April 23, 2024

Five People Saved After Boat Collides in Lake Superior Break Wall

Five people where saved after a ten meter Carver aft cabin flybridge cruiser titled The Lost Anchor collided into the Minnesota side break wall in Lake Superior and sank on 22:50 hours of Tuesday ninth August 2022.  The Duluth Fire Department and St. Louis County Rescue responded to the call to save the five persons and one dog.  With the collision the Carver cruiser opened a hull breach and started sinking and was ultimately beached on the rocks inside the break wall. The Carver cruiser was salvaged with a crane the following day.
The Carver cruiser in this break wall collision is a 36 Aft Cabin as produced from 1990 to 92.  The Carver 36 Aft Cabin came out as replacement to the eight year produced 3607 Aft Cabin, evolving with little design improvements into the 370 Aft Cabin in 1993, and then replaced by the 355 Motor Yacht with sloop stern in the fall of 1995.  Medium sized aft cabin cruisers was a successful segment for Carver in the eighties and nineties.

New Model: Beneteau Swift Trawler 48

Beneteau presents the new Swift Trawler 48, an explorer flybridge cruiser which focuses on practical easy living and circulation and is built to seek new horizons. An evolution of the Swift Trawler 47 which launched in 2018, the 48 is mid-range explorer cruiser with a stylish profile which features the new stainless framed teak slat fashion plates, as featured on the Grand Trawler 62. Designed by Beneteau's Andreani the Swift Trawler 48 offers an aft cockpit which can fit a folding table and two directors chairs which together with the large bench seat maximizes the indoor to outdoor living space. The transom double gate opens onto a large swim platform with an optional hydraulic lifting system. A twenty squared meters flybridge adds more open air spaces for panoramic views. The flybridge offers dual seat with transform backrests either side of the pilot seat which allow plentiful forward facing seating during passage making or join with the dinette aft to eat and relax with a large dining table and a wet-bar. On the foredeck the optional sun-pad with lift up sections creates forward seating.  The Swift Trawler 48 also features an asymmetrical deck layout giving a wide and well-protected starboard side-deck. Andreani revisited the interior design and layout in the Swift Trawler 48, with an entrance inside with a main deck with an astern large fully-equipped L-shaped galley.  Forward of the galley is a spacious raised U-shaped dinette providing seating for up to eight with great views all around. To starboard is the helm station with an adjacent side door for easy docking and more air circulation. In the lower accommodation, the forward owner’s cabin features a double berth and plenty of storage, with an en-suite bathroom with separate shower cubicle to starboard. The port guest cabin has two single berths with an infill to transform into a double berth. This cabin also features an en-suite door to the portside day head. The starboard guest cabin has two portlights, a transverse double berth and a double door wardrobe that is large enough to take an optional washer/dryer in the base. The Beneteau Swift Trawler 48 is powered by twin Cummins 380hp, and or optional 425hp as optional.
Technical Data:
LOA - 14.74 m (48.4ft)
Beam - 4.5 m
Draft - 1.15 m
Displacement - 12200kg unloaded
Fuel Capacity - 1930 l
Water Capacity - 640 l
Accommodation - six guests in three cabins
Engines - 2 x Cummins QSB 6.7l 380hp, QSB 6.7l optional 425hp
Propulsion - line shaft
Speed - 23 knots max 18 cruise, nine knots long range with 380s, 26 knots max with 425w
Range - 380 nm at 18 knots, 650 nm at 9 knots with 380s
Hull Shape - semi displacement
Construction - sandwich construction with counter molding, balsa core in super structure
Project - Andreani exterior and interior, MiCad naval architecture
Certification - CE B14/C16/D16

April 22, 2024

Classic Wellcraft Beaches in Haulover Beach

A classic seven meter Wellcraft cabin cruiser with three persons onboard ended Beached at Haulover Beach, Florida on Sunday fourteen April.  The whole event was filmed by Wavy Boats, from the boat going out of Haulover Inlet into moderate to rough seas with winds of about fifteen knots and wave height of about one meter, to it having engine problems, the beaching, and subsequent arrival of the Police and then towing by Fast Response.  The Wellcraft cabin cruiser took over half an hour for it to end up beached, enough time for a proper anchor deployment, and although this was to aft port side, this was too short and deployed late.  Thanks to the boat beaching in sand, this classic Wellcraft should live another day as the towing back to safe harbor showed.
The classic Wellcraft in this beaching is a 250 Coastal as produced from 1986 till 89.  Part of Wellcraft fishing line the 250 Coastal, was a soft evolution of the 248 Sportsman, recognizable by the larger window, with the model replaced by the 2600 Coastal in 1991.

Project: Castagnola Heritage 15

Castagnola presents the project for the Heritage 15, a sport yacht of fifteen meters in length as designed by Nauta with naval architecture by Francesco Rogantin.  You do not change a winning project and understandably Castagnola repeat the design and architecture of the Heritage 9.9 which debuted in 2020 to the larger Heritage 15, where it is all but very similar to the smaller sister, with the additional size offering more spaces both inside and out.  Nauta followed the path again of clean and timeless exterior lines, with a near identical exterior layout which now gets added with a T-Top and goes again for a double aft sun-pad with central corridor layout, which then offers a C-shaped dinette, and L-shaped galley wet-bar opposite to starboard behind the helm station.  The interior of the Castagnola Heritage 15 gets the most of the extra size now offering a two cabins two heads interior; forward owners suite, and a dinette which transforms to an additional berth in between the two cabins.   The Castagnola Heritage 15 is to be powered by twin Man 730hp with line shaft engines, with two thousand liters fuel capacity which according to the Italian builder will allow a safe range in between the main Western islands of Sardinia and the Balearics.  The Castognola Heritage 15 is to be constructed in what the Eastern Liguria boat and yacht builder calls WTS; Wood in Tech Skin, which is a cold molding construction method with mahogany strip planking infused in epoxy and fiberglass matts.  Being that a lot of Italian yacht builders were still immersed in wood construction up to the nineties, in both the Venice and Genoa area, I am still surprised how cold molding never got the success it has as the East of the USA.     

April 21, 2024

Sunseeker Yacht Falls During Ship Unloading in Malta

A 23 meter Sunseeker yacht had a terrible fall on the deck of a ship owned by company Normed during unloading procedure in the Grand Harbor of Malta on the morning of Saturday ninth May 2020.  The Sunseeker yacht was being unloaded to be put in the water, for its new Maltese ownership.  Falling at about five meters the Sunseeker yacht was reported as sustaining important damage with all structural integrity compromised from the engine-room to the stern, engines moved by about a meter, and P-brackets which penetrated the yachts hull.
The Sunseeker in this fall is a 76 Yacht, a four guest cabin motor yacht with two crew cabins and performances up to 32 knots from twin Man 1550hp engines. Entering production in 2018 as replacement to the 75 Yacht, the Sunseeker 76 Yacht has been a successful model in this size segment.

Tankoa New Web Site

Italian super yacht builder Tankoa presents its new web site.  Tankoa which means Scorpio in Genoese dialect was founded in 2007 by Giuseppe Orsi and his best friend, with the presidency of the company moving to Orsi sons, from Guido who was the President at founding to his sister Eva who took over Presidency since 2018.  Tankoa's main founder Giuseppe Orsi started his career as an engineer, becoming a businessman, and corporate executive taking over the helm of Finmeccanica in 2011.  But Orsi is also a passionate yacht owner, having entered yachting with the ownership of various super yachts, who from 1996 up to 2004 was also the owner of Baglietto shipyard.  The construction of the first Tankoa hull number C101, a super yacht as designed by Francesco Paszkowski started life in 2008 as a 65 meter project then delayed with the Global Financial Crisis which hit the world economies at the end of that year.  Eventually Tankoa C101 will be updated to a 69 meter in 2013 and launched in June 2015.  Tankoa is located from its founding in 2008 in Sestri Ponente in the center of Genoa's seven nautical miles break water protected harbor, next to Genoa's Christopher Columbus airport.  In December 2023 Tankoa took a lease agreement for the former Privilege super yacht yard in Civitavecchia which went bankrupt in 2015, increasing both production capacity and the possibility to build larger super yachts. Tankoa's aim has always been to be a boutique super yacht builder, with a business core in both custom and semi-custom builds, although the success seems more coming from the later, with six of the yacht delivered coming from the semi-custom series yachts.  Tankoa has so far build eight super yachts from 45 up to 72 meters, with eight further yachts currently under construction, and it's most successful series being the fifty meter S501 platform which has been delivered in five units and currently featuring a sixth hull under construction.  Tankoa new website takes you around with the following buttons; Company, Excellence, Models, Fleet, Refit, Press, News, and Contact.
Production History; (semi-production only)
S501 2017- (6
T450 2023- (2
Tankoa 70M C101 during launch on June 25, 2015

April 20, 2024

New Model: Sanlorenzo 44X-Space

Sanlorenzo has in mid Summer 2023 launched its first unit of the 44X-Space super yacht, the debutant of its new X-Space range, a series which looks to create a bridge between the Exp and Steel lines, a mix between exploring capability and important voluminous spaces. Designed by Bernardo Zuccon, Sanlorenzo main designer since 2018 the 44X-Space has a length of just under 44 meters, and offers four plus flybridge decks and a volume of 495 gross tonnage.  The interiors of the first 44X-Space are designed by Piero Lissoni, who presented five guest suites, with an upper third deck fully dedicated for the owner, and four additional guest suites on the lower deck. Crew accommodation is for eight in five cabins plus a lobby with L-shaped dinette, galley.  Four of the crew cabins sleeping seven are located on the forward part of the lower deck, while the captains cabin with adjacent small office and en-suite bathroom is located on the bridge deck behind the wheelhouse. The Sanlorenzo 44X-Space has a full displacement hull with bulbous bow which powered by twin Man 1450hp engines gives speeds up to fifteen knots, and a four thousand nautical miles range at ten knots cruise.  Sanlorenzo 44X-Space has so far sold in seven units, all ordered previous to the launch of hull one, with the Italian builder so far promoting the super yacht only with a YouTube video.   
Technical Data:
LOA - 43.70 m (143.4ft)
Beam - 8.80 m
Draft - 2.80 m full load
Displacement - 495 gt*volume
Fuel Capacity - 50,000 l
Water Capacity - 4000 l
Accommodation - ten/twelve guests in five cabins, eight/nine crew in five cabins
Engines - 2 x Man 12v 1450hp
Propulsion - line shaft
Speed - fifteen knots max, twelve knots cruise, ten knots long range
Range - 4000 nautical miles at ten knots
Hull Shape - displacement
Construction - steel hull, alumimium super structure
Project - Bernardo Zuccon exterior, Piero Lissoni interior

April 19, 2024

Projects: Viking 82 Convertible, Viking 82 Enclosed Bridge

Viking has delivered more then 110 yachts that are 80 feet or larger, including twenty-one of its 92 and an astounding 54 of the Viking 80. This new second generation 82 builds upon the success of the Viking 80 which debuted in 2015, pushing the genre to new heights. At over 25 meters in length over all, the Viking 82 Convertible presents a long, sleek and strong profile. Her gently sloping unbroken S-shaped sheer, double strakes and chines, deftly placed molded-in style lines and swept-back black metallic mask are unmistakably Viking. She shares stylistic refinements of the 90, including deckhouse window and hull portlights with chamfered edges and the latest hull-side engine room vent design. The 82’s hull sides also boast a prominent feature line that appears to flow through the tinted port light. The new 82 Convertible will more cockpit space and a larger mezzanine that allows for increased storage and a new extended lounge to starboard. Just under 230 square feet, the cockpit includes a transom door and lift gate, a transom fish-box/live well and full-length in-deck fish boxes with split lids to port and starboard. Accommodation plan in the Viking 82 Convertible offers a five-stateroom, six-head accommodation plan, with a full beam owners stateroom.  The Viking 82 is engineered for the installation of a Seakeeper gyro stabilizer, easily accessible via a single cockpit hatch on centerline with optional electric actuation. The new Viking 82 proves the attention the New Jersey sportfish yacht specialist puts into its design, development and production for the biggest convertible yachts in the world. Hull one of the Viking 82 will be an open bridge Convertible model with a Pamlico Blue gelcoat and a custom tuna tower from the subsidiary Palm Beach Towers. The first 82 Convertible will make its world debut at the 2024 Fort Lauderdale boat show in end October, and serve as a demonstrator for Viking.

The 82 as all Viking upwards from the 64 model is also offered in the Enclosed Bridge model, and or EB with sky bridge option. The 82 Enclosed Bridge offers a totally climate-controlled helm area and a luxurious second salon. Viking has been building Enclosed Bridge convertibles for 30 years, and this experience is unmatched in the industry, with constant evolution in design, ergonomics and comfort. If you like the salon-like features of an enclosed bridge but also want to run the boat from an open bridge occasionally, the 82’s Enclosed Bridge sky bridge option as pictured above provides the best of both worlds. The elevated bridge’s port-side console has a fully equipped helm with a recessed black acrylic panel for flush-mounted displays. Guests can enjoy the view from a forward L-shaped lounge. The sky bridge option has been immensely popular in both the large Viking 90 and 92 flagship models accounting to over half of the units produced with this layout.  The new Viking 82 is base powered by twin Cats 1925hp with optional engines going up to the powerful 2635hp MTU engines.

April 18, 2024

Sea Ray Sport Cruiser Ends Aground in St. Andrews Jetties

A ten meter Sea Ray sport cruiser collided and ended aground on the Shell island side of St. Andrews Jetty, to the South of Panama City on the night of Thursday 28th March.  According to unconfirmed reports the Sea Ray lost power on her way out, and ended aground on the jetty, piercing the hull and partially sinking.  Two boat salvage attempts for the Sea Ray sport cruiser were made by SeaTow the following day and Sunday, with pumps emptying water and a tow with no success.  Ultimately and unfortunately the Sea Ray sport cruiser was still in the spot one week after the accident and then ended sank and wrecked.
The Sea Ray in this grounding is a 350 Sundancer as produced from 2010 to 12. Available with both stern drive or V-drive line shaft engines, the 350 Sundancer was a good seller in a difficult economy.  An evolution of the 330 Sundancer which launched in 2008 and recognizable by the different port holes, the 350 evolved again in 2012 into the 355, with a new stern design and larger hull glazing serving the lower cabin deck.

Improve-it = Pardo 50

Pardo Yachts presents a 50 model entirely customized with Missoni fabrics, a project resulting from the collaboration of two pioneering brands of the Made in Italy: the historic Milanese maison founded by Ottavio Missoni in 1953 and Cantiere del Pardo, shipyard with artisanal and industrial roots dating back to 1973. Despite coming from very different industries, the two Brands share common values such as attention and commitment to luxury, aesthetics and unique creative design marked by a distinct overseas entrepreneurial spirit. The result? The elegant, clean lines of Pardo are broken by the movement of the iconic, colourful Missoni pattern creating a perfectly balanced combination. Two Italian synonyms of excellence with different styles but perfectly compatible and synergistic.  For the remaining the Pardo 50 is the same with four berths in two cabins below deck, with an option of a crew cabin, and is powered by twin Volvo 480hp as standard with options going up to 600hp with IPS forward looking pod drives propulsion.