How to build cruisers and motoryachts.
For such readers as will be interested in building a small cruising motorboat, I am going to try and describe how to proceed to construct a 25-foot boat, and if these specifications are carefully adhered to, those who build will be surprised to find what a handy little craft it will make.
A 25-Foot Cabin Cruiser by Frederic S. Nock.
We have told how to build short, big-bodied motor-boats where all style has been eliminated in order to give the biggest, roomiest boats for their size with no regard particularly for any set style, but now in a 32-foot cabin cruiser "Sunfish" we are going to give instructions for building a good-looking day cruiser. By day cruiser we mean a boat that has deck room enough to enable one to move about, a big cockpit, a cabin top at a convenient height to sit upon and enjoy the breeze, and yet with cabin space enough for two or even three to sleep if they want to go cruising. But cruiser is not like a raised deck cruiser — a house inside with such a boat as a 32-foot cabin cruiser "Sunfish" one can run up to a float and she is not so high-sided that you will need a side ladder to get ashore; you can easily jump or step from a 32-foot cabin cruiser "Sunfish" onto an ordinary float. Such a boat does not chase all over the creek at her moorings, but will ride head-on at anchor, and though some may call her a bit old-fashioned, if she suits the purpose better than a raised decked boat why not have her so. Both bow and stern lines can be handled easily on such a boat. Cruiser "Sunfish" model is just a clean, easy lined hull — nothing extraordinary, no startling features to attract attention, but a good sensible hull, plain and useful, yet of rather graceful proportions. On a length of 32 feet overall she is 29 feet 10 inches long on the waterline, 8 feet beam, and draws 2 feet 1 inch of water. She has about 2 feet freeboard at the lowest point, about the middle of her cockpit; 2 feet 7 inches at the centre of her stern, and with the spray boards on her forward deck is 4 feet 3 inches above the water at the stem. She will float a total weight of 5,400 pounds at the waterline as drawn, her centre of buoyancy there being just 6 inches aft of mold No. 5, or 16 feet 6 inches from the edge of the stem. She will swing a 20-inch propeller, and with a 10 to 15-hp. motor she will make a good 8 or 9 miles an hour. a 32-foot cabin cruiser "Sunfish" will prove an easy boat to steer on a straight course, and yet will be prompt to answer her helm in turning.
A 32-Foot Cabin Cruiser "Sunfish" by C. G. Davis.
A Mollyhawk is not a bird of beauty, therefore the name is appropriate in this case, but beauty is not always the most desirable element in a boat, and if our Mollyhawk shows the staying qualities, the seaworthiness and lasting qualities of that homely sea fowl so familiar to deep water sailors as to be part of their everyday life, she'll be as good a boat as any man who loves the life on the water will care to own.
She is a boat that will go through stormy weather as a motorboat should go, easily and dry, not floundering about in the surface water. This desirable quality has been obtained by making her more of a boat, a deeper boat and a heavier constructed boat, than the ordinary 28-foot craft. She looks, in profile, somewhat like a small edition of a steamship—her stern will stand the slopping of seas without the jar felt in flat-sterned boats, and her bow is high enough to take care of any comber she may be put to. Her deckhouses look a little peculiar, due to the long, narrow skylight, which, while it looks odd in a side view, does not show up at all badly in the real boat, and its advantages are twofold. It gives full headroom in a boat that would otherwise be all out of proportion, if the cabin itself were carried up that high, and in summertime makes a nice cool cabin by the ventilation possible with such a cabin construction. In the flat paper plan you see the full height, but in the real boat the perspective sets it back, and it appears considerably lower Mollyhawk is 28 feet long, has 8 feet beam, and draws 2 feet 6 inches of water, with a good, heavy displacement, 9,920 pounds. This heavy displacement is intentional, as a study of the lines will show. She is big below water, and it will require some concrete ballast to bring her down to her designed waterline. as the weight of her hull engine and fittings will hardly equal 9,920 pounds; more likely they will be about 7,000 pounds, leaving about 2,900 pounds of ballast.
If you have been out in a light displacement boat in heavy weather, you know how they throw you about, and, when I say heavy weather, I don't mean a summer thunder squall on an inland lake, where it's all spray and no sea, but take the fleet of boats that go out down New York's lower bay, or the style of boats that navigate out of Frisco Harbor, and go out into the ocean fishing, and the conditions such boats have to contend with are what this boat is designed for. Another condition she is adapted for is where a man wants a boat to take long cruises and live for months aboard his boat. He can live on such a boat as this in comfort, and be able to walk when he gets ashore without having to get the kinks out of his legs, or feeling the ground heave and pitch under him.
A 28-Foot Cabin Cruiser "Mollyhawk" by C. G. Davis.
Tell you how to build a 23-foot cabin cruiser? Surely I will; that's the easiest part of the business, but it is up to you amateurs to do the real hard part of the work, the cutting out, fitting and fastening. And yet while it is hard work, it is one of the most enjoyable kinds of labor. You see the ship which is to be your future home grow by your own toil and labor. There's some satisfaction in building a boat that one is to use for his own, which is lacking when one builds as a business and never expects to see how the boat, over which he has toiled for weeks, behaves herself when in a sea.
To those men who have years of experience on the water, the Beaver will appeal with all her good points. Those who are newcomers to the pleasures of motorboating and who make their criticisms with no actual experience to back them, may say she is too wide or too high, or too something else, but these men I ask: "Have you ever been aboard of a converted Cape Cod catboat?" If not, you have no right to criticize this plan. Don't imagine that, because you have had a sail on a narrow motorboat and enjoyed it, the enjoyment could not be magnified by a trip on such a boat as Beaver. She has every requisite of a comfortable little cruiser for two or even four men or boys to go off for weeks at a time and live in comfort. Her beam gives room to move a step or two sidewise, and one is not confined to a narrow foot well such as ordinary small craft have between their transoms. Some may say her beam will make her a poor sea boat, but any day Beaver cannot go out no boat of her length will care to go.
Every man imagines his own boat is laid out better below decks than any other boat he ever saw, but let him look over Beaver and see if he can get any more room than has been put into this 23-foot boat. Every inch of lier has been utilized, from the coat room up in the bows to the ice-box and lazarette under the after deck. Two comfortable seven-foot transoms, two feet wide, afford permanent beds in the cabin, while out in the cockpil two more may be made up with curtains buttoned down to the sides of the awning, and berths made up on the long cockoit seats. A toilet room fitted with every convenience is shown, but this, of course, an owner can dispense with if he does not care for it. We have shown it to prove that it is possible to get such a room in the boat.
A 23-Foot Cabin Cruiser by C. G. Davis.
Luxury motor yachts
The 70-foot luxury cruiser manufactured by Viking Yachts of Bass River Township is the crown jewel of the Atlantic City In-Water Power Boat Show being held this weekend at the Farley State Marina.
It has three staterooms, a state-of-the-art entertainment center, a retractable roof, teak floors, two garages to hold a personal watercraft and an 11-foot inflatable tender, and a separate bunk for the crew.
"It is the fastest boat in our fleet," said sales manager Jamie McSherry as visitors traipsed on and off the yacht Friday afternoon. "It tops out at 40 knots," or 44 mph.
With its $3.6 million price tag, this marine toy is way beyond most people's budgets. But McSherry said Viking has sold three of the four versions of this model it manufactured since last year.
And we won't even talk about the 110 gallons of fuel it burns for each hour it cruises the open seas.
For those of more modest means, boats at the show start at $8,900 for a 15-footer as well as several models of personal watercraft, said the show's co-producer Jerry Flaxman. Customers can compare nearly 350 different models in the water and another 350 on land.
"It would take you months to look at all the dealerships," Flaxman said. "Here, you can do it in one day or a couple of days."
Of course, anyone who's looked at the price of gas these days would shudder at the prospect of what it costs to run the larger models.
The price of fuel is a factor for at least some boat owners, Flaxman said.
"A lot of people these days aren't going to the water as much" as they used to, but come to party on their boats docked on the marina, Flaxman said.
Several boaters said the price of fuel is affecting their hobby.
"A trip that used to cost $60 (in fuel) now costs more than $100. It's affecting us, and not in a good way," said Gary Salontai, of Jackson Township, looking over the boats with his wife, Amy. "We don't go out on the boat just to take a ride anymore."
Salontai said he and his friends watch the weather and marine forecasts carefully before they go out in his 24-foot Invader. They don't want to waste fuel on a mediocre day of fishing.
Donna Paul and Mark Newman, of Centerport, N.Y., looked at a $169,900 29-foot Back Cove boat as a possible selection for a trade-up they plan for next summer.
"You're more conscious of how you use your boat" because of fuel prices, Newman said. "Take shorter trips," or fill the tank at a gas station while the boat sits on a trailer, rather than at the marina, where fuel is usually more expensive.
Salesman Scott Shane, of DiMillo's Yacht Sales in Freeport, N.Y., said the price of fuel isn't enough to keep boats out of the water. But some may take fewer trips or invite a friend along to help share the expenses.
But other boat owners and salespeople said the cost of fuel is not a major factor.
Robert Taylor of the Annapolis (Md.) Yacht Company said interest is strong for the 65-foot, $2.7 million Marquis luxury motor yacht his dealership is showcasing. No one has written a check yet, but people are seriously interested in the yacht that burns "a fairly considerable" amount of fuel.
"At this particular price point, (the price of gas) is not as high a priority, but it is a concern," Taylor said.
Orlando and Zaida Perdigon, of Brick Township, own a 19-foot Mako Center Console fishing boat. They said higher gas prices haven't stopped them from taking the boat out as often as they can.
"If you have a boat, you're going to do it regardless," unless you're in dire financial straits, Orlando Perdigon said.
John Pucci, of Hamilton Township, examining the offerings with his wife, Debbie, said the couple is going to buy a new boat and is centering on a 42-foot trawler style to spend more time on. His preferred model is more fuel-efficient than many in its size category, getting about one mile per gallon of gas.
Pucci has a captain's license and may use his new boat to charter long-distance trips.
As for the cost of gas, Pucci repeated the cliche heard several times at the show.
"If you can afford to buy the boat, you can afford the fuel," he said.
Homblower Cruises Setting Sail for a Busy Holiday Season.
Cruising San Diego's harbor, you realize that this can be a most picturesque city.
Then, along the Downtown waterfront, stands the steel skeleton of the expanding San Diego Convention Center. Not as attractive, perhaps, but it's promising.
Hornblower Cruises & Events knows this, too. A San Francisco-based company that specializes in upscale dinner cruises and corporate events, the expanding Convention Center and other local amenities make for a delightful horizon.
In San Diego, Hornblower runs six yachts, docked at the bayfront San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina or at the Embarcadero at the foot of Broadway.
The company also operates the Abbey, a 475-capacity event venue on Fifth Avenue. It had previously been a church-turned-restaurant, as the stained glass and basement wine cellar and kitchen illustrate. Hornblower's offices are in the former cellar.
Last year, the local operations had sales of about $9.8 million, with projections of $9.5 million for this year, said general manager John Vissat.
Lower sales this year aren't a worry, Vissat noted. San Diego tourism's banner 1998, with the Super Bowl and World Series, jolted the growth curve, he said.
Reflects Tourism Market
Vissat says his office's income reflects the tourism market, which is why he's looking forward to the completion of the Convention Center's expansion in September 2001.
"The Convention Center is the best indicator of our business," Vissat said. "When they book citywide (conventions), and they book blocks of room nights here, our business increases. When they don't, our business decreases."
After 2001, if San Diego's convention business flourishes the way it's projected, the company may add vessels to its San Diego fleet, he said.
Two-thirds of Hornblower's business comes from private yacht charters -- corporate business such as convention or incentive groups, local companies and weddings.
The remaining third comes from dinner cruises, day cruises and harbor tours, he said.
Corporate events are generated through direct marketing efforts, a large database, networking with meeting planners and others in the local and national tourism industry, he said.
Hornblower operates four vessels out of San Diego and has long-term leases for the classic yachts High Spirits and Renown.
Special Feature
The historical aura of the latter two is one of Hornblower's special feature, said Laurie Peters, convention services manager at the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The High Spirits was built in the late 1920s by prominent boat designer John Trumpy, as was the Renown in 1940. The High Spirits is sister ship to the former presidential yacht USS Sequoia, Peters noted.
When she talks to meeting planners looking for a venue for a 100-person dinner, they may turn down the idea of a yacht at first. "But then you say, how about a cruise on a very special boat ... ." and it can sell them, Peters said.
The Internet is the newest way to reach potential customers, Vissat said. With a detailed Web site, sales representatives can talk over the phone and simultaneously share visuals over the 'Net, for corporate events.
Now, the need is growing for customers to actually book cruises online, Vissat said.
As for the corporate bookings, done person-to-person, networking is key, according to marketing manager Rebecca Milkey. The company belongs to major meeting planner groups, she said.
Charter Sales
The sales managers specialize in various areas of the business, Milkey said. Using leads from ConVis, one works in corporate charter sales, and two others work with the destination management market. Another handles the corporate market. There is also a manager for the wedding market, which has grown the most as of late, Milkey said.
Another group whose growth has been surprising was the millennium crowd. The hospitality industry expected to be sold out by the summer's end. Instead, Vissat said, "It's booking much like a typical New Year. This is the time I start chewing my nails a little bit asking, 'What are our numbers?"'
Most of the boats are chartered, and the individual-ticket "public" boats are 60 percent booked, he said.
Vissat thinks the sales pattern might have a little something to do with Y2K apprehension. He joked that fears of momentary chaos and power failure could be allayed by spending New Year's on one of his company's self-powered boats.
Milkey noted that many companies are holding new millennium celebrations after Jan. 1, when their worries about work-oriented computer glitches are past.
Finding employees to work the parties hasn't been much of a problem, Vissat said. They are used to the hospitality industry calendar, which has them working holidays regularly, he said.
More than 17 years ago, Hornblower founder Terry MacRae was an environmental engineer who started taking clients aboard what was then called Hornblower Yacht and Coach Tours. At the time, the company was based in Berkeley and had two small yachts.
When the owners decided to sell, MacRae bought the company. By the end of 1985, the company had moved headquarters to San Francisco, added two yachts, built its own custom flagship and had headed into the dining cruise market.
San Diego had become a location in 1984, followed by Newport Beach in 1987, Marina del Rey in 1988 and Lake Tahoe in 1997. Developing the locations required adding new vessels.
While several of the additions have been custom built or bought, others have been acquired with operating agreements. Among those is the Wild Goose, a Navy minesweeper that actor John Wayne turned into a luxury motor yacht.
Among the ever-present challenges for the business is the heavy set of rules. "Every single federal, state, county, city and even to the international agencies are regulating you and licensing you, and some of them having conflicting requirements," Vissat explained.
`Get Them Together'
For instance, the U.S. Coast Guard requires doorways have raised lips at their bottoms, but the American Disabilities Association wants unimpeded egress onto the yachts, he said.
The best way to handle it, he said: "You try to get them together. You try to get them to come up with something that's mutually acceptable for both of them."
Another challenge is the constant coordination that takes place, Vissat said. He said it compares to coordinating several different ballrooms, with the added complications that the "ballroom" vessels move from site to site, and have to be at the right place at the right time, and supplies such as the meals and decorations have to be there as well.
Vissat sees his job as removing obstacles for the sales team, through computers, voice mail, E-mail and other communication systems. He also makes sure that sales policies are serviceable and that the sales managers are getting to all the networking opportunities.
Vissat also infuses his work with some sentiment. "We have moonrises and sunsets, and clouds going by," he said of the views his boats proffer. "You get the Downtown skyline from right next to it then from half a mile, then two miles ... .
"Sometimes, the windows will be lined with people looking at the views, and you'll have to say, `OK, it's time to eat ... it's time to eat'."