boat in more than a decade.
Technically this is still the prototype without any of the fixtures and fittings that will turn it from a quasi-race boat into a fully-fledged luxury superboat, but as far as the driving experience goes it’s the real deal.
With it’s long, slender triple-stepped hull, 24˚ deadrise and twin Mercury R400 outboard engines, it should perform and handle just like the finished boat, albeit without the extra tonne or so that the windscreen, hard top and fully plumbed heads compartment will add to it.
Even with these concessions to comfort, the Hawk 38 will still be a very different beast to that other hotly anticipated £500,000 British superboat, the Princess R35. Where the Princess is a luxurious, carbon fibre, foil assisted 50-knot weekender, the Sunseeker is a pure open high-speed day boat – a faster, more focused driver’s machine guaranteed to get you to the beach first, come hell or high water.
The prototype of Sunseeker’s Hawk 38 rips across Lake Como at 68 knots
If it’s to deliver on that promise it needs to be not just a couple of knots quicker than its high-tech British cousin but in a different ball park altogether. There’s only one way to find out…
Mountain hideaway
If Fabio Buzzi’s factory is a tad quirky, wait until you see his secret test facility. Concealed behind locked gates and nestled into the mountainside on the shore of Lake Como, it’s based in a disused road tunnel, which Buzzi bought from the regional authorities.
Buzzi being Buzzi, it wasn’t enough that it already looked like a film set for The Italian Job, so he had the entire thing spray painted by a local graffiti artist with scenes of weird dystopian sea battles between the police and a motley assortment of drug smugglers, terrorists and other such ne’er-do-wells.
The disused road tunnel alongside Lake Como that now serves as FB Design’s secret test facility
There is some logic to it given that the Guardia di Finanza, responsible for policing Italy’s vast coastline, is one of FB Design’s biggest customers, but somehow I can’t see Rodman, Halmatic or any other patrol boat manufacturer taking quite such a tongue-in-cheek approach to factory décor.
Still, given that we’re about to test a boat with an estimated top speed of more than 60 knots on a lake with an official speed limit of just 27 knots, it pays to stay in with the local police!
Jaw still scraping along the ground, I make my way down the metal staircase leading to the pontoon where the Hawk 38 prototype is waiting for us. Even in the plain white gelcoat with which it left the mould (owners will be able to pick from a selection of standard or optional painted finishes) and without any of the styling adornments specified by Sunseeker’s design department, it looks the business.
A small selection of Buzzi’s race-winning craft hang in the foyer of his company’s HQ
Long, low, lean and purposeful, it bears more than a passing resemblance to that other well-known Buzzi/Sunseeker collaboration the XS 2000. Although, technically the Hawk 38 uses a brand new hull from a brand new mould, Buzzi freely admits that it’s an updated and in his view ‘perfected’ version of the hull that underpinned both the XS and the FB 38 high-speed patrol boat.
But whereas the previous hull had two steps and was hand drawn and sculpted with the inevitable asymmetries and imperfections that entails, this latest variant was honed on FB Design’s computer-controlled five-axis milling machine to be 100% accurate.
Buzzi reckons it’s his best hull yet and while Sunseeker has exclusive rights to the leisure version and the freedom to design its own deck and helm console, FB Design retains the rights for its commercial craft.
Fabio Buzzi was arguably the world’s greatest powerboat racer, designer and builder
Unlike the XS 2000, it also features Buzzi’s trademark STAB tubes, which not only provide much improved low-speed stability (at planing speed the tubes lift clear of the water) but also help cushion landings and maintain performance in the rough.
Buzzi likens the effect to a basketball; rather than landing with a thud and dissipating all its kinetic energy with sound and heat, it recovers most of it by bouncing back into the air. He claims his STAB boats do much the same thing, skipping across the wave tops rather than losing speed every time they crash back down again.
His lightbulb moment came during a race between a rigid-hulled FB 38 and an identical FB Tecno 40 RIB; on calm stretches the rigid-hulled boat was a knot or two faster but as soon as they hit choppy conditions the RIB version streaked ahead.
One of FB Design’s fast patrol boats in build
His solution was to fit much smaller STAB tubes at the stern, which combined the rough weather ability of the RIB with the speed, weight and size advantages of the rigid boat.
Reality strikes
Enough about the theory, time to test the reality. With Buzzi at the wheel and me sat alongside on one of the four matching Buzzi-designed suspension seats, he fires up the twin 400hp Mercurys (425hp Yamahas will be an option in some markets) and steers us away from the dock.
The prototype hull and deck of the Sunseeker Hawk 38 and the 60-knot FB Design patrol boat we used as a high-speed camera platform
Even by sportsboat standards the Hawk feels unnaturally thin (at 7ft 7in wide it’s 3ft narrower than a Princess R35 and almost half the width of a Sunseeker Predator 50). Although this benefits both its speed and rough weather ride, the real reason is more prosaic – it’s the widest it could be while still fitting into a standard shipping container for easy transportation to trouble spots and superyacht havens alike!
It’s also very low and exposed, almost disturbingly so without the windscreen, see-through side coamings and grab rails that will envelop the production boat’s occupants. My hands instinctively seek out something to hang onto as Buzzi starts to up the pace.
The acceleration is rapid and unrelenting, climbing onto the plane at around 12 knots and firing on past 20, 30 and 40 knots in roughly the time it takes to read this sentence. Buzzi pauses briefly at 50 knots to allow me to catch my breath. The wind is already whipping over the bare centre console, causing my eyes to water and tugging at what’s left of my hair.
The Hawk 38’s STAB tubes can be deflated so it can fit into a shipping container
The real surprise comes when he pushes the twin throttles the last few inches and I’m pinned into my seat once again. It accelerates from 50-60 knots as hard as most sportsboats do from 30-40, and even above 60 knots the speed-over-ground readout keeps on marching upwards.
At 65 knots there’s another pause while Buzzi trims out the legs to ensure the hull is skimming across the surface with just the trailing edge of the steps still kissing the water. My eyes are now taking such a buffeting from the wind that I can feel my eyeballs distorting, throwing my vision out of focus. Only by ducking below the lip of the console can I finally get a sharp enough glimpse of the MFD’s speed reading: 68.6 knots!
I grab a quick snap on my phone and hurriedly stuff it back into my pocket so I can regain my grip on the seat. Buzzi is heading for the wake of the patrol boat, which we are using as a photo boat, and showing no signs of slowing down.
Photographic evidence of the chartplotter showing a speed over ground of 68.6 knots
With a good 20ft of bow in front of us and those triple steps ensuring a very flat running angle, I’ve no idea how this is going to end. The impact, when it comes, is rather a non-event. The bow barely deviates from its bullet-like trajectory, nodding briefly as it crests the wake then settling straight back down to carry on carving across the surface as true and straight as an ice-skater’s blade.
Drive time
After a couple more passes to check everything is as it should be, Buzzi relinquishes the helm and invites me to take his place. The driving position feels good but needs an extra step to support your feet when seated. The steering also needs speeding up, as the seven turns lock to lock is way too slow for such a rapid machine. Both are already on the snagging list for sorting prior to production.
Separate throttles and gears are standard fare on most high performance boats but these electronic shifters with shorter levers for the gears and longer ones for the throttles are lighter, smoother and easier to get to grips with. The debate continues about whether to fit trim tabs. Buzzi is confident it doesn’t need them and on a lake as flat as this it doesn’t, but on a windswept Solent they might still come in handy.
Twin Mercury R400 outboards deliver 800hp of effortless, supercharged power
Perhaps the most surprising thing about the Hawk 38 is how easily you get accustomed to its speed. That’s partly down to the hull’s arrow-straight tracking and the easy accessibility of the engine’s performance, but it’s also encouraged by the sheer refinement of the whole package.
Buzzi’s patented structural foam build process ensures that the normal voids between hull and deck are injected with expanding foam. Once set solid this forms a structural bond that not only increases the structural rigidity but also dampens noise transmission and makes the whole craft unsinkable.
The result is a very stiff, quiet hull that when combined with the smooth supercharged outboard engines makes for an extraordinarily civilised high-speed craft.
The hull’s designer Fabio Buzzi in front of his company’s parrot-head logo
Race bred
This isn’t yet the finished package and it will be interesting to see how it copes in the more challenging conditions of a Solent chop or Mediterranean swell, but the signs are encouraging to say the least.
Some have criticised Sunseeker for outsourcing the design and build of the hull to FB Design before shipping it to the UK for fitting out at Superyacht Services in Lymington (there is no room for it at the factory in Poole), but I take a different view.
Why spend a fortune trying to match the speed and strength of a Buzzi boat when you can buy all his accumulated experience then design the finished boat to look and feel like a Sunseeker.
After all, as a pure open sports boat, there is still room above it for a larger British-built Superhawk [ed. At the Cannes Boat Show earlier this month, Sunseeker confirmed it will launch a Superhawk 65 in 2021].
Far better to celebrate the Hawk 38 for what it is – a focused and enjoyable day boat that puts Sunseeker back on the performance map. Just don’t be surprised if the invoice comes with a parrot feather stuck to it!
First published in the June 2019 edition of Motor Boat & Yachting.
When German E-Boats began to run amok in English waters early in the Second World War, the Navy responded with a typically British solution
By the summer of 1940 Britain was under siege. Its army hastily evacuated from Dunkirk, its cities under attack from the Luftwaffe and its navy struggling to keep supply lines open. It seemed only a matter of time before a full scale invasion took place.
Were it not for the skill of the RAF pilots and the technical superiority of the Spitfires they flew during the summer-long Battle of Britain, things could have turned out very differently.
But while the airforce retained its dominance of the skies, all was not well at sea. Cut off from occupied Europe, the convoys on which the country now depended were suffering heavy losses. German E-Boats were running amok in the Channel, creeping up on shipping, unleashing their torpedoes then disappearing into the night like wolves preying on defenceless sheep.
Nothing stops the Motor Boat & Yachting team from testing a boat, not even Christmas! Watch the festive boat tests
Even when the E-Boats were spotted, conventional Navy craft were too slow to reach the scene before they melted away. What Britain needed was something fast, light and agile — a Spitfire of the seas.
Hubert Scott-Paine, a former powerboat racer and founder of the British Powerboat Company (BPB), was convinced he had the answer in the shape of a 70ft planing gun boat. Built out of wood and powered by triple 1,250hp petrol engines, giving it a top speed of more than 40 knots, it would be able intercept and sink marauding E-Boats far more effectively than cumbersome steel ships.
The Admiralty bought into the idea and in November 1940 put in an initial order for 24 of these Motor Gun Boats (MGB) from BPB in January 1941.
Read the full feature in the February 2019 edition of MBY.
Gone are the gleaming white topsides of Iguana 29, with this Iguana X100, the amphibious boat pioneer has gone for the rugged look
The original Iguana 29 amphibious boat was a brilliant piece of design and a very capable craft both on and off the water. It’s only real weaknesses were that its looks and layout were more superyacht tender than rugged, go-anywhere machine and the price reflected that too.
This new Iguana X100 uses the same 10m hull and folding caterpillar tracks but with an inflatable RIB collar that not only protects the topsides and makes it a drier, more stable boat but also gives it a more utilitarian look.
The same goes for the cockpit layout which boasts a more convivial seating arrangement, a better protected helm with optional twin suspension seats and a heads compartment under the console.
We’re still talking Range Rover Sport rather than Land Rover Defender but it brings the Iguana concept and aesthetic much closer to the kind of versatile RIB or day boat that most people are looking for.
It even costs less than the original with prices now starting at €220,000 ex VAT – close enough to tempt owners of rival amphibious craft and even some high-end RIBs to take a closer look.
Having recently tested both the AMP 8.4 and Sealegs 9m Hydrasol, I was particularly interested to see how the Igauna X100 compared to these direct competitors.
The first thing to note is that the X100 is an appreciably bigger boat than either of them. Despite its carbon fibre reinforced hull, it still weighs over a tonne more than either of its competitors and really needs twin engines to give it sufficient grunt.
It took the marine iguana years to develop its amphibious abilities – the Iguana Yachts 29 has done it in
That said, the twin 300hp Verado V8 outboards fitted to the test boat (a €45,000 upgrade) were verging on overkill, delivering searing mid-range acceleration and a top speed not far shy of 50 knots in flat water.
Read our full review of the Iguana X100 in the November edition of Motor Boat & Yachting, out October 10.
This is the third model in the Swedish yard’s range of 30ft sportsboats and in some ways the most exciting; while the W9 is a weekend cruiser and the C9 a fully enclosed commuter, the Nimbus T9 is the closest thing yet to an open sportsboat
Out goes the Nimbus W9’s offset helm console, elongated sidescreens, outdoor galley and large L-shaped dinette and in comes a slimmer centre console with a truncated wrap-around screen, a funky fold-out wet bar, a tiny drinks fridge (both optional) and a neat little horseshoe of seating in the stern that makes up into a sunpad.
It’s a similar story up front where the W9’s flat foredeck and sunpad make way for sunken walkaround decks and a small forward-facing bench seat. It’s not necessarily a prettier design but it does look lighter, sportier and more purposeful. It’s a very versatile day boat that still retains the ability to overnight in a surprising degree of comfort.
The first thing you notice is just how safe and easy it is to move around the decks. This is a true walkaround design with tall, protective bulwarks and wide, flat sidedecks running all the way from the twin bathing platforms to the squared off pulpit in the bow. Sturdy stainless steel handrails follow your every step with additional grab handles on the centre console and wet bar to steady your progress.
There are lockers in both stern quarters for lines and fenders and three generous oval section cleats on each side. The helm area is recessed a few inches into the deck to give greater protection from the wind and the dash itself is the epitome of Scandinavian minimalism with space for either one big single MFD or two smaller ones on the console and a smattering of smart backlit switches for lights, wipers and bilge pumps.
How easy it is to keep free of salt marks remains to be seen. What is certain is that it’s a lovely place to sit or stand with excellent ergonomics.
To read our full review of the Nimbus T9, pick up the November 2019 edition of Motor Boat & Yachting, out October 10.
We’ve already seen the wheelhouse version of the Merry Fisher 1095 but this new flybridge model brings a whole new dimension to this Jeanneau range
If anything it looks even better with an extra deck up top, adding an air of adventure to its pragmatic looks.
The climb up is via a fairly steep, hinged ladder that folds flat against the wheelhouse doors so as not to steal space from the cockpit, but once up there you’ll find a decent outside helm, a mini dinette and a smattering of sunpads.
Crucially, the guardrails and windshield are tall enough to make it feel like you are sitting in rather than on the flybridge.
Somehow the designers have found space for three double cabins below decks even if they share the same bathroom.
Other nice touches on the Merry Fisher 1095 include a boarding gate and helm door on the same side as the wide starboard deck.
Outboard-only power won’t be to everyone’s taste but it should deliver impressive performance, reliability and refinement.
Specification
LOA: 34ft 3in (10.45m) Beam: 11ft in (3.37m) Engines: 2x300hp Yamaha outboards Top speed: Approx 35 knots Price from: £201,000 (inc VAT) Price as shown: £234,452 (inc VAT)
Dutch inventor Rik Breur’s eco-friendly, prickly antifouling Finsulate mimics a sea urchin to keep barnacles at bay
Rik Breur’s invention challenges traditional antifouling
Boat owners looking for an effective, eco-friendly antifouling may soon be wrapping their boats in a layer of prickly bristles thanks to the unlikely discovery of a Dutch materials scientist.
Rik Breur has a PhD in corrosion and biofouling from the Delft University of Technology but it was his hobby as an amateur scuba diver that inspired him to develop Finsulate – a new type of antifouling that relies on physics rather than chemicals to deter unwanted growth.
Intrigued by the way the smooth shells of crabs got covered in barnacles whereas the spiny shells of sea urchins stayed clear, he decided to mimic the prickly creatures’ natural defence mechanism.
Prickly pair: Finsulate founder Rik Breur and a humble sea urchin
The solution he came up with uses a special polyester film covered in thousands of stiff, spiny nylon bristles. When applied to the underwater sections of a boat using a water-based adhesive (in much the same way as coloured vinyl wraps are applied to the topsides), this tougher Finsulate film uses its physical properties to keep fouling at bay.
It works by interrupting the lifecycle of both hard and soft fouling. Growth occurs when barnacle larvae or algae spores are released into the water by their adult life forms.
These microrganisms float freely in the water until they find a hard surface to attach themselves to. A GRP or metal hull provides an ideal stable surface with just enough minor surface imperfections for the larvae to create a secure bond with it.
Allow Nick Burnham to take you through a step-by-step guide of how to antifoul your boat
However, when one of these microrganisms encounters the prickly nylon spikes of the Finsulate wrap, the movement of the fibres presents an unstable surface and the larvae floats off in search of something with better holding.
Breur claims this is not only a more environmentally sustainable solution than conventional antifouling paints, which gradually leach biocides (usually copper compounds) into the water, but also a longer-lasting, more effective one. Once applied, Finsulate should last for around five years with only minimal maintenance.
Furthermore, because he claims it works just as well when the boat is stationary as it does underway, it should prove more-effective than both soft and hard antifouling paints, which rely on the movement of water past the hull to gradually remove the expired paint and reveal a fresh layer beneath. Even silicone-based fouling release coatings need an occasional blast of speed to wash off immature growth before it gets a firm grip.
Finsulate wrap is covered in tiny bristles to deter fouling
After extensive testing Breur found that the most effective length of the bristles was 3mm and that when applied to displacement hull forms it had almost no effect on boat speed or fuel efficiency.
This is because the increase in friction drag is offset by a decrease in form drag. However, when applied to faster planing hull shapes the 3mm long bristles did cause a near 20 per cent loss in top speed.
To counter this he also offers a Speedwrap version using shorter 1mm bristles with a velvet-like texture. When tested on a Sealine T51 this caused a minimal loss of around 0.5 knots from its original top speed of 30.5 knots but proved just as effective at deterring barnacles and only slightly less effective at preventing slime.
Faster boats may benefit from the Speedwrap option
Both versions are said to work equally well in salt or fresh water and on all hull materials except wood (the film causes the planks to dry out) but like all antifoulings their efficacy will vary according to location and water temperature.
Breur admits that in really aggressive fouling areas, such as parts of the Mediterranean and the Tropics, some cleaning may still be necessary to prevent a build-up of growth, particularly around the waterline.
However, he claims that the cleaning process is much easier due to the combination of a tough polyester film and the soft bristles, which makes it difficult for the fouling to adhere to.
Finsulate needs to be applied to a new or stripped back hull by specialist wrappers
Unlike some silicone-based products, Finsulate can withstand brushing, scraping, scrubbing with Scotchbrite pads and even pressure washers of up to 200bar. Minor damage caused by lifting strops or trailer use can be patched up with a DIY kit.
The application process requires old layers of antifouling to be stripped off and an epoxy coating applied to create a smooth surface for the film. Once prepared, he estimates the total cost of applying Finsulate to a typical 40ft boat to be around €3,000.
Any good vinyl wrapping company should be capable of applying it. Removal is done by steam cleaning to soften the adhesive then scraping away the old film. At present Finsulate doesn’t have an official UK distributor but Indigo Graphics on the Isle of Wight has applied it to a 9m pilot boat.
Having already won the prize for SME Inventor of the Year from the European Patent Office as well as product of the year at the 2018 HISWA Amsterdam Boat Show, we look forward to seeing if Breur’s prickly idea takes root.
First published in the October 2019 edition of Motor Boat & Yachting.
Spirit Yachts may be best known for their stunning sailing boats, but in a remote corner of Ipswich docks, they have created a beautiful 21.7m motor cruiser
All photos: Mike Jones / Waterline Media
The P70 was recently splashed and, as these exclusive images reveal, she is every bit as stunning in real life as the renderings promised. The yard adds that her interior fit-out will now be completed ahead of the P70’s imminent sea trials.
Nigel Stuart, managing director of Spirit Yachts, said: “The launch of the P70 is a significant milestone in Spirit Yachts’ history. Whilst the core business remains sailing yachts, we are seeing increasing demand for motor yachts tailored to suit an owner’s cruising plans.
“We are responding to that demand with innovation and expertise devoted to the power range. Spirit Yachts is renowned for elegant design, build quality and engineering expertise; with the launch of the P70 the company has proven it can successfully deliver world-class motor yachts alongside its portfolio of sailing yachts.”
With regards to the design of the yacht, Spirit Yachts founder and chief designer Sean McMillan explained: “The owner will keep the P70 in the UK and cruise to the Baltic in the summer, so the yacht had to be capable of undertaking long passages in comfort but aesthetically stay true to Spirit’s timeless style and classical elegance.
“He liked the design of our existing power boats, so we combined the flared bow and tumblehome stern from the Spirit P40 with the 1930s-style of our sailing yachts and applied it to a larger motor yacht design. We added deep bulwarks to allow guests to move around the decks safely, particularly when underway out at sea.”
Known only by its project name of P70, this motoryacht was commissioned by an experienced owner who was born in Norway but lives in Britain. He currently owns a semi-displacement Fleming and wants his new yacht to exceed the seakeeping, engineering and build quality the Fleming offers, but with the soul of a wooden craft built to suit his precise needs.
If this doesn’t sound like a challenging enough brief, his key requirements are that it has to be capable of cruising comfortably at 18 knots non-stop for 1,000nm through the North Sea.
That’s because although it will be based on the Hamble most of the year, he wants to be able to cruise to the Baltic for the summer months without having to worry about refuelling en route. And in case you’re wondering, he doesn’t bother with crew either; it’s usually just him and his wife or a few good mates to help with rope and fender duties.
It’s the kind of brief that would have most production yards thanking the customer politely for their enquiry before suggesting that they might like to look elsewhere. Not Spirit Yachts. Head designer and CEO Sean McMillan enjoys a challenge and the beauty of building in wood is that the usual constraints of fixed moulds don’t come into play.
Behind the scenes at Spirit Yachts
It’s not the only advantage; when used properly wood is remarkably light and strong with excellent insulation properties against sound and cold, as well as being infinitely repairable and environmentally friendly. Nor does it suffer from the leaks, rot and constant need for maintenance that wooden boats of old used to.
The trick is to use it and treat it in much the same way as the layers of gelcoat, glassfibre and foam cores that make up a conventional GRP sandwich construction.
The process starts with the creation of a set of ring frames made up from multiple layers of sapele, shaped and bonded to the exact dimensions specified by a computer program from Sean’s original hand drawings. These are fixed into position on a laser-levelled jig and planked over longitudinally with 27mm-thick strips of interlocking Douglas fir screwed and bonded to the ring frames.
Once the glue has set all the screws are removed and the holes filled to make sure there are no mechanical fixings to corrode. If this sounds worrying, bear in mind that Boeing bonds the wings of a 747 to the body of a plane for the same reason.
With the main structure now secure, between two and four layers of 3mm-thick kaya wood veneers are laid diagonally over the planking in opposite directions, marked, cut and attached using plastic staples, which are then sanded off, before being bagged and vacuum infused with epoxy resin.
Kaya looks similar to mahogany but has a more open grain, which allows it to soak up the epoxy in much the same way as woven roving glassfibre matting. Last but not least, a thin layer of transparent GRP scrim is added to create a perfectly smooth and watertight finish that can be painted or even varnished to show off the wood beneath.
The end result is a totally inert structure with much the same strength as carbon-fibre but without that material’s brittle, unforgiving nature that transmits sound and vibration almost as efficiently as a drum.
Spend a few minutes talking to Sean and you begin to wonder why more yards don’t build in wood. His answer is as telling as it is believable: building in wood requires exceptional skill and experience to achieve the necessary strength and finish expected of a high-class yacht as well as a lot of man hours. In other words, it’s neither easy nor cheap. But the best things in life rarely are.
Being a Spirit Yacht it also has to look the part. Its sailing yachts are inspired by the elegant proportions of J-Class yachts but the P70 has no obvious forebear to pick up on. It does share some of its design cues with the handful of Spirit P40s already built, such as the flared bow and tumblehome stern, but the size and volume needed to accommodate the owner’s wish for three double cabins, a covered wheelhouse, saloon and dining/galley area meant some fresh thinking was needed.
The exterior profile alone went through 22 different iterations before being signed off. The end result has a recognisable 1930s motoryacht aesthetic but with its own distinctive style and layout. The length-to-beam ratio of 4.5:1 is much slimmer and more efficient than the 3:1 ratio of most modern motoryachts, while its dry weight of 24 tonnes is almost half that of a normal 70ft GRP flybridge.
This in turn enables it to use smaller than normal 800hp MAN engines while still pushing its semi-displacement hull up to a maximum of 25 knots. Four separate fuel tanks with a combined capacity of 10,000 litres and a built-in polishing and balancing system provide the final link in the chain needed to reach the required 1,000nm range.
The layout is equally unconventional with the saloon forward and half a level down from the wheelhouse, and the dining and galley area aft another half a level down.
The owner’s cabin sits below the saloon for maximum peace and privacy, with the two twin guest cabins tucked at the opposite end of the boat in the stern. The wheelhouse itself sits proudly aloft at the centre of the action with one door out to the port sidedeck and another to the open flybridge astern with its raised outside helm position, well-protected seating for six and a 750kg-capacity crane for launching and retrieving the 3.7m RIB tender.
The only area that rivals it for sheer drama is the engineroom, which enjoys the kind of towering headroom, space and clinical lighting normally reserved for operating theatres.
Soul trader
It all speaks of an owner who knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to ask for it. It’s a relationship that Sean clearly revels in, praising the customer’s vision and technical knowledge.
For instance, he insisted on fitting Seatorque’s oil-filled BOSS shafts for quieter running and reduced maintenance, and the electrical system is built around a li-ion battery bank so that it can power the air conditioning and Sleipner curved fin stabilisers overnight without having to run the generator.
Even simple things like the deep bulwarks, which allow crew to move safely around the decks without the need for ugly stainless steel guardrails, smack of someone who has extensive experience of boating in all weathers.
Everywhere you look at Spirit Yachts, there’s a craftsman or woman using their skills and experience to create their own little work of art. This isn’t a production line, it’s a group of artisans breathing life into somebody else’s vision.
The Sunseeker Predator 60 EVO may share the same hull as the previous Predator 57 but this is more than just a refresh.
The superstructure, sunroof, tender garage and helm console all feature new carbon fibre mouldings that together save over 400kg. Significantly, it also has a new interior that sets the tone for the next generation of Sunseekers to come.
The Poole yard has grand ambitions and is also working on its biggest yacht ever (the Sunseeker 161) but it’s pleasing to see some focus on the Predator range too.
The Sunseeker Predator 60 Evo is a striking craft with a dramatically curved carbon-fibre hard top complete with a large glass sunroofsection that lets plenty of light in even when it’s closed. Windows now run almost the full length of the topsides with smart stainless steel detailing.
The effect of all that glass is a wonderfully bright interior and a feeling of space that blurs the lines between an open and hardtop cruiser; the clever drop-down cockpit doors play their part too.
Everywhere you look there are gorgeous details like stainless steel inlays, knurled door handles, recessed LED lighting, textured leathers and glossy exposed carbon fibre weaves that lift the appearance to near-superyacht levels of fit and finish.
Although Sunseeker did look at changing the layout to a main deck aft galley, it chose to stick with its current galley-down arrangement for the Predator 60 EVO. It also features a new optional performance pack with active interceptors and low drag rudders that steer independently for increased speed and more responsive handling.
Predators and performance go hand in hand so it’s no surprise that the Predator 60 Evo will crack 34 knots at full chat. After stepping on board for the first time at the 2019 Southampton Boat Show, we look forward to seeing how well the Predator 60 EVO works out on the open water…
BRIG isn’t just the best-selling RIB brand in Europe, it is also the largest RIB manufacturer in the world – not bad for a Ukrainian company that emerged 25 years ago from the ashes of a former Soviet fighter jet factory.
So when it launches a new 8m model aimed squarely at the family leisure cruising market rather than the high-performance niche which British RIB builders tend to favour, it’s worth taking a closer look.
The Brig Eagle 8 is a handsome-looking craft. The iconic but dated radar arch and GRP end caps that used to identify the previous generation of BRIGs have gone to make way for sleeker, classier styling that could pass for a superyacht chase boat costing two or three times as much.
The large diameter hypalon tubes have a matt-effect textured finish as standard, while a fully moulded GRP deck with integrated seating that wraps around the stern makes it look and feel more like a high-end sportsboat than a utilitarian RIB.
Even the detailing cuts a dash, with rectangular section grab rails wrapped in matching hand stitched fabric and stainless steel cupholders recessed into both the helm console and transom bench armrests.
The layout is equally well thought out with a pair of comfortable bench seats facing each other across a removable table that stows away in a dedicated slot in the transom locker when not in use.
More seats in the bow can transform into a large sunpad, making clear that this is a boat designed to be just as enjoyable at anchor as it is under way.
And most importantly of all there’s a really generous heads compartment under the centre console that doubles as a handy dry storage area for everything from cushions to inflatable tenders.
To read our full review of the Brig Eagle 8, pick up the November 2019 edition of Motor Boat & Yachting, which is out now.
When Bear Grylls invited MBY to help sea trial a new amphibious RIB for his Welsh island home, little did Hugo realise just how thoroughly the adventurer likes to test his boats...
Photos: Hugo Andreae
I should have known better than to accept another sea trial invitation from Bear Grylls. The last time I made that mistake we ended up bashing our way into the teeth of a Force 9 gale in an open RIB. At least he had good reason to test the heavy weather handling of that boat – six weeks later he and his crew took it across the Atlantic via the Arctic Circle.
This time around things should have been different. After all, this was a leisure boat that Bear was interested in buying for his own personal use. Admittedly, it had to be capable of ferrying him and his family across a short stretch of the Irish sea to their private island off the Welsh coast, but how rough can it be at this time of year? Pretty rough, as it happens, but we’ll get to that in a minute. First I need to explain what I’m doing here.
Island life
It turns out that when Bear isn’t dangling off a rope half way up a mountain with the leaders of the free world (both Barack Obama and Narenda Modi have appeared on his Running Wild series), he likes to chill out with his wife and three kids on the remote island holiday home they bought some 20 years ago.
View of St Tudwal’s islands off the coast of the Llyn lleyn Peninsula. Photo: Robert Anthony / Alamy
The fame and fortune that followed has enabled him to restore the rundown lighthouse keeper’s cottage into a comfortable four-bedroom holiday house, but an island is still an island. Rainwater has to be collected or pumped up from a small bore hole, electricity is generated by a wind turbine and solar panels, and the only way on or off the island is by boat. There isn’t even a harbour, just a rudimentary stone quay and a few floating pontoons to provide the bare minimum of shelter.
The boat they’ve been using for the last eight years is a Sealegs 7.1m amphibious RIB powered by a 200hp Evinrude E-Tec outboard engine, adapted for life on the island with foam tubes that won’t puncture or deflate when rubbed against the stone quay.
The sturdy aluminium hull and folding hydraulic legs make perfect sense, allowing them to zip across the short stretch of sea to Abersoch or Pwllheli and drive up the beach to pick up guests and supplies or enjoy a meal out at one of the local yacht clubs.
Bear arrives in Abersoch on his Sealegs 7.1
However, with their oldest two sons now in their teens and their third not far behind, space is getting tight. And capable as the Sealegs is, something a bit bigger and even more robust would make life more comfortable for everyone.
Bear necessities
The search for the ideal replacement has not been easy. Bear and I have been exchanging emails about potential boats for over 14 months and the two of us met up at Seawork last year to look at some of the heavy duty commercial craft that turn up to this workboat show.
Bear wanted to try one of the new Rafnar RIBs with its unusual heavy-weather hull design and talk to the yard about the possibility of fitting Sealegs wheels to it. While he was there we also had a quick run out in the Iguana 29 amphibious boat.
Both had their benefits, but I wasn’t convinced about the wisdom of fitting amphibious legs to a boat that wasn’t designed to take them and Bear wasn’t sure if the Iguana’s tube-free topsides and superyacht finish were suited to life on the island. So for want of the perfect replacement, he stuck with his current Sealegs.
That’s not to say we weren’t both still busy researching alternative solutions. Bear carried on talking to Iguana about its forthcoming X100 RIB and found another amphibious RIB manufacturer based in Dubai called Ocean Craft Marine. In the meantime I enjoyed a very satisfactory sea trial of Sealegs latest 9.0m Hydrasol.
But it was only when I learnt that Ideal Boats had started importing the OCM range of amphibious RIBs to the UK that things started to gather pace, not least because they’re based in Pwhelli just a few miles from Bear’s island. And they had an AMP 8.4 available for sea trial…
Bear tested the AMP 8.4 on the home waters around his Welsh island
A few calls later and a plan was taking shape. Neville Williams, the owner of Ideal Boats, and I would bring the AMP over to Abersoch Boat Yard where we’d meet up with Bear and take the boat over to his island for some real-world testing in the very place he was hoping to use it.
Trial and error
The day of the sea trial dawns bright and clear but I am a little concerned at the forecast winds of 20-25 knots rising to 40 knots later in the afternoon. Neville is confident the boat can handle it and Bear seems only too pleased to be testing it in some suitably challenging conditions. Me, slightly less so, but I don’t want to wimp out in front of Bear any more than Obama did, so I smile weakly and put on an extra layer of wet weather gear just in case.
Pootling out of Abersoch Boat Yard in the AMP 8.4 with the sun sparkling off the wake of Bear’s Sealegs a few yards in front of us, I’m starting to wonder why I bothered. Tucked behind the tall console on one of the two Ullman suspension seats, I’m more likely to expire from heat exhaustion than a close encounter with the Irish Sea.
Bear gives his Sealegs 7.1 a work out en route to St Tudwal’s island
Admittedly things get a little more exciting when we leave the shelter of the small creek and the waves start to pick up but these aren’t the kind of conditions to strike fear into the heart of any self-respecting boat magazine editor let alone one of the world’s toughest adventurers.
In fact Bear seems to be positively relishing the conditions, leaping from wave top to wave top in his smaller, lighter aluminium Sealegs while we simply sit back and let the AMP’s longer, heavier GRP hull do all the hard work for us. With 350hp on tap from the supercharged Mercury Verado outboard, we’re never going to have any trouble keeping up, however hard he pushes his boat.
Ten minutes later, we are pulling into the makeshift harbour on the north east corner of Bear’s island. He’s already powered the Sealegs onto its floating dock so we nudge alongside to pick him up and let him helm the AMP the last few yards onto the island’s small quay.
Bear guides the AMP through the makeshift floating harbour to the island’s stone quay
Happy families
Bear wants to see how the 8.4 copes with a full compliment of passengers so his wife Shara and their three sons gamely pile on board, joining me, Neville and Pete Williams (another member of the Ideal Boats team).
It’s a bit of a squeeze as the AMP’s military origins mean the beam is relatively narrow for the best possible sea-keeping while the console is positioned surprisingly far aft to offset the weight of the wheels up front. This only leaves room behind it for two Ullman jockey seats and a relatively slim transom bench.
The Grylls all squeeze into the stern, leaving Pete and me to occupy the more exposed bench seat set into the front of the console. I make a half-hearted gag about the two of us being relegated to crash test dummy status and hope against hope that Bear goes easy on us.
Bear helms the AMP through the strait between the two islands before heading offshore into the rough stuff
Fat chance! The minute we’re out of the harbour, he opens up the throttle and we’re soon skipping across the small strait separating his island from the mainland. Shara points out that sitting so close to the engine means it’s quite noisy under way but is reassured by the news that the latest naturally aspirated V8 Verado is both lighter and quieter than this one.
The hull is coping well with the extra load; landing gently and sending any spray well clear of the cockpit. I’m even starting to relax and enjoy the wind in my face and the unimpeded view up front. Bear’s confidence in the AMP’s sea-keeping is starting to grow and he’s clearly enjoying the extra grunt of the supercharged Merc, but he doesn’t want to give it the full beans with all his family on board.
When the going gets tough
Impressed with its load carrying ability but eager to test its seakeeping more thoroughly, he returns to the quay to drop them off before heading out with just the four of us on board. I take the navigator’s seat next to him and Nev and Pete settle into the bench seat behind.
Bear gives the AMP’s sturdy deep-vee hull some proper stick
Bear immediately heads out to the more exposed waters off the southern end of the island where the rising south easterly breeze is kicking up a big and properly confused swell. Running into the waves the boat copes beautifully with the conditions, pointing its long snout up the face of the waves and landing cleanly in the ensuing trough with very little slamming.
The two driven front wheels, which make this the first four-wheel-drive amphibious RIB, are tucked far enough out of the way to stay clear of the water. In fact, because they are out of sight from the helm it’s easy to forget they are even there.
Bear is suitably impressed. “It feels really solid if a little stern heavy,” he comments perceptively. “Ideally, I’d like to shift the console a little further forward to free up space for another row of seats behind it as we’re unlikely to use the seating in the bow.”
Hugo was relegated to crash test dummy status for half of the test drive
Neville reckons the factory might be able to accommodate his needs. At least that’s what I think he says because from where I’m sitting it’s getting hard to hear what they’re saying over the noise of the wind and waves. We’re now some distance away from the island and the swell just keeps on getting bigger.
Neville and I exchange a nervous glance but Bear seems completely unfazed by the conditions. I guess if you’ve crossed the Atlantic in an open RIB, a few big rollers off the coast of Wales aren’t anything to be frightened of.
Taking a bearing
Eventually Bear eases the boat round to face downwind. “I love the ease of the steering and the smoothness of the electronic throttle, it’s so much nicer than our old E-Tec controls,” he says appreciatively before starting to pick up the pace again.
The AMP has push-button controls to lower the wheels and a joystick to drive them
The AMP responds enthusiastically but the shape of the waves in this direction and the relatively short spacing between them is proving more of a challenge. Now when we power over each crest the drop off is steeper and the long slender bow dips ever closer to the face of the wave in front.
Bear flashes us one of his trademark grins as the front wheels graze the surface of the water sending sheets of spray exploding over the cockpit. Tucked in behind the windscreen, Bear and I are shielded from the worst of it but still emerge dripping from head to toe.
Undeterred he pushes on, skilfully picking his way from wave to wave until seemingly out of nowhere an even bigger, steeper one catches us unawares. This time there’s no avoiding it, as we drop off the far side the bow plunges into the trough sending a wall of green water heading our way. Bear and I just have time to duck before it hits the windscreen.
The next thing I know we’re engulfed in a maelstrom of water and plastic. I look up to see a jagged metre-wide hole where the windscreen used to be. Bear is on the case straight away, checking nobody’s hurt and assessing the damage.
Bear’s face and the remains of the shattered windscreen say it all
Apart from a small cut on Neville’s head we’re all in one piece and although there is gallons of water sloshing around in the cockpit the engine’s still running and there’s no further damage to the boat. Bear applies just enough power to keep the bow up while the water drains from the cockpit and we all start to breathe again.
By the time we get back to the island, the cockpit is more or less dry, leaving the bilge pump to empty the last few knockings from the stern locker and bilges. Despite the unexpected dousing, Bear is impressed by the AMP. Windscreen aside it has withstood the battering remarkably well.
“The hull is really strong, I love the extra power of the engine and responsive steering, and the weight of the wheels don’t seem to affect the handling. I’d like to raise the freeboard a few inches and change the layout to suit our needs but I can see this boat working for us. We like to support the local economy so it makes a big difference knowing that Neville and Ideal Boats are just down the road if anything needs sorting.”
The buying signs are certainly looking positive, with Bear and Neville discussing the idea of a bespoke cut down version of the beamier AMP 9.8 to give the Grylls the space, freeboard and layout they need without the extra length.
It’s not a done deal yet as before he signs on the dotted line Bear asks if I’d like to help him sea trial the Iguana X100 RIB and Sealegs Hydrasol in some equally challenging conditions. I’d love to, obviously, but I think I may be busy washing my hair that day!
First published in the October 2019 edition of Motor Boat & Yachting
The Beneteau Group’s flagship brand Monte Carlo Yachts reveals the innovative way its superyachts are built
Monte Carlo Yachts’ rise from nothing to one of Europe’s leading luxury yacht builders has been as rapid as it has been remarkable. In just over a decade, it has gone from an idea on a blank sheet of paper to building a seven-strong range of semi-custom yachts from 65ft luxury cruisers to 105ft superyachts.
Even experienced industry watchers have looked-on agog as year after year it rolled out ever bigger, ever more complex yachts that would have taken most yards twice as long to develop. MCY’s boss Carla Demaria would simply nod conspiratorially and say it was all down to the unique secret build process that the team have developed for its facility in Monfalcone, Italy. Only now has MCY agreed to reveal how the magic happens.
The key to MCY’s speed and efficiency is not a single ‘magic bullet’ but a series of innovations that has enabled it to reduce build times and improve quality. It claims that the time and money saved is what allows it to invest so heavily in the finish and customisation for which it is renowned.
The hull, deck and interior are built simultaneously
The build process is split into three separate elements: the hull, the deck and the interior. Crucially, all three parts are worked on simultaneously so that they are completed at the same time. Only then are the three sections slotted together like pieces of a 3D jigsaw.
What makes this process unique is how far the build goes before the three sections come together. We’re not talking about slotting-in partially completed cabins or lowering a half-finished deck moulding onto a hull; each of the three sections are fully fitted out. All that remains to be done is bonding the sections together and hooking-up the plumbing and electrics. If this sounds too simplistic it’s worth looking in more detail at what’s involved.
The hull
Instead of moulding a hull and then strengthening it with internal grids, bulkheads and stiffeners, Monte Carlo Yachts design the whole thing as a single monocoque structure with built-in rigidity. This is not only quicker and easier to build but it takes up less space than a conventional grid, leaving more internal volume and headroom in the cabins.
It creates the necessary strength by using a combination of self-supporting cored GRP mouldings and an aluminium skeleton along with built-in longitudinal stringers and stainless steel engine supports. All the GRP elements are vacuum infused with extensive use of carbon and Kevlar reinforcement.
A substantial crash box in the bow provides additional strength in this high-stress area along with a sacrificial crumple zone should the worst happen. Almost uniquely in the marine industry the entire hull and all the individual mouldings receive a post-curing heat treatment in the purpose-built paint hall, which doubles as a giant oven.
Once the structure is complete, the empty hull is fully fitted out with engines, plumbing, electrics, tanks and the specially insulated engine room bulkheads. The entire forward section, however, is left empty ready for the interior module to be lowered into it.
Interior is built outside the hull on a modular frame…
The interior
Monte Carlo Yachts isn’t the only yard to build its interiors outside the boat (Bavaria also slots partially completed cabins into the hull), but it’s the only one to do so on such a big scale using a single modular structure. The backbone of the system is an aluminium skeleton that looks like a series of interconnected boxes.
Being modular, the size and shape of these boxes can be adapted to take account of different layout options, so long as the main exterior dimensions remain the same. This explains how MCY can offer multiple cabin and layout options at relatively low cost.
With access to every part of the interior, even service areas normally hidden behind bulkheads, it’s far quicker and easier for craftsmen to fit the complex pipework and cabling as well as the normal furniture, fittings and linings. It also enables them to reach the underside of cabins to add insulation and soft mountings to prevent noise and vibrations being passed through the structure and into the accommodation.
… and is lowered into the hull in one piece
Although the process is hi-tech, the materials used and the craftsmanship involved are as traditional as they come, with everything being manufactured in-house using natural stone, solid woods and the best quality leathers.
The deck
The final piece of the jigsaw is the deck, flybridge and superstructure. Again, this is all resin-infused with localised Kevlar reinforcement. The flybridge T-Top itself is pure carbon fibre to minimise weight up top and reduce the boat’s tendency to roll. As with the hull and interior, it is fully fitted out right down to the teak decks, flybridge furniture and electronics for the outside helm station.
Final assembly
The assembly itself is so quick as to be almost anticlimactic. The entire interior is lowered into the hull before being bonded into place. The modular skeleton ensures it fits perfectly with tolerances of no more than a few millimetres. The process is then repeated with the deck.
The deck is then bonded on top
Plug and play systems mean that all the plumbing and electrics join up so that the whole boat is up and running in a matter of hours. A rigorous system of checks ensures everything is working before the completed boat is wheeled into the paint shop for its final exterior finish. This also explains why customers have a free rein when it comes to hull colours.
Whether this build process results in a better quality boat, a better value boat or simply a more efficient, more profitable yard is hard to quantify.
There’s no doubting that the finished products look and feel as well-built as anyone else’s, albeit not noticeably superior to the construction methods of older, more established yards.
The finished boats look and feel high quality
However, in recent years Monte Carlo Yachts has also become increasingly reticent about revealing the prices of its boats to anyone other than seriously interested customers, quoting the need to retain its competitive edge.
Whatever the true value of the advantage, there is no doubt that revealing the secrets of the build process only helps to boost public interest in this growing yard.
First published in the October 2018 edition of Motor Boat & Yachting.
Laser-sharp lines and a ravishing finish captivate editor Hugo – but does the Wallytender 48's performance live up to its slick styling?
I know we journalists should be cold, dispassionate creatures who remain resolutely objective regardless of subject matter but, cut me some slack here, it’s not every day you get to drive something as achingly cool as the new Wallytender 48.
It may not be the first powerboat to feature Luca Bassani’s iconic paper-dart styling and it’s certainly not the largest (a 165-footer is on the drawing board) but being a fast, open day boat with close to 1,000hp on tap there is every chance it will be the most exciting to drive. That’s what I’m hoping, anyway, as I slip off my shoes and shuffle along the retractable passerelle that doubles as a bathing ladder when angled down into the sea.
The teak on the swim platform feels warm and smooth under foot, while everything from the finish of the GRP mouldings to the neatness of the caulking and engineering of the moving parts seems to be even slicker than previous Wallys, some of which didn’t look quite as immaculate in the flesh as they did in the glossy photographs.
This one looks and feels like a million euros, which is more or less what it costs inc VAT, although that does include the fancy folding passerelle and bulwarks as standard.
Editor Hugo gets behind the wheel of the most exciting new boat he's tested in his 15 years at MBY. This is our full sea trial of the Fairline F-Line 33 and it's everything we hoped for...
I can honestly say this is the most excited I’ve been about testing a boat since I joined MBY 15 years ago. In that time I’ve driven everything from a 90ft Pershing to a 100-knot race boat and pretty much everything in between.
But exhilarating as these experiences have been, they have never felt like the type of boat I could ever envisage owning – even when my Euromillions ship comes in.
The Fairline F-Line 33 is different. The minute I saw the first renderings in 2017, I was smitten. It wasn’t just the taut, muscular styling that did it for me, it was the size and price too.
At a whisker under 33ft long it looked small enough to be fast, fun and manageable but large enough to cope with half a dozen guests during the day and a family of four at night. And the mooted starting price of £264,000 inc VAT, while still well beyond my league, at least seemed within dreaming range.
Time has done nothing to dilute those first impressions. Admittedly the starting price has crept up to £290,400 in the intervening months but everything else has survived the development phase intact.
When hull No 1 was revealed at the end of August during a preview event in London, it looked every inch the modern British sportsboat we’d all been waiting for. Even at its global launch at the Cannes Boat Show a few weeks later, it more than held its own in the company of Rivas and Wallys costing several times as much.
Now the initial hype has died down, I’m here to discover if it has the substance to back up those glowing first impressions. It’s a lot to live up to and, to be honest, I’m nervous it might not.
The constant quest for ever more space and comfort means that many of today’s sportscruisers don’t handle or ride as well as their lower, leaner, more focused predecessors. The Fairline Targa 34 and Targa 38 both drove superbly and while the 33 is smaller than either of them, it comes from very different design stock.
With Olesinski now exclusive to Princess Yachts, Fairline turned to J&J Design for the F-Line’s hull in an effort to replicate or exceed the magic of those legendary Targa forerunners. No pressure then…
Read our full sea trial review of the Fairline F-Line 33 in the December edition of Motor Boat & Yachting, which is out now.
Gulf Craft may still be relatively new to the European market but it won’t take long for news to get around if they keep on building boats like the Gulf Craft 75 Nomad.
The Nomad 75 may look tall and beamy from the outside but the pay-off is an immense interior that puts most 75-footers to shame.
That’s because this is a proper tri-deck with internal and external stairs leading up to the raised bridge deck and a wonderful sky lounge with bi-fold doors and an open aft deck.
That leaves space on the main deck for the saloon and dining area plus a useful day heads but more notably a spectacular forward owner’s suite with 180° views over the foredeck.
This in turn leaves the lower deck free for a VIP suite in the bow larger than most master suites and two further double or twin guest cabins. The style is clean and unfussy with masses of natural light and quality materials.
Keeping all this lot on an even keel is a pair of Seakeeper 16 gyro stabilisers, while twin 1,550hp MAN engines reside in a full-height engine room.
These give a top speed of 24 knots but are just as happy chuntering along at 10-12 knots, burning a modest 75 litres per hour.
The fact this boat came all the way from the Gulf to Cannes on its own bottom illustrates its potential as a long-range liveaboard.
Specification
LOA: 76ft 10in (23.42m) Beam: 20ft 0in (6.12m) Draft: 4ft 11in (1.5m) Displacement: 68 tonnes Fuel capacity: 7,880 litres Water capacity: 1,324 litres Engines: 2 x 1,550hp MAN V12 Top speed: 24 knots Price: $3.7million (ex. tax)
It’s hard to know what’s the most impressive aspect of the Outer Reef 640 – the enormous galley, the vast flybridge or the bank vault of an engineroom. The latter probably edges it, not just because it’s large enough to walk around but because it has been designed with the integrity of a nuclear power station.
Every pipe, hose and valve is neatly labelled, multiple Racor fuel filters and twin generators give built-in redundancy, and the Trac stabilisers can run off either engine.
Throw in a 1,400-mile range and a Class A semi-displacement hull and you can see why Outer Reef owners have the confidence to cruise where others fear to tread.
The nice thing about the 640 is that it’s also a lovely place to spend time when pottering around the Med. All Outer Reefs can be customised and the owner of this boat asked for the largest galley we’ve ever seen on a 65ft boat, with enough cooling space to feed an army and a work surface you could land a plane on.
Down below the full-beam master suite is supplemented by a forward VIP, a twin guest cabin and a crew cabin. All have beautifully lit, aired and cedar-lined wardrobes.
As a go-anywhere liveaboard it’s hard to think of anything under 70ft that could live with it.
For such a large, complex yacht, Ferretti and its principal exterior architect Filippo Salvetti have done well to reduce its visual bulk by keeping the 720's exterior lines so taut and uncluttered.
It may look simple but there’s a lot to admire inside and out. That rear view, for instance, hides a fold-down transom bench and a hydraulic platform large enough for a 3.95m tender that slides down at an angle to reveal a gently inclined set of steps down both sides.
The cockpit coamings, meanwhile, lift up to reveal hidden cleats and winches. Even the patio doors are special as all four sections slide independently on curved tracks so that they stack on top of each other.
The studied minimalism continues inside with a soft seating area aft surrounded by windows leading to a glossy black dining table with free-standing chairs. Unusually for a Ferretti, the galley is forward to port opposite the helm area.
Only when you look closely do you spot the intricate details such as the angled grain on the sideboard doors, the ribbed alcantara bulkheads and the clusters of recessed LEDs.
The owner’s suite takes this one step further with smoked glass doors to the walk-in wardrobe and bathroom that give a glimpse of the space beyond to make the whole cabinseem bigger without sacrificing too much in the way of privacy. Three further cabins complete the guest accommodation.
Specification
LOA: 73ft 2in (22.3m) Beam: 18ft 4in (5.6m) Draft: 5ft 11in (1.8m) Displacement: 46 tonnes Fuel capacity: 4,600 litres Water capacity: 1,000 litres RCD: Category A Engines: 2 x 1,200-1,400hp MAN Top speed: 32 knots Price: €2.7million ex VAT
A new entrant to the passagemaker market, the Sirena 64 has the space, quality and style to catch its competitors by surprise
Pinpointing where the trend for fast, modern passagemakers started is hard to say. Bénéteau must take some credit for bringing the Swift Trawler concept to the mass market, even if the likes of Fleming, Grand Banks and Aquastar have been building serious offshore cruisers with a useful turn of speed for many years prior to that.
Then there was the Azimut Magellano range, which proved that you didn’t have to sacrifice designer looks and a contemporary interior just because you wanted to cruise offshore. Now players like Absolute are getting in on the act, making the most of the exceptional volume that a tall, upright Navetta-style design allows while still delivering cruising speeds of 25 knots or more.
What started as a niche has become a mainstream segment to the extent that when the Turkish yard Sirena Marine decided to launch its first Sirena-branded motor yacht at the 2017 Düsseldorf Boat Show, this is the sector it chose to compete in. If the Sirena name is unfamiliar, its products are not; the yard has been building boats for Azimut since 2006, including the current Magellano 43.
There’s a shower mounted on the underside of the radar arch for keeping cool on up here
Given the exacting standards expected of an Azimut, it’s fair to assume that Sirena knows how to build boats well and has a pretty good idea of what customers of long-range passagemakers are looking for. All that was left to do was bring in a talented team of designers, in this case Frers Naval Architecture and Engineering, to create an attractive exterior and an efficient semi-displacement hull, and Spadolini Design to style a suitably fresh, modern interior.
The Sirena 64 was the first result of this collaboration and a Sirena 56 and a Sirena 88 have also joined the ranks. Clearly, the yard means business and thanks to the backing of Kiraça Holding, a major Turkish conglomerate, it has the financial clout to make things happen. Quickly.
Not that it seems to be having the desired effect on the divers trying to untangle the vipers’ nest of anchors keeping us pinned to the quay at the Cannes Boat Show. It takes well over an hour to finally throw off our shackles and head out into the bay for our eagerly anticipated sea trial. But what that period of inactivity does do is give us time to explore the boat in depth.
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Twin Volvo 800hp motors are good for a top speed of 23 knots
A boat like the Hardy 65 deserves a proper test, so with snow on the decks, we round the Isle
Space race
The first thing to note is how well thought out the design is. This doesn’t look or feel like a debut boat; quite the opposite, in fact, because there’s a maturity to it that some more experienced yards would struggle to match.
That includes the simple stuff like a flat floor that extends all the way through from the cockpit to the helm, multiple deck storage for lines, covers and fenders, and wide side decks protected by deep bulwarks, as well as the minutiae of the interior details, such as the matching wood grain that runs unbroken from locker lid to locker lid in the cabins.
Above all, though, it’s the way in which Frers and Spadolini have managed to create a modern, voluminous interior without it looking like a tall, beamy boat from the outside.
Optional 48in television rises from behind the saloon sofa for €6,060
This is particularly apparent in the Sirena 64’s owner’s cabin where the full 19ft 3in of beam is enhanced by a flat floor, 6ft 6in of headroom, a relatively low bed and two of the largest and lowest hull windows you’ll find on any boat this size.
We’re told Sirena had to seek special approval for these due to their proximity to the waterline, but the effect is pretty dramatic, whether you’re waking up with your head in line with the water or enjoying the sight of your own bow wave thundering past the window.
Two full-height wardrobes with hanging rails and shelves, plus storage under the bed and the port-side chaise longue, as well as in the bedside drawers and the vanity unit built into the mini dinette, ensures you’ll never be short of space for clothes.
There’s no lack of floorspace or headroom in the master suite
However, the real treat is the ensuite bathroom that runs the full width of the boat behind the bed, making space for a fabulous sit-down shower as well as insulating the cabin from engineroom noise – not even the Magellano 66 can match this luxury.
The Sirena 64’s VIP cabin also merits a mention for having more headroom and floorspace than most rivals. That’s because the vertical bow has enabled the designers to position the bed lower and further forward than would be the case with a traditional hull shape, freeing up more floorspace at the foot of the bed and more headroom over it.
Even the guest cabin has its own roomy ensuite bathroom, while a separate day heads brings the total toilet count to four – another rarity on a boat this size. There is an option for a fourth cabin too but that involves sacrificing some of the master cabin and bathroom to make space for a walk-in wardrobe behind the bed.
A vertical bow enables a relatively low bed height in the forward VIP
The space lost to those walkaround side decks means that the saloon doesn’t feel quite as roomy as some 66ft flybridge craft. The decision to site the galley amidships, with a full-height bulkhead blocking the sightlines forward from the cockpit and aft from the helm, also detracts from the more open aspect enjoyed by some rivals.
The reason they’ve done it is to give customers the option of closing off the galley when crew are present, but it’s a pity there isn’t an option to lose the forward bulkhead as well as the aft and side ones in order to enjoy the full 360° view through those deep vertical windows.
That said, it’s still a wonderfully bright space with a sociable seating layout aft, just enough room for a free-standing dining table opposite the galley and another cosy seating area next to the helm to keep the skipper company en route.
The free-standing dining table looks the part but leaves a rather narrow walkway between the chairs and the galley opposite
Set for the horizon
All of this would be of little use if the Sirena 64 failed to live up to its billing as a long-range passagemaker, so we’re relieved to report that it fulfils the brief well. With no less than three separate fuel tanks giving a total capacity of 5,300 litres, it puts even the Magellano 66’s 4,500-litre tankage in the shade.
Our boat was fitted with the more powerful 1,000hp CAT C12.9 engines (the standard ones are 850hp) and reached a very respectable top speed on test of 26.3 knots.
However, it’s the slow to mid-range figures that are likely to be of more interest to owners as this is a hull that feels genuinely happy cruising at any speed from 8 to 22 knots. There is no awkward planing hump to surmount or even a particular rev band that sounds or feels more comfortable than any other.
The heart of a good trawler yacht is its engineroom and the Sirena’s doesn’t disappoint, with full standing headroom, stainless-steel guardrails round each engine and access through a cockpit hatch as well as via the crew cabin. The Seakeeper stabiliser is located under the stainless-steel treadplate between the two engines.
The bow lifts a little higher the faster you go, but other than that it’s just a question of choosing a speed and a fuel burn that you’re happy with. A lot of the time that’s likely to be around 9 knots and 1,000rpm when the engines are burning a mere 20lph, giving a cruising range of almost 1,000nm.
Raise the speed to 18 knots and the fuel efficiency drops from 1.07mpg to 0.4mpg but noise and comfort levels still compare very favourably with planing yachts. Only the forward chines’ tendency to slap against passing rollers, sending the occasional low-frequency tremor through the saloon, disturbed the peace during our test.
The steering is pleasantly responsive for a passagemaker, with 4.7 turns lock to lock and a reassuring weight to it that rewards your efforts with a surprisingly direct response from the rudders and a reasonably tight turning circle.
ZF joystick links the throttles and thrusters to give simple one-touch berthing
In our opinion, both helms could do with a bit of tweaking to bring the throttles within easier reach when seated, not least because the top of the windscreen is too low and too far forward to give tall skippers a good view of the horizon when standing. There is a small opening window next to the helm to help with ventilation and visibility, but it’s no replacement for an encumbered view aft through the saloon.
The deck spaces are one of the Sirena 64’s strongest assets. The cockpit is deep, roomy and well protected by the flybridge overhang, while the flybridge itself is sensibly divided between open space aft for free-standing sunloungers, and fixed seating forward around a large teak table.
A number of neat touches, like a wet bar countertop that rolls out to create a second worksurface, a separate grill station aft to keep smells away from guests, and an outdoor shower built into the underside of the radar mast, add to the enjoyment.
But it’s the foredeck area that really takes the prize for ingenuity, with its full-sized dinette, hi-lo table and the option of a hot tub in place of the adjustable sunpads.
Enata Marine has developed a new propulsion and control system for its radical foiling superboat, the Foiler.
A dual helm set-up allows the boat to be piloted from the bow or the cockpit. Photo: Guillaume Plisson
The original carbon-fibre craft was launched last year with a complex hybrid drivetrain based around a pair of BMW car engines. These generated electrical power for the two electric motors mounted on slender pods that lifted and lowered in sync with the retractable foils.
The latest version uses a pair of inboard 370hp V8 marine diesels to transmit hydraulic power to two torpedo-shaped hydraulic motors fitted to the aft foil. The new set up is expected to be more efficient and reliable than the previous arrangement. As well as the new drivetrain, the remodelled boat features a dual helm set-up that allows it to be piloted from the bow as well as the cockpit.
A joystick fitted to one side of the bow allows the helmsman to control the boat from here to fully appreciate the sensation of flying 1.5 metres above the water. Pushing the joystick forward increases speed, while left and right control direction. A small bow window enhances the foiling experience.
Enata Marine explains that the Foiler, which can carry a crew of 8 (7 plus the driver), rises 1.5m onto its foils at speeds above 18 knots and is capable of gliding across wave heights of up to 2m. The company adds that the boat is extremely quiet in flight as the waves pass below the hull with its slim foils offering low penetration, and that is it so stable that passengers can move easily around whilst the boat is foiling.
It also says that by reducing wave impact, the system ‘virtually eliminates sea sickness’ as well as leaving a third of the normal wake disturbance of a boat of this size and speed. Fuel consumption is also claimed to be reduced by 20%.
Top speed is 40 knots with a 30 knot cruising speed giving a range of 130 nautical miles from its 300 litre fuel tank.
On board, the deck layout is an open plan bow rider configuration, with two forward facing comfortable looking arm chairs in the bow section. Further aft, a large seating pad to port curls around a central bolster whilst the back end of the cockpit is left completely open for sunbathing or water sports.
The foils can be retracted, reducing draught to just 0.6m (2ft) and allowing the boat to be used as a superyacht tender and stored on board of very large yachts.
Photo: Guillaume Plisson
Specification
LOA: 9.8m (32ft) Beam (max): 7.2m (24ft) Beam (foils retracted): 3.3m (11ft) Draught (max): 1.9m (6ft) Draught (foils retracted): 0.7m (2ft) Max speed (planing): 28 knots Max speed (foiling): 40 knots Range at 20 knots: 190nm Certification: CE category B Price from: €764,000 (ex. VAT)
