[Jasra]

Cape Horn: The best there ever was?

I keep looking, but there doesn't seem to be a trawler yacht to match quality of design and outfitting. In particular the azimuthing thrustmaster hydraulic drive has got to be the best propulsion system ever. Reducing vibration, keeping the ME at optimum speed and enhancing manoeuvrability. If we added hydraulic pumps to the two gen sets and a retractable azimuthing bow thruster which would double as your "get home" propulsion it truly would be the best trawler yacht ever built in my humble opinion. Pity you can't buy one any more!

[AMG]

Yes, Cape Horn were not bad and I don´t know the situation now, there was talk of a new builder but maybe it never happened.

Building a small trawler is not that difficult, I have seen several designs and there are builders. I recently made this design for a Turkish shipyard.

[nilo]

will she be a one off or a series built? if not confidential can you disclose the name of the yard?

nice lines and i am excited to have a look at the interior layout.

[Eric Sponberg]

Originally Posted by Jasra

Cape Horn: The best there ever was?

I keep looking, but there doesn't seem to be a trawler yacht to match quality of design and outfitting. In particular the azimuthing thrustmaster hydraulic drive has got to be the best propulsion system ever. Reducing vibration, keeping the ME at optimum speed and enhancing manoeuvrability. If we added hydraulic pumps to the two gen sets and a retractable azimuthing bow thruster which would double as your "get home" propulsion it truly would be the best trawler yacht ever built in my humble opinion. Pity you can't buy one any more!

I might propose the designs that I have done for Moloka'i Stait Marine. For example, Hercules (see photo). Our primary competitor was Cape Horn, and at the time (2002, 03) was our primary competitor. We did many things in design that Cape Horn did not do. We had heard many anecdotal stories about stability and handling problems on the Cape Horns. They may be better now. But if you are considering a Cape Horn, you should definitely look at a Moloka'i Strait. You'll get a lot better boat, in my opinion. (And I admit that I am biased, being the designer of the Moloka'i Strait Motoryachts. But I am biased for very good naval architectural reasons.) You can read more at:

http://www.sponbergyachtdesign.com/Molokai72.htm

http://www.sponbergyachtdesign.com/Molokai79.htm

http://www.molokaistrait.com/

[AMG]

Originally Posted by nilo

will she be a one off or a series built? if not confidential can you disclose the name of the yard?

nice lines and i am excited to have a look at the interior layout.

The idea is to have a semi custom series in a few sizes, but I must talk to the builder before I reveal more.

[K1W1]

Hi,

Don't be surprised if the original poster who has been such a promoter of this obscure yacht to date is suddenly the one to have one for sale with a different user name and IP Addy ( Mods take note)

[AMG]

Originally Posted by K1W1

Don't be surprised...

We are never surprised, but this thread was a great opportunity for me and Eric to show our trawlers...

[strat57]

AMG.... not to take anything from your design, it's quite impressive. But I have to say the Moloka'i Strait is quite the passagemaker. Surely on my short list of "want one"!

The Seaton Yacht "Expedition Seventy" seem to be another nice design. Like the Nordhavns though, it's FRP construction too if I'm correct. My question would be regarding durability of the hulls as well as maintenance issues between steel and FRP construction. Not to mention initial price difference to purchase.

Regarding "Jasra" and his "humble opinion" stating or asking.... "Cape Horn: The best there ever was?" Well.... guess we're all entitled to an opinion! But it sure seems to be "leading" somewhere doesn't it! Not to mention what's available now may just overshadow what used to be considered "the best".

Real Ships is another one that seems to be a well built passagemaker also. Their web site is still incomplete though..... but I'd certainly like to see a review on one of their builds too.

Oh well, just trying to keep the conversation going......

[AMG]

As I said, there are some nice designs out there. Mine was not meant to be just one of them, but a little more modern. It has been a few various stages before we decided on one style as you can see here:

[Capt. Bill11]

Originally Posted by Eric Sponberg

I might propose the designs that I have done for Moloka'i Stait Marine. For example, Hercules (see photo). Our primary competitor was Cape Horn, and at the time (2002, 03) was our primary competitor. We did many things in design that Cape Horn did not do. We had heard many anecdotal stories about stability and handling problems on the Cape Horns. They may be better now. But if you are considering a Cape Horn, you should definitely look at a Moloka'i Strait. You'll get a lot better boat, in my opinion. (And I admit that I am biased, being the designer of the Moloka'i Strait Motoryachts. But I am biased for very good naval architectural reasons.) You can read more at:

http://www.sponbergyachtdesign.com/Molokai72.htm

http://www.sponbergyachtdesign.com/Molokai79.htm

http://www.molokaistrait.com/

Wasn't Hercules in the Broward yard having modifications done to it, including the bulb a while back? Did it ever sell?

[JWY]

Kiwi: thanks for being sharp, per usual.

Jasra: your profile says you're a ship broker. Only nice to disclose that. If you're listing one, it belongs under the Yachts For Sale category. And yes, you can still buy a Cape Horn, either a brokerage vessel or a new build.

There were 5 Cape Horns built with Z-drives; the other dozen or so were not and were still great boats - it was not the Z-drive that made them great, that was only an enhancement and was optional. The combination of hull design, safety features, and commercial applications dressed up were all part of the builder's philosophy.

Judy Waldman
YACHT BROKER

[brunick]

Originally Posted by AMG

As I said, there are some nice designs out there. Mine was not meant to be just one of them, but a little more modern. It has been a few various stages before we decided on one style as you can see here:

iaa don't like the first one - the profile doesn't has charm...

the second one is better, but as a trawler the last is my favourite

[Eric Sponberg]

Originally Posted by Capt. Bill11

Wasn't Hercules in the Broward yard having modifications done to it, including the bulb a while back? Did it ever sell?

Yes, just before its world debut at the 2006 Ft. Lauderdale boat show, Hercules was in the yard for a few modifications, including adding some shape to the top of the bulb. These and other changes have been incorporated into the latest version of the design, now the Moloka'i Strait 79. See the pictures below.

Some of the major changes to the MS 75 design that Moloka'i Strait Marine (MSM) wanted to make for the MS 79 were:

1) Go to a multi-chine hullform. This was because we were having difficulty finding welders who knew how to weld small round bottom steel hulls efficiently. I see this in the small craft business as a dying art. Therefore, to reduce cost without significantly reducing the pleasant and favorable rolling motions of a round bottom hull shape, and to maintain double-bottom fuel and water storage capacity, we decided to use a triple-chine hullform.

2) Extend the hull by one frame space, 3'. This lengthened both the main saloon and the engine room. In Hercules (the MS 75) the engines are situated facing aft and driving through a V-drive. In the MS 79, the engines face forward and drive through a conventional drive. This is cheaper to build and simpler to service. Also, the main saloon is just that much roomier.

3) Go to twin funnel design. On Hercules with a single funnel, the stack necessarily comes up through the middle of the accommodation. In some respects, this naturally divides the aft main saloon from the midship dining area. But MSM wanted to open up the interior so that standing at the aft end of the main saloon you could look all the way through the deck house, through the dining area, and into the galley forward. So we split the funnel in two (one for each main engine) and moved them to the sides of the deck house to open up the middle space. This makes the yacht look really nice, homely, and inviting to live in.

4) As for the bulb, as you may know, bulb design is really tricky. And on Hercules we speculated on improvements to running trim and lower drag, and so we experimented with the Hercules modifications to change the top shape toward these ends. This seemed successful, so we incorporated the new shape into the whole bulb design on the MS 79.

Hercules has not sold because the owner, who is the managing partner of Moloka'i Strait Marine, really, really likes his boat. I think he does not want to give it up. He is using it as his show boat to get additional orders for the Moloka'i Strait yachts in the 79' and other sizes. I have done the designs below 100', which now include 58', 68', 79', and 85-90'.

Eric

[Norseman]

I might propose the designs that I have done for Moloka'i Stait Marine.

Curious to the "top-heavy" look of the trawler on the picture:

Although the lines are nice in a way, it looks like the house is too big for the boat.

Perhaps it is the angle of the photo or my un-trained eye, but she looks a bit out of proportion.

I can understand the desire to get as much interior space as possible out of these yachts so the owners can "entertain", but this one seems a bit over the top so to speak, and the rugged trawler/tug kind of look turns silly instead.

[Eric Sponberg]

Proportion and aesthetics are in the eye of the beholder. One takes the demands from the owner and executes teh design as best one can. This design met all aspects of the owner's requirements. Proof is in the performance of the boat and her stability. The hull is steel and the superstructure is aluminum. Hercules, in the end, came out very well for both performance and stability.

Eric