4/16/08
: Welcome to NEB News E-Newsletter, Issue #3
Underway Now at NEB:
Just Launched by NEB Advanced Composite Construction S&S 45 Fast Cruiser
Built to cruise fast and confidently offshore, this Sparkman & Stephens-designed 45 allowed New England Boatworks to bring together the best of all our departments — Engineering, Composites, Joinerwork, Metalwork, Paintwork, and Mechanical & Electrical. Working with the designers at S&S, our Engineering team made certain that all structural components and hardware for the boat was technically correct at each phase of construction. Our Composites team used NEB's industry-leading Advanced Composite Technology to build a strong, light, and tough hull and deck. NEB's Joinerwork team hand-selected the hardwoods they used to craft the yacht's teak decking, interior furniture, and swimstep. The Metalwork department fabricated a number of custom aluminum and stainless parts for the yacht, from elegantly-curved handrails and stanchions to a special anchor roller/windlass base. NEB's Paintwork team prepped and applied the Awlgrip finish to hull and deck, and (last but certainly not least) our Mechanical & Electrical team solved the puzzle of integrating all the yacht's systems, from engines to genset to watermaker and air-conditioning, into an orderly, easy-to-service layout. During the course of sea-trialing the S&S 45 Fast Cruiser, the NEB staff have reached one conclusion: This is a beauty we'd love to take to the Bahamas ourselves! If you'd like to talk with NEB about the S&S Fast Cruiser or any custom new construction or refit project please contact us.
Underway Now at NEB: 65-Foot Sparkman & Stephens-Designed Custom Motor Yacht
Construction is progressing well on this state-of-the-art composite motoryacht. The NEB Composites Team is using NEB's Advanced Composite Technology to build the yacht with vacuum-bagged Core-Cell linear foam core, knitted bidirectional E-glass, and epoxy resin. For safety, the yacht features three cored-fiberglass watertight bulkheads and one watertight door with window into the engine room. The hull, deck, super-structure, and all transverse frames and longitudinal stiffeners are being built to exceed ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) requirements. As with all NEB composite-built projects, the S&S 65 will be substantially lighter (and as a result, far more fuel-efficient) than conventional fiberglass yachts, while retaining very high structural rigidity and impact strength — a strong, fast yacht suitable for offshore work. (For more about this yacht, which is Design No. 2713 by Sparkman & Stephens, Inc., please click here to read News From NEB E-Newsletter #2.
50-Foot Jason Ker-designed IRC Cruiser/Racer
Young British designer Jason Ker is noted for his successful racing designs, and this new 50-foot yacht promises to cruise fast and win races. The yacht's Owner, a highly experienced veteran offshore racer who understands the importance of quality materials and methods in modern yacht construction, chose NEB to build the boat light and strong. Hull and deck materials will include epoxy, Corecell, Kevlar, and e-glass. This pre-preg/post cured construction yacht is well underway now at NEB with an ambitious launch schedule and sea trials planned in preparation for the upcoming Newport to Bermuda 
Race in June of 2006. Other NEB-built offshore racing yachts in this size range, which feature high-tech composite construction, include the 66-foot Reichel Pugh-designed Zaraffa, the Nelson/Marek-designed 52-foot Ptarmigan and 48-foot Virago. We'll keep you posted as this exciting new Ker IRC cruiser/racer takes shape!Just Launched by NEB: A Rugged Aluminum Pilot Boat for
Trinidad and Tobago
Pilot boats are not only expected to go out in all manner of rough weather, they have to be able to take bumps and grinds from large vessels in stride. NEB's Metalwork department recently created this 41-foot pilot boat for duty in the two-island Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago. The boat, a custom Naiad built by NEB and finished by Naiad, features a pilothouse with 360-degree visibility and — of course — a hull and deck of bulletproof construction. NEB also builds a line of high-performance aluminum RHIBs, from 12 to 41 feet, exclusively for Naiad Inflatables of Newport.
Refits at NEB Selemat: Siocain Restoring the Gloss,
Beefing Up the Structure
A well-traveled Alden 72, Siocain (ex-Krisujen) came to NEB for cosmetic rejuvenation as well as structural repair. The replacement of the yacht's main bulkhead with a new composite structure headed the refit list. This work required the removal of all furniture and systems from Siocain's main saloon, so that the foam/E-glass/epoxy bulkhead could be fashioned below deck. NEB's refit crew did a great job of carrying out the project in a restricted space while taking care not to damage the rest of Siocain's varnished interior. Other refit work included: repair, resize, and refinish the floorboards; repair the teak decking; replace cabinhouse windows; service rudder bearings; modify babystay and inner forestay system; repair swim platform; replace hatch lenses; sand and paint bottom; sand and prep topsides, apply Awlgrip finish.
KZ-3: Optimizing a Kiwi Legend
Prior to the International 12-Meter World Championships in Newport, Rhode Island, a number of the world's notable 12-Meters, including Columbia, USA-61 (the canard-equipped yacht otherwise known as "the geek"), and Hissar (ex-KZ-5, she is seen getting a new pair of solid bronze wings in the photo at left) spent time at NEB getting spruced up. For the famous New Zealand boat KZ-3, NEB worked some "Kiwi magic" over the winter, including a long list of deck layout modifications (photos right and below). Pedrick Yacht Design of Newport, RI, applied a wealth of knowledge and experience with the 12-Meter Rule to revitalize this race-tested war horse with the help of the craftsmen at NEB. A new Awlgrip job on top of all the race mod's made KZ-3's owner proud to join the fleet for a season of grand prix racing in New England.
Hissar: Updating a 12-Meter's Keel
Ever since the unveiling of Australia II's revolutionary winged keel after the Australians historic win in the 1983 America's Cup, 12-Meter keels have been undergoing development. Working closely with a design firm and the company that cast the lead for Hissar's new keel, NEB's Metalwork department fabricated an internal structure guaranteed to keep the yacht's ballast, wings and all, exactly where her designer intended. After that, the yacht's keel received a new set of solid bronze wings (see photo left) to make her really fly!
Construction Technology at NEB The Carbon-Fiber Sprits Are Multiplying!
A growing number of hot racing yachts are sprouting sexy carbon-fiber sprits built by New England Boatworks. Super light (of course) and strong, the sprits are but one of many types of custom carbon fabrication — everything from steering wheels to rudderstocks to flagstaffs — created by NEB's Composites Team. When your boat needs a carbon component, give us a call. If an aluminum bowsprit is a better option for your boat, NEB's Metalwork department can fabricate a strong, good-looking sprit for you as well. Either way, your boat will be sailing faster when it's flying an asymmetrical on a custom-built NEB sprit.
Metalwork Magic at NEB:
Those Wheels — in Aluminum, Stainless, or Titanium — Just Keep On Turning
The Metalwork wizards at New England Boatworks have been busy creating everything from custom steering wheels (photo, below) to stainless-steel exhaust mufflers (right). The comprehensive arsenal of metal fabrication machinery at our team's fingertips includes a Craft-former machine (for bending and forming plating), a three-wheeled metal roller, Bridgeport lathes (2), shop lathes (2), metal cutting and plasma cutting machines, and over a dozen welding machines, including TIG (tungsten inert gas), MIG (automatic), and plasma arc welders. In other words, NEB can build anything — including all types of architectural railings, structures large and small, and works of art, in conjunction with NEB's Engineering Department — out of metal for your boat, home, farm, business, or institution. Give us a call!
Winter Storage at NEB
Tell Us Your Plans Now for the Big Chill
Now that the snowbirds have sailed south for the winter NEB is looking forward to hearing from owners of yachts in winter storage here at our safe and secure storage facility. With the inevitable spring rush not far away, we urge yacht owners to consider their 2006 plans and contact us now with their winter work list.
Winter Work List Contacts: Service Coordinator—Ian MacKechnie; Yard Service
Manager—Scott Murray; Mechanical/Electrical Manager—Paul Dow.
Experienced owners know that waiting until spring to contact a boat yard regarding your work list will likely place your order at the back of the line while spring commissioning and launching is well underway. Please don't wait! Your spring schedule for launch and commissioning is most important to NEB now and through the winter season. Call us at 401-683-4000, or click here to e-mail NEB.
Goings-On at NEB
Vellamo: A World Cruise That Began at NEB
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.
Power Cruising Comes to NEB!
We were pleased when Pierce Hoover, the Editor of Power Cruising magazine, recently visited NEB. As usual, we had a wide variety of new construction and refit projects underway—everything from aluminum RIBs to the refits of classic wooden yachts to the construction of high-tech carbon-fiber centerboards. Hoover enjoyed seeing all of it (like browsing the aisles of a yachtsman's toy store!), and kindly left us a number of copies of Power Cruising. If you haven't seen this magazine, pick up a copy—we bet that owners of powerboats from 25 to 50 feet will find it the right mix of valuable info and photography that makes you want to get out of the office and out on the water.Who Wants to See the New NEB Ads? We Do, We Do!
B
ecause you asked, we are happy to show you our latest ads. On the right, you'll find a multi-part series that talks about NEB's approach to State of the Art Construction, Race Prep, Optimization, Custom Fabrication, and Advanced Composite Technology. On the right, some of our successful composite-built racing yachts, including the maxi Sagamore, two America's Cup yachts (Stars & Stripes) USA 66 and USA 77, and the 66-foot racer/cruiser, Zaraffa. There's also a quick look at the technology that went into building the Nelson/Marek 52 Ptarmigan.