Improve-it = Heesen 47m YN 14647

Following intensive sea trials in the North Sea Heesen Yachts is proud to announce that the delivery of 4YOU has now taken place. This 47 metre Super Yacht is a sister-ship of hull number 12947, M/Y Sirocco, launched in 2006 and hull number 14247, M/Y Celestial Hope delivered in 2008. Her interior design was conceived by Omega Architects, who created a fresh contemporary style rich yet understated with clean lines and luxurious details. Guests arriving on the main deck aft are welcomed into the vast main saloon, passing first through an art-embellished lobby. This leads on into a social area furnished with coffee tables, armchairs and pouffes where an eight-seater table, custom made from American walnut and topped with leather, is inlaid with intricate patterns of matt silver. The room's soft colour palette, focuses on tones of beige and taupe set against the pale background of a creamy silk carpet, while the use of semi-gloss varnish also contributes to the relaxed and cool atmosphere. Guests can also enjoy the second saloon on the upper deck, where a brightly lit sky lounge offers three comfortable sofas and a choice of poufs that can also serve as coffee tables. Here, guests can enjoy live music from a baby-grand piano that dominates the aft portion of the room, while the plasma screen is hidden by a unique piece of art deco-inspired art, made by Dutch glass maker Glass Déco, this combines several panels of glass, delicately coloured in pale blue and light gold, to create a marine scene. A further example of inlaid stainless steel can be seen in the doors of a dark wood cabinet. An elegant full-service bar topped with American walnut and white Carrara marble is positioned aft, adjacent to the sliding doors that give access to the aft portion of the bridge deck, where the primary function is open air dining. One deck above is the sundeck whose centre portion, like 4YOU's sister-ship Sirocco, can be partially enclosed. This deck offers an open-air fitness centre and a spa pool area that can be fully covered by an awning supported by carbon-fibre retractable pillars. Eight guests can be accommodated on the lower deck in four cabins, of which two are twins and two are VIP doubles. Located forward on the main deck, the master suite is entered through the owner's office and leads on through a pair of walk-in wardrobes to the master bedroom, which occupies the yacht's full beam.

www.heesenyachts.com

Project: Jersey Cape 40 Devil Express

Jersey Cape present the project for a 40 Devil Express The new 40 Devil Express continues the expansion of the Jersey Cape line, which today offers seven models in its line of Carolina flared sportfish cruisers and yachts. Four of these models including this new 40 project are Express designs. Based on the 40 Devil Flybridge hull, the Express will have a sleeker sportier topside. The 40 Express is also designed by Buddy Davis and Donald Blount. Here we are talking big names with the first being one of the most renowned custom sportfish boat builder, and the second a World renowned hull designer. Add in this the semi custom boat building from Jersey Cape and you have a fishing machine with grace, style and power. As with every Jersey Cape each boat begins with hand-laid solid fiberglass bottom and cored sides. High quality gel coat, heavy duty stainless hardware, full bonding system and high gloss teak cabinetry are all standard. Interior options are for a single stateroom layout, separate shower head, galley, and C-shaped dinette. Power options are from Caterpillar and Cummins starting at 600 up to 715hp.

www.jerseycapeyachts.com

New Model: Hustler 39 Rockit

Hustler present the first of its new Rockit range with the 39 introduced in mid last year. The Hustler 39 Rockit is an all about speed powerboat built to go above the 100 mph mark with extreme ease. With its standard twin Mercury 700hp set up it touches 115 mph, and if this is not fast enough for you a more speed freak version with Mercury's 1025hp should get you to an estimated 150 mph. While fast the 39 Rockit is also endowed with some unique features as standard: anti-shock floor padding, Dave Clark headsets, showroom bilge, stainless toolbox, oil changer, fender holder, Mercury Smart Craft for Mercury engine choice, Hardin controls, Monster gauges, and a 12 volt cooler. The interior of the Hustler 39 Rockit is also welcoming offering a usual powerboat style layout with double vee shaped berth to fore, two bunk sofas to the sides, galley, and a separate shower head.

Technical Data:

LOA - 12.16 m (39.9ft)

Beam - 2.64 m

Weight - 4309 kg

Fuel Capacity - 900 l

Accommodation - 2 + 2

Engines - 2 x Mercury SCI 700hp, SCI 1025hp

Propulsion - Mercury NXT1 stern drive

Speed - 100 knots (115mph) max, 86 knots cruise

Hull Shape - vee

www.hustlerpowerboats.com

Project: Jeaneau NC11

Through bold innovation in design, Jeanneau is now able to offer an all new, contemporary design concept, featuring panoramic views, and integration of living spaces. Each style element contribute to overall comfort onboard and seaworthy qualities. The designers of this new eleven metre Sport Cruiser concept have tapped into Jeanneau’s wealth of experience designing boats to create a new way to enjoy the sun and sea. The overall design signals a renewal in the Jeanneau product range. The clever NC 11 concept is product of the Garroni design cabinet, long time collaborator of the French builder in it's Prestige and Leader range. Like an apartment with a view of the sea, this NC 11 concept for liveable boating affords incredible comfort especially in the saloon with it's lateral galley that merges into the spacious cockpit, all featuring an uninterrupted view of the horizon. Brighter, greater visibility, the NC 11 also boasts panoramic views through an opening glass roof, a wide sliding glass door in four independent panels, and a sliding side door. Fine quality furnishings frame the panoramic views and enhance the overall effect, redefining one’s perspective of life on the water. The key is to benefit fully from the sun and sea, at any hour of the day. The NC 11 also features unbelievable space, with sleeping accommodation for four below, and two in the convertible C-shaped saloon. Numerous well placed storage lockers correspond to precise uses onboard, and are located aft beneath the modular bench seating, in the large cockpit, under the floor, and to the sides. The Jeanneau NC11 will have standard power from twin D3 200hp Volvo engines, which look small to power an over ten metre, and five ton plus Sport Cruiser to the estimated 30 knots plus speeds.

www.jeanneau.com

Improve-it = Broom 425

The Broom 425 is now available in a new aft deck option, which adds further entertain space to stern. Developing it on the successful 450 and 395 concept, this 425 has the cockpit settee moved back to the transom as possible providing a much aft deck area. This is an option as the present walk round deck model will continue for those owners who want the excellent work free area provided by the standard plan. The 425 has also been added with a unique optional three cabin arrangement. The third cabin replaces the lower deck port side located C-shaped sofa. As always supporting its long time heritage of a good inland waterways as much to an offshore cruiser, the 425 is available with twin or single engine options. With a single engine the top speed of the 425 is 18 knots, making it also a good offshore hopper but with better economy, and the missed safety feature offered by twins.

www.broomboats.com

Projects: San Juan SJ40ST, San Juan SJ40

San Juan continue to upgrade their range and present two important projects. These two new projects will fit at the centre of the nine model range from San Juan and are based on the SJ38 and the SJ40FB hulls, with identical length and beam, but a different propulsion set up. Both the new SJ40ST, and SJ40 will in fact be offered with the Volvo IPS forward looking pod propulsion, with 500 series giving 370hp each as standard. San Juan has released no interior plans, so we don't know if San Juan is offering a more spacious lower deck on these new 40 models. The SJ40FB with flybridge but shaft powered has accommodation below of a single owners cabin to fore, separate shower head, and a galley. The 38 has a V-shaped berth forward, separate shower head, L-shaped galley and a double cabin mid ship layout. The above pictures shows the SJ40ST, this last two letters meaning for soft top. This will be an open coupe version, coupled to San Juan traditional lined hull which give it big picnic boat looks thanks to the forty feet size. The on top San Juan SJ40 continues the twelve year old Washington boat builder expansion. From this rendering the SJ40 has very similar looks to the nice Traditional Cruiser that is the SJ48. Based on the 38 and 40 hull, the standard SJ40 is an enclosed hard top lobster looks design, and just like the ST version will be powered by twin Volvo forward looking IPS500 pods at 370hp each. San Juan is estimating speeds above 30 knots from both of the designs with this new propulsion set up. Of particular interest in the SJ40 is also what looks like a more enclosed extended hard top versus the 38, giving the feeling of better all weather usage.

www.sanjuanyachts.com

Engine: Cat C32 ACERT 1825hp

Caterpillar Marine Power Systems is building off the success of its Cat® C-series, electronically controlled, high-speed marine engines with the addition of new high-performance ratings for pleasure craft applications. In the past twelve months, Caterpillar has released three new EPA Tier two compliant E-ratings to better meet customer needs for power density, acceleration and performance. Now after releasing the new C18 ACERT, Cat releases the new C32 ACERT. The C32 Acert is a 12-cylinder, vee-type 4-stroke marine engine with 145 mm bore and 162 mm stroke displacing total 32.1 liters. With its new EPA E-ratings, this engine provides 1,825hp at 2,300 rpm. The new C32 ACERT is manufactured at the state-of-the-art Marine Center of Excellence in Greenville, South Carolina, USA, and is built and tested to the highest quality levels because the facility is focused on pleasure craft engines.

www.marine.cat.com

Project: Fairline 50 Targa GT

During the just past London Boat Show, Fairline released project plans to a new addition to its express cruiser and yacht range, with the 50 Targa Gran Turismo expected to be launched later on this year, and to make her first show debuts in early 2011. The development of the 50 Targa Gran Turismo follows the just launched all new 58 of the same range at the recent London Boat Show. The 50 Gran Turismo will enjoy a spacious three cabin, two en-suite interior with an optional fourth crew cabin. This new project also follows the latest evolutions of the Targa express cruiser design including many of the features, and interior layout introduced on the just launched 58 model. Key features include panoramic windows and extensive glazing throughout the 50 Targa Gran Turismo to provide light filled accommodation. A large master cabin and cleverly designed en-suite will be placed forward. This layout of interior space will provide expansive full width accommodation and with only the foredeck above, natural daylight will flood through overhead glazing. Just as seen on the 58, owners will also be able to transform the single level living and galley space aboard the 50 Targa Gran Turismo into an open-air space. The powered roof will glide open and a top hinged window will open up the galley area for Al-fresco serving. This will also enable guests to enjoy the freedom of fresh air from the galley to the transom. Other significant features which will be available include an innovative, concealed mechanised tender launch for Williams 325 Jet RIB to provide a safe, clean and open transom. A powered aft sunshade option will provide protection for the sociable and aft cockpit seating, which also converts into a sunpad at the touch of a button. This offers owners the flexibility to select a layout to suit the needs of their guests in the moment. Speeds and engine options for the 50 Targa GT has as yet not been announced.

www.fairline.com

33rd America's Cup - Deed of Gift Challenge Preview

After many court battles the 33rd America's Cup finally arrives what is to be a Deed of Gift best of three races. Though it seems even after the racing on the water is passed, it is not sure we have seen the end of the tunnel for this legal battle filled edition. As there is still some pending issues to resolve between the two teams like the manufacturer of country of origin regarding the sails of Swiss Defender team Alinghi.

Coming from the successful 32nd edition the climax from Summer 2007 has been about USA challenging team Oracle declaring the Swiss defender Alinghi is twisting the rules in its favour, and going against the Deed of Gift of the America's Cup, thanks to an accommodating Challenger of Record. So far we have seen the USA team winning all cases in the New York Supreme Court, and from there onwards a deed of gift challenge with a maximum aloud size of craft to ninety by ninety feet was started. While it looked at some time that the two would resolve there issues it never had to be. The first Supreme Court battle was about if Desafio was an accredited Challenger of Record or not. This was the first legal win in a triumphant New York Supreme Court challenge by BMW Oracle. After this other important court rules included the gigantic BOR90 of Oracle waterline length, keel, and if Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates the place chosen by Defender Alinghi was an accepted venue for a Deed of Gift race. As we today know this venue has not been accepted, and after Alinghi flirted with Australia to give a Winter Southern hemisphere race, the choice as the judge suggested finished on Valencia.

So this is a very small review of what happened in the last two and half years, and coming Monday 8th February if provided with accepted weather conditions we will have the first of a best of three races. There seems to have been a chance of more races then a best of three, in a five or seven format, but the defender has declared it to be a best of three challenge. Whatever it will be, I sincerely hope that when this is finished we can go back to a similar format as seen in the previous three editions of the cup, which where super entertaining. The cup will also be widely visible in TV with two billion reachable viewers, plus a free live broadcast online on the official site of americascup.com.

www.americascup.com

Sandwich Infusion?

My above title obviously relates to sandwich core construction, along with vacuum infusion method to build boats. Sandwich construction has been part of fiberglass boat building since it was brought to the masses in the sixties. Its first use was with marine ply reinforcements mostly in the stern. Later on came balsa used for the decks topsides first, on hull sides later and some also applying it to the bottoms. Then came foam used mostly on decks and super structure, and in the last decade plus we have the modern PVC closed cell foams which can be used in all parts of a boats construction. Vacuum infusion invented officially in early nineties is an innovative way of applying resin which helps use less material, reduces styrene pollutants in the air, and save more resin. While this today is voluntary do not be surprised that when the economy pulls out of the recent down turn for this to be made legal in developed countries. Mostly due to environmental issue foremost, with boat builders building in these places having to make the change to infusion glass resin method.

The quality and advantages of PVC coring and infused methods are known but seeing the hull failures that have happened in recent times the error compared to the old way of building seems also much more dangerous. The yacht building industry and those who certify it should also make certain that each construction way is controlled to the limits of use, and that the buyer can have a safe passage with his boat, especially when this relates to offshore sea usage like CE B or A standards. Modern cores and vacuum infusion building saves weight and give similar strength to the old method but it is also seems to be less fool proof during its building stages and requires more professional highly rated trained workers. Those who certify the industry should make sure that this is happening at the factories and yard where boats are built. Or else if these hull failures continue to spring up we can say that the building standards for leisure boats are actually non existent, and are just make up to amuse the new inexperienced boatman. Not a good sign for an industry where fun and peace of mind have to be together.