There are 10 hard-working FPBers presently detailing structure, interior, and systems. Between hours of conferences, checking drawings, talking to vendors, the days are long (and nights very short)! Following is a brief update.

On modern yachts the entire systems approach is driven by air conditioning. This impacts every decision, from genset size and battery capacity, to such seemingly unrelated topics as water makers. We have always designed for efficient warm weather climate cruising, with awning and ventilation systems that minimize heat load. With the FPB 78 we are going a step further, using more insulation, higher R-value windows and coverings, and powerful active ventilation systems, about which we have chatted before.

In the great room, the biggest heat load comes from the glass. The large overhangs on all four sides provide a natural awning. Beyond this, using insulating window shades on the interior makes a huge difference in heat load, but reduces our view, about which we are not pleased. We have been experimenting with varying window shade heights and 40% coverage, shown in the lead rendering, is a reasonable compromise between solar load and view.

At the same time we are modeling lighting systems, here shown with indirect perimeter lighting dimmed to almost dark.

While we are in the great room we’ll give you a quick update on the all important galley.

Interior working drawings will begin soon, and we have been working through many small details.

These include drawer and shelf arrangements, like these in the galley. Aft are the fridge/freezer drawers, forward, under the cooktop, are general storage drawers.

Linda and Todd, being the galley experts, are heavily involved in this process.

A night lighting rendering giving just a hint of the ambiance that awaits.

Switching now to the owner’s suite,

shown here in “romantic” lighting mode.

We have added a bit of artwork, to give ourselves a better sense of what this space will feel like when we are finally cruising again.

The desk and settee have been replaced with a “stressless” chair and bookcase. We feel the combination of the chair and library will see a lot more use than the settee previously shown.

Moving now into the dressing room/head area. This midships locker serves both as a brace at sea and provides lots of drawer space. The seat is also a clothes hamper and step up to help the vertically challenged operate the deck hatch above.

The vanity has storage below and above the countertop, the latter having very deep shelves.

The annex will be used as office, storage area, and workout room, at least that is what we are guessing today. This is a difficult area to both render and give you a sense of the space, so it may help to refer back to the top down (plan) view earlier in the post.

 We’ll leave you with this rendering, looking into the suite from the doorway. More to follow soon.

Window coverings will play a more important role in the new FPB 78, given our goal of staying cool at anchor a majority of the time without a genset. This post is about the factors affecting the window covering decision, after which we’d love to have suggestions from SetSailors.

To begin with, we are loathe to compromise the view or the wonderful open feeling that comes from living with 360 degree views.

OK, this is still very cool looking, and certainly does not lack for visual space. But we want to feel like a part of the surroundings, not isolated.

Obviously the most efficient situation in terms of heat load is to totally cover this enormous expanse of window. However, the highest heat load comes from direct sunlight, so we will get the biggest benefit and the least cost in view with partial extension of the shades.

Which leads to using just the area of window coverings between us and the direct sun load.

There is also the privacy question to be considered. There are times in port and at anchor when a bit of privacy is warranted. This dock in the heart of Tromso, Norway, is a good example. Wind Horse was the object of much attention and discussion, and we met many wonderful Norwegians while waiting to head out to Svalbard. But we also needed a bit of privacy, and still wanted to preserve as much open space as possible. The answer was to use our window awnings in conjunction with the vertical weather cloths on the lifelines.

With the FPB 78, we have the window awning effectively built-in with the roof overhang. The higher freeboard means that in most cases someone standing on the dock, or looking from another yacht, will not be able to see beyond mid-window height. Which leads us to consideration of the top down, bottom up style of window coverings.

The following factors are part of the decision making matrix:

• There is space above the headliner panel edges–of as much as 6″/150mm–and a depth from glass face to headliner panel of up to 5″/125mm in which to store headrail and window covering when not in use.
• Given the large quantity of windows to cover, powered shades, if reliable, would seem a good idea.
• Maximum R value is worth having for when the boat is in storage, or when we leave for an afternoon and drop the shades–so we have less of a heat blast when we open the door on return at the end of the day.
• Room darkening is necessary for high latitude summers.
• Hardware reliability is essential.
• A top down, bottom up configuration would be nice, as long as this does not introduce other potential problems.
• Fixed rigging (strings) that run top to bottom and are always in view are not acceptable.

Our personal experience with window treatments is limited. We’d appreciate suggestions on types of window covering systems to consider, and your experience with same. We look forward to your comments.

As designers, we worry about getting so caught up in detail that we miss the big picture. This is like a fog that obscures the true path to cruising Nirvana. In the last couple of weeks, as we neared the point of no return design-wise with the FPB 78, we have questioned several of the previously made decisions.

This process was aided in no small part by the input of several members of our team, friends, and FPB  owners. And we have made some changes.

The first decision has to do with the functionality of solar panels versus aesthetic pleasure; the latter admittedly in the eye of the beholder. We have not been happy with the appearance of the large aft array, with its eight panels (shortened to six in the last iteration). Both Kelly Archer and Todd Rickard were clear in their dislike of the approach as well. But it was not until we were working with Pete Rossin, current owner of FPB 64-3, who also was not enthusiastic, that we made a breakthrough.

In the process of rationalizing Pete’s needs with our own, we came to the realization that while the output of 12 panels (counting forward and aft arrays) was nice, dropping back to ten was a small price to pay for enjoying the view from the dinghy.

We still have more than enough solar power in most situations to cover our battery charging needs, and look at the lovely “porch” we get as a bonus.

Although we liked the great room layout of the FPB 78, there has been a nagging feeling that we were missing something. Two weeks ago we were discussing this with Michael Jones , and sent him a set of drawings to ponder.

Michael quickly came back with a sketch and the comment “maybe the Wind Horse way is best.” Having used a similar salon layout on most of our boats for the past 30+ years we were bored with this design.

The new layout, which started with Michael’s suggestion, evolved further when Todd expressed a  strong desire for a separate lounging area where a couple could comfortable sit and chat. There is now sufficient cabin sole space that we can have a pair of Ekornes “Stressless” chairs in a variety of modes.

You may have noted a new ship’s office and watch keeping station. With a full piloting position on the Matrix desk, the electronics requirements in the great room are reduced. We are going to use one multi-input 24″/60cm wide screen monitor for ship’s functions. and then either a laptop or iMac for computing.

The breaker  panel and genset/ inverter/ air con controls are now positioned at the aft end of the stairway locker. They are convenient to the galley, and centrally located between Matrix deck con and that in the great room.

There are many details that have now been worked through, such as the great room TV system. Do we need a wide screen TV, especially one which has a remote controlled lift? For us the answer would normally be no. We simply do not watch enough TV to justify this.

But if the TV functions as a clone of the main ship’s monitor, and it can be viewed low, where it does not impede the view forward when watch keeping, and we have an Ekornes chair in which to sit, then yes, we will take one of these please.

This is just a start. We’ll finish up next week.

Have a good weekend.

Rudder control steering geometry is one of those things which looks simple, but is actually quite difficult to get right. Loads can be high, space tight, and when you are shooting for maximum rudder deflection, it can be a challenge.

Shown here the rudder is turned 40 degrees to starboard.

And here all the way to port.

In this view we see both centered and the two extremes. The red blocks represent the rudder stops. The hydraulic cylinder has a 12”/300mm stroke, and this has to work with a “tiller” that gets us the 80 degree hard over to hard over range. It has to do so without binding. And the cylinder base must be connected to something extremely strong.

With the geometry established, Kelly and the engineers can get on with the detailing.

 Over the years we have learned that often mundane destinations close to home offer unexpected cruising rewards.

If we were other than land locked these days, we’d entertain you with an aquatic example, say Catalina Island, where we still enjoy returning after many, many decades of previous visits. But since we are presently without waterborne transport, this post is an example of cruising gems closer to home in Arizona, where from time to time we have had the land anchor well dug in the past twenty years.

The lead photo is a sunrise shot of an osprey, waiting in a tree beside our cabin in Pinetop, Arizona. The area is a summer retreat for desert rats fleeing the heat. There are streams, lakes, and lots of wildlife.

The osprey share their hunting grounds with native Americans.

The vistas are wide, and in the summer, with afternoon monsoon clouds, bathed in spectacularly beautiful light.

The meadows are filled with wildflowers.

And semi-wild horses watch warily, while mom takes the next generation away from the strange apparition with the big white lens.

Flowers abound.

While deer, elk, and here an antelope graze in preparation for the coming winter.

All this beauty so close by, with millions of locals and tourists in better known areas a couple of hours away, and we are almost alone. Above, Linda, and good friend Joe Kutschka, take in yet another high mountain meadow.

How many places in the world will you see wild turkeys lined up along the side of the road?

Dusk comes quickly, and at 7000 feet (2147 meters) above sea level and the air temperature falls rapidly with the sun.

There is little time to enjoy the changing view. Within a few minutes the light is almost gone.

If you are lucky, and happen to be in the right place at the right time, the photographic rewards can be substantial.

If you think our galaxy looks impressive from the deck of a yacht at sea on a moonless night, wait till you have experienced the same at altitude, in this case the mountains of Central Arizona.

Birds of prey are plentiful in this part of the world. And we expect to see red tailed hawks.

The osprey, on the other hand, come as a pleasant surprise, although they seem none too happy about our presence.

Open vistas like these remind us of being at sea.

With 22 months to go until FPB 78-1 launches, we’ll just have to learn how to exist in a state of aquatic minimization.

It isn’t easy, this land based life.

But it does have its moments.

Occasionally the environment in which we are so privileged to inhabit comes into focus.

After which we are content, at least for a little while.

We head back to the drawing board, all the sooner to get ourselves afloat again, passing through another environment close to home which we often traverse without thinking of stopping. But this day we pull off the side of the road, take a closer look, and find… a visual treasure.

We just need to remember not to overstay our welcome.

With the 34th America’s Cup now concluded, sailors with the need for speed can be expected to go into depression. As a partial antidote we offer a series of videos available online. OK, not the real thing, but certainly better than watching Sunday football.

• Ultimate freaks will cotton to the Vestes Sail Rocket. Paul Larsen and crew have been chasing this holy grail for years. Watch this video to witness an unbelievable record.

• Hydroptere at 51 knots: Watch here

• Banque Populaire: here

• Our favorite monomaran, the 78-foot ketch Beowulf, is shown strutting her stuff in this video crossing the South Pacific, with just Linda and Steve aboard as crew.

• If this short caught your fancy, a much longer compilation is here.

• There is a huge amount of video on the 34thh AC. This is a recap of the racing:

• Here is a fascinating look at the technical details of the most modern of sailing vehicles, C-Class catamarans. If you wonder how they do  it on the stunning AC 72s, some secrets will be found here.

• Transatlantic in Speedboat – amazing monohull transatlantic!

• Volvo Ocean Race-Spanish Castle to White Night 2hrs35 minutes,  2008-09:  Open 70s

•  Volvo ocean race – first 40 years

We admit to being speed freaks. Fast is fun, typically more comfortable, and in the right boat, is safer offshore.

The photo above was taken during the Yachting One of a Kind Regatta in April 1974, Newport Beach, California, during which, we re-learned some difficult but nonetheless important life lessons. For a detailed account of that experience, see the accompanying article which appeared in Sports Illustrated.

Skeg, rudder and canoe body integration play a large part in comfort on passage, heavy weather tactics, maneuvering in port, propulsion efficiency, and tolerance for operator error.

The absolute number one priority should be control in heavy weather, followed by maneuverability in port (this without resorting to thrusters). Then comes tolerance for operator error and bad luck.

All of the above is directly related to draft, and to the propensity of the fins protruding below the canoe body to interact with nets, floating line, ice, and other forms of debris. Many yachts are fitting with a beam between the keel or skeg and rudder to reduce entanglement risks. However, we avoid this practice, as when the inevitable grounding occurs, deflectors between keel and rudder tend to be bent upward, resulting in a jammed rudder, or worse.

We use a combination of skeg leading edge angle, and rudder toe round to shed debris. Having rolled many logs under the hull of Wind Horse, pushed through ice, and spent several cruising seasons co-habitating with millions of lobster pots, we can attest to the fact that the system does work.

Although we want the skeg and rudder to have as small a cross section as practical to reduce interference with water flow to the prop, these have to be strong enough to take abuse. And then hopefully – no guarantees here – be so constructed so that the foil bottom deforms and unloads before damaging the rudder shaft or skeg structure above the tip crumble zone. Over the years, there has been a fair amount of real world testing of these principles, and so far we are doing OK.

The rudder shape is a derivative of a foil we developed in the 1980s for our Sundeer designs.

It has excellent drag characteristics, and a cross section that allows an over-sized rudder shaft, without making the rudder foil too fat.

All of the preceding has a major impact on prop efficiency. Even the rudder, which is behind the prop, affects what is happening upstream; hence our somewhat obsessive attitude toward these details.

A final comment on drying out on a tidal river or beach. There are several schools of thought on how to design fins for this process. The approach we are using with the FPB 78 is one example. The canoe body has a grounding flat down the centerline for drying out. The intention is for this to help support the hull. The center of gravity is well forward of the aft end of the flat, so assuming a firm bottom support of the hull, there is little tendency for the hull to rock aft. Where the bottom slope is even, the skegs will dip below the surface as shown above. The rudder would normally be just above the surface. There is a synergism between the thin foils we want for efficiency and the bottom as shown here. The thinner the foil, the more easily it penetrates the bottom and unloads itself.

We have been rethinking the ultimate dinghy concept and are looking at a big custom designed RIB for our new FPB 78. Not having experience with properly designed deep V RIBS, we have a few questions and are hopeful the SetSail community can provide real world answers.

This is a very rough concept sketch: to check weight, basic dimensions, and how this design might fit on the aft deck of the FPB 78. We are at 4.85m x 1.95 meters overall or 15.8′ x 6.35’. The hull is a constant 24 degree deadrise V-shape.

This dink has three jobs: a shore boat where there are docks at which to disembark, for exploration far from the mother ship, and as a primary escape vehicle instead of a life raft. As such we are interested in comfort, which means ride and dryness, and seakeeping in sub-optimal sea states. The ability to maintain good turn of speed in chop also has value.

We are looking at a displacement of around 800/900 pounds (360/410 kgs) rigged, but not including passengers.

Now some questions:

• How does a RIB like this compare in terms of seakeeping to a more traditional flatter bottom dinghy?
• Is it drier or wetter in chop?
• What about beam to length proportions? We are 2.5/1. Narrow by dinghy standards, but a little chubby by the criteria of big rescue RIBs.
• Any projections on performance and fuel burn with a pair  of 20/30 HP two stroke outboards?
• We have assumed 4mm/3/16” bottom plate, 1/8”/3mm deck, same for frames at 12”/300mm on center, with 6mm1/4” transom + local stiffeners in our weight budget. We want to be fault tolerant. How do these scantlings sound?
• Suggestions for tube construction details, materials, what to look for and what to avoid, and vendors are solicited.
• Tube diameter? We are showing here 450mm/18”. Sufficient or should it be larger?
• Tube clearance from waterline at rest, with two crew aboard, and when heavy?
• Deadrise angles forward and aft?
• Other details on rigging, store, etc are always welcome.

Tomorrow, Saturday September 7, marks the start of an amazing spectacle that you don’t want to miss. Whether on network TV or YouTube, we will be treated to heated competition between “yachts” traveling at 25 to 50 knots, with no love lost between the teams.

American syndicate head, Sir Russell Coutts, was an America’s Cup hero in New Zealand, who followed the money (as a professional sailor should), and became a figure of scorn in some circles down under. He has never lost an America’s Cup race or regatta.

On the other side of the card is hard driving syndicate head Grant Dalton, who brought team New Zealand back to the fore with his wit, will, and organizational genius.

These 72-foot foiling cats, with their 132-foot tall rigs, are the most difficult yachts to sail the world has ever seen. Physically demanding and dangerous – the crews are wearing body armor and helmets for a reason – they require a far higher standard of crew coordination than any other type of yacht. Traveling at boat length per second, tacks, jibes, and mark roundings will make a bigger difference in the outcome than ever before.

The odds are we will see the boats foiling to windward at 25 to 30 knots in anything over 15 knots of breeze. It would not surprise this correspondent to see a further significant ratchet up in boat speed off the wind as well, from the current maximum of 47 knots to 50 knots in spurts with the right conditions.

The end plate New Zealand has added to their jib (Oracle has had theirs for a while) and better sealing of the wing to its end plate, are going to make a big difference (a lot more than the 1/10th of a knot Team New Zealand are discussing publicly).

Both skippers, Dean Barker on Team New Zealand and Jimmy Spithill of Oracle Racing, are aggressive masters of match racing tactics. Couple their skill with the speed and maneuverability of these big cats, and the stakes given this is the finals, and we are going to see drama-filled starting sequences.

And the winner is….

We have no idea, but we shall be watching every minute of this spectacle as it unfolds over the coming two weeks.

When we unexpectedly sold Wind Horse (before we were really ready to part with her) the plan was to take time off from cruising. After a lifetime spent messing around in boats, we considered a new avocation. And we tried, even to the point of Steve watering plants in the backyard (something that hasn’t happened in decades). However, the confluence of several factors opened up a different path forward than what we had planned.

The first was the lack of a prudent investment for our cruising kitty. With central banks around the world churning their printing presses, and interest rates essentially zero, we felt like we were anchored in a reef-strewn atoll with poor visibility, an unexpected gale pushing us onto a lee shore, with inadequate ground tackle. We do not like that sensation.

And then there was this nagging feeling that there was more yet to do with what we’d learned from the FPB 83, 64, and 97 projects. We started to dabble. Nothing serious mind you: a doodle here, a discussion there.

Slowly an image started to form.

In the past we have optimized our yachts for the two of us, with occasional guests. But if we were going to consider a new yacht for ourselves at this point, we also needed to allow for crew aboard, should this become desirable to keep prudently chasing our dreams.

We did not want a longer yacht. And we certainly did not aspire to a floating condo. We held numerous discussions with friends who have lived with long term crew, and others who are professional sailors. From them we quickly came to understand that a key ingredient to success would be a layout that allowed for comfortable separation between ourselves and long term guests or crew. Equally important were pleasant crew quarters, an essential ingredient in attracting (and keeping) the best crew.

In the last year we’ve been through literally hundreds of different layouts. As this process has evolved, we’ve become more and more enamored with the cruising potential in this new design.

An example of this is shown above in the great room,

where we have a high degree of flexibility in how we use the space, at anchor (above)

and at sea (shown above with helm and Ekornes stressless chairs in watch keeping position).

The owner’s suite occupies a quarter of the accomodations deck, and will have an alluring ambiance, which we are just beginning to explore.

Whether we are reading in our favorite chair with our feet up,

relaxing in bed enjoying the view,

or working in the adjacent office, the entrance to which is shown above, this area will become a haven when required.

Separate living spaces beyond sleeping cabins are equally important.

The “Matrix” deck (renders above and below) is an example of how this has worked out.

An encloseable all-weather space, this area will be ideal at sea or in port for enjoying the view and for separation. We expect this space to be a favorite with the grandkids when they are visiting. This is also the prime location for conning the boat. When on watch at sea we will have excellent sight lines, while comfortably seated with our feet up on the settee.

As the design spiral progressed, the pieces slipped into place. Space planning, layout relative to motion centers, structure, systems, cruising speed and range, factors affecting maintenance, storage, and vessel handling came together with a minimum of tradeoffs. It was as if a secret force was guiding the design evolution.

And we were liking the way the boat was developing aesthetically.

Edgy looking on the outside, with a serious message for those wondering what type of craft we might be.

Yet welcoming on the inside.

During this process we frequently paused–hove to if you will–to catch our breath, and evaluate. We asked ourselves, was this the right decision at this point in our lives?

Each time we discussed this, the emerging potential drew us forward.

Consider just a few of the capabilities of this new Dream Machine:

For example, an air conditioned workshop (shown above), with access both from on deck and through a gullwing door on the swimstep,

adjacent to an engine room with excellent access to both diesel engines and drive line components.

Or the double mufflered diesel engines (with a goal of 25/28dbA exhaust noise reduction), which will deliver our cruising speed of10.5 to 11 knots at a smooth 1650/1700 RPM. (Click here to read a more detailed post on the FPB speed and fuel range in the real world.)

Here is a cutaway view of the entire FPB 78 to put into perspective for you how these interior spaces fit together.

There is a solar array that will cover most of our energy requirements at anchor. Based on our previous experience with Wind Horse, this array should generate around 13 kilowatts of power in good conditions. Add to this a battery bank with a usable capacity of over 26 kilowatts, coupled with a highly efficient air conditioning system, and we should be able to run the boat with minimal genset time. And when we retire for the evening to our stateroom, if air conditioning is desired it will be available without starting the genset.

A combination of low-E laminated glass windows, large roof overhangs, and triple cell insulating window coverings (with remote control) will substantially reduce heat load when cruising in warmer climates. With additional insulating materials in the hull, deck, and soles between the decks, both heating and air conditioning will benefit.

A new approach to fresh air at anchor is also going to have a major impact on genset time and ambiance in general. We refer to both passive and forced air exchange. The underside of the roof overhang forward and the Matrix deck forward coaming (shown above) have fresh air inlets.

These areas are naturally pressurized by the roof and coaming shapes. They have water shedding grills which lead to Dorade-style inlets. At anchor, even in light breezes, they will provide lots of air flow. And if there is no wind? Then extraction fans will pull the fresh air from outside through the boat. The rendering above is a cutaway, through the center of the Dorade-style down pipes in the great room roof structure. Not shown are the closure plates, adjustable from the great room, which are used to adjust air flow or seal the pipes completely. The sleeping cabins each have a fan pushing fresh air in and a second pulling it out.

We have the space to carry a 10-to-11 foot RIB for local use, and a 15-foot twin engine dinghy for long range exploration.

There is a built in BBQ, a large deck locker in the forward starboard corner of the “porch”, and a comfortable nook into which one of us can curl up with a book. All of this furniture will be bolted into place so we can change easily change it if we come up with a different concept.

The FPB 78′s draft will allow us to cruise in extremely thin water (less than 5′/1.5m).

And we’re very excited about the cruising options that will open up as a result of the FPB 78′s ability to dry out in tidal estuaries and rivers.

Add to all of the above the previously mentioned owner’s suite annex that we are thinking about using as an office/workout area, or as a very nice crew cabin.

There is a wonderful galley, with a large inventory of built-in appliances. The list includes four double drawer fridge and freezer units, with a total capacity of appx 25 cubic ft/720 liters, induction cooktop, speed oven (combination microwave, convection and broiler), and a dishwasher. There are three stacks of drawers for storage and an array of countertop lockers, as well as a large pantry locker directly adjacent to the entry door.

and a great room with sufficient space to allow a pair of “Stressless” Ekornes chairs.

These Ekornes chairs can be used in a variety of layouts. Everything from watchkeeping to our movie nights will benefit.

While we do not watch a lot of television, the 65-inch/165cm 4K tv screen, on which can be displayed nav or radar data, will make it possible for us to maintain situational awareness on passage from any location in the great room.

On soundings we will con from the Matrix deck, but on passage we will often use the inside bridge.

We have excellent sight lines from this location, and space for a functional nav station without overwhelming the great room with electronics.

Here is another view of the great room before we move on.

The breakfast bar is going to see a lot of use, both as a second location to eat, and as a convenient spot from which to chat with the occupant of the galley.

The main electrical panel, along with genset, inverter, air conditioning, fridge/freezer, and great room lighting controls are located in the aft starboard corner of the great room. Signal LEDs and basic lighting of this panel is far enough away from the helms to not interfere with night vision. The stack of drawers are going to be very useful as a catchall, and the counter provides space to toss bags, cameras, or tablets, computers, etc. where they are out of sight when we come back from a trip to shore.

The wall space created by the stairwell to the lower deck will afford us space to hang photos or art.

The owner’s suite and guest staterooms are positioned near the pitch center of the boat.

The head of the owner’s bunk rests within 6′/2m of the “sweet spot” for motion upwind. Most of the great room and Matrix deck are at or aft of the pitch center where motion uphill is minimized. When you mix this layout with the already comfortable feel of the FPB breed, you can see why we expect the FPB 78 to give us the smoothest ride we’ve ever experienced.

From the forward watertight bulkhead to the collision bulkhead is a distance of 5.7 meters or 18 feet, almost all of which is available to owner and/or crew.

Given the substantial volume aft of the engine for ship’s gear (and toys), most of what needs to go forward can be stowed below the forepeak cabin sole, which in the cutaway above begins just below the top of the black paint line. The area left over after taking into account the crew layouts that follow is roughly equal to the anchor chain locker to watertight bulkhead space on the FPB 64.

There are many options for how to use this space, from leaving it open to adding it directly to the owner’s suite. Shown above is a concept being developed with one of our FPB 64 owners. A portion of the space goes into a walk-in closet for the owner’s use. Then there is a crew cabin with a head en suite, a settee, desk, and an upper bunk that hinges down when not required.

The rendering above is a conversion of the office layout to a twin berth cabin, with a head/shower combination and larger forepeak.

And above, the twin crew cabins currently in design review for FPB 78-2.

If this seems like a lot of interior volume for crew, we can assure you a happy crew means a happy owner.

Between the owner’s territory and guest suites aft is a hallway. Another location for photos and artwork. The washer and dryer are accessed from this hallway, situated conveniently close to staterooms.

On either end of the hall are systems lockers. To starboard are the inverters and high power DC circuit controls, fuses, and buss bars.

On the port side fuel, heat, and damage control pump manifolds reside, along with a variety of electronics black boxes, all of which are easy to check, operate, and maintain without being a contortionist..

The guest suites are attractive.

There is excellent storage space.

And an en suite vanity.

Each guest head has its own head, shower, and linen closet.

Our new FPB 78 Dream Machine has the usual extreme plating and framing in the hull. From the 24mm/1″ thick grounding plate, to the 16mm (5/8”) central turn of the bilge and engine room plate, not to mention the 12mm (1/2”) rest of the bottom,we will not be overly concerned with the odd bump here and there.

There is our usual substantial volume for fuel and water tanks forming what is in effect a double bottom. Total tankage equals 6800 US gallons/25,800 liters of which 70% represents fuel. Under normal circumstances we would never load more than 3500 US gallons of diesel. The extra capacity is for extra long trips, or protections against supply disruption.

It is time for dinner so we’ll end this very long post with the table set for the evening meal. We are off now to watch the sunset from the Matrix deck.

Here are the basic specifications for our new FPB 78 Dream Machine:

FPB 78 – Offshore Motor Vessel: Preliminary Specifications

• LOD 79.63’ (24.27m)
• LWL 77’ (23.48m)
• Beam Deck 20’ (6.1m)
• Extreme Beam (edge of rub rails) 20.8’ (6.35m)
• Draft-half load Canoe Body 4.5’ (1.4m)
• Draft-half load Prop Skeg 4.75’ (1.475m)
• Air Draft (top of masts-excluding antennas) 22.3’ (6.8m)
• Displacement Full Load (3600 US gallons liquids) 121,000 lbs / 55 tons
• Fuel Capacity 4850 US Gallons (18350 L)
• Fresh Water Capacity 1950 US Gallons (7380 L)
• Minimum Range of Positive Stability 140-degrees(half fuel in one tank, full fresh water tanks)
• Cruising Speed 10.75 knots
• Top Speed 12.35 knots
• Approximate Range 10 knots – 7100 NM 10.75 knots – 5550 NM (Note: speeds/ranges are smooth water/clean bottom)

How does the FPB 78 compare to Wind Horse, the FPB 64, and the 97? The answer is that there is no way to directly compare the designs as they are each optimized towards different goals. But there are definite physical differences which are quantifiable.

Taking all this into consideration, it should come as no surprise that FPB 78-1 is under construction. A second FPB 78 is under contract for a European client and will begin its build cycle first of the year.

It will be 2015 before we are afloat again. Meanwhile–dreamtime.

If you’d like to join us on this journey, contact Todd Rickard: ToddR@setsail.com.

Click here to read more FPB 78 updates.

Note: We have had literally hundreds of comments and dialogues surrounding our posts about the evolution of the FPB 78 design. We have compiled them all into one place for organization and ease of reading. Click here to see the dialogue.

We are in the process of designing crew quarters for our FPB 78. With no experience cruising and/or living with crew, we are working in a theoretical world rather than reality. If you are a professional crew, or an owner who has lived with crew, we’d love to hear from you.

There are a series of tradeoffs in any yacht design, many of which involve how the yacht is to be used. When crew is involved the design spiral becomes more difficult. How much space does the crew warrant and from whence does this space originate? Do you use some of the area devoted to the ship’s equipment storage, or is it better to cramp the crew?

With the FPB 78 Dream Machine we are thinking it may be possible to satisfy both vessel and crew. This is a function of starting out with sufficient storage in the first place.

With the FPB 78 there is plenty of storage space for ship’s gear as well as “toys” in the lazarette aft, so that a large chunk of the forepeak could be used, if warranted, for crew. You can get an idea here of what is potentially available in the way of efficient storage space aft.

In addition to which we have these two large lockers accessible from the swim step.

The plan view above has a 300mm/one foot grid superimposed. If you count aft two feet/600mm from the foot of the ladder, this is the position of the bulkhead on the FPB 64, relative to the chain locker. The column left, above the floorboards, is equal to an empty FPMB 64 forepeak. In other words, there is a fair amount of volume.

Now a few specific questions:

• As crew (and here we are talking one person or a couple), at anchor or in port, would you prefer your own isolated quarters forward, with access from on deck, or to be in the aft starboard stateroom, where you rub elbows with the owner? If the aft stateroom is being used when family or friends visit, it may be necessary to move to the forward crew cabin so both guest cabins are available.
• The side decks are covered with a roof overhang. There are set of “man lines” from the forward corners of the roof overhang to the mast. These could be used for an awing or a pram hood/cover over the foredeck hatch for protection. In wet environments – say the tropics with squalls coming through, or higher latitudes in light rain or heavy fog – would you rig the awning or pram hood, or just make a dash for the hatch?
• If you are moving the boat, and the owner is not aboard, would you move to one of the guest cabins, or use your own forward cabin, but access it through the owner’s quarters (there is a watertight door in the bulkhead separating the crew and owner areas)?
• How important is a hanging locker, and what hanger rod length would you like to have?
• How much drawer volume, or how many drawers of a given size would you like?
• Does it make more sense to make the aft starboard cabin the primary for crew, with the potential of access via the deck,work shop, and engine room direct through the starboard  head?
• If the answer to the question above is in the affirmative, and the forward cabin is for use of the crew when the starboard cabin is used by guests, does it makes sense to dedicate part of the work shop area to a crew “hang out” area? In this case the crewarea forward wouldl be smaller so there would be volume available to stow gear to compensate for what was lost aft.

Let’s move on to our theoretical layout.

We are using the 3.2 meters (11 feet) forward of the owner’s quarters in this layout. The bunk to starboard is 90cm/three feet wide, 2m/6.5’ long, and 90cm/three feet off the sole. The port side bunk is 70cm/28” wide, and the aft 60cm/two feet outboard of the hanging locker punch out for the owner’s suite. This bunk is 1.15m/44” off the cabin sole. There is a settee, and lots of storage under the bunk. The head area has a dedicated shower (not a wet head), vanity, and toilet area. On the port side outboard are a pair of air conditioning compressors inside a locker. This locker is available for crew’s gear as well. The vanity would have a pair of drawers.

On deck there are hatches for the sleeping cabin and head. The foredeck hatch is 1.4m  long. There is also a Dorade vent for both spaces.

We’d love to get your feedback. Any and all suggestions are solicited. Everything is on the table except the watertight bulkhead location and the intrusion of the owner’s hanging locker. If you think more forepeak space is needed, let us know. If less works, let us know that as well.

Thanks.

PS:If you click here you will find a long post on the FPB 78. Towards the end there are a series of layouts we have or are considering, in addition to what is shown here.

Sue Henry just sent us this marvelous photo of FPB 64-2 Sarah Sarah anchored out on the longest night of the year. As big a thrill as this must be for Bill and Sue,

it gives enormous pleasure to us as well. We trust you will enjoy it too. (Sue took it from her kayak this evening).

We will admit to a measure of satisfaction when the photo above arrived yesterday from Ed Firth at Circa. That is FPB 64-10 on the left, FPB 97-1 on the right, and FPB 78-1 beginning to be assembled in the middle. Who would have guessed ten years ago when we began to think about what became the FPB Wind Horse we would ever see such a line up!

We will close with our favorite FPB cruising photo of this year: FPB 64-3, Iron Lady, anchored at Hanavave on Fatu Hiva in the Marquesas Islands. It is our favorite tropical anchorage on the entire planet.

In the process of cleaning up the office, a few more photos from the early days of the multihull history on the West Coast have come to light.

There is an earlier post on the subject of multihull history, and if you have not read it yet you might want to click here.

The lead photo is our first catamaran, the 17-foot Wildcat class, Tango. She is shown here with her stock rig. This was about 1958.

These photos were taken sailing back from Catalina with Warren Andren (we started sailing together in junior high school).

We often cruised to Catalina, and then lived aboard. Live aboard a 17-foot cat… Were we nuts? We had almost all the conveniences of home. This was before the advent of waterproof storage bags, so we carried our sleeping bags above the spray line in the diamond stays.. That’s Jeff Brill getting ready to secure our bow.

Note the stove, and corner coaming covers in canvas to hold gear in place and protect it from direct spray.

A final Wildcat photo, this one with little sister Leslie, little brother Tony, and high school friend Eve Johnson. Steve is at the mast. Of particular interest to historical buffs will be the 24-foot Warren Seaman/Rudy Choy “Foamy” class in the background. It is from this dock that catamaran icon Carter Pyle took his very first multihull ride.

Since we are in chronological mode, next in our lives came the 58-foot Warren Seaman/Rudy Choy design, the HuKa Makani. This launch party shot shows her sitting a foot/30cm below her “designed” waterline. Between extra weight pushed into the boat by the owner (our family), and the designers not understanding basic weight analysis or hydrostatics, the outcome was predictable (with the benefit of multiple decades of experience).

The HuKa Makani had a well appointed interior, spacious, and comfortable as a water base at anchor. This is the view from the entry door looking forward.

The galley had a propane fridge, hot water heater (instant on), in addition to the stove.

Opposite was a dinette.

The salon served as the center for many happy evenings. But that Coleman stye lamp almost put an end to our adventures one cold evening in San Diego, when four of us grew very sleepy with the windows closed!

The round table is still in the family, now in the care of Sarah.

Moving forward we had a nav station with the electrical distribution “system” board. The circuit breakers were very avant garde. Centered is a Benmar autopilot control.

And the master stateroom. If that bunk could tell tales…

There were two very tight “double” bunks in the hulls, under the wing section, with heads forward. Two other single bunks were aft. If you suffered from claustrophobia you might be better sleeping elsewhere.

There were twin engines, dual controls, wind instruments and a knot meter, all very advanced in 1959.

Although the Huke (as we called her) was a disappointment in terms of speed, she provided the Dashew family with many memorable days of cruising in Southern California and Mexico. Most important, she was the platform where Steve and Linda met Labor Day weekend in 1965.

This is Dick Sutton, a self-taught, brilliant, ever so practical engineer, and former professional sailor. Dick had a major impact on Steve’s early sailing education. He had been a rum runner for Al Capone, was a top hand racing on the Great Lakes, sailed aboard the Gertude Theabuade when she lost to the Blue Nose in the schooner races, and designed the tall rig and custom winches for both the schooner Constellation and M-boat Barlovento in the 1950s. Dick sorted out the hydrostatics calculations for the HuKa Makani and figured out where the waterline should go, before she was launched in public. Needless to say he was a hard driving, hard drinking sailor, who would not stand for anything but the best from his crews. There was only one way to do things, the right way, which also happened to be his way.

Moving on now to our first custom boat building project, one from which we learned many lessons, all of which were of the what-not-to-do variety.

Going for the first sail aboard the C-class cat Enterprise. We knew after just a few minutes that the elliptical tip rig was not going to work. Our budget was shot, the boat needed major re-work, and we decided to concentrate on building our fiberglass construction business.

This next batch of photos were taken when the HuKa Makani was acting as a committee boat for a Pacific Mulithull Association regatta in Santa Monica Bay (Southern California). The second to the closest person leaning against the boom is Rudy Choy. He is not very pleased, the reason for which shall be known shortly.

Rudy’s partner, Warren Seaman. A great sailor, first class thinker, and all around good guy.

In the earlier cat history post you saw a photo of Aikane, Ken Murphy’s 46-foot Choy/Seaman design. Ken decided to get rid of the house, and a lot of other heavy detritus. Aikane was much quicker as a result.

As the fleet approach the start, Aikane is to leeward, there is a P-cat to weather, foamy class next. At this point Aikane was considered the fastest of the fast – something to which we can personally attest.

A fleet of P-cats. We are not sure who belongs to which boat at this point, but the lead boats were usually sailed by Bob Baker, Neal Harvey, and Warren Miller. At this point these were considered the fastest of the small boats.

Same regatta, this being Beowulf II, our second Shark. Properly sailed, the Shark was top dog in the small cats. A large dose of the credit for that, and the success of the Wildcat Tango, goes to Swede Johnson, a sail designer/sailmaker with Baxter and Cicero.

And now the reason for Rudy Choy’s frown. The 32-foot D-class Wildwind in one of her first goes against Aikane. It was not even close. She did a horizon job on Aikane in the light and breezy conditions. Rudy did not want to have to race Wildwind in the future, and so the big boats left the PMA and formed the Ocean Racing Catamaran Association – ORCA.

At last a photo which has stood the test of time. The lovely Warren Seaman-designed Malibu outrigger. Quick in the light air, but in a breeze no match for the more modern cats.

Moving now to Bob Noble’s garage in Costa Mesa, Ca. That is the C-Cat Beowulf IV under construction. The hulls were built with a balsa core, and a single layer of six ounce boat cloth and epoxy resin on each face of the sandwich.

Beowulf IV at speed. In this view there is a good look at the deck seal between mainsail and trampoline. The leaches of the two mainsails are also outlined. The windward of the two salis was flattened and the leeward allowed to take shape. The resulting asymmetrical foil shape was very powerful.

Beowulf V unofficially finishing another Ensenada Race – first of course – circa 1970.

Beowulf V here and a smiling sailmaker, Rick Taylor. Note the mainsail end plate and wishbone boom. Rick was the sailmaker of choice for the C, D and Tornado cats in those days. This was her “big” mainsail, 425 square feet (class rules allowed 500). However, we found she was faster with a smaller sail which allowed us better sail control.

A last photo for now, this of Bob Hanel’s Double Bullet. Between 1970 and 1974 Beowulf V won every race she finished with a single exception, that being a loss to Double Bullet. This still irritates Linda.

Click here to read our earlier post on cat history.

The parts pile grows larger for the first FPB 78.

Shortly after the Kiwis return from their holiday break we’ll start to see these sub assemblies being fitted onto the building jig.

Meanwhile, FPB 97-1 is coming together and is now at a point where it is possible to get a feel for her shape and volume.

Of course we are prejudiced, but we do think this a lovely looking shear.

The stairs leading to the Matrix deck.

The Matrix deck from the aft starboard corner.

Looking into the great room from the main entrance door.

The framing for the great room settee.

Finally, the swim step and lockers.

We’ve been chasing the holy grail of the perfect cruising vehicle for 40 years. The Deerfoot, Sundeer and Beowulf series of sailing yachts got us close. The FPB series brings our bow right up to the chalice.

Our goals have stayed the same: safe, comfortable, long-distance cruising, achieved with maximum efficiency and minimum drama. This is what the FPB paradigm is all about; the right mix of sea-going capability, comfort, and a lovely ambiance, working together to pull those cruising dreams into the reality you deserve.

Although we don’t build a lot of boats, those that we do build tend to go places.

Of the 50 some sailing yachts we’ve launched, there are mileage records for 37 of them, and the average is over 54,000 nautical miles per boat. In the FPB world, our owners are just starting to explore, but in the short time these FPBs have been cruising:

• FPB 83-1 Wind Horse covered 60,000 NM in her first seven years.
• FPB 64-1 Avatar has cruised over 27,000 NM in 3.5 years.
• FPB 64-2  Sarah Sarah has accumulated 1950 hours on her engine in three years – over 16,000 NM.
• FPB 64-3 Iron Lady (pictured below anchored in Fatu Hiva, Marquesas Islands) has 18,000 NM under the keel in her first 2.5 years of part time cruising.
• FPB 64-5 Tiger has cruised over 10,000 miles in her first two years.
• And as an example of what is possible, FPB 64-6 Grey Wolf is being readied for a trip from New Zealand to the UK via the Panama Canal, including a 4000NM leg between the Marquesas Islands and Balboa (which she can do at 9.5+ knots with plenty of reserve).

There are as many opinions about the proper mix for a successful ocean crossing motor yacht as there are designers, builders and owners. How the thousands of decisions that are a part of yacht design and construction are made depends on the experience base of the decision makers. If they have lived with their yachts, cruised with them off the beaten path, their approach is apt to be different than if they’ve spent their time at marinas, or boat shows.

Here are the key points for which we strive:

• Speed, because it is the single most important factor in reducing weather risks, thereby improving passaging comfort and, ultimately, safety. Plus, going fast is fun.
• Heavy weather capability, which allows us greater flexibility in deciding when and where to go. And peace of mind while we’re out there.
• Structural safety factors to deal not only with the sea, but also occasional operator error – read, grounding – so we can continue to cruise while taking the occasional bump in stride.
• Efficient but simple systems that let us operate far from outside assistance, with the comfort and ambiance that keeps all members of the crew content, without being generator-dependent.
• Interiors designed for comfort at sea and in port, designed to fully immerse us in the surrounding beauty.
• Fuel capacity for a full season or more of cruising so we can maintain our high average speeds and have the option of refueling when and where convenient.

We know from many hundreds of thousands of miles of accumulated experience that these are the essential ingredients for making ocean passages as pleasurable as the destinations at the end of each trip. The type of destinations our owners choose, and the miles they cover to get there, will give you a sense of what is possible once the ocean crossing experience becomes something to be anticipated with pleasure, rather than just a means to an end.

In short, the entire paradigm of the cruising lifestyle changes.

Appearances can be deceiving. FPBs do not fit the stereotypical yacht look. Most observers think they are naval or patrol vessels. And when you first take in the FPB’s rugged, military-like, unpainted aluminum image, the last thing you expect is a luxurious interior.

This is a carefully cultivated misconception. Our owners would rather keep a low profile, so as not to attract the wrong type of attention, and to fit in better in the more attractive, remote cruising grounds around the world. Our owners enjoy the gasp of surprise that typically follows a guest’s first glimpse of the FPB interior.

Whatever your plans, we think the best source of data are people who are actually out there cruising, living with their yachts day in and day out. They know what works and what doesn’t in the real world.

If you see one of the FPBs, dinghy by, say hello, and ask the folks aboard what it is really like to cruise with their yachts. They will be able to put this into perspective for you, as they are all experienced, can tell you what it was that convinced them to join the FPB family in the first place, and how their cruising experience has changed as a result.

In case you don’t have an FPB anchored nearby, we’ve included below some brief comments from several of our owners, as well as a couple of hard-nosed magazine editors. We’ll start with Bill Parlatore, the individual many credit with the start and nurturing of the ocean cruising powerboat industry.

Bill Parlatore, founder and editor of Passagemaker Magazine, helped push us into exploring what became the FPB concept. Bill flew down to Auckland, New Zealand, during sea trials on the FPB prototype Wind Horse, to see her in action. You can read his very detailed article, which appeared in the December 2005 issue of Passagemaker Magazine. In the meantime, here are a few excerpts from his extensive comments.

…Having a boat that can deal with whatever might happen—no matter what—provides a mental comfort level that defines their view of happy sailing. Think about that. Knowing without reservation that a boat can take care of itself while still providing comfort and safety in truly abysmal conditions is at the core of the Dashews’ philosophy of minimal worry…

At 9.3 knots, I measured just 55dBA, the quietest recording I have ever measured underway. This has a lot to do with moving the engine room to the aft 18 feet of the boat, separated from the living spaces by a 2-inch thick, Armaflex-insulated bulkhead…

I can’t recall another time where a crew (including the on-watch helmsperson) could enjoy a dinner together—in the saloon rather than seated around a cramped pilothouse. Instead of carrying plates, flatware, drinks, napkins, and all the food dishes up a set of steps to the helm area to eat together around the typically small, fixed table behind the helm, crew can spread out around a large dining table in the saloon. Instead of balancing plates on knees on a settee or watch berth, this is real seating at a dining table—a feature that has much to recommend it. And, of course, the best part is that at sea, this central living area doesn’t change attitude or have much motion.

After a night on the hook in Bon Accord Harbour, we ran up to Barrier Island to look for some nasty sea conditions. I witnessed first hand how well the boat handles up-swell at various speeds. With no serious penalty in speed, the boat just danced over or through the waves, never showing any tendency to stop in her tracks, as so many other boats do. In seas where most traditional trawlers would reduce speed to 6 knots or less, we found absolutely no reason to do so. Even at full throttle and 12-plus knots, the boat didn’t seem affected by the up-swell challenge—giving up maybe two thirds of a knot.

John and Sandy Henrichs are former trawler and sportfish owners, who cruised in more areas than most folks dream about, before joining the FPB family. In his former life, John was a chief pilot for a major air carrier. The Henrichs have been cruising now for two years aboard FPB 64-5 Tiger. We will start first with a few of John’s comments:

I wish I could put into words the feeling of running the boat, gliding along the face of the larger swells so effortlessly without any feeling of the acceleration in speed. The max speed on the GPS ended up at 13 knots, but you would never know it sitting in the boat. I just couldn’t get enough as we kept looking for the larger swells off in the distance, hoping they would catch us and let us experience more of the surfing from a totally different perspective than we have ever experienced. Our boat feels like it is so slippery, and once the large swells move towards the boat off it goes, straight as an arrow sliding along the face of the swell, just like a surfer finding the perfect wave. Before Tiger, Sandy HATED going to sea. Now we both look at a 500 mile nautical passage like crossing the street. The boat doesn’t tire you out.

Sandy Henrichs:

Efficiency, low maintenance, clean lines, practical applications (counter tops) are most important to me. With this boat I have it all. The cabinets are a beautiful design and extremely easy to maintain. I love being able to open cabinet doors and leave the entire galley cabinetry wide open–easy to get and use what I need. The location of the washer and dryer is just too perfect…This boat is a perfect two person boat for handling and maintenance. No fiberglass to polish, blast it with a pressure washer and you are back in business! Not having to think and worry about finding a crew every time you move the boat is a dream. But if you want crew help, you have a place for them to sleep. The 360 degree vision in the main salon area is a conversation piece. Impresses everybody.

Mike and Liza Dicks were experienced cruising and racing sailors with thousands of miles of passaging under their belts when they started out voyaging aboard FPB 64-6 Grey Wolf. After out of season passages from New Zealand to New Caledonia and back, some of which took place in less than benign conditions, Mike offered the following comments about the difference between being at sea aboard the FPB and a sailboat:

Now for a few thoughts on the trip from an ex-sailor’s perspective. The journey of 900NM would normally have been planned at six knots in our old yacht, thus making it a six day affair and needing a larger weather window to make this passage in winter into New Zealand. On that boat, we had a fuel range of around 600NM, so the planning is that much more difficult, as you are looking for wind but not too much and of course in the best direction. The forecast we left in would not have been doable, as winds were generally light and we would have taken much longer than six days, even with motoring, and the risk of encountering nasty weather would have risen substantially as we approached New Zealand. Having said that, of course there are many yachts making the same journey every year from the tropics, but generally arriving late spring when weather is beginning to improve and frontal systems may be a little less frequent. Knowing that with our powerful engine and easily driven hull we could make this passage in four days took a lot of pressure off the weather. However, we still needed to speed up to beat the large eight+ meter swells coming north up the Tasman towards us, and avoid the two 40+kt gales that occurred either side of our arrival into Opua.

The window for arrival was not large.

Weather on passage itself was benign, seas less than 2.5m and light winds but lots of rain and cold, grey skies. Our old yacht had a sprayhood and bimini, but we would have been sitting out in the wet and cold everyday. Nights are longer than days at this latitude and time of year, so we remarked on several occasions how miserable it would have been sitting in the cockpit. On the other hand watches, especially at night on our FPB, are generally very comfortable affairs. A warm cozy ambiance, comfortable helm chair or settee and with the benefit of large displays showing radar, with guard alarm set, Flir camera showing outside as if it were broad daylight and engine camera cycling. Frequent weather downloads from the VSAT or pactor 4 modem through the HF and good WX fax downloads directly onto the Furuno going on quietly in the background all help to make the passage go smoothly. With three on board we ran three hours on, six hours off watches, and made an engine room inspection at each handover. The aft deck floodlight made a visual inspection of the seas, which were mostly following, easy to do at night from behind the closed main door. The pleasure in Grey Wolf is that there is virtually no rolling with the active stabilizers, but it is noisier than moving along at night under sail. For one we are moving quicker through the water at 10+kts for much of the time, and the engine revs vary (as they do on a sailboat) when accelerating and then slowing on following waves, making sleep sometimes not as easy as on a sailboat under sail.

On an FPB versus a sailboat it is very easy to become more detached from the surrounding environment and somehow have less awareness of the wind and waves if one is not out in the open and as close to the water. Being on the fly bridge, higher up though has proved to provide a perfect vantage point to see wildlife such as dolphins, whales, sharks etc. There are still tasks to perform on a power driven vessel just as on a yacht, moving the boom lines a few inches everyday to prevent chafe and making deck checks etc, but not having the constant trimming of sails, especially when squalls and showers come through, reduces the stress and workload levels enormously.

Valerie and Stan Creighton were cruising in Central America aboard their trawler when they first became aware of the FPB program. After visiting new Zealand and taking an FPB ride in a blow, they joined the family. When they made their first long ocean passage from New Zealand to Fiji aboard FPB64-7 Buffalo Nickel, they had with them friends who were also former trawler owners. Val gives us a heads up on their friends’ reaction to ocean crossing, FPB style:

… Our friends, yes they were impressed. They loved the way the boat handled the seas. From what he knew after following your blog, he expected the ride to be superior. What struck him most on the passage was the speed. I don’t need to tell you, there’s a bit of a myth going on about running speed in the trawler market. Our 53′ waterline trawler was billed as having a cruising speed of 10 knots… and a range of 2500 miles. This is typical hype and of course ludicrous. Ten knots is closer to maximum speed; one can easily cruise at 8-8.5 knots if fuel efficiency is not a big priority, and that is comfortable and good for engine loading. But the 2500+ NM range applies only at speeds of 5.75-6.5 knots, still leaving zero fuel reserve on a Pacific crossing. So in a Pacific crossing, for example, you are going very slowly, making for a longer passage, with heavy fuel bladders on your deck. And at those speeds, stabilizers don’t work very well so you get to roll more. Add to that the fact you are being too stingy with your fuel to run your generator: on most (but not all) of these boats, air conditioning and/or laundry are generator dependent. Hot, dirty, sweaty, nauseated… let’s see, have I forgotten anything? Oh yeah, also swearing a blue streak because weather you had no ability to avoid is turning to s—t. So for him to see and experience “BN” plugging along at 10 knots, being pretty fuel efficient and able to gallivant all over, avoiding unpleasant conditions, really hit home. We all know the speed/range thing is misrepresented by all these trawler names, so it was just surprising for them to realize that we really and truly were going to do our passage at nearly 10 knots and still have plenty of fuel for our season and return passage.

Stan Creighton, discussing Buffalo Nickel’s diversion tactics to avoid a potentially dangerous low on their passage to Fiji, says:

We diverted northwest instead, to stay on the ‘correct’ side of the low. This put the wind and seas more behind us, so although we had winds in the high 30′s, and big seas, they were manageable. We were able to do this because we have a boat that moves fast enough to employ such tactics when needed. Several slower sailboats got caught out southeast of this low, and had the same 18 foot seas and 40 knots of wind right on their noses. They sounded truly exhausted when we heard them on the SSB radio net at the end of the day.

From Valerie Creighton:

The storage space on the FPB is deceptive, because we’ve got window space all around where I used to have above counter lockers, high lockers mounted on the bulkhead. So I thought, oh I’m going to be missing all that, and it actually turns out that you not only get all the great windows and the view, but I have at least as much storage space. It’s just very well designed. I didn’t have to sacrifice anything. And I love the induction cooktop. So the galley’s worked out really well, plus the great room is wonderful. It makes entertaining very convivial, because everything is right there in the same room. It goes perfectly with our style, you never feel isolated in the galley.

Pete and Deb Rossin have now cruised extensively in the South Pacific, circumnavigated New Zealand, been south to the Stewart Islands, across the Pacific from New Zealand to Tahiti, and then worked their way to the Marquesas Islands, and from there, via the Line Islands, to Hawaii. Pete is an engineer and very detail oriented. Pete shares the Rossin family background and a few FPB comments below:

Deb and I have known each other for 50 years (much as I hate to say that since it dates us). We have been boating for virtually all of that time, starting with a 16-foot Thompson lapstrake runabout with a tired 40 HP Johnson outboard. Over the years, we have worked our way up the food chain. There was a 19-foot Flying Scott daysailor, another 18-foot runabout with a 150 HP Yami. From there, Deb’s parents got a place in Florida and we bought a 22-foot Grady White cuddy, and blasted up and down the west coast of Florida. A friend of ours had a 48-foot Viking, and after a few trips to the Bahamas with them, we were bitten by the bug for something bigger and more capable.

Our next move up was a 20-foot Blackwatch sportfish with twin Cummin’s diesels. Sporting a C Raymond Hunt hull, it was a very capable and fast offshore boat, great for a couple of guys for a weekend, but short on amenities for a family (read, Debby).  So the Blackwatch went to the big boatyard in the sky as a trade-in. Its replacement was a 36-foot Egg Harbor, which upped the game with aircon, a real stateroom, a head with stall shower, a legitimate galley, and a couch that turned into a foldout double in the salon. Nice boat for the Florida and the Bahamas but really didn’t satisfy our growing desire to go further. With the fuel burn on the Egg, we learned the old adage that you can go fast or you can go far, but you can’t go far fast. So we made the leap up and decided to slow down with a pretty, customized Nordhavn 50. We owned the Nordhavn for 10 years, and found it to be a capable near shore cruiser with lots of space and comfort features. We also learned, however, for a variety of reasons that it wasn’t the boat to take us to far destinations – at least as far as we were concerned.

I had been following the exploits of Steve and Linda for years aboard their sailing vessels, but sail was just not our thing. We were intrigued by Wind Horse, but at that time, there were no other Wind Horses to be had. Then we learned about the 64 program, and I was off to England for a ride on Wind Horse on a typically nasty day off the Needles on the Solent. I was hooked, and it wasn’t long after that I signed on the dotted line for FPB64-3. Time passed, the Nordhavn was sold, and we took delivery of Iron Lady in Whangarei, New Zealand in February of 2011.

Since then, we have crossed oceans and gone places that most people can only dream of, with Iron Lady as our magic carpet. Year one was New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji.  Year two was a complete circumnavigation of both the North and South Islands of new Zealand. In 2013, we departed New Zealand for the 2300 nautical mile passage to French Polynesia, where we spent three months exploring the Societies, Tuamotus and Marquesas before heading north across the equator to the Line Islands, Palmyra and Hawaii, where Iron Lady rests comfortably waiting for next spring and our departure to Kodiak, Alaska. We intend to spend the summer exploring Prince William Sound before heading to Vancouver.

In all, some 18,000 nautical miles have passed beneath Iron Lady’s keel in three years of part time cruising in some of the more legendary waters of the world, including the Southern Ocean, the Tasman, Foveaux Straight and the long ocean passages from New Zealand to French Polynesia and Hawaii. The more we cruise, the more we are in awe of her capabilities – and that cannot be said about many of those who claim the same capability.

Bill and Sue Henry, who own FPB 64-2, Sarah Sarah, are also experienced sailors and powerboat owners. Bill brought Sarah Sarah from New Zealand to the USA Pacific Northwest shortly after completing sea-trials, a 6000 nautical mile cruise, without incident. They since put another 8000+ NM under their keel. Of course cruising mileage is never exact. Bill puts it this way:

The Maretron indicates 13,268NM, but if the input is from the “speed through water” paddle wheel, (which often is interrupted by debris) this is not accurate. If we use the engine hour meter (1953 hours) and if our average cruising speed is 9.5kt, then we’ve traveled over 18,500NM. Take your pick. We’ve enjoyed every NM!

That is Bill above conning Sarah Sarah.

Sue Henry comments on the comfort level in adverse weather:

I’m amazed at how quiet this boat is inside. Even when all hell breaks loose outside, it’s like you’ve closed yourself into a vault when you go inside. Matter of fact, one time we had a friend with us, and we were coming back home just enjoying the ride, but it was really windy. We were just chatting away, and I went outside to do something and came back in and said, “You’ve gotta come out here!” Because the contrast between being inside the boat and what was really happening outside with the wind and the waves and all the the racket, it was really surprising. She was amazed, she was like, “Whoa.”

With this boat, it’s not that we would just go out willy nilly when the weather is really crummy, but I don’t get as concerned when they’re talking about–maybe it’s going to blow a gale or whatever…It’s like, well okay, if it starts to kick up we’re going to be fine.

Sue continues with a few comments about the interior experience:

…[Sarah Sarah] is also easier to heat, better insulation, more efficient heating systems. We used to not want to go north during winter for cruising; now we don’t hesitate to go somewhere, say British Columbia for New Year’s, even though we know it’ll be freezing, because it’s so cozy and spacious inside. There are bigger windows, a better view, a better sense of space inside so we don’t feel trapped in bad weather. The open interior is much nicer than expected, such a great contrast between the exterior. Now it makes our old Grand Banks interior seem busy and clunky, and most other boats too.

Carol and Mike Parker were longtime sailors when they started exploring with FPB 64-1 Avatar. In the three and a half years years since launching, Avatar has covered 27,000 NM, as the Parkers search for the ultimate scuba diving and photographic destinations. Carol in particular enjoys the functional exterior:

The fact that it has a big aluminum heavy duty hull is a great confidence builder. We don’t have the fear of smashing the fiberglass into the dock type of thing. I’m all for that aluminum hull. We just tell anybody who’s coming alongside, well we’re not worried about you but you might worry about us.

Also, the boat is fantastic for diving, snorkeling, with the stern extensions. Makes it so easy to jump in, climb out, have elbow room, put your flippers on and stuff. And for us, it’s absolutely an incredible way to scuba dive. A lot of times we dive out of the dinghy, but if we have the right scenario we’ll dive right off the boat. And you can just use the stair step to have someone help balance the tank, and you walk three steps and jump in the water and there you go.

Carol captured the stunning photo of a mother whale and her calf after sliding off the swim step and into the water for an underwater visit in Tonga.

Peter Watson is a Channel Island (United Kingdom) resident, and as such has messing about in boats in his blood. He has a love of the high latitudes, an affliction we share with him. As an electrical engineer, with a Royal Navy background, like our other clients he is detail oriented. Peter comments from New Zealand where he is getting ready to depart for the UK via Panama.

I started looking for a power boat five years ago; I knew what I wanted but thought it did not exist. Necessary features included: range to cross oceans, stability for comfort and safety, and the ability to be confident in taking the boat anywhere in any weather. Some of my most enjoyable boating has been done in the Arctic, in countries like Norway, Iceland and Greenland, where these factors can make a life or death difference. A naval architect friend suggested that I look at the FPB series (until then I had been looking at well known trawler brands but was not impressed by the comments that had come back from owners about range and stability in bad weather).

I started to talk with Sue Grant at Berthon (the UK agents) and Todd Rickard about the boats, along with current owners. I loved their honesty about what the boats could and couldn’t do. After these discussions went on for a couple of months, I decided to fly down to New Zealand to look at one. I was delighted, and what’s more the yard was so good I ended up buying a 64 as an interim to taking delivery of FPB 78-2. Although I have just had my FPB 64 since last fall, and have not yet put many miles on her, I have had the pleasure of going to sea in force eight conditions (strong gale), which felt like sea state two 0r three. Our upcoming passage back to the UK via Panama- 13,000 nautical miles – should get our mileage totals up where they belong.

The Dashew team and the yard, along with Berthon, have been great to work with, and the thing that is so unusual is the honesty and openness about everything. You feel in the end that you have joined a family.

The British press have a reputation for aggressively critiquing yachting products. When the leading British motor yachting magazine, Motor Boat & Yachting, asked to review the FPB prototype Wind Horse while she was in the UK, we were advised to politely decline the opportunity. However, we thought it would be interesting and educational to get their perspective on our design. You can read the resulting article by clicking here. A couple of comments from the review are included below.

…a hugely impressive sight to boot. Moored amongst the glittering GRP at Berthon’s Lymington Marina on a sunny but very windy day, Wind Horse looked like it had come from a different planet. The 83ft-long (25m) wave-piercer weighs in at 41 tonnes, and could easily be mistaken for the spawn of the Royal Navy with its unpainted battleship grey, all-aluminum body. But that day, in those conditions, it was the only boat that I would have wanted to climb aboard to face the English Channel.

Steve suggests that we head ten or 20 miles out into it to find the biggest waves we can in order to show off Wind Horse’s talents. In fact, the area around the Needles Channel and Hurst Spit is rough enough, with the tide being funnelled into the Solent in the blow. We find plenty of big waves. Our photo boat – a Windy 42 Bora (and a very good sea boat) – is tossed around like a bath toy, but Wind Horse just brushes through the crests with laughable ease. In fact, there was more pitching fore and aft than I would have imagined, but in terms of rolls, which is far more uncomfortable for those on board, the boat was reassuringly composed.

“The sea really isn’t big enough,” Steve complains. “She works best in much bigger waves. This wavelength is far too short for her.” And so begins the hunt for the worst the sea has to offer. I have never been on a boat before where you stand in the wheelhouse directing the skipper to the place where you can see the most white horses and the biggest breakers, but this is clearly no ordinary boat.

In a typical motor boat and in these conditions you would be white-knuckled, clutching a handhold and making sure you didn’t bite your tongue off. On Wind Horse, however, things are so stable that Linda can brandish a chunky bread knife and calmly cuts the freshly prepared sandwiches in half.

Sue Henry took this lovely anchored photo of Sarah Sarah from her kayak. That’s Bill on the foredeck, studying his owner’s manual.

There are three series of FPBs currently in production: FPB 64, FPB 78, and FPB 97. All three models feature a similar approach to structure, systems, ocean-crossing ability, range, speed and interior comfort. Here are the basic specifications these FPBs (the specs are, of course, subject to change without notice):

FPB 64 (hull #10 delivers fourth quarter 2014):

• LOD 64.95′ / 19.85m
• LWL 63.6′ / 19.4m
• Note: Swimstep extension adds 3.25′ / 1m to these dimensions
• Beam Deck 17.04′ / 5.22m
• Extreme Beam (edge of rub rails) 17.72′ / 5.42m
• Draft at half load (75,000 lbs/34 tons) Canoe Body 3.25′ / 1m
• Draft at half load (75,000 lbs/34 tons) Prop Skeg 4.5′ / 1.37m
• Full displacement 90,000 lbs /40,800 kg
• Air Draft (top of masts-excluding whips) 25.75′ / 7.85m
• Fuel Capacity 3400 US Gallons / 12,800L
• Fresh Water Capacity 1800 US Gallons /6800 L
• Minimum Range of Positive Stability 130-degrees (half fuel in one tank, full fresh water tanks)
• Cruising Speed 9.25-10.0-knots
• Top Speed 10.5 knots
• Approximate Range 9.0 knots – 6400 NM
• 9.5 knots – 5500 NM
• Note: speeds/ranges are for smooth water, 75,000 pound displacement, clean bottom

FPB 78 (hull #1 delivers fourth quarter 2015, hull #2 delivers second quarter 2016):

• LOD 79.63’ (24.27m)
• LWL 77’ (23.48m)
• Beam Deck 20’ (6.1m)
• Extreme Beam (edge of rub rails) 20.8’ (6.35m)
• Draft-half load Canoe Body 4.5’ (1.4m)
• Draft-half load Prop Skeg 4.75’ (1.475m)
• Air Draft (top of masts-excluding antennas) 22.3’ (6.8m)
• Displacement Full Load (3600 US gallons liquids) 121,000 lbs / 55 tons
• Fuel Capacity 4850 US Gallons (18350 L)
• Fresh Water Capacity 1950 US Gallons (7380 L)
• Minimum Range of Positive Stability 140-degrees(half fuel in one tank, full fresh water tanks)
• Cruising Speed 10.75 knots
• Top Speed 12.35 knots
• Approximate Range 10 knots – 7100 NM 10.75 knots – 5550 NM (Note: speeds/ranges are smooth water/clean bottom)

FPB 97 (delivers fourth quarter 2014):

• LOD 98.75’ / 30.1m
• LWL 94’ / 28.8m
• Beam Deck 20.4’ / 6.25m
• Extreme Beam (edge of rub rails) 20.88213’ / 6.53m
• Draft half load 5’ / 1.5m
• Displacement Full Load 135,000 lbs. / 61,200 kg
• Air Draft (top of masts-excluding whips) 31’ / 9.5m
• Fuel Capacity 5000 US Gallons / 18,900L
• Fresh Water Capacity 2000 US Gallons / 7500 L
• Minimum Range of Positive Stability 130 degrees (half fuel pressed into minimum tanks, full fresh water tanks)
• Cruising Speed 11.7 knots
• Top Speed 13.5 knots (Half Load)
• Approximate Range 5000 NM @ 11.5 knots
• Note: speeds/ranges are for smooth water, half load displacement, clean bottom

We don’t build a lot of boats. Just a few each year. We don’t want to be the biggest, just the best. If you’d like to find out more, talk to one of our owners – you will find them out cruising. Or, get in touch with Todd Rickard: ToddR@SetSail.com

If you want to read more of what the international press has to say about the FPB concept, click here to read 39 articles.

There are hundreds of posts detailing the FPB concept, including design, construction and cruising with FPBs on the SetSail site, some of the more popular of which are listed below.

Our Own Time Machine

A Different Perspective

360-Degree Views

FPB: Cruising Speed, Range Under Power, And The Real World

FPB 64 Vs. Reef – Are the Factors of Safety Sufficient?

Heavy Weather Issues

Evaluating Capsize and Stability Risks for Yachts

The Black Swan Theory of Cruising

Weathering the Storm

For more information, contact Todd Rickard at ToddR@setsail.com.

Three of the owners quoted above have websites. You will find links to them below.

• FPB 64 Avatar
• FPB 64 Iron Lady
• FPB 64 Buffalo Nickel

We are just back from a week at ground zero in the FPB world. We had the chance to take a couple of boat rides, hang out with three owners who are presently moored in the town basin, and review hundreds of details with Kelly, Todd, and the Circa team. Long, hard, but gratifying days. In particular seeing one of the sheds with a FPB 64, the beginnings of the first two FPB 78s, and a 97 gave your correspondent a buzz.

This is not an easy game to play, and the past year has been intense, with the design cycle of getting the FPB 78 series up and running, and the usual work load of attending to the needs of fourteen owners. Yet we and the Circa team are in good spirits, as you can partially see above. Kelly Archer (top right), the boat building wizard, looks after things on the ground. Todd Rickard (top left), has what some might call the hardest job, coordinating between client, design staff, and builders. Todd and Kelly make it easy for the guy in the middle.

It is always nice to see the vision that is generated in the computer between our ears, and on the desk, take shape. This is the beginnings of FPB 78-1.

Brendan, in the foreground, runs the carpentry shop. He is discussing fridge drawer details with us.

Peter Watson is pointing at the first batch of the plate for his FPB 78. Imagine that, two FPB 78s being built in sequence.

Stedem Wood is in Whangarei getting familiar with FPB 64-8. We had an interesting afternoon playing at very close quarters maneuvering in shallow water: rotating, kissing pilings, and getting off a mud bank. All accomplished with Stedem’s adept touch on the helm and no thruster.

FPB 64-5 Tiger is in town as well. John and Sandy Henrichs are doing a few projects, prior to their next season of cruising. It is always a pleasure chatting with the Henrichs and getting their ideas for improving the FPB breed.

We will close with this shot of FPB 64-6, Grey Wolf, at anchor a few miles from her dock. Peter Watson took pity on this writer and offered a ride on a lovely Sunday afternoon. We were able to undock and dock with adverse winds and current, with just two boat widths separating us from the neighbor, and mud flats within a boat length on two sides–without using the thruster of course. As this was one of the first times Peter had maneuvered his FPB 64, it was an impressive display of driving skill. We also had a chance to see if the depth alarm was working (it was) followed by a test of getting off a mud bank under our own power with a falling tide.

Finally, Sarah Dashew has a new post up that is a recap of the FPB concept and how it works in the real world, told from the owners’ perspective. You can find it here.

We have had a ton of feedback on the subject of crew quarters – both via SetSail and e-mail – and we’ve worked up what we think is as close to crew Nirvana as one can get on a small yacht. The process has also lead to several other enhancements in the FPB 78 layout. Our own thoughts have come full circle and we will tell you our decision for FPB 78-1 at the end of the post.

To begin with, we have not by any means abandoned the concept that we (and most of our clients) prefer to cruise on our own, without crew. But as the business demands have grown, and we have matured, we find ourselves cruising part rather than full time. In this scenario, having someone to look after the boat while we are away simplifies our lives – at least that is the theory. Some of our owners look at this in the same way. So they, and we, want the option of having crew. Hence this long search for an ideal interior solution— which we think we have found.

Here is a list of what has driven the creative process to what you see above:

• As an owner, you want the best crew. Good quarters help attract and keep good crew. All of our owners agreed that having really nice digs for crew is important.
• The crew needs a space off by themselves in which they can relax, without bumping elbows with the owner or guests. The same applies to the owners, who need to have their privacy.
• Proximity to the engine room was considered essential if possible.
• Separate entrance(s) for the crew is desirable.
• An area in which to lounge, aside from just the bunk.
• Good storage space.

The rendering above is pretty much self explanatory. This is a very substantial space, larger than the guest suite on the FPB 64s. The head/shower has a large locker outboard, there are drawers and hanging space under the double bunk, there is a small fridge under the vanity, and a shelf unit above with room for a microwave, coffee maker, etc. Opposite the lounge seating area, on the aft bulkhead, there is room for a 42” TV. The port side steering gear cover will serve as a work surface and/or desk. And there is a pilot berth outboard to port, shown here folded up, which can provide an extra sleeping spot if there are two crew who are not co-habitating.

There is an entrance off the swim step and another from the deck. The deck level entrance can be covered with an awning extension off the house roof. And, if required, access can be gained via the engine room.

There are trade-offs, of course. The workshop now moves back into the engine room. But there is still plenty of space there, including room for the grinder or belt sander, drill press, and bearing press that is so ardently desired. This also gives up aft lazarette storage. To offset this, a pair of lockers have been added to the swim step, primarily intended for flammables. The balance of gear will move back to the forepeak,where it has always been carried in the past.

If the FPB 78 finds itself in service without crew, it will be easy to convert this space back to general storage, if that is desirable.

Now comes the existential question of what is the best use for the “Annex” forward. This could be another guest cabin, an office or workout room, or it could be a laundry/pantry area. In which case the washer and dryer would live up here, along with a pair of top loading freezers (which will also work as fridges), and a large volume of lockers for general storage. There is also a huge amount of storage available below the cabin sole.

The forepeak is shown in this rendering, and this will give you an idea of the volume available for ship’s gear, roughly three times what we have with the FPB 64 and twice that of FPB 83 Wind Horse.

Now it gets interesting. If there are crew aboard, who need to access the facilities forward, how do they get there without disturbing the owners? You see the answer above. There is now a hallway outboard down the starboard side. The forward suite is just a touch smaller, but still voluminous by yacht standards – significantly larger than that on the FPB 64.

And if the occupants of this forward suite do not need the privacy? The bulkhead folds away. There is an intermediate position where the aft section is extended to isolate the office area. This allows night owls to work at their computer without disturbing the occupant of the adjacent bunk.

The second FPB 78 is being built with extra accommodations forward. The layout above works for guests, extra crew, or as storage. And a very large forepeak is left for ship’s needs.

We have the benefit of a great group of very experienced owners with whom to bounce around ideas. In discussing the subject of crew and how to best use the space, we realized we do not really know what we are going to do, or what the final answer is for our own boat just yet. And we don’t like giving up our original idea of a workshop. So we’ve come up with an approach that fits our needs today, and allows for easily changing to a different mode if we find it appropriate.

To begin with, we are assuming if there is crew they will live in the aft starboard stateroom. Private access is available through the engine room if desired. This make sense for us since a majority of the time we’ll have at most the need for a single guest stateroom.

The aft end, shown above, has the aforementioned workshop area, two starboard side folding pipe berths/shelves, one of which is shown above, and a large TV. The pipe berths can be used for crew on a temporary basis, overflow guests, or storage.

And if there is crew aboard, they will have a separate lounge area here, but the amenities, for now anyway, will be simple and temporary. The accoutrements shown above–i.e. folding lounge chairs– are easily mobile, so will also work elsewhere aboard for owners and guests. If we are without crew, we also like the concept of having a workshop with a few amenities in which to escape.

Now the forward end. Once again the same logic applies. We want maximum flexibility to remodel as our ideas change. So we are going with the open plan – one huge space. The washer and dryer are up here, and there is room for extra top loading refrigeration units (not shown). Bulk storage is available under the sole and we will probably fit a shelf unit somewhere. Otherwise, for now, nothing. The most probable use for us is as an on board gym, with a compact Pilates Reformer and an exercise bike (which can be lifted onto the deck on nice days).

To put the preceding in context, a plan view of the entire lower deck is above.

As owners we are very pleased with where we are at now with the FPB 78. Thanks to all of you who took the time to give us your feedback. It has helped us tremendously.

We want to talk about a subject often avoided: Size. It is important for comfort, for aesthetics, and for speed. This has been much on our mind of late as we reach the “hard point” in the build cycle for the FPB 78, after which changes are not allowed. If you study the renderings in this post you will note the Dream Machine has a different look.

She has had a bit of sculpting aft on her topsides, and the swim step lengthened. The impact, in terms of aesthetics and performance is substantial.

The logic behind this, and the tradeoffs, may be of interest.

First is our desire to have an official length less than 24 meters, as above this a yacht is considered a ship in traffic separation areas and required to stay with the big guys, a prospect we find unpleasant. Measurement rules vary with the flag flown, but often start at the rudder post or corner of the deck, and exclude the swim step.

The FPB 78 until recently had an official length under Lloyd’s Rules of 22.8m or 74.8 feet. Adding in the swim step brought her to 23.8m/78 feet LOD. Which meant we had some “official” length left with which to play if it looked favorable, while still staying below the 24m rule.

Many dimensions in yachts can be compressed or made smaller without impacting their function. Not so waterline. Comfort, speed, range, and as a result safety, are directly related to waterline length. Longer waterline means more boat speed, plain and simple. Still, we don’t increase the canoe body length purely for speed – at least not often. There is docking to consider, swinging room at anchor, maintenance, and a desire to have sufficient length to get the job done and no more. Also, excess longitudinal stability leads to an unpleasant ride heading into the waves. To the extent the shape of the hull results in a hull form with less beam aft, the pitching issue is mitigated.

It was our search for a dinghy which would be good in chop that drove extending the hull. Having come to the conclusion that what we were after was a long skinny RIB, we needed a place for it to sit.

Adding a bit to the waterline aft, and then going back to the type of lockers used on the swim steps of the FPB 64s and Wind Horse (FPB 83), provided a place to park a 5.75m/18.6ft RIB as shown here. This is a VSR5.8C (www.vsrlab.com) that is  just 2.22m/7.23’ wide. These are reportedly very good in a chop. If you have ridden in one or seen them in action, we’d love to hear about it.

Aside from the big primary dink, there is added capacity in the stern lockers. The starboard flammable stores locker will hold 14-to-18 20 liter containers of outboard fuel. Another benefit is the port side fishing station, where you can fight your fish close to the action, and coordinate with the person on the swim step trying to boat the thrashing monster.

There is so much freeboard – 2.2m/7+ft from waterline to the deck edge at the stern – that coming alongside and holding the dink by hanging onto the deck edge, belting or stanchion, is not practical. Hence the topside pipe rail aft, situated where it can be easily grabbed or tied onto.

The swim step extension itself opens up some opportunities for unloading groceries and passengers. It also makes hauling the smaller dink at night a very simple affair.

Rather than leave it floating, or hauling it up on deck with the booms, we can now drag it up onto the swim step with the aft deck winch. We would not carry the dinghy here at sea, but for protected between-anchorage trips, when at anchor, and in emergency if we have to quickly exit an open anchorage that has become a lee shore, this will work great.

Which brings us full circle back to the ultimate benefit of this longer waterline: speed and efficiency.  Waterline is the single most powerful ingredient you can employ in the war against drag. Adding an extension like we have shown, a modest cost and minimum weight gain, yields a substantial improvement in efficiency. The fact that this added canoe body occurs all the way aft gives us a chance at better controlling prop flow, which can lead to an even more favorable outcome.

You can use this efficiency for better range or more boat speed. In our case, with sufficient range for the longest passages, we will most probably add a bit of boat speed. Where 11 knots/264NM per day might have been the previous sweet spot for the mix of ambiance, fuel burn, and weather risk factors, we are probably now cruising at 11.5 to maybe 12 knots  (276/288 NM per day).

Skeg, rudder and canoe body integration play a large part in comfort on passage, heavy weather tactics, maneuvering in port, propulsion efficiency, and tolerance for operator error.

The absolute number one priority should be control in heavy weather, followed by maneuverability in port (this without resorting to thrusters). Then comes tolerance for operator error and bad luck.

All of the above is directly related to draft, and to the propensity of the fins protruding below the canoe body to interact with nets, floating line, ice, and other forms of debris. Many yachts are fitting with a beam between the keel or skeg and rudder to reduce entanglement risks. However, we avoid this practice, as when the inevitable grounding occurs, deflectors between keel and rudder tend to be bent upward, resulting in a jammed rudder, or worse.

We use a combination of skeg leading edge angle, and rudder toe round to shed debris. Having rolled many logs under the hull of Wind Horse, pushed through ice, and spent several cruising seasons co-habitating with millions of lobster pots, we can attest to the fact that the system does work.

Although we want the skeg and rudder to have as small a cross section as practical to reduce interference with water flow to the prop, these have to be strong enough to take abuse. And then hopefully – no guarantees here – be so constructed so that the foil bottom deforms and unloads before damaging the rudder shaft or skeg structure above the tip crumble zone. Over the years, there has been a fair amount of real world testing of these principles, and so far we are doing OK.

The rudder shape is a derivative of a foil we developed in the 1980s for our Sundeer designs.

It has excellent drag characteristics, and a cross section that allows an over-sized rudder shaft, without making the rudder foil too fat.

All of the preceding has a major impact on prop efficiency. Even the rudder, which is behind the prop, affects what is happening upstream; hence our somewhat obsessive attitude toward these details.

A final comment on drying out on a tidal river or beach. There are several schools of thought on how to design fins for this process. The approach we are using with the FPB 78 is one example. The canoe body has a grounding flat down the centerline for drying out. The intention is for this to help support the hull. The center of gravity is well forward of the aft end of the flat, so assuming a firm bottom support of the hull, there is little tendency for the hull to rock aft. Where the bottom slope is even, the skegs will dip below the surface as shown above. The rudder would normally be just above the surface. There is a synergism between the thin foils we want for efficiency and the bottom as shown here. The thinner the foil, the more easily it penetrates the bottom and unloads itself.

We’ve been talking for years about going through our boxes of photos and slides and scanning them before they disintegrate. Well, the process has started and we are having so much fun remembering that we thought we might share a few stories with SetSailors, starting with this crowded cockpit on our 50 foot yawl, Intermezzo, in early 1977.

It is Sunday, and the Marquesan village on Tahuata is being ferried by a group of yachts to a nearby beach. Linda is being shown the correct method of wrapping a pareau. Our two guitars, tambourine, and various percussion devices soon augment the local orchestra.

The rowing dink will take these villagers ashore, through the surf, with a bare three inches/75mm of freeboard. Once ensconced on the beach the Tahuatans busy themselves weaving mats, catching fish and octopus, harvesting coconuts for drinking and of course a variety of local fruit. Throughout there is music, singing, and dancing.

A week later now at Hanavave Baie on Fatu Hiva. Linda, Elyse, and Sarah are taking ashore a small wahoo that has miraculously appeared on our meat line. The concept is to clean the fish where it won’t make a mess on Intermezzo. To the locals, this pelagic delicacy is nectar from the gods. They offer to help our struggling crew with the process, after which we donate the majority of the proceeds to the village.

This small gesture makes us friends with the entire village. We cannot go ashore without being invited into their homes, offered fruit, and generally made a part of the village scene. When we depart for the Tuamotus a week later, our 12 foot rowing dinghy is literally filled with oranges, pomplamoose, bananas, and papaya. These will be passed on to the Tuamotans who, living on low lying atolls, can only dream of such culinary treasure.

Events like these taking place early in our cruising lives leave indelible impressions on us all.

Looking back, it is amazing how unprepared we were for life at eight degrees South in March, during the southern hemisphere summer. No fans, a dark colored hull to absorb the sun’s radiation, poor ventilation, sub-optimal awnings and inefficient refrigeration (to put it mildly). No water maker so we bathed with salt water and rinsed with a touch of precious fresh. But then everyone else was in the same boat, so to speak. We did not feel deprived by lack of washer/dryer or instant communications. We got by without chart plotters or GPS.

We loved the cruising life, even with its “hardships”, eventually becoming better adapted, as did our cruising friends. Is it better today with modern systems and comforts? We are not so sure.