Tabla de contenidos para May/June 2023 en PassageMaker

When is more of a good thing bad? Almost exactly never. The folks at Kadey-Krogen apparently agree. Their new 60 Open, Hull No. 1 of which is due for delivery to her American owner in early 2024, builds on the appeal of the brand’s two-stateroom 50 Open, but with more volume, three staterooms and space for optional crew quarters. “We’ve had good response to the layouts the 50 Opens have,” says Ford Bauer, Krogen’s marketing coordinator. “It made sense to build a bigger one.” The layout to which Bauer refers centers on the main deck, which is one continuous space from the salon and galley, and up a single step to the pilothouse. It’s different from the traditional, raised-pilothouse configurations that Kadey-Krogen has offered during its nearly 50 years in…

We were almost there. The boat, a Moorings 464 powercat, skirted the coast-line and then motored into a bay rumpled by a 15-knot breeze. The sea had a tightly spaced, 3- to 4-foot chop. Stationed on the flybridge, I could see looming peaks rising high above the city and water. Less than 24 hours earlier, I had arrived in the shimmering city of Cape Town, South Africa, a metropolis set between the sienna mountains and the sea. Then, the city seemed to disappear like smoke into the marine layer after I boarded the big, beamy powercat with a team from Robertson and Caine, which builds Leopard Catamarans, including for Moorings charter fleets worldwide. The famous peaks of Table Mountain and Lion’s Head faded from focus as we motored out of…

The Dutch design firm Vripack has worked on more than 7,500 yacht projects, including a 171-foot, six-deck sportfisher. It also partnered with Nordhavn Yachts on the interior design of Nordhavn’s 80-foot trawler. Suffice it to say that custom is a word Vripack’s team knew quite well even before they met a Norwegian man named Ivar Presttun. Even still, when Bart Bouwhuis, co-creative director at Vripack, talks about the 61-foot boat that Presttun commissioned, he calls it just as much of a reminder that an owner can truly get what he wants in a custom design. “This boat proves that when you have a vision, it can be done,” Bouwhuis says. “We all know many examples of failure and frustrated owners who say they’ll never own a boat again. But here,…

“There are lies, damned lies and statistics,” says a quote attributed to Mark Twain, who knew a lot about the first two. I mention this because I came across an interesting statistic about Passagemaker readers: one out of three of you are planning a charter soon. That’s an impressive number, although, in my own case, I’m always planning a bareboat charter. At one point, my wife wanted a tennis bracelet engraved BTDT, meaning Been There, Done That. I, on the other hand, want one engraved BTGB, which translates as Been There, Going Back. I can return to many charter destinations again and again, find new delights, and have grand adventures anew. I have been chartering for a very long time. I actually knew Charlie Cary when he launched The Moorings…

When you see her from the dock, the first thing that strikes you about the Fountaine Pajot Power 67 is her sheer width. I saw her tied up stern-to among her brethren at the Miami International Boat Show, and she was like a mystical winged leviathan, poised to take to flight. Credit goes to the feline’s 32-foot-plus beam and the tall pontoons that protrude high above the sea. The view from the dock also told me the France-based builder nailed her proportions. Two stairwells lead to the cockpit, flanking a hydraulic swim platform and continuing as wide, teak-clad side decks to the bow. I was taken by the pair of staterooms aft, to port and starboard. This space is often reserved for crew quarters, but the designers saw an opportunity…

The engine room is typically where the most expensive issues are discovered during a survey. Of all the moving parts on a trawler (and there are many), the most important machinery is the propulsion package. Because of insurance coverage requirements, it is a given that you will conduct a hull survey to learn the condition and value of the trawler you are buying. Surveyors typically review construction, operate systems, check installations, test equipment and more to complete a comprehensive examination. We also insist that our clients hire an experienced marine diesel mechanic to spend time in the engine room, stay for the underway performance review and inspect the trawler out of the water. The cost for a diesel inspection is comparable to what the hull surveyor will charge. Your broker…

Some boats have become more than the sum of their parts. They are loved, sought after and often copied, but never equaled. If you are lucky enough to own one, a well-cared-for model will maintain its value regardless of current trends. While these classics endure, I feel it is important that designers and boatbuilders continue to develop boats for future generations, so that everyone finds a vessel that fits their specific needs and budget. That is the purpose of this exercise. There are a range of timeless vessels that I’d love to reimagine for today’s boaters, a reality that makes it hard to decide what boat I’d like to start with. I first chose one that conjures fond memories of my youth: the Grand Banks 36 Classic. Our family boat…

With waves, it is not always just the height that matters. Direction and frequency are equally important factors when considering comfort and safety. Pretty much regardless of direction, I would rather be in 6-foot seas with a period of 12 seconds than be in 3-foot seas spaced four seconds apart. The 3-foot seas at four seconds are going to have rather steep faces that will strike the boat with significant force. The 6-foot swells will lift the boat gently and lower it again every 12 seconds, producing a much softer, more comfortable ride. Different hull styles will handle waves quite differently. At 54 feet length overall and 90,000 pounds, our boat is a fairly heavy displacement hull with a bulbous bow, active fin stabilization and a shallow amount of submerged…

An onboard fire can start in all kinds of ways, from a dish towel falling on a hot stove while you’re cooking, or from the back of a corroded shore power inlet while you’re asleep. Safety and alarm systems can warn you that there’s a fire, and hopefully put it out—but the more time you spend on prevention, the less likely it is that you’ll actually have to fight a fire. Here’s a look at smart prevention tips, as well as how to be prepared in case a fire gains the upper hand on your boat. THE BASICS A major factor in prevention is how well the operational systems are installed on a boat, and how well they are maintained. Prevention also includes general housekeeping: Moving combustible items away from…

Times were good in the summer of 1964, when my father decided to look for a vessel large enough for our nine-nemember family. Our 19-foot Bristol was proving too small and had other problems—last time I saw it, she was under-water, sunk at the marina. With the help of a newspaper classified ad, Dad found a 45-foot, wooden party/work boat at a dock in Pawtuxet Cove, R.I. One afternoon, we met with the owner on board. Dad asked questions as I followed along, keeping my distance. I liked the boat as it was, simply because it was a boat and floating. Dad liked it too, but he had a vision, $6,000 and a plan. We bought her that day. The maiden voyage took the boat south to another Rhode Island…

We arise early, launch the dinghy and zip over for a dive, passing a pod of dolphins on the way. We drop into the 85-degree water just in time to see three dozen bumphead parrotfish, then a hawksbill turtle investigating a massive school of brilliantly colored fish. There are one, then two, then three sharks as we make our way along the wall. It’s a fantastic way to spend a morning—one that we repeat again and again while cruising in the Philippines aboard our Selene 48 Further. During the rainy season, which lasts from July to late December, we keep her at Subic Bay Yacht Club, northwest of Manila, the capital. After Christmas, we head south to Puerto Galera Yacht Club, on the northern coast of Mindoro island. From both…