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50 Meter

Luxury Charter Phinisi / KLM

164' Length On Deck

A 50 Meter Traditional Indonesian Kapal Layar Mesin for Luxury Charters - Kasten Marine Design, Inc.
 Perspective Forward  |  Perspective Aft  |  Lines Fwd  |  Lines Aft
Four-mast Rig Forward View   |   Four-mast Rig Aft View

Copyright 2007 Michael Kasten

Concept

The 50 meter wooden charter yacht shown here is modeled after the traditional Indonesian Kapal Layar Mesin - which means "boat-sail-machine." In Indonesia the type is just called "KLM."   In the West we call it a "Motor Sailor."  

The prototype shown above is a larger version of the relatively much smaller 30 Meter KLM and 36 Meter KLM types we previously developed during prior visits to Indonesia in 2004 and 2006.  At 50 meters on deck this design is large enough to carry the 'double deck' very handsomely.  It is also large enough to accommodate 6 luxury suites below forward, plus two ultra luxury suites on the upper Bridge Deck aft - all without any sense of being crowded. 

Preliminary particulars are:

Imperial Dimensions:


A Better Sail Rig...?

Typically, a cargo carrying KLM will be arranged with a fore mast only, and although there is a sail present, its main purpose is to gain a 'sailing ship' tax advantage for the owner.  The sail is also available as "get-home" propulsion in the event of engine failure, though obviously any destination under sail alone would be directly down wind...! 

Presented with the request to create a workable sail rig for a larger KLM, and to improve upon the sailing rig for the 'sailing phinisi' types, since these vessels are rather heavy and need quite a lot of sail area if it is to be at all meaningful, we decided that the best arrangement would be to use multiple masts...  Especially this is so since the locally available timbers are limited to approximately 18 to 20 meters in length. 

The following images show what seemed to work best:    Four-mast Rig Forward View   |   Four-mast Rig Aft View.

Using this strategy, all gaff sails and gaff tops'ls are identical, therefore interchangeable.  Balance is easily achieved in any wind strength, all the way down to bare poles...!  

The four mast rig would be ideally suited to larger 'sailing phinisi' types, and for the same reasons, i.e. to give ample sail area; to keep spar length to a minimum; to provide myriad sail combinations for the best balance; to keep individual sail sizes to a minimum and thus make the entire rig much more easily handled; and... well I could go on for quite some time without running out of good points to favor this kind of rig. 

Even though this strategy was pursued in order to get the most sail area on the smallest spar length in order to use local timbers, by far the best material for ALL the spars would be to make use of steel tube or pipe...!  If designed correctly, once painted no-one knows they are not wood.
 

The Intent...

For the interior, the intent with this concept and other vessels of our design that the interior layout make it possible for the vessel to be used in either of two modes:

By "managed ownership" we mean that the yacht is privately owned, but is managed by a charter company who is able to charter the vessel when it is not being used by the owner. In exchange for its use, the charter company takes care of the vessel's maintenance and repairs, and provides the owner with an income stream. Done correctly, this is a rather ideal way to own a boat - no maintenance, it pays its own way, and the owner can step aboard a well maintained vessel nearly any time and simply enjoy their time aboard rather than having to manage the vessel's upkeep.

Comfort and privacy have been primary goals. Given the overall size, the interior layout is not at all crowded. Given that the vessel will be sailing in the tropics, excellent ventilation has been given the highest priority. Each cabin has a private head and shower and all accommodation spaces are air conditioned.
 

The Interior Layout

To best understand what I've proposed for the interior of this vessel, it will be helpful to study the layout of our 50m Sailing Phinisi design.  The layout we have in mind for the 50m KLM is very similar, except that due to the width of the stern there would be considerably more room in the Grand Suite on the Bridge Deck, in the Galley on the Main Deck, and in the Crew Quarters below aft.  Another difference is in the division of the cabins, due to the mast locations.

Below I will briefly walk through the layout we have in mind - one that is eminently suited to high end luxury charters throughout SE Asia.  It will also be very helpful to view the Lines Fwd and the Lines Aft images in order to visualize the interior spaces.
 

Below Decks

Right forward below the main deck is of course the fore peak, having two compartments, the forward-most of which would be the chain locker, and just aft of that the Bosun's locker for general storage of ship's gear.

Throughout the forward lower deck aft of that, there are three equally sized divisions 6 meters in length each.  Separated by a lengthwise hallway down the center, those are intended to become five or six Deluxe Cabins with en-suite luxury bath and shower. A  centerline hallway is intended to lead from a forward companionway all the way aft to the lounge on the main deck amidships. This type of general layout can be seen very clearly in the 50m Sailing Phinisi Lower Deck Plan.

Aft of this array of luxury suites is the engine room, sized in order to adequately house all the support systems for luxury chartering, including three generators, dive compressor, high pressure storage tanks, a redundant air conditioning system and large capacity reverse osmosis system for replenishing the fresh water supply.

Aft of the Engine Room are the crew mess, laundry, and crew cabins.  These are also generous, allowing for approximately 15 to 18 crew without any crowding.

Right aft, below the main deck is a spacious Lazarette for general storage of ship's gear, backup dive gear and other spares.
 

The Main Deck

The Main Deck can be best visualized by inspecting the Lines Fwd and the Lines Aft images, and also by studying the 50m Sailing Phinisi Main Deck Layout.   The Fore Deck is intended to be quite large and open.  It is after all the preferred socializing area during the day and well into the night...!

Amidships on the Main Deck is a Lounge for the guests.  The array of windows provides a sense of spaciousness so the view is undiminished even while spending time inside.  The lounge will have a stairway leading directly to the hallway below, which provides quick access to the guest suites below forward.

Aft of the lounge is another stairway, leading to port and upward to the Bridge Deck, and the two very large guest suites located there.  Another stairway below that one leads down to the Crew Mess, the Crew Cabins and the Engine Room

Aft of the Main Deck stairwell is the galley with walk-in cool room, a large dive shop, and a cozy communications room / library.

At the aft end of the Main Deck is another exterior social area / lounge - but one that is covered and therefore out of the sun and weather.  This is the best gathering spot for an informal Barbeque on deck or for staging a dive adventure or fishing or just for general hanging out...
 

The Bridge Deck

The Bridge Deck layout can be visualized rather well by reviewing the Lines Fwd and the Lines Aft images, and by studying the 50m Sailing Phinisi Bridge Deck Layout. 

First, at the forward end of the Bridge Deck is a spacious 'Promenade Deck' located above the Lounge, and just forward of the Bridge.  This extends the full width of the vessel, and provides yet another private place to get some sun or just a bit more privacy from the on-deck activities.  Just aft of that, the Bridge itself provides a piloting area that spans the width of the ship.  Aft of the Bridge is the main stairwell, a day-head, the Captain's quarters to starb'd and a ship's office to port. 

In the 50m Sailing Phinisi, the stern is much more narrow, so there is one large Grand Suite aft.   On this vessel, the stern has sufficient width to achieve two ultra deluxe suites, one to port and one to starb'd, separated along the centerline.  These each look out to a vast panorama, having windows all around.  Even so, privacy is assured by the location.  The entry to each of these suites is at the forward end, directly from the sides of the Promenade Deck.  Each suite has a large private Veranda Deck right aft, separated along the centerline for complete privacy.  These Bridge Deck luxury suites would be second to none...

Unless of course those two suites were combined into a single truly magnificent Grand Suite...!
 

More Information...?

If this or a similar phinisi  / luxury sailing yacht is of interest, we offer a thorough design service.  Our preference is to take advantage of traditional methods to the maximum extent possible, but to bring the construction standard up to a classification society compliant structure.  We offer our custom design services by which we can modify these types of vessels to suit a variety of requests to change the size or to modify the layout as needed, and then follow that up with our local knowledge in order to facilitate construction.

For complete information about the design and building process that we recommend please see the following links, or for more information please inquire. 

Our articles about building an Indonesian Phinisi or KLM:
Phinisi History   |   Phinisi Building  |  The Ultimate Charter Phinisi
 Sailing vs. KLM Types   |   A Cargo Phinisi as a Yacht...?

Phinisi and KLM designs that we have created or have planned:
30m Sailing Phinisi   |   36m Phinisi, Silolona   |  38m Sailing Phinisi  |   50m Sailing Phinisi
30m Charter KLM   |  33m Charter KLM  |   36m KLM, Dunia Baru   |  40m Charter KLM  |  50m Charter KLM

Descriptions of our adventures with these boats:
Silolona "Homecoming"   |   Indonesia Boatbuilding Images

A Tern Schooner and An Arabian Dhow With Similar Wooden Structure
22m Arabian Baghala  |  36m Tern Schooner

Two junk rigged KLM types for construction in steel:
25m Lady Destiny   |   55m Lady Destiny

Please see our AVAILABLE BOAT PLANS web page.

Home  |  Intro  |  Custom Yacht Design  |  Stock Designs  |  Motor Yacht Gallery  |  Sailing Yacht Gallery  |  Prototypes Gallery  |  Plans List
Articles  |  Our CAD Design Stream  |  MAXSURF For Marine Design  |  News..!  |  Design Team  |  Site Map  |  Site Search  | Contact Us