[Castlerock]

Looks nice Lars, interesting "pilot berth" in the salon. I am a little confused about the helm position, how do you drive inside and out the hatch? Also with your head out the hatch remember to power down the radar.

[AMG]

The steering position is aft with passengers in front, and it works very well. This is first time I see somebody standing up in full speed, it is a little windy in 40 knots...

The radar is above your head, but I doubt anyone would stand up for more than a few minutes when using the radar so there shouldn´t be any harm. I think it is worse to visit a boat show...

[AMG]

Just in time for the Scandinavian Boatshow in Stockholm, our new 34-footer was launched. We started this project seven months ago which is a rather short time for a new model, but the first sea trial across the Baltic was successful. The top speed was 38-39 knots with a Volvo Penta D6 370 hp and she was using around 1,6 l/nm at 30 knots.

[AMG]

Here is the final arrangement of the D34:

[AMG]

This is how the coming 54-foot design looks like today, working hard with the interior now...

[Codger]

Does having a stepped hull lose it's benefits beyond a certain length?

[AMG]

Originally Posted by Codger

Does having a stepped hull lose it's benefits beyond a certain length?

i don´t think so, but with certain propulsion, such as waterjets or IPS drives. This is because the step is creating air bubbles and both jets and IPS needs "clean" water.

[Arniev]

Hi, Lars.
CONGRATS on the launching of your new 34-footer.
Arnie

[AMG]

Thanks Arnie, it is always a relief to see the boat floating on it´s marks and performing as predicted...

[revdcs]

Congratulations Lars! She looks really good afloat.

Please can I ask you about your choice of engine manufacturer?

On the D34 the Volvo Penta would seem to be a natural choice for what I have always known as an ‘inboard/outboard’. But would you choose a Volvo over one of the other manufacturers for a vessel that is 30 meters or more? I guess I am asking if you favour Volvo because they are Swedish, or do you believe they are the best on the market?

[AMG]

Thanks, yes on smaller boats and especially on our local markets, Volvo Penta is the brand in demand. You know, on production boats, we would like to make sales easy and not trying to sell an engine as well.

The new IPS II with bigger engines will be our first choice on the 54', but if you are saying 100 feet and high speed, I am not sure. I have used MAN and MTU before and I would go for Cats too, but it all depends on what boat it is, how fast it must be and where it is sold. On captained boats there also use to be personal favoured brands on propulsion and gensets.

[revdcs]

Thanks Lars.

You said pretty much what I thought you would say - although I was surprised that a captain could have such a strong influence over the choice of engine. I can understand captains and engineers being invited to express a preference - but they move on from boat to boat and their replacements may end up working with something they would not normally use. I suppose one could liken it to James Bond saying he wants a Mercedes engine in the Aston Martin! I had thought that, although the final choice of power plant lies with whoever has commissioned the boat, it would be the designer and builder who would chose what was right for that particular vessel. Thank you – I’ve learned something new today.

Best wishes,

David.

[YachtNews]

My congratulations are due as well. When is the D54 due for tooling? or is it too early to say?

[PropBet]

How did I miss this thread?
Lars, we need to talk.