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Blue Bloods

The best of Down East designs updated for today's cruiser
  • Updated: October 4, 2007

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In the past 10 years there’s been a resurgence of interest in yachts that harken back to those days of sweet New England summers and coastal cruises on classic Down East designs with flag-blue hulls, white topsides and practical features. Happily, most of the new yachts today are constructed by builders who also honor the values of those earlier times, even while adapting them to the latest in construction materials and techniques, and those up-to-date amenities that every cruiser, no matter how Down East, secretly wants. Read on for our look at some of the many models coming out of New England. ALDEN YACHTS 49 EXPRESS Alden Yachts, of Bristol, R.I., is well known as a custom builder that provides discriminating owners with a wide range of options in accommodation plans, a choice of cabinetry and hardwoods and a selection of equipment and systems to make your yacht fit your needs perfectly. The 49 Express is available in Hardtop Saloon or Flybridge configurations, with galley up or down, and one or two staterooms. The all-epoxy, Kevlar/E-glass vacuum-bagged hull and deck is light and strong, producing speeds above 30 knots. Thorough sound attenuation is an Alden Yachts hallmark. SPECIFICATIONS: LOA: 48’10; Beam: 14’6; Power: (2) 660 hp Cummins QSM-11 diesel inboards; Base Price: $1,375,000. Alden Yachts, www.aldenyachts.com

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BACK COVE 33 Maine boatbuilding craftsmanship and tradition make the new Back Cove 33 an elegant, practical cruiser for a couple with occasional guests or a young family. Varnished cherry is used liberally below, with a V-berth forward, L-shape settee to port with pilot berth, and large head with separate shower opposite. Great views and good weather protection are under the helm deck hardtop, along with a dinette for four, well-equipped galley, double bench seat for the navigator and Stidd 500N seat at the helm. A bowthruster is one of the many notable items on a complete standard equipment list. SPECIFICATIONS: LOA: 33’6; Beam: 12′; Power: (1) 380 hp YANMAR 6LY diesel inboard; Base Price: $260,000. Back Cove Yachts, www.backcoveyachts.com BLUE STAR 36.6 MKII Yacht designer Mark Ellis and Grove Ely of Rowayton, Conn.-based Boatworks collaborated on this Bruckmann Yachts-built 36, which combines beautiful lines with a deep-V hull. Noise and vibration attenuation have been a key focus of the MKII version, which features a great-room-style interior with larger windows for better views from below. Highly varnished teak joinery throughout lends elegance to the Herreshoff-style, single-stateroom layout, which is notable for its spacious, adult-size dimensions. Power options include 370 hp and 440 hp diesels. SPECIFICATIONS: LOA: 37’6; Beam: 13’2; Power: (2) 315 hp Yanmar diesel inboards; Base Price: $352,125. Blue Star Yachts, www.bluestaryachts.com

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CW HOOD 50 Based on a modified-V Doug Zurn design, the CW Hood 50 blends traditional Down East lines with modern systems. Propulsion is twin V-drive diesels in shallow pockets, which creates a top speed of 30 knots, a range of approximately 310 nm at 25 knots, and helps make this yacht very quiet under way. The builder offers three layout options for the approximate 600-sq.-ft. interior, plus a choice of interior and exterior finishes. Twin screws and a powerful standard bowthruster make it easy for a couple to own and operate. SPECIFICATIONS: LOA: 50’9; Beam: 17’1; Power: (2) 720 hp Yanmar 6SY-STP diesel inboards; Base Price: $1,495,000. CW Hood Yachts, www.cwhoodyachts.com

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HINCKLEY T38R CONVERTIBLE A stylish runabout with a rakish, curved windshield, the T38R is Hinckley’s latest waterjet-powered, shoal-draft luxury yacht. Touch a switch to deploy or store the convertible top, adding sun and fresh air to the large cockpit. Estimated speeds are 31 knots cruise (260 to 300 nm range approximate) and 37 knots at the top end. The strong and light structure is due to Hinckley’s trademarked DualBoard SCRIMP Kevlar/Carbon E-glass composite build. Hinckley’s patented JetStick coordinates the bowthruster and waterjet drives to make maneuvering a breeze. SPECIFICATIONS: LOA: 38′; Beam: 11′; Power: (2) 435 hp Volvo Penta D-6 diesel inboards w/274 Hamilton waterjet drives; Base Price: On request. The Hinckley Company, www.hinckleyyachts.com

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HUNT SURF HUNTER 29 Excellent seakeeping and handling qualities typify the Surf Hunter 29. Similar in concept to the C. Raymond Hunt Associates design of the Surf Hunter 25, this new boat from Portsmouth, R.I.-based Hunt Yachts maintains a pleasing profile while adding more room in the cockpit and standing headroom in the cabin. The cockpit has an L-shape bench, custom teak table, pedestal helm seat and engine-box seat. Speed with standard 375 hp gas engine is approximately 36 knots. Volvo Penta diesel power is also available, and drive options include inboard V-drive and waterjet drive. SPECIFICATIONS: LOA: 29’6; Beam: 10’6; Power: (1) 375 hp Volvo Penta 8.1 Duoprop gas sterndrive; Base Price: $205,900. Hunt Yachts, www.huntyachts.com

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LEGACY 32 Built with a modified deep-V hull and wide chine flats, the Legacy 32 planes easily. The hull and deck have Core-Cell coring for stiffness and strength, vinylester resin to protect against blistering, and directional S-glass for additional load bearing. The homey interior has rich cherry cabinetry and a teak sole, with a generous berth, full-height hanging locker and roomy head with separate stall shower. The galley has custom kitchen appointments, including solid surface counters and stainless steel refrigerator drawer. The entire boat is equipped well beyond basics. Cruise speed 21 knots, top speed 24 knots. SPECIFICATIONS: LOA: 32’6; Beam: 12’4; Power: (1) 380 hp Cummins diesel inboard; Base Price: $333,000. Legacy, www.freedomyachts.com

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LYMAN MORSE 94 MOTORYACHT Working with C. Raymond Hunt Associates, Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding will launch a custom yacht built for an existing customer who will likely visit the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Twin 2,000 hp diesels give it a cruise speed of 27 knots and a top speed of 30 knots. Equipped to go the distance, it has twin 25kW Northern Lights generators, two 1,400-gallon-per-day Sea Recovery watermakers, three four-ton air-conditioning chillers, and it carries 5,000 gallons of fuel. SPECIFICATIONS: LOA: 96′; Beam: 22′; Power: (2) 2,000 hp MTU/Detroit M91 16V2000 diesel inboards; Base Price: On request. Lyman-Morse Yachts, www.lymanmorse.com

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MJM 29z Founder Bob Johnstone says Doug Zurn’s latest MJM design, the 29z, is “twice the fun with half the fuel. At the 23-knot cruising speed, the 29z burns 7 gph when economy is desirable, but the yacht has run at a top speed of 33.4 knots. The fun can be shared because there’s room for 10 in the cockpit, which has a Bimini that stores in a boot aft. Like its larger sibling, the 34z, the 29z is made with epoxy, pre-preg Kevlar/E-glass and Core-Cell, laminated under vacuum and post-cured for optimal strength and minimal weight. SPECIFICATIONS: LOA: 32’6; Beam: 10’2; Power: (1) 260 hp Volvo Penta diesel sterndrive; Base Price: $266,650. MJM Yachts, www.mjmyachts.com

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MORRIS YACHTS LIBERTY 44 Classic Down East aesthetics and a hull designed for open waters from the board of Chuck Paine give the Liberty 44 a distinctive look and ride. Like many of Morris Yacht’s custom sailboats, the Liberty 44 has a U-shape sea-going galley, berths that are as comfortable under way as in port, and handholds where you really need them. Top speed is 32 knots, and cruising speed is 24 knots. Construction is a lamination of vinylester E-glass/Kevlar composite over Core-Cell in topsides and deck. SPECIFICATIONS: LOA: 43’11; Beam: 13’6; Power: (2) 480 hp Yanmar 6LY3A-ETP diesel inboards; Base Price: $969,000. Morris Yachts, www.morrisyachts.com

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SABRE 38 EXPRESS The elegant Sabre 38 Express has a long list of features experienced yacht owners prize, including wide side decks that are easy to navigate, a well-protected helm deck beneath a sturdy hardtop, and carefully engineered systems that offer quiet, reliable operation. Air-conditioning and a generator are standard, bringing climate-controlled comfort to a hand-crafted cherry interior with forward stateroom and well-equipped galley. SPECIFICATIONS: LOA: 38’6; Beam: 13’8; Power: (2) 380 hp Yanmar 6LY3A-UTP diesel inboards; Base Price: $434,000. Sabre Yachts, www.sabreyachts.com SHELTER ISLAND 30 NOMAD A smaller sibling to Billy Joel’s Shelter Island Runabout, the new 30 Nomad from the board of Doug Zurn has a hinged transom that folds down like a tailgate to make a large swimming platform or to improve access for wheelchairs and watertoys. It also will have two surface-piercing props in shallow tunnels for low shaft angle and 20 inches of draft. Cruising speed for this low-drag design is expected to be 41 knots, with a top speed of 48 knots, depending on engines selected. SPECIFICATIONS: LOA: 30’2; Beam: 9’11; Power: (2) 260 hp Yanmar 6BY diesel inboards; Base Price: $299,300. CH Marine, www.chmarineyachts.com TRUE NORTH 34 An evolution of the successful 33, the new True North 34 will sport an extended canopy with sliding sunroof, new vertical transom doors that will give the option of cockpit seating all around, and a new drive train. The elevated helm deck dinette has excellent views all around and a seatback forward that shifts aft to form a companion seat facing ahead. SPECIFICATIONS: LOA: 36’2; Beam: 12’4; Power: (1) 310 hp Volvo Penta D6 diesel inboard; Base Price: $235,000. True North Yachts, www.true-northyachts.com
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