The design request for this vessel was to create a strong, classic, three
stateroom steel displacement trawler for a couple with guests, with the
objective being retirement living aboard, long summer cruises, ocean passage
making, and travel on the canals of Europe, including the capability for a
circumnavigation.
The Freycinet Standard canals of France have a limiting air draft of 3.50
meters (11' - 5.8"), a limiting water draft of 1.80 meters (5' - 10.9"), and
a limiting beam of 5.0 meters (16' - 4.9"). Other EU canals are less
restrictive. With mast, poles and exhaust stacks down, the Voyager
52 can negotiate the majority of the European canal system. One
notable exception is the Canal du Midi, which has a much more restrictive
air draft limit of 2.46 meters (8' - 0.84").
As with the Vagabond 50, the
Vagrant 49 and the various designs in the Greatheart series, the Voyager 52 hull form has been adapted
from working West Coast fishing vessels in order to capture the excellent
sea keeping qualities of those working craft, but to refine the lines into
'yacht' form in order to achieve an easily driven hull having relatively
light displacement.
Hull, decks and cabin are planned for steel construction with
scantlings according to the ABS Rule. The house top is cold molded plywood,
laminated into a single large structure then sheathed in GRP. All
other plating, framing and internal structures are steel, and are planned
for NC cutting, including integral water and fuel tank faces, engine
girders, etc. Having been planned for steel construction, conversion
to an all aluminum structure would be quite an easy task, amounting to a
simple re-specification of the scantlings and ballast quantities.
The Voyager 52 will make use of Paravanes for roll stabilization.
The rig is detailed to allow economical fabrication using aluminum pipe. In
all, the Voyager 52 has intentionally been kept simple for the sake
of economy, reliability and ease of maintenance - the often elusive but
highly prized qualities of a world traveler.
If there were considerably more in the budget for construction, then of
course active stabilizers could easily be specified. Please see our
web article on roll attenuation for
further consideration of this question...
Vessel Particulars
Displacement will vary approximately from 54,500 lb in the 10% load
condition to approximately 67,500 lb in the 100% load condition. Other
particulars are:
- 52' - 9" Moulded Length Overall
- 14' - 6" Moulded Beam
- 49' - 8" WL Length, Half Load
- 5' - 2" Salt Water Draft, Full Load
- 11' - 5" Air Draft, Half Load
Power & Range
The engine specified is a John Deere 6068 TFM 6 cylinder diesel, which
produces 175 hp at 2,400 rpm in the M-2 rating. The engine is mated to a
Sabb controllable pitch gear using a 3:1 reduction to drive a Helseth three
blade 34" CP propeller.
The "cruising speed" for long range voyaging with this hull is assumed to
be around 8 knots. Theoretical hull speed is around 9.5 knots, however due
to having relatively light displacement the hull should reach close to 11
knots with the planned horsepower.
Using 5,000 liters (1,321 USG) of fuel and keeping a 15% reserve, the
Beebe algorithm shows range in the average load condition to be around 3,000
NM at 8 knots.
Exterior Arrangement
The aft deck, side decks, and interior pilot house deck are all at
one level. There are two exterior water tight doors entering the pilot
house. The side and aft decks are surrounded by substantial bulwarks, and
the fore deck by a toe rail. All decks are surrounded by lifelines with
welded steel pulpits forward and aft.
Right aft is a full width aft-facing seat, arranged in order to be
extended into a spare double berth, mainly for the fun of sleeping on deck
when the weather permits.
The mast and paravane rig are located just aft of amidships with all
control lines easily operable from the side decks.
The fore deck spans the full width of the boat from bulwark to bulwark.
This provides a very large volume within the forward accommodations below.
Davits port and starb'd allow placing a shore boat onto the fore deck.
A well-deck is located forward, in order to contain the anchor gear.
A dual capstan horizontal anchor windlass is located in the well deck, and
will accommodate two working anchors - a CQR and a Bruce, which nest well
together.
Interior Arrangement
The links above provide a preliminary look at the interior planned
for the Voyager 52. This layout is intended to allow
comfortable cruising for up to six adults. It also offers the
possibility of chartering the boat if desired. In charter mode, the
boat could accommodate two couples on overnight cruises or could take on
friends or charter guests for each leg of a longer voyage.
Beginning right forward, there is a head with a large bath tub...!
Just aft of that are a pair of guest cabins of equal size. The portside
guest cabin is intended to be converted into office space when not needed
for guests. The guest cabins are each arranged with plenty of shelves,
a seat and a hanging locker. A door leads directly from each guest cabin to
a center hallway, leading aft to the Saloon / Galley.
The large L-shaped galley is located to starb’d at the base of the
companionway. The galley contains a large refrigerator / freezer aft, big
single sink, and a three burner propane range. To port is a large
wrap-around dinette and table, sized for six. The intent is that this will
be the primary entertainment space. Having a full width raised foredeck, the
galley and saloon will be light and open, and will have unobstructed views
to port and starb’d.
At the aft end of the saloon / galley is a companionway leading to the
pilot house. On center is a WT door leading into the engine room below
the pilot house. Access to the engine room is also via large opening hatches
in the pilot house sole.
Up in the pilot house, a WT door accesses the exterior side decks to port
and starb'd. The helm station is located on center, and a large bench seat
is located to port, aft. There is a narrow table with a drop leaf, allowing
occasional meals to be taken there, or just for observing and conversing
with the helms-person.
Just aft of the pilot house and below is the owner’s cabin, accessed by a
companionway ladder to port, aft within the pilot house. The owner’s cabin
contains a private head and shower, queen size berth, rather large hanging
locker, and wrap-around shelves for storage.
Design Genesis
Several of our designs share the
same essential source hull type, in this case
derived from the North Pacific
fishing trawlers which operate in all
weathers in the Gulf of Alaska, a place where the
ocean is... well, not so nice. We
refined the fishing trawler hull type to create
a more yacht-like shape and that became the
"Greatheart / Gulliver" series. See
the following links for vessels in the Greatheart series...
Greatheart
36 |
Gulliver 46 |
Greatheart 48 | Greatheart 54 |
Greatheart 60
We then modified
the hull to create the "Vagabond"
series which makes use of a proportionately longer waterline
and a more upright stem and transom. Combined, this reduces the
overhangs and increases the WL length to gain more interior space with
less overall hull length. Check out the following links for boats in the Vagabond series...
Vagrant 49 |
Vagabond 50 |
Voyager 52
| Valdemar 53
For more information on this or other designs, please
inquire
