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"May 10, 2000"

We are working with Alexander Marine and Ed Monk to design and build a new 80' to 87' cockpit motoryacht. The designs should be completed by August 2000.

This boat is being designed to fit the needs of an owner who is looking for excellent accommodations, a large California deck and a good size cockpit.

Our goal in designing this model was to accomplish the following.

1. A large California deck for entertaining and enjoying your surroundings.

2. A cockpit that is capable of big game fishing and for the non-fisherman a place to get you down on the water and the conveniences offered by a cockpit. Optional 8' to 12' deep.

3. Owner's stateroom forward of the engine room for maximum quietness and still have the square footage of an aft stateroom.

4. Minimum of three guest stateroom with two having queen berths and ample room.

5. Crew's quarters

6. Flybridge with either an open bridge or full enclosed bridge. The open bridge will have a Pilothouse below with a large settee. The closed bridge will offer a formal dinning area.

7. California deck and salon on the same level and the ability to move the bulkhead in our out during construction to fit both the warmer climate buyers who are looking for the maximum California deck and colder climate buyers who want the maximum area in the Salon.

8. Full walk arounds on deck under overhead.

9. A Portuguese Bridge or wing stations on the bridge for ease of maneuvering and visibility.

Alexander Marine and Ed Monk have had an exclusive arrangement for over 20 years. The foremost Marine Architect on the West Coast of America, a quality proven builder and a fantastic layout should make for the ultimate boat.

"Update August 15, 2000"

The design of the new hull has been completed and turned over to the Model Maker. By the end of the month or the first of September we will be tank testing the new hull at the "British Columbia Institute of Technology". The final dimensions 86' in length with a 22' beam. Ed thinks she will top out about 24 knots and cruise at 20 knots. At present Ed Monk is designing the deck and interior layout. If you have special ideas this is the time that we get you together with Ed to incorporate your dreams into the new 86' Alexander.

"Update October 15, 2000"

The tank testing was completed at BC Research Ocean Engineering Center in Vancouver, Canada. The summery page from BC Research reads

"A performance comparison was made between the subject hull form and other similar vessels which have been tested at the Ocean Engineering Center. The Alexander Marine 86-foot hull compares well against the reference hulls in the low to mid speed range, but is significantly less efficient at higher speeds. This points to a hull, which is optimized for long-range cruising at displacement speeds and for good seakeeping performance, at the sacrifice of some high-speed efficiency. (You can read into this she handles seas well at speed but doesn't get the best fuel economy.) Seakeeping tests were performed in head seas with significant wave heights of 4.5 and 7.3 feet. Based on these limited tests, the boat promises to be both dry and seakindly in rough water."

"In conclusion, the Alexander Marine 86-foot motor yacht should make an excellent cruising platform; the hull form is efficient at "cruising" speeds and yet it is a capable performer in head sea conditions."

Performance results: 25.5 Knots if the boat is 180,000 lbs. and 24 Knots if 210,000. (For comparison an 82' Horizon loaded up weighs in about 160,000 lbs.)

(Additional note from BC Research: "The parameters of the sea states employed for the test were specified by Hage-Marine Inc, and were intended to represent the most difficult conditions likely to be encountered by the vessel in its intended service."

"Update November 10, 2000"

I spent time at the Ft Lauderdale Boat Show looking at all the competition. Horizon, North Coast, West Bay, Lazarra, Hargrave, North Star, Choey Lee, and Monte Fino. The biggest difference I saw was the 86' Alexander's beam of 22', the widest of all the competition. Wider beam, more square feet, more cubic feet and more boat. We are also heavier than most of the other boats. Heavier with out a loss of performance. We will be as fast and efficient as any of the others with more boat. The Alexander's arrangement also seems to cover all the bases. Some of the other boats do not offer a cockpit and some have only three staterooms for the owners party. Some offered extended cockpits but the boats where not designed originally for the extension and they are too narrow for the length. And some models did not offer a true California deck under hardtop, the one feature that makes this size boat so desirable. We feel the California deck will get more use than any other area of the boat whether you're entertaining or just relaxing.

The biggest problem I saw in other boats was the inability to dock these boats easily. The models with the enclosed bridges where impossible to dock from the bridge. You had no visibility in close and no idea where the dock was. In most of these models you had to go down to the California deck or cockpit whether pulling in forward or aft. I am very happy with our decision for a Portuguese bridge on the Flybridge. Being able to step out the side door of the bridge and look directly down on the dock from either side makes docking easy without having to leave the helm and go down one or two levels. I'm told some of the other manufacturers have tried the Portuguese bridge but with their narrower beams the sky lounge becomes too small. Another value of our 22' Beam.

Building a new boat from scratch doesn't happen over night, not if you do it right. Knowing what you want is one thing, the execution is completely different. We started with a number of meetings with Ed Monk, then drawings where made, then decisions on final appearance and a hull model completed for tank testing. Standard equipment and pricing for the first few boats is established. When your satisfied with the tank test performance and the styling then the structural drawings are assigned to a structural architect before the molds are started. This is the stage we are in now.

At present we have a few clients working with Ed Monk on different arrangements for the first few boats. Crews quarters forward, crews quarters aft, enclosed Bridge, open Bridge, extended cockpit, no cockpit. It is very exciting seeing all of the possible configurations our new boat can become. Call for copies of the latest drawings and pricing.

"Update January 20, 2001"

We have renderings and a model now available for your inspection. Finally, something in 3D. No matter how good this boat looked on paper or in our minds there is a big difference seeing her in living color. Now we have something that will let you know just how beautiful and functional the 86' turned out. Call or E Mail for a complete package.

"Update March 30, 2001"

Alexander Marine is in the process of rebuilding their plant to get ready for the larger boats we are building. The tooling for the 86' is well along and the new building will be ready for the first hull shortly. The job of structrual engineering was given to Tim Nolan a navel architect who has worked with Ed Monk many times in the past. Tim has an extensive background in boats this size while working with Nordlund Yachts and other custom builders in the Pacific Northwest. Tim traveled to Taiwan to visit, inspect the factory and check on the lofting of the hull. He was very helpful to the Alexander staff in making suggestions on ways to make the 86' stronger and lighter. Tim also commented how suprised he was at Alexander Marines expertise and construction methods. Tim is finishing up the structural drawings at the present time.

No custom builder has put more talented people, more resources, or more commitment to quality into a project than Alexander Marine is putting into the new 86'. Our standard machinery list includes Delta T positive pressure engine room ventilation systems, Chilled Water Air-conditioning systems, Charles ISO booster shore connections, Trace Charging systems and Kobelt engine controls to name just a few of the top flight components being used. See for yourself why we think this is going to be the ultimate coastal cruising boat whether your cruising Alaska or Central America.

We now have full renderings of the layout of the first 86' being built. Call for a complete package.

"Update July 2001"

Alexander Marine has finished with the factory modifications and they are anxious to get started with the first boat. The new building will hold four boats at one time in various stages of construction. The hull and deck molds will be completed this month and in August we will lay up the first boat. The final decisions have been made regarding the electrical systems, the head systems, the hydraulics and steering. I have seen a lot of manufacturers come out with new boats in my 35 years in the business but I have never seen a manufacturer deal with so many experts to design basic systems. An electrical engineer with boating experience developed the state of the art AC & DC systems. Tim Nolan and his staff have completed extensive engineering designs and drawings on all aspects of the construction.

While visiting the factory last month I had a chance to walk on the boats decks and fly bridge by way of the plugs (see pics). I was very happy with the size of the cockpit, the California deck and the size of the enclosed sky lounge with the Portuguese bridge. Designing a boat and getting accommodations to proper scale while maintaining a great look is very difficult and probably the area of Ed Monks expertise that I appreciate more than any other. He does this while maintaining his own requirement of seaworthiness first. It is easy to see why Ed is the foremost Navel Architect on the West Coast of America and why he has designed so many yachts for Nordlund, McQeen, Knight & Carver, Jones Goodell and other customer builders through the years.

"Update October 2001"

Hull number One is in the mold and the tooling for the decks and inter-liners are completed. Engines, generators, tanks and all the equipment associated with this boat are on order or sitting at the factory. The decks will be laid up the middle of November and we should have the hull out of the mold early December. Things are moving rapidly. We are seeing more interest from prospective buyers now that the first boat will be ready in late spring.

"Update November 2001"

I just spent time at the Ft Lauderdale Boat Show with the owner of the 86 Alexander hull number “One”. We looked at some boats but mostly spent time in the equipment tents. The owner and his skipper wanted to be sure they where getting the best equipment available on the new boat. They were not disappointed; the companies that Alexander Marine had selected represented some of the most prestige’s suppliers in our industry.

The last night of our visit over dinner the owner confided in me that he did not realize how large of a boat he had purchased. After walking through a number of boats in the 80’ to 100’ range he realized that the 86’ Alexander is much closer in volume, weight, and beam of the 100’ boats than the 80’ boats. He also realized the real value of his purchase, he was not only getting a quality boat by a prominent team, but it was priced better than the competition.

"Update February 2002"

Another trip to the factory and this time we walked aboard No#1. The bulkheads are in, the tanks, engines, and generators are in and the deck is on the hull (see pics). I think the most surprising revelation was the amount of aircraft grade aluminum used in the construction. Five inch I Beams are used in the main decking and the boat deck. I Beams are used in the sides of the hull and the salon to California deck bulkhead. There are seven watertight bulkheads each four inches thick. This is before sound insulation is added to the bulkheads. Is she overbuilt? NO. Is she built to the max? YES.

Alexander Marine built a full scale mock up of the bridge so we could walk through and around. We were able to layout the instrument and electronics panels for our exact electronics to be installed. We also visited a granite/marble factory and had unlimited choices. This is truly turning out to be as close to a custom yacht as possible.

Our next trip is scheduled for late March. The bridge will be on, we will be able to walk through all of the rooms and the interior woodworking will be starting. It will not be long; we will be boating this summer.

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"Update July 2002"

A Big Day The 860 Alexander was launched today. Sea Trials will be performed for the next week and then it's onto a ship for the trip to Newport Beach. We expect arrival on August 15th. A number of engineeers have traveled to the factory for these sea trials. Alexander Marine wants everything to be right when she is launched in the States. I expect I will only need a week or two after arrival before the new owner will be off enjoying his new boat.

"Update September 2002"

The 860 Ocean Alexander has arrived! Finally after 2 1/2 years of planning and construction the first 860 has arrived in Newport Beach and we could not be prouder. The reaction from most people; “This is not just a bigger Ocean Alexander this is a baot to compare with any Mega Yacht”. The people at Alexander Marine truly went out of their way to build a fine yacht, they dedicated themselves to building a boat at a new level, using new techniques, new materials and new ideas. By following Tim Nolan, Ed Hageman and Ed Monk’s plans and engineering Alexander Marine has put itself in a class with the “Finest American Custom Builders”.

"Update November 2002"

She is done. The new owner is starting off with a cruise to Mexico for the season then it's any where he wants to go. A boat built first for safety, reliability and comfort turned into a beautiful graceful ship. Don't miss this oppertunity to inspect our new 860 Ocean Alexander.

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Sitting outside of Barra Navidad in Mexico. It doesn't get any better than this.

Orange Coast Yachts

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