Sorensen Powerboats 2014 05. May

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WWW.SOUNDINGSONLINE.COM MAY 201460

Design review: 2 concept

boats and their missions

POWERBOATSBYERICSORENSEN

This month, Im looking at two design concepts from Ste-phens Waring Yacht Design in Belfast, Maine. They are justconcepts at this point, and Paul Waring has taken the unusu-al step of offering them for critique, which shows intellectual

inquiry, an open mind and more than a little courage. I wish moredesigners would do the same.

The two boats are of similar size but with different missions. Para-digm is described by her designer as a 40-foot sport utility vessel.Citronella is more of a classic cruiser, a 44-foot sedan with pod pro-pulsion. Although I would make changes in the name of practicalityand offshore capability, the concepts have much intrinsic merit, andthe suggested changes are mostly minor and easily implemented dur-

ing the design phase.

In any event, these boats are farmore interesting to me than manyproduction boats on the market.Both could be built as one-offs,using cold-molded wood, or fe-male tooling could be created forseries production. Lets have a look.

ParadigmParadigm is a quirky and in

many ways appealing hybrid, amix of the flush-deck cruiser fromthe first half of the last centurytopped off with a Jeanneau-likedeckhouse all glass outsideand sunshine inside. The multi-angled pilothouse is generallyrectangular rather than runningparallel to the gunwale, which re-sults in slightly wider side decksforward than aft but seems to bea key element in the boats angu-lar look. I see a sort of dance be-

tween the very different hull andthe deck components, an attemptat reconciliation between fire andwater, the past and future.

Waring notes that the emphasison SUV is very important. Thisis a lightweight boat meant toharbor-hop, carry toys and pro-vide connectivity to the water,he says. The target is family-oriented cruising for couples or

couples with kids.I like much of what Waringappears to be trying to do with

Stephens Waring Yacht Design refers to the 40-foot Paradigm as a sport utility vessel with an emphasis on connection

to the water. The layout promotes a social atmosphere by placing the cockpit and pilothouse on a single level.

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the boats lines. He seems to be creating a dialogue between thehull and the deckhouse, and in this case I think it works well, but

I believe that he is less successful in creating aesthetic consonancewithin the hull itself. I look at the bow, with its essentially plumbstem and moderate flare, and the flush deck all very 1940s-looking then look aft to find the stern profile of a Tiara Sovran or simi-lar contemporary yacht. I will assume my lack of imagination pre-vents me from seeing the congruity here.

The swept haunches (a term I picked up while working on aTiara build project) at the stern dont flow naturally from eitherthe stem or the deckhouse. This is especially the case with the an-gular port and starboard settees in the cockpit, which from a dis-tance will become the hull profile back aft. But this is all a matter

of taste. Both read the Bible day and night, but thou read blackwhere I read white, said William Blake.

CockpitAlthough the settees might ap-

pear to be an afterthought, War-ing notes that the concept revolvesaround flexibility. These seatsallow multiple uses of the cockpitspace and can be easily removedfor a more water-sports-oriented

family, he says. As with similarexposed seats, make sure to keepthem covered at sea so they aredry when you drop the hook.

I would be concerned about thestep leading down to the swimplatform. A person standing atthe aft end of the settee might fall,given the inset steps proximityto the seat. I would add a railingaround the steps perimeter inthe absence of an actual transom,given that the stern and bow areareas that most need passengerprotection.

I also would have the platformextend aft well past the raisedsterndrives. Someone slippingoff the edge of the platform, asdrawn, for a quick dip might landright on the sterndrives venti-lation plate, even when theyrefully lowered.

One great attribute of the cock-pit design is that its open transom will shed any water over thestern almost immediately. A key element in the design is the abil-ity to easily pull dinghies, water toys, etc., up over the stern intothe cockpit. Clean and uncluttered access to the water was top inour thinking, Waring says. I agree that safety is important, butso is access to the water. Railings should be provided yet be easilyremovable for this reason.

PilothouseThe cockpit level continues unbroken to the inside of the pilot-

house. This is a theme that more builders have been playing up theadvantages of no steps from stern to helm. Another popular themehere is the galley in the pilothouse, rather than forward in the cabin.

This keeps the chef in the crews midst and makes it easy to servepeople who will typically be topside, anyway.

There is a lack of space with this design, however, because thoserecessed side decks take up so much of the boats beam. Waringscounterpoint: The mission is connection to the water all the time. Wemade a design decision to keep things very clean and uncluttered,and there isnt enough room to make for a better arrangement whilekeeping such connection and flow. It seems the extra inches servegood interests to make a side-deck walkaround [rather] than to widenthe space between settees in the interior.

Waring says he wanted to have enough interior for multigenera-tional outdoor activities. The side decks are important for the secu-rity of small children and to provide good access to the foredeck on

both sides, he says.I appreciate the security of the side decks, but you end up with

such a small interior, and the pi-lothouse/saloon is the most-usedarea on a boat such as this. Amore functional design, at leastfor those who dont venture for-ward very often, would be to puta recessed side deck to starboard,where a sliding door can be addedat the helm for easy communica-

tion and quick access topside. Onthe port side, have an 8-inch-wide,gunwale-level side deck that alsoaffords access to the bow but forthe more agile. Youd pick up agood foot of usable width inside.

ForedeckAlthough a bow without rails

presents a clean look, its alsounsafe. I hope the designer andowner will opt for a set of strongand stiff 30-inch rails extend-ing from the forward end of thehouse to the bow. There alsoshould be handrails along thedeckhouse overlapping by sev-eral feet with the bow rails so thesojourner has something for sup-port at sea and for a few feet,two separate handholds. Waringagrees. This detail was left out inthe concept phase.

HullAs high-efficiency hulls go, this one has minimal wetted surface,

which helps, as does its projected moderate displacement. A wa-terline length/beam ratio of 3.15 (37 feet, 3 inches by 11 feet, 10inches) is on the wide side for such a boat, although it is narrowerthan many production boats, so that works against seakeeping andefficiency.

A longer and narrower boat of the same size is more seakindly andefficient. Judging from the renderings, it appears this could be a wetboat at speed, but Waring says he would add strakes, which would

help it run drier.The hulls chine elevation is not high forward, which indicatesless deadrise below and, therefore, a harder ride in a chop. The

[POWERBOATS]

Robert Stephens (left) and Paul Waring are passionate designers who

take pride in turning concepts into creations.

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to a curved transom that looks like a mix ofHinckley tumblehome and the reverse slopeof a True North. Although some might point

to the space that such a design wastes, theupside in addition to creating curvaceousquarters is that it helps to keep the sternlight because theres no room to put any-thing. This, in turn, especially improves hersemiplaning performance. One things forsure: It will be hard for the ocean to find away aboard either end of this boat.

The coach roof stretches nearly half thelength of the boat, enclosing the pilothousewith its huge windows and covering the

better portion of the cockpit aft. If the sidewindows were thick plastic, this would be asimilar to Bob Johnstones MJM series, open-ing the saloon to weather when the moodstrikes and weather permits.

We would favor glass drop-windows fortheir far better visibility and weather-tight-ness, Waring says. They would be easy tofit in this boat.

On top is a large sunroof to let still moresunlight into the saloon. The cockpit over-

hang also has a sunroof. Options include aleather cabin top, side-to boarding platforms,and teak decks and trim.

CockpitAft in the cockpit is a large lounge; it is so

wide that you cant sit on it and lean againstthe cushions with your feet on the deck. Itsmore of a sunpad or bed than a seat, Waringsays. Under here is where we keep those IPSsystems. This isolation between interior andengine spaces makes for a very quiet, soft run-

ning arrangement. Closing the aft door whiledriving the boat will give you a feel thats likedriving your Bentley to dinner.

Make sure you add those hull-side doors ifyou decide to build the boat.

InteriorEntering from the cockpit, the saloon has

a straight sofa to starboard and an L-shapedsettee with table to port. Forward to portis a pair of pedestal seats for the co-pilots,

and the helm is opposite to starboard. TheU-shaped galley is below to port, the head isopposite, and an island berth and twin lock-ers are in the forepeak, as on the Paradigm.

Side decksThe side decks are flush with the gunwale.

With the deckhouse being rectangular andthe hull sheer sweeping inward in plan view,the result is very wide sidedecks forwardthat taper to half their width at the cockpit.

They lead to a flush deck forward, interrupt-ed only by a slight raised trunk on centerlinefor added headroom below.

Her hull is similar to Paradigms belowthe chines, although Waring says that whiledeadrise is slightly less, Citronella is a bit

narrower for her length and finer forward.As a cruising boat, a limitation will be

its inability to carry a tender, as there is noswim platform and no means of getting aft,absent cutting a walkway and adding a door,which would spoil the visual effect. This isa great option weve thought about mention-ing, Waring notes. However, we did notshow this variation.

Every boat needs a means of getting a per-son who falls overboard back on board, so

without a stern ladder, be sure to specify aladder design at one of the side doors, prefer-ably the one to starboard because that is theside on which the skipper can keep you insight while making an approach.

ConclusionI think Waring is on to something with these

design concepts, and I hope our dialogue willprove both instructive and, even better, enter-taining. Paradigm is more of a cruiser, with a

larger enclosed saloon, a galley-up for betteraccessibility to the cook and better water accessfrom the stern. She has a unique look with theclassic lines, especially the flush deck forwardand the Euro deckhouse.

Citronella is more the MJM-like dayboat,with a good bit of her topside space open tothe air. She is less practical as a sport boat,with no easy water access, though with theside doors added she would be easier to geton and off from the dock. Her stern bustle isan extravagance, but style-minded owners

will come down squarely in that court. Afterall, the Zeelander, with its far more extrava-gantly space-consuming hind end, seems tobe selling at a brisk pace.

A few details need to be sorted out tomake these designs more practical andsafer topside, but I applaud the directiontaken and the intelligence evidenced. I hadno 3-D renderings of the interiors, but withall the glass and the narrow window mul-lions, it looks as if visibility from their

helms would be excellent.As long as the helm ergonomics are noth-

ing like a sailboats, with the typically hardto reach vertical wheel and hard to see in-struments, there is much potential here.These are inshore designs with modest dead-rise, shoal draft and high windage, but theywould be a blast to bomb around Casco Bayin during the summer, and both are head-turners, for sure. n

For more information on these and otherStephens Waring designs, call (207) 338-6636.stephenswaring.com

[POWERBOATS]

The Hingham Shipyard24 Shipyard Drive, Unit 204

Hingham, MA 02043

781-749-9989

Kittery Point Yacht Yard48 Bowen Road

Kittery, ME 03904

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Sorensen Powerboats 2014 05. May