The Chris-Craft Commander 42 marks the first step into the cabin cruiser market through a range of lobster-style boats thanks to a joint venture with Italian yacht builder Austin Parker. Chris-Craft designed the Commander with two cockpit areas for entertainment—one aft and a second under a hardtop that will be enclosed—a large sunbed on the bow and a galley. Sleeping accommodations below include room for five people and a head with a separate shower. From the teak floors in the cockpit to the expert upholstery, the Chris-Craft Commander 42 (42′ LOA, 12’11” beam) has every bit the look and workmanship of a Chris-Craft. Power is twin Volvo IPS 600 D6 435-hp engines. chriscraft.com
Tag: classic boats
Downeast Buyers Guide
These 16 new downeast models have a lot to offer.
They really aren’t lobster boats anymore. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine anyone pulling traps from the cockpit of a new Hinckley or a Grand Banks. For openers, you wouldn’t want to scratch the seven to nine coats of varnish on the teak. But today’s Downeast boats do all have the lobster boat heritage—the low profile, the long shear, the tumblehome, and, above all, the seakeeping ability. Today’s boats are definitely more user friendly, not only in navigation (Did a true lobsterman ever have a touchscreen chartplotter to get him home?) but in propulsion and maneuverability as well. Some are still single diesel, but many are twins and often paired to pod drives with counter-rotating props and joystick fingertip controls. Others are powered by outboards with new performance, fuel economy and low emissions. Check out our Downeast Buyers Guide– because you’ll be seeing them at the fall boat shows!
By Peter A. Janssen, Southern Boating Magazine September 2016
By Doug Thompson, Southern Boating Magazine July 2016
Palm Beach 42
The first new model since Palm Beach Yachts was acquired by Grand Banks two years ago, the Palm Beach 42 is an elegant example of a modern Downeast boat with an aggressive low profile, long shear line and teak just about everywhere.
Built in Australia, the Palm Beach 42 also has luxuries—electric windows, Ultraleather upholstery, Silestone countertops—that never even entered the mind of a Maine lobsterman. “This is the most gorgeous and feature-rich yacht of its size out there,” says Mark Richards, the founder of Palm Beach and now CEO of parent company Grand Banks.
With large integrated teak swim platform on the Palm Beach 42; the teak continues to the cockpit sole. The cockpit itself has a wet bar with Silestone countertop, and the salon offers two large facing settees. Owners have a choice of a single stateroom below and large galley down, or two staterooms below and galley up. The master offers a tapered island berth and a large head with shower. Richards, a world champion sailor, specializes in high-tech hulls.
A total epoxy vinylester core hull comes built-in on the Palm Beach 42. Foam core monocoque construction ties bulkheads and interior furniture into the deck for a strong, quiet ride. Volvo IPS 600 pod drives produce a top speed of 36 knots. pbmotoryachts.com
Padebco V25R
It doesn’t get much more Downeast than Round Pound, Maine, a beautiful, protected harbor that serves as the gateway to Penobscot Bay and that also has been the home of Padebco boats for more than 50 years. The new Padebco V25R is proof of that.
Padebco’s newest model, the V25R, is a sporty day boat with classic lines, teak accents, easy handling, and 40-plus knots speeds. The V25R has an almost plumb bow and a sharp entry, like a lobster boat, with hard chines, two lifting strakes on each side, and a 17-degree deadrise at the transom. The beam is only 9 feet, and the draft, with twin 150 Yamahas, is just 18 inches.
The boat comes on plane easily, accelerates quickly and is nimble maneuvering around Maine’s myriad of lobster pots. Padebco is a full-service yard and makes each boat to order. This V25R has seating for eight, with a three-person bench seat aft, another three-person seat on the forward side of an amidships wet bar, and two pedestal-mounted helm seats. The wet bar comes with a sink, storage and removable table for lunch. The helm is finished in faux carbon fiber to reduce glare.
You step down to the salty, teak-trimmed cuddy cabin with a V-berth, head and hanging locker. The Padebco V25R has a solid fiberglass bottom, fiberglass stringers and foam coring in the hull sides and deck.
Grand Banks 44 Eastbay SX
When Grand Banks acquired Palm Beach, the luxury Australian builder, two years ago, it named Mark Richards, the Palm Beach president, and world-class sailor, to run the two companies. Richards, in turn, promised to build high-quality, high-tech cruising boats under the proud Grand Banks brand. The gorgeous new 44 Eastbay SX with IPS 600 pod drives is the direct result of that effort. The 44 Eastbay, with its low profile, long sweeping shear and gentle tumblehome, has softer lines and more curves than the traditional Grand Banks. It somehow manages to keep its Downeast heritage yet looks like one of the most modern boats on the planet.
Entering the boat from the large teak swim platform, the cockpit has an L-shaped settee and aft-facing bench. In the salon, the aft and side windows open for a fresh-air environment. The galley to starboard boasts beautiful quartz countertops. A large U-shaped settee with hi-low table is to port. The helm, with two 16-inch Volvo displays, is wrapped in leather. The master stateroom is forward, then there’s a guest stateroom with twin berths and one with a single berth; you can also opt for two staterooms plus a utility room. They’re all finished in teak; fit and finish is excellent. The Grand Banks 44 Eastbay SX has two heads with showers.
Classic Wooden Boats grace the shores of South Carolina
October 18-19 marks Georgetown, South Carolina’s 25th Annual Georgetown Wooden Boat Show with 140 classic wooden boats displayed on land and water. Children’s model boatbuilding, knot tying, food, and music make it a not-to-miss event. In the Wooden Boat Challenge, teams of two have four hours to build rowing skiffs to compete in a rowing relay on the Sampit River. Funds raised support the South Carolina Maritime Museum. woodenboatshow.com
North Carolina mariner updates
A fixed bridge will replace the Topsail Island Bridge near Wilmington, North Carolina, at mile 260.7 in the ICW. The existing drawbridge has a 13-foot vertical clearance closed and unlimited clearance opened, with a 92-foot horizontal clearance. The new fixed bridge will have a 65-foot vertical clearance closed with a 120-foot horizontal clearance. Date of construction is undetermined.
A mooring field in Beaufort, North Carolina, costs more than expected. More expensive bar anchors with better hold in less mud are being installed instead of the originally planned screw anchors. Total moorings are down to 41 from 46. Sixteen ready-and-able moorings now await transients in the bend of the Beaufort River.
Charleston, South Carolina navigation news
The original Charleston Harbor NOAA harbor chart 11523 from 1936 does not reflect changes from the deepening projects that have moved the sea buoy and channel entrance nine nautical miles to the east. However, the new NOAA chart 11525 includes these changes, plus an additional 345 square nautical miles. It is now available in paper format from NOAA-certified printing agents, a free PDF digital download, or a free raster navigational chart for electronic display systems with a corresponding electronic navigational chart US5SC25M.
Florida diver/snorkel flags
Divers-down buoys now bob in Florida’s waters since state approval in July. The approved buoys must be three- or four-sided with divers-down symbols of at least 12-by-12 inches, and must be seen from all directions. Flags on a float are still permitted. Divers/snorkelers must stay within 300 feet of their flags or buoys in open water and 100 feet in rivers, inlets and channels. Boat operators should idle at the same distance away from flags or buoys. myfwc.com/news/news-releases/2014/july/01/divers-down/
The city of Key West renamed the Key West Bight to Key West Historic Seaport. Key West Historic Seaport has a 150-slip marina and is a great place to dive or snorkel, enjoy fresh seafood, shop, or take a high-speed ferry to Historic Fort Jefferson or the Dry Tortugas.
By Nancy Spraker, Southern Boating October 2014
Classic Vessels Steal the Show
Many unique, historic classes of boats evoke the culture and lifestyle of particular regions in the U.S. simply from their appearance. From old Chris Craft runabouts with perfectly maintained brightwork on the waters of Newport to the Biloxi Schooners that plied the shallows of the Mississippi Sound for oysters and shrimp; an entire boating sub-culture dedicated to the preservation of these boats is flourishing—including festivals and events that celebrate them.
The Gulf Coast is home to several classes of boats (both sail and power) that are truly unique, although possibly not widely known. The Luggers were shallow, long trawling vessels converted to rustic, if not stately, yachts for cruising the shallows of the northern Gulf Coast. The Lafitte Skiff is another commercial fishing vessel that was transformed over the years into a smaller recreational fishing runabout. And while not unique to the Gulf Coast, the Fish Class dinghies were actively raced throughout the Gulf Yachting Association for decades. A determined few still actively race them in races such as the Fish Class World Championship on Mobile Bay at Buccaneer Yacht Club this month.
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These are just a few examples of the famous classes of wooden boats that are celebrated throughout the U.S. The National Sailing Hall of Fame in Annapolis, Maryland, for example, hosts an annual regatta of wooden-hulled sailboats over 65′ in length, and clubs such as the venerable New York Yacht Club still hold races for the Sandbaggers that were raced in the 1800s throughout the East and Gulf Coasts. Wooden boat festivals that celebrate our country’s unique nautical legacy take place in every region, but one of the largest takes place October 11-12 in the small, picturesque town of Madisonville, Louisiana, at the mouth of the deep-water Tchefuncte River on Lake Pontchartrain. Home to several large marinas and an historic town that directly fronts the river, Madisonville’s lighthouse and maritime museum are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their Wooden Boat Festival.
Madisonville is a popular cruising destination and recognized for its impressive collection of Biloxi Luggers that arrive from the Mississippi Coast, cruising clubs from throughout the lake and the coast’s yacht clubs. Live music plays along Water Street with pirogue and other wooden boatbuilding demonstrations onshore—although the real showcase is on the piers with a stunning showcase of wooden boats from throughout history. Madisonville is a true cruiser’s town, and every October it becomes an essential visit for lovers of stunning and perfectly maintained historic boats with a celebration to match.
By Troy Gilbert, Southern Boating October 2014