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: downeast 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
Sabre 66
The flagship of the Sabre fleet, the new Sabre 66 luxury express is the largest, most powerful, most sophisticated, and the most yacht-like Sabre yet. It more than lives up to its name, Dirigo, which means “I lead” in Latin; Dirigo also is the motto for the state of Maine, where all Sabres are built. I was fortunate enough to test hull number one on its maiden delivery. As we cruised off the northern coast of Florida, the twin Volvo D-13 diesels and IPS 3 pod drives burned 60 gph at an easy 27 knots. Living onboard is easy.
A U-shaped settee in the cockpit faces an adjustable hi-low table that can be extended to become a sunpad. The Sabre 66 has a large salon is filled with light from side windows and a super-sized skylight; a long settee is on the port side facing an entertainment center. The helm deck features an L-shaped settee to port and two matching Stidd helm chairs. The galley down is at the foot of the stairs, with everything you need for a long cruise. The midships master stateroom is huge, with 6′ 4″ headroom. The VIP is forward of the galley and a third stateroom is in the bow. All have ensuite heads and showers.
A high-tech electronic switching system controls most of the systems on the boat.
Rockport Marine 44 Express
If you think that Downeast boats descended from lobster boats, you don’t need to look much further than the new Rockport Marine 44 Express Motor Yacht for confirmation. This custom cold-molded hull with its plumb bow, large cockpit, protected helm deck, low profile, long shear, and Herreshoff-style interior all trace back to its lobster boat roots.
Rockport Marine in the northwest corner of Rockport Harbor, Maine, is the real Downeast. It is now making the new 44 with wood composite construction, including four layers of wood and epoxy glue with an outer sheathing of fiberglass cloth for a total thickness of 1 ½ inches. Each layer uses West System vacuum bagging epoxy resin so the hull is a consistent solid laminate for reduced weight, stiffness, durability, and sound deadening. The cockpit has bench seating aft—there’s more seating in the functional wheelhouse—and the forward stateroom has an island berth, a head with separate shower, a galley, and a settee that converts to a queen-size berth. The power is totally up to date. Two 470-hp Cummins diesels are paired with Hamilton waterjets, giving the 44 a draft of only 2′ 4″. Maneuvering is a breeze with Hamilton’s Blue Arrow fingertip-control joystick. The Rockport Marine 44 is projected to cruise at 26 knots and top out at 30 knots. rockportmarine.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.
Legacy 36
Tartan Marine relaunched the Legacy brand 18 months ago with the original Legacy 32 and Legacy 38. Now Tartan has just finished the new Legacy 36, the first Legacy built in Tartan’s Ohio factory. The new 36 was designed by Mark Ellis, who designed the original Legacy, Tim Jackett, Tartan’s COO and designer and the Tartan design team. The Legacy 36 uses Ellis’ modified deep-V hull with wide chine flats running aft so the boat comes up on plane at low speeds. The V entry helps produce a dry and stable ride. A running keel and skeg protect the prop and the skeg-hung rudder. The Downeast appeal shows in the Legacy’s traditional shear line, raked transom, bow flare, and graceful tumblehome.
The Legacy 36 has a large, self-bailing cockpit with an aft settee and two other seats flanking the entrance to the helmdeck, which is enclosed aft with curved plexiglass and a Sapelle-framed sliding door. The captain and mate have pedestal-mounted swivel chairs; the settees convert to a berth.
Owners can choose a galley down and one cabin arrangement or galley up with a second cabin below. The private master stateroom is forward with a large queen-sized island berth. The head is to starboard with a stall shower. Standard power is a Cummins 480-hp diesel.
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.