2/26/05: Welcome to NEB News E-Newsletter, Issue #2
Underway Now at NEB:
A 45-Foot Sparkman & Stephens-Designed Fast Cruiser
The Owner of this classically-styled 45-footer wanted a yacht with a combination of design and construction qualities that couldn't be found in any other powerboat in the market today. A handsome, seaworthy yacht for extended cruising, this 30-knot powerboat (Design No. 2710 by Sparkman & Stephens, Inc.) is designed for fast offshore passages between the islands of the Bahamas, Caribbean, and Eastern seaboard. The yacht combines shallow (3' 3") draft with a generous 1,000-gallon fuel capacity to maximize access to the Owner's favorite cruising grounds. The well-appointed interior is designed for a single couple and features plenty of stowage space and an easily-maintained finish.
Because the yacht carries more fuel and sound insulation than is common for boats this size, NEB is utilizing weight saving composite construction of vacuum-bagged E-glass, SP Systems epoxy, and Core-Cell foam core. Post-curing the hull, deck, and structure in the full-size NEB composites climate-controlled room optimizes the yacht's physical properties. The resulting modest 29,000-pound displacement means that the twin 440-horsepower Yanmar turbo-charged diesels (turning 27-inch, 5-bladed propellers) will have little trouble pushing the yacht to a top speed of 30 knots and maintaining an economical 24-knot cruising speed. The interior will be finished in a clean, appealing style by NEB's Joinerwork Team. The S&S 45 promises to be as beautiful as she is strong, quiet, and fast -- the right mix of contemporary design and advanced composite construction.
Underway Now at NEB: 65-Foot Sparkman & Stephens-Designed Custom Motor Yacht
Simplicity, safety, and seaworthiness are the keywords in the design and construction of this motor yacht (Design No. 2713 by Sparkman & Stephens, Inc.). The Owner, a very experienced boatowner, has also placed high emphasis on a well-organized engine room, straightforward systems design for easy service access, and a practical, attractively-finished interior with traditional, understated styling.
Twin Catepillar C30, 1550-horsepower turbocharged diesels will provide propulsion; a Northern Lights M844LK2 genset will power the yacht's extensive liveaboard systems. NEB is working with insulation experts to achieve an exceptionally low level of noise and vibration, even with the generator and air-conditioning in operation. The NEB Composites Team will build the yacht using vacuum-bagged Core-Cell linear foam core, knitted bidirectional E-glass, and epoxy resin. For safety, the yacht will feature three cored-fiberglass watertight bulkheads and one watertight door with window into the engine room; the hull, deck, superstructure, and all transverse frames and longitudinal stiffeners will be built to exceed ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) requirements. All wiring, piping, and systems details will meet or exceed ABYC (American Boat and Yacht Council) requirements. NEB's in-house Engineering and Mechanical and Electrical departments are working closely with the S&S design office and industry suppliers to create a yacht that will be a trustworthy cruising vessel for many years to come.
Just Launched by NEB: Rampant, the first Diode 36, Makes a Key West Debut
A 36-footer that weighs only 4,320 pounds, carries a cloud of sail, and sports a "gybing" carbon-fiber keel, Rampant, a sportboat/skiff by designer Rodger Martin, sailed to a sixth in class in the highly competitive PHRF-3 division at Key West Race Week. Though Key West is a challenging event in which to make a competition debut, owner George Isdale and his team, which included NEB partner Tom Rich, put together a solid effort as they learned how to pull the right strings and make Rampant go. NEB built the boat using wet layup, vacuum-bagged E-glass with a Core-Cell foam core, and fabricated a drum-shaped cassette for the keel, which is also retractable for trailering. One sailing website that covered Key West Race Week noted that the Diode 36 is "a gorgeous boat, beautifully faired hull and just well done all the way around. Nice hull form, good deck layout." For more information check out the NEB portfolio on the boat or the designer's notes section of Rodger Martin Yacht Designs website.
Refits at NEB Selemat: Restoring a Vintage Palmer Johnson 65-Footer
It's amazing how 30 years can fly by! Back in the 1970s, Wisconsin builder Palmer Johnson produced a number of aluminum racing and cruising yachts, many of which enjoyed extensive sailing careers. NEB recently carried out a major refit on a 1974-vintage Palmer Johnson-built cruising ketch, Selemat, whose Owner wants to restore the McCurdy & Rhodes-designed yacht to its original glory. The work included (photos at left, from top) replacing/repairing the teak decks, servicing the rudder bearings, and building new companionway drop boards. Selemat is looking good -- she's ready for the next 30 years!
Bertram 31: Bringing Back a Classic
The Bertram 31, the powerboat that effectively launched Bertram Yachts when it was introduced at the 1961 New York National Boat Show, is an enduring classic that maritime restoration buffs appreciate in the same way that car buffs prize the '57 Chevy. The boat's classic lines and art deco-detailing are appealing, and the Ray Hunt-designed Bertram 31 has achieved near-cult status as the first powerboat design to utilize the Deep-V hull shape. But restoring a Bertram 31 to its showroom glory means not only refinishing the topsides and deck surfaces but also recreating original accessories that went "out of stock" many years ago. NEB's recent stem-to-stern restoration of the Bertram 31 Kiltoghert included replicating the original anodized aluminum curved window frames and grillwork, along with an Awlgrip job, new sliding side windows, and engraving the official hull number plaque. While we can't turn back the clock to the 1960s, if you take a spin on an NEB-restored Bertram 31 you will find yourself taking a trip down memory lane. For more info on this "collectible classic," go to the Bertram 31 website.
White Wings: New Shine for a W-Class 76-Footer
The Joel White-designed White Wings, one of the W-Class beauties, visited NEB for a topsides Awlgrip job (complete with new gold leaf cove stripe, see photo below) and a minor refit. Work by NEB's Joinerwork Team included replacing nav station paneling to hide instrumentation changes, repairing the caprail, replacing a few hull frames, and fitting new longitudinal frames; all of NEB's woodwork on the cold-molded yacht was epoxy-sealed. NEB's Mechanical and Electrical department serviced the engine (valves and injectors), fabricated a new power take-off bracket, serviced the drive train and prop, load-tested the batteries, and repaired the steering pedestal and anchor windlass. Look for White Wings on the water this summer -- she's a beauty!
The Awlgrip Magic Continues
The NEB Paint Team has been busy! Among the many boats which have received the Awlgrip rejuvenation treatment over the winter of 2004/2005 are a 48-foot Beneteau and an Eastbay 49. Call us today at 401-683-4000 to schedule your baby.
Underway Now at NEB Check Out the Naiad RHIBs, with Alloy Hulls by NEB
NEB is working with Naiad Inflatables of Newport, the licensed builder of Naiads in North America and the Caribbean, to build high-performance aluminum RHIBs. NEB has now built the aluminum hulls for 13 custom Naiads from 12 to 41 feet, along with several yacht tenders, four 28-foot boats (including a tow boat for Sea Tow Ft. Lauderdale), and a 41-foot pilot boat for the Trinidad and Tobago pilots.
The Naiad designs come from Naiad Inflatables, New Zealand, which has been building high-performance RHIBs for over 30 years. NEB provides custom engineering and fabricates the aluminum hulls and houses, courtesy of the experts in our Metalwork department. Naiad Inflatables of Newport works with NEB to supervise the projects, installs all the systems, and is the builder of record of these tough, good-looking craft. You can e-mail the Naiad folks at info at naiadnewport.com or give them a ring at 401-683-1616.
Haulout and Yard Service at NEB We're Ready for the Big Spring Splashdown
Recently a Dutch owner brought his Jeanneau 52, a production fiberglass cruiser, to NEB for a refit as well as a makeover, with the help of designer Rodger Martin, into a boat that could be raced offshore single-handed or double-handed as well as cruised the world over. Modifications included the addition of a bow thruster, a bubble/blister cabin top, a hydraulic folding anchor-roller arm, topsides and hull Awlgrip, and a number of rigging changes to make shorthanded sailhandling easier and safer.
NEB Is Now a US SAILING-Authorized IRC Measurement Station
New England Boatworks, always actively involved in yacht racing, is now an authorized IRC Measurement Station. Matt Hammatt and James Stusse from NEB's Engineering Department have completed the required training for authorized IRC measurers and are ready to assist you with all aspects of the IRC yacht measurement process. Recent endorsement of the handicap measurement rule has promoted renewed interest in competitive sailing on a local level as well as grand prix racing internationally. As the governing body of American yacht racing, US SAILING has set up measurement stations at selected yacht yards nationwide to manage IRC measurement requirements. For IRC assistance, e-mail NEB at information at neboatworks.comNew England Boatworks & East Passage Yachting Center
The NEB-affiliated East Passage Yachting Center has a few slips available for the 2005 summer season. Slip sizes range from 35 to 48 feet; the price per foot is $124.00. The deepwater marina is fully protected and has complete shoreside amenities for the boater, ranging from head, laundry, and shower facilities to a swimming pool, picnic area, and volleyball court. Ice, water, diesel, gasoline, and CNG-refill service is available at the full service fuel dock. Slips include fresh water, wireless Internet, and 30-, 50-, and 100-amp electrical service. Contact Marina Manager Stan Piszcz by calling him at 401-683-4000, or via e-mail at: information at neboatworks.com.
Technology at NEB: A High-Tech Centerboard Case for a Traditional Wooden Yacht
Everyone knows that wood, when it's used wisely, is a great material for building boats. But in some applications, you can't beat high-tech composites. NEB's Composites Team recently built the centerboard and centerboard case for a shallow-draft 98-foot ketch under construction at wooden boatbuilder Hodgdon Yachts of East Boothbay, Maine. The epoxy/unidirectional-glass vacuum-bagged centerboard is far stronger and more durable than wood, and the composite construction centerboard case (photo, left) can withstand the extreme loads of an accidental grounding and remain leak-free. To see more on the boat, which was designed by the Fontaine Design Group, go to Hodgdon Yachts.
Upgrading a Retractable Bow Thruster
System for Braveheart
A lot of what we do here at NEB involves making an already great yacht even better... which is what we've done with the retrofit composite "box" we engineered and built to house a retractable hydraulic bow thruster (photo, right) for Braveheart, the Andre Hoek-designed 75-footer. The flush-fitting installation minimizes drag when sailing yet maximizes the thruster's effect when the unit is deployed in docking situations.
A New Carbon Centerboard for Whisper
In advance of challenging the schooner Atlantic's record by racing "across the pond" (otherwise known as the Atlantic Ocean) in the New York YC's Rolex Transatlantic Challenge 2005, the Owner of Whisper, a Ted Fontaine-designed 116-foot sloop, has come to NEB for a new carbon-fiber centerboard. As noted above with the Fontaine 98, NEB-built carbon-fiber boards are rapidly replacing fiberglass or alloy centerboards. That's progress!
Updating an Open 50 with High-Tech Daggerboards
Solo offshore racer Joe Harris is planning an ambitious campaign of single-handed racing after his success in last summer's Solo Transat Race. Gryphon Solo (ex Tommy Hilfiger) is currently undergoing surgery at NEB, which includes keel update modifications as well as replacement of the daggerboard system with updated carbon foils from Owen Clarke Design. Winner of last year's Transat Race, the Owen Clarke 50, Artforms, has spent this winter season at NEB and plans to begin training soon. Look for Gryphon Solo and Artforms to continue leading the pack in solo racing!Call NEB When You Need a Replacement Carbon-Fiber Rudder... in a Hurry!
Sometimes, life's little emergencies include broken rudders. So when the rudder of an extensively-raced 60-footer snapped during an offshore event in Caribbean waters, the yacht's Owner contacted NEB for a replacement rudder... ASAP. NEB's Composites Team went to work laminating unidirectional pre-preg carbon fiber, curing the assembly several times in NEB's climate-control room, before adding and shaping the foam blade. The result is a carbon-fiber rudder assembly that's stronger and lighter than the original. And all in record time...NEB Staff
Ian MacKechnie
Our new Service Coordinator is Ian MacKechnie, who brings a lifetime of racing and marine industry experience to NEB. A longtime offshore sailor, Ian raced aboard the Onion Patch Series-winning IMX-45 Temptress in the 2004 Newport-Bermuda Race. Ian has logged many miles on the water in everything from dinghies to large yachts, has lived in the Newport area for many years, and comes from an extensive family of sailors. Ian looks forward to helping you at NEB, whatever your needs, by coordinating NEB's work teams to complete the task at hand. Contact Ian via e-mail at: information at neboatworks.com
Goings-On at NEB
We have to admit that the White Christmas the New England region received was pretty. But the blizzard that hit us in January was ugly! NEB, along with coastal areas such as Cape Cod that are usually spared the brunt of the white stuff, received nearly three feet of snow. Not that a few snowflakes cramped our style, as the photo at right of a member of our Joinerwork Team shows. It takes a lot more than a blizzard to stop us, much less slow us down!Vendee Globe Challenge: Well Done, Anne!
It's a long, long way around the world, especially when you're sailing by yourself. So of all the Open 60 racers in the Vendee Globe single-handed race, we at NEB were cheering for 43-year-old French sailor Anne Liardet on Roxy. After the boat hit a reef in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, during a local delivery during the summer of 2004, NEB repaired the damage to the keel and rebuilt the internal structures. Anne was very happy with the repairs, and they've seen her through this demanding race around the world.Coming Up from NEB
The Summer of the Twelves
Comes to Newport (again!) and NEB....
With the International 12-Meter World Championships to be sailed September 14-18 in Newport, Rhode Island, it's getting to be like old times here at NEB. USA-61, the canard-equipped boat that Tom Blackaller sailed in the 1987 challenger series in Perth, and KZ-3, one of the groundbreaking "plastic fantastic" boats from New Zealand, will be receiving complete checkovers and new paint at NEB before the Worlds. NEB partners Tom Rich, Steven Casella, and David MacBain got their start in building racing yachts with Dennis Conners' 12-Meter, Liberty, for the 1983 America's Cup while working at Newport Offshore (Casella and MacBain) and Williams and Manchester (Casella, MacBain and Rich) in Rhode Island and at Minneford's (Casella) in City Island, New York. Nice to know that the Twelves are still going strong!