General Concept
The 43' Roberta Jean is a slight modification
of the 43' Roberta layout. The hull form
of the RJ 43 is identical to that of the 43'
Roberta except that the center of buoyancy has been moved aft slightly
here in order to accommodate the farther aft pilot house and engine room.
The RJ 43 and the 43' Roberta have a layout
that is to a large extent shared across a
family of our motor yacht designs, starting with the 43' Moxie and,
extending up to their bigger sisters, the 49' Quinn,
the 50' Renegade, and the 60' Peregrine.
Each of these designs represent examples of my own ideal Motor Yacht type,
specifically in terms of having a long raised fore deck, aft-located pilot
house, and fantail stern. A truly classic motor yacht form that I have
often called the "Dream Yacht" style, after the Lake Union Dream
Boats built during the '20s and '30s in Seattle.
In the case of the 43' Roberta we have been asked to create a
design that uses the same excellent interior layout as
that of the 43' Moxie, but with a slightly heavier displacement hull form in
order to provide a little more elbow room throughout. We've
therefore chosen a hull type from
our lineage of Tug-Yachts: the Boojum,
Buster and Nidaros designs. These
designs have a relatively much deeper body for the sake of maximum carrying
capacity and sea-going comfort. Still, they share the excellent
fantail stern - a natural for a metal boat - and a rather plumb stem, very
much in line with the Moxie to Peregrine series.
Overall height is kept under 3.5 meters in order to
also allow cruising the canals of Europe.
Roberta Jean's particulars are:
43' - 0" Length on Deck
12' - 6" Moulded Beam
39' - 7" WL Length - Half Load
5' - 1" Draft - Half Load
9' - 5" Air Draft - Half Load
42,000 Lb Light
54,000 Lb Loaded
Layout
Roberta Jean has a covered aft deck for part-time outdoor living. The aft deck
can be screened in or enclosed by a canvas / vinyl dodger in cooler weather. A large
open fore deck allows plenty of space for sun tan adventures and for stowing
gear on the flat "cargo platform" forward. The shore boat will go on
the house top, nested in between the legs of the "A-Frame" mast.
Inside, the layout is as conservative as possible in order to keep boat size within limits, but still extremely comfortable for a couple and occasional guests. The settees can be made into berths,
as can the pilot house dinette. Combined with the aft-facing seat on
the aft deck, conceivable there is sleeping space for seven...!
The galley is quite large, occupying a generous
part of the port side aft. There is a large head / shower opposite the
galley to starb'd complete with its own bath tub.
Differences between the Roberta Jean and the Roberta
are that the RJ 43 has a larger forward cabin with an island berth; a larger
galley and head; farther aft pilot house and engine room; shorter aft deck
and lazarette / store room.
Construction
The choice of aluminum for the structure has been to keep structural weights as low as possible,
yet very rugged. All parts are intended to be NC cut by plasma arc or water jet. The NC cutting process leverages the work
that has already been done to create the computerized model. In other
words, structure can be easily defined directly from the surface model of
the hull and superstructure. The resulting "boat kit" makes for fast
and accurate assembly. Once the parts have been pre-cut and delivered, the frames and other internal structure
are quickly erected, the stringers placed, and the plating applied.
Power And Range
As with
all the vessels in this series, Roberta Jean has a rather plumb stem
in order to maximize the WL length, providing the most boat speed on a given
length of vessel. Compared to Moxie, Roberta Jean has a much deeper hull form, therefore
greater displacement, and has been given a greater fuel capacity in
order to achieve the same approximate range under power. Per the Beebe algorithm for range calculations, Roberta
Jean should
achieve 3,000 NM at 7 knots on a fuel capacity of 770 USG
with 12% held out as reserve.
A 4 cylinder John Deere engine will be quite sufficient for this vessel.
If one were to prefer a naturally aspirated engine, the JD 4045 DFM at
around 75 to 85 hp should push the vessel along at S/L 1.2 to 1.32.
If using the John Deere 4045 TFM (turbo version) at 105 to 130 hp there
would be plenty left over to punch into the weather.
The engine shown is a John Deere 4045 TFM, mated to a Sabb controllable pitch gear and Helseth self-contained shaft system having a three blade controllable pitch propeller.
In Summary
For a couple seeking a comfortable life afloat, the 43' Roberta
Jean combines all of the basic necessities with the luxury of a spacious and un-crowded interior. In terms of the perfect
interior for a personal motor yacht, the Moxie - Roberta - Roberta Jean - Quinn - Renegade
- Peregrine designs are my own first choice.
To me, the primary appeal of these designs is the excellent accommodations for two,
even in the larger sizes. Guests can be accommodated by various means,
none of which require there being a separate dedicated guest cabin. A
covered aft deck offers protection from sun and rain;
a gourmet size galley and big saloon allow the luxury of fine dining
afloat... Combine that with simple construction and economical powering...
we think it is a winning combination to say the least.
For more information on these vessels, please contact us...
Other Designs in the same
family of Interior layouts...
36' Molly | 43' Moxie
| 43' Roberta | 49' Quinn | 60' Peregrine |
64' Peregrine
| 66' Nusa Tengara
Other Designs in the same
family of Hull Shapes...
22'
Boojum | 25' Boojum |
30' Boojum |
30' Buster | 32' Terrier |
38' Nidaros
