Updated 19 December 2006
CONCEPT
The Ironheart design has been created in response to a request for a classic trawler yacht suited to the Great Barrier
Reef area and points beyond - to the north and west. The original
inspiration for this design was the Greatheart 60, however in this case the
requirement was to achieve a layout having a full galley below the pilot
house, a goal that at first seemed nearly impossible given the style being
sought... i.e. long, low, and lean...
An additional requirement was for sailing ability. This seemed at
first to be a difficult request to reconcile
along with the request that the interior layout be "double decked" amidships
and that draft be kept to a minimum. After all, in order to be
functional as a sailing vessel it is imperative to keep the superstructure
as low as possible in order to minimize windage.
We first created a 'steamer-style' version with a plumb bow, which you
can review on the Steamer 60 web page.
Although the interior and exterior layout of these two designs is nearly
identical, we eventually determined that
the Ironheart should have the appearance of an older style clipper-bow
type of 'steam yacht.'
The clipper style bow allowed the sail rig to be spread
out to the maximum extent - in other words to achieve adequate sail area
without the rig becoming too tall for the vessel type. And of course in keeping with the use of a clipper
bow, the stern is also reminiscent of the same era... a
'fantail.'
Other requirements of the design: That there be a "cook-out" galley / dining area on the upper deck; that there be a large open aft
deck; and that the pilot house / saloon be able to be opened to the aft deck.
In other words the idea was to create a large living area that could be opened to the outdoors for tropical living.
Naturally this all sounds fine in concept, but could it be made to
work...? Once these various design elements were blended correctly all
I could say was,
"Wow! I like it!"
In my view, the aesthetic presentation of this design is very successful, as is the integration of the various
seemingly disparate requests.
LAYOUT
Please see the following images of the interior layout:
Interior Profile
| Main Deck Plan
| Lower Deck Plan
The interior of the pilot house
is one step above the exterior deck, providing excellent visibility all around. The
pilot house is quite large, and contains a head and settee / dinette, as
well as very ample chart desk and nav / helm station. Aft of that, the
mini-galley and saloon open
directly onto the aft deck - an arrangement preferred for tropical
entertainment.
Below forward are twin staterooms and a shared head. Below the
pilot house is a very large galley and second saloon. Fuel and water
tankage is located to port and starb'd within the galley and also in the
bilge areas.
Aft of the galley is the engine room. A single diesel is arranged
with a "V" drive in order to save space. A single generator is located
forward and outboard. Access to the engine space is via a large lift-hatch in the
saloon above, and permanent ladder. Although there is not full standing
headroom in the engine space, there is a comfortable bench seat all around the engine to allow easy service access to all the machinery.
Below the aft deck is the lazarette which houses the steering
equipment (rams, autopilot, etc.). Below the forward deck, the fo'c's'l
provides storage for the anchoring gear, rode, dock lines and so forth.
The exterior deck is at one level all the way from the transom to the
bow, and provides ample walk-around space.
SAIL RIG
One of the main requirements for the Ironheart was that there be a sail rig and
it be sufficient to allow the vessel function as a motor sailor... This was
for the fun of sailing, for the synergy of motor-sailing, for added
roll attenuation, and for the security of having a fool-proof get-home
strategy in the event of engine failure. Thus, the owner requested
reasonable sailing performance even without the engine.
Two sail rig options were originally considered: gaff rig, or Chinese lug rig. Both have the advantage of keeping the sail area
low down, thus allowing relatively shoal draft. Various other benefits
of these rigs can be reviewed on our Sail Rig web
page. The links below show several images of the two rigs originally
proposed:
Lug Sails Side
| Lug Sails Above
Fwd |
Lug Sails Starb'd Aft |
Lug Sails Port Aft
Gaff Sails Fwd
| Gaff Sails Aft
Cool 3D Shadow Rendering
Fwd | Cool 3D Shadow
Rendering Aft
KEELS
Sitting on the mud without spilling the coffee was another requirement.
Therefore we favored the use of a single centerline keel of very low aspect
ratio, combined with twin keels. Thus we could achieve windward
ability and a stable platform when grounded. The various benefits of
twin keels can be reviewed on our Roll
Attenuation page.
STRUCTURE & FINISH
The Ironheart is planned to comply with the EU rules regarding
safety, and stability. Structure will be per the ABS scantling rule for Motor Pleasure Yachts
and stability will comply with ISO standards for offshore vessels under sail.
The hull and superstructure are planned to be either all steel, or
possibly a steel hull with an aluminum superstructure.
Interior materials have been chosen to provide a traditional elegance
reminiscent of a comfortable paneled library. The finest yacht
finish has been specified both inside and out.
PARTICULARS
Length Overall: 19.5 meters
Length Waterline: 17.1 meters
Water
Draft: 1.75 meters
Air Draft: 3.77 meters
Beam: 5 meters
Light Ship Displacement Goal: 40
metric tons
Engine: John Deere
Gear: Twin Disc or ZF 'V' drive.
A CLASSIC MOTOR YACHT...!
Ironheart is a truly classic yacht in every respect - and one that
is well adapted to world cruising. For an extended
family or for a couple who enjoy entertaining, the Ironheart will
provide a unique combination of ruggedness, seaworthiness, sea-kindliness,
along with a generous measure of luxury.
For more information about this vessel or
our other motor yacht designs
please inquire.
