Speaking of perceptible, Taubeneck and the Queenship team were quite concerned about the appearance of the grip strips on the wood steps leading to the flying bridge from the galley/dining area. Taubeneck says the yard tried a variety of different surfaces “to see what looked classy,” but not a lot did. Ultimately, the team decided to machine down the strips that provided good grip.
Still on the subject of those steps, it’s interesting to note that the owners not only wanted a solid staircase, versus a traditional floating one, but also wished the steps to curve. Taubeneck points out that a longer length makes curvature possible — to try to replicate it on this 74-footer would have eaten up needed floor space. Even so, he figured there had to be a way to work out a partial solution. Ultimately, Taubeneck and the craftsmen decided the bottom two steps could curve out slightly to give the owners the flare they wanted.
Queenship also found a solution to a common problem. If you’ve taken note of the pilothouse door hinges aboard some yachts in this size range, you may have noticed they’re bulky. No one doubts their sturdy intent, but as Taubeneck explains, they tend to stick out and interfere when someone is trying to enter or exit the area. Queenship therefore designed and manufactured its own lower-profile stainless steel hinges for the pantographic pilothouse door aboard Meriweather.
Queenship also gave the owners an impressive amount of stowage. Taubeneck isn’t exaggerating when he says there’s “no wasted space; every little cubby hole was put into storage.” In the pilothouse, there’s a dedicated cabinet to port for a printer. The door opens to reveal a shelf, which in turn lifts up and pulls out into the room for access to printed documents. The wine cooler opposite the galley occupies what would have been wasted space beneath the stairs, since the owners preferred a solid-looking staircase over a floating one. Within the galley, there’s a small area between the wood-veneercovered refrigerator and the stove. Aboard most yachts, this is typically just unused space, covered with wood or whatever surface lines the rest of the cabinets and appliances. Aboard Meriweather, however, it’s home to a skinny drawer and equally skinny cabinet. The drawer can contain items like skewers, and the cabinet is ideal for storing cookie sheets or similarly long, narrow items.
Queenship may represent an anomaly in the yachting industry — a yard that employs custom construction in a mini-megayacht size — but it’s a distinction worn with pride. Where other builders see only problems with predictability and production time, Queenship sees promise. In fact, besides offering a 70-foot pilothouse motoryacht, it’s presently working with another client on an 80-foot yacht-fisherman.
No wonder Taubeneck and his team are having so much fun.
LOA: 73’10”
Beam: 18’10”
Draft: 5’7”
Displ.: 114,000 lb.
Fuel: 1,850 gal.
Water: 380 gal.
Engines: 2 x 1,015-hp Caterpillar C18 ACERT diesels
Base Price: N/A(varies according to owner’s specifications)
Queenship, 604-462-1388; www.queenship.com
