Cutting Edge

Craftsmanship

Tradition + Craftsmanship + Technology

= Carolina Custom Boatbuilding

By Chuck Husick

A recent visit to three of the leading Wanchese, North Carolina, custom yacht builders showed that they are managing their business in the same way the boats they build deal with the open ocean; with quiet assurance. We visited Spencer Yachts, Freedom Boatworks and Ritchie Howell Custom Carolina Yachts, some of the area’s most highly regarded builders, to get a first hand look at custom sportfishing boats nearing completion in their yards.

Propshaft Seals and

Monofilament Line

The use of IPS drives for sportfishing raises a question about the susceptibility of the forward facing, contra-rotating props to fouling with monofilament line and possible damage to shaft seals, which might compromise the watertight integrity of the pod’s drive gears. Close examination of the design of the drive seals on a boat at the Spencer yard showed that the combination of the contra rotating props and the design of the seals will assure minimal susceptibility to damage from fishing line, and that the seals can be readily accessed for maintenance by removing the props.

A total of fifteen boats were in various stages of production between Spencer and Howell, six of which were of particular interest since they are powered with Volvo Penta IPS drives, a relatively new choice for yards used to building boats propelled by large engines driving inclined propeller shaft systems. These boats were preceded by Freedom Yacht’s recently launched 56-foot convertible, powered with three IPS900 drives utilizing 700 horsepower Volvo engines. The selection of IPS propulsion for these state-of-the-art sportfishing boats is a significant vote of confidence in vectored thrust drives, and especially in the unique maneuvering performance of the IPS system’s joystick controlled “Sportfish” mode. For boats where the cockpit is king, the advantage of the absence of exhaust noise and smell is significant.
Although most of the Wanchese builders are weathering the current economic storm, one, Sculley Boatbuilders, ceased operation, a consequence of the untimely death of Jim Sculley, Sr. The owner of a triple IPS900, 54-foot express that was under construction at Sculley is having the boat completed at Spencer Yachts. The boat is expected to be able to exceed 40 knots at WOT and cruise economically at speeds above 30 knots.
Five other IPS-powered boats being built at Spencer include a 49-foot express, a 54-foot express, and two 57-foot convertibles, each powered with dual IPS900 drives, and a 70-foot convertible powered with three IPS1200s coupled to 900 horsepower D-13 engines. That’s right; this is the first confirmation of just how powerful IPS3 drives will be. This boat is scheduled for delivery in the summer of 2010 and will feature an enclosed, air conditioned flybridge. Ritchie Howell is completing a 54-foot express with a pair of IPS900s that will run at 32 knots burning 42 gallons per hour.
The use of the IPS drive in most of these sportfishing boats mandates a different engine installation to insure a totally flat fishing cockpit without excessive freeboard or compromise to fish boxes. If mounted fully aft, where the height of the engines would require an undesirable increase in the elevation of the cockpit sole, the engines are installed a bit forward and connected to the drive units via carefully balanced jack-shafts. Still, the installations are allowing more interior space and in some cases more stowage and desirable utility rooms for systems.
While top speed can be important to the owners of these yachts, Kent Lundgren, vice president of Volvo Penta’s Marine Diesel Business Unit, with whom I visited the Wanchese yards, commented that the buyers of these boats tend to have rather high profiles in their communities and are, in part, expressing their “green” aspirations for modest fuel consumption and a reduced carbon footprint by their willingness to trade a small reduction in top speed for what they expect will be remarkably economical cruising performance.
Observing the work underway at both the Spencer and the Ritchie Howell yards provided an opportunity to closely examine the construction techniques used by their highly experienced craftsmen, as well as parts of the IPS drive that would normally be out of sight. Hulls, decks and much of the bridge structure of each boat are constructed in the cold-molded technique using special marine grade plywood. Spencer’s boats are built with a structural foam core while Ritchie Howell builds using solid plywood saturated with epoxy, creating an immensely strong, very lightweight structure. Both build their hulls upside down on a jig. Small fiberglass parts are resin infused and vacuum bagged. The construction techniques used by these builders result in inherently true hull and deck surfaces that are particularly pleasing when painted.
Keeping a planing-hull boat light and well balanced is key to its performance. The non-structural bulkheads and furnishings in these boats are built using weight-efficient core materials clad in exquisitely finished wood veneers. In fact, the high-quality joinery created by North Carolina’s custom boatbuilders is both a specialty and a source of pride. Fuel tanks are typically on centerline, minimizing trim changes as fuel is consumed. We noted the use of wide-span Humphree Active-Ride Control System Interceptors for both longitudinal trim and for roll control at speeds above about 10-12 knots. Ritchie Howell has retrofitted the 60-foot Canyon Runner with a Seakeeper Model 7000 gyro stabilizer and will likely offer it as optional equipment on future builds.
It was interesting to see how the tradition of old-fashioned craftsmanship that is legendary among North Carolina’s boatbuilders has been integrated with the latest power technology. With such success in the twin installations, we can’t wait to board the new triple IPS1200-powered 70 convertible.