 |
 |
 |
2009 Press Releases Just Updated!
Millville, NJ – Mainship has taken the popular 34 Trawler design and improved it, and the result is the new 35 Trawler. Feedback from designers, owners and dealers was tapped in the development of the new model, which expands upon the 34 by utilizing the same hull, but with a new interior layout. “A large percentage of Mainship customers are cruising couples, and many told us they wanted a medium size trawler that had a second stateroom and a galley up design,” said Jim Krueger, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “We believe that the new 35 Trawler fulfills those design requests nicely.” Entering the 35 Trawler salon, many enhancements will be very evident. First, the fully-outfitted galley is now located in the aft port corner of the salon. This location results from the new raised dinette area just forward, which provides stand-up headroom in the guest stateroom below. The galley, which features a 2 burner electric stove, microwave, AC/DC Refrigerator/freezer and Corian® countertops, will now feature an expansive window view as well. Forward, the raised dinette will now have a wonderful view. A sofa with optional sleeper or lounge chairs will complete the salon aft to starboard, and the lower helm lies just forward of this area. The companionway leads below to the new portside guest stateroom. This cabin features walk-in headroom at the foot of the berth and hanging locker area. In addition, the pillow end of the bed sports two and a half feet of headroom. According to Jim Krueger, “This layout will work well for couples, families or charter boat companies as the second stateroom provides not only extra accommodations, but excellent additonal storage area.” “The cruising range of the Mainship Trawler line is really outstanding,” said Krueger, “and the 35 will be no exception. Power options will include a V-drive single Yanmar 380 hp diesel, single gas engine or twin Volvo IPS units.” Images and drawings of the new Mainship 35 Trawler will be available at www.mainship.com/ftp on July 15.
Millville, NJ – Building on the success of their tried and true Pilot™34 design, Mainship has enhanced the livability and functionality of the design with several key improvements and now introduces the new Pilot™35. A combination of both customer and dealer feedback was tapped in the development of the new model, so the new Pilot™35 draws from the popular earlier model by utilizing the same hull, but with a new deck and interior layout. “Many Mainship customers told us they wanted a Pilot model that had a queen berth master and a second stateroom.” said Krueger. “This new 35 fulfills those design requests.” The salon area features UltraLeather™ seating with two opposing settees, and the cherry plank flooring provides a durable, beautiful sole. The forward berth area has now been transformed to a full stateroom with sliding pocket doors for privacy. The berth has been upsized to a queen as opposed to the prior Pilot’s smaller V-berth, and there is generous storage space in two cedar-lined hanging lockers and centerline berth drawers. Both areas are well-lit and ventilated by the opening, screened portlights. The new Pilot™35 features a second cabin with an athwartships double berth. Most notably, this guest stateroom features full walk-in headroom at the entry/hanging locker area. As with all Mainship yachts, storage is plentiful in this cabin and the hanging locker is cedar-lined. An opening, screened portlight provides ventilation and lights the area when the standard high intensity reading lights are not in use. To starboard, the new Pilot™35 features a larger head. In this area, the space has been increased to incorporate a shower compartment enclosed by hinged plexiglass walls. The vanity has a Corian® top. Mainship’s sundeck galley became a hallmark of the Pilot line with last year’s introduction of the Pilot™31, and the new Pilot™35 makes use of this alfresco layout as well. Located on the starboard side of the helm deck, the sundeck galley is fully equipped, sporting a two burner electric stove, microwave oven, AC/DC refrigerator/freezer, stainless steel sink, and extra storage under the Corian® countertop. Portside helm deck seating options include a dinette or an L-shaped lounge. “The cruising range of the Pilot Series is really outstanding,” said Krueger, “and power options will include a V-drive single Yanmar 380 hp diesel, single gas engine or twin Volvo IPS units.” Images and drawings of the new Pilot™35 will be available at www.mainship.com/ftp on July 15.
MotorBoating 2009
We were heading across Rosario Strait on a late spring Monday morning, with the San Juan Islands off in the distance, their low mountain tops peeking through the mist, almost as if they were in a Japanese painting, one unfolding into the other. I had just left Anacortes, on the upper coast of Washington state, with Jeff Messmer, vice president of sales and marketing for Ranger Tugs, on their new R29. I couldn’t wait to get into the San Juans, some of the best cruising grounds in the United States, if not the world. Although I’d been there several times over the years, Messmer, a native of the area, promised to introduce me to places off the beaten track. That was fine with me.
So I had some surprises in store for the next two days in terms of exploring new islands, new coves and new anchorages. The real surprise, however, was the boat itself. As we cruised over the open waters of the strait at an easy 15 knots through light rain and 1-foot chop, I had to keep reminding myself I was on a 29-foot boat. This became a recurring theme during our trip. Ranger Tugs introduced the R29 at the Seattle Boat Show this past winter; we were on hull 19. The company has made 21- and 25-foot models for several years. The R29 was a logical extension of the line, and it has already proven extremely popular. Some new owners, Messmer explains, are people moving up, families looking for a boat they can take cruising (two staterooms, a good-size salon/galley plus a cockpit) to replace a smaller weekender. Others are owners of larger boats who are moving down in size, realizing the Ranger R29 offers many of the amenities and cruising capabilities of their bigger boats at a much lower cost. “The magic,” Messmer says, “is to make all the features of a larger boat work on a 29-footer.” In addition, the Ranger Tugs R29 (which only weighs 9,250 pounds) is fully trailerable, even by a three-quarterton pickup truck. You’ll probably need a low-cost annual permit to tow its 10-foot beam on the highway, but you won’t need chase cars or wide-load escorts. And its vertical clearance is just 13 feet 2 inches on the optional tripleaxle trailer ($10,000), so you shouldn’t have any problems with standard highway overpasses. This means you can both extend your cruising capabilities while lowering your cost of ownership. “Say you want to do the Great Loop from St. Louis, Missouri, to Mobile, Alabama,” says Messmer, “and that’s all the time you have that year. So you put the R29 on the trailer in Mobile and come back home and then start in Mobile again next year. Or say you’re cruising in Florida during hurricane season. Just put the boat on your trailer and head north.” Not to mention, you don’t need to rent a slip for the season if you have a place to keep the trailer. But back to the trip itself. We left Skyline Marine Center in Anacortes in midmorning,headed past a small island owned by Paul Allen (it helps to have been a co-founder of Microsoft), across Rosario Strait and through Lopez Pass to Center Island. I’d never heard of Center Island before. My previous trips to the San Juans were to large marina/destination resorts at Roche Harbor on San Juan Island or Rosario on Orcas Island. As we approached Center Island we passed lush, green hillsides with splashes of light where the sun shone through. One tree had a huge eagle’s nest on the top, but it was empty; this morning, nobody was home. It seemed a boater’s paradise with pristine water, rocky shorelines, indented coves and only a handful of other boats around. Messmer’s family has a summer home with a dock on Center Island, so we tied up there and walked up the hill to check things out. Center Island actually is a small, 180-acre, summer home community. No motorized vehicles are allowed, so we took the family golf cart for a tour to the small landing strip. (Pilots buzz it first to chase the deer off and then come around again to land.) We also checked out the small community center with its own dock, the volunteer fire department and the bulletin board listing bikes and old outboards and older boats for sale. It seemed as if I’d stepped into the middle of a Norman Rockwell painting. When we pulled out on the boat again, I realized how good the visibility was. I settled into the large companion seat on the port side, which could hold two comfortably. It’s in front of the dinette, and the back of the seat flips forward to extend the dinette. The helm, with a single seat, is opposite. There are large opening windows on both sides of the boat, all with screens. Two big opening hatches let in lots of light overhead, one over the driver and one over the companion. Another surprise: There’s a sixbottle, temperature-controlled wine cooler under the companion seat; a Nova-Kool fridge; and a Clarion sound system under the helm seat. Even when under way, it’s easy to move around the boat. It’s all one level, from the cockpit to the helm.
As I glanced at the charts, a seemingly unconcerned Messmer steered us between a handful of small, rockstrewn, islands. I was grateful for his local knowledge. I was mentally bracing myself for a hard grounding, but he’d been up here many times before. At low tide we passed Spencer Spit off Lopez Island on the left. It’s a state park with a beautiful, inviting, white beach — you don’t see many white beaches in this part of the world. A few mooring balls dotted a protected spot in the spit, but we were the only boat in sight. Up ahead, Mount Constitution beckoned on Orcas Island. At 2,454 feet, it’s the highest spot in the San Juans, but it was covered by clouds this morning. Still, we headed to Orcas for a lunch stop, cruising up the six-mile-long East Sound, which cuts Orcas in half, passing Rosario on the right. It has been taken over by new local owners and is undergoing renovations, although the marina seemed open. At the top of the sound we tied up at the town dock and walked into the small village of Eastsound for lunch at the Sunflower Cafe (great clam chowder and sandwiches) and then wandered around Darvill’s bookstore on Main Street. Eastsound is cozy and inviting, but we had more to see, so we were off around to Jones Island, a state park off the tip of Deer Harbor on Orcas. We passed 25 tiny islands (some not much more than the tip of a rock) getting there, and I was sobered to see a substantial rock outcropping on the left as we entered the protected cove with its welcoming dock at Jones Island. You do need to pay attention in this part of the world. As we tied up I realized how easy it is to get around the Ranger Tugs R29. The side decks are wide with lots of nonskid, and you can hang onto the stainless-steel rails on the cabin top, which also can support a kayak or a bike, if you’re so inclined. Docking is made even easier by the sliding door to the driver’s right. Some creative engineering makes it possible to slide the panel at the driver’s right hand (with the throttle, two trim tabs and two thruster controls) straight back so there’s clear access to the door. As a result, the driver can almost snag a cleat on the dock from his seat. (Many of the innovations on the Ranger Tugs R29 come from David Livingston, a boating industry veteran. He was president of Bayliner in the days when it was making 56,000 boats a year; he’s also put in time at Regal, Wellcraft and Fountain, among other places. His son, John, owns Ranger Tugs, and David helps out.) Messmer and I hiked around Jones for an hour or so, and we were alone as we circled the island, except for some deer in the forests and seals playing in the rocks along the shore. Later that afternoon we cruised down to Fisherman Bay in Lopez Island, where I saw the advantage of the Ranger Tugs’ standard bow and stern thrusters as Messmer backed into a slip at the Lopez Islander Marina Resort in at least 5 knots of current and a good 15-knot wind. He made it look easy. A word of caution: Stay in the middle of the S-turn channel coming into the bay; shoals abound. Once we tied up, I had a chance to look around the boat. The swim platform is large, with lots of extra cleats and D rings for tying up kayaks or dinks. Four black fenders are built into the trailing edge for protection. On each side of the cockpit, the three steps leading to the side decks (which also serve as boarding stations) lift up to reveal large storage areas. A good-size center hatch lifts for easy engine access. (You can use another smaller hatch in the aft section of the salon for daily checks without having to go outdoors.) The engine is set low, with a shallow 6-degree shaft angle; it’s a straight inboard, and a fairly large keel that starts about a third of the way back protects the prop and rudder. The aft sections of the boat have wide chines for stability. We had a good dinner at the marina to celebrate a good day, and then I crashed. Messmer kindly gave me the master, forward. Another surprise: It has 6 feet 3 inches of headroom, plenty of room for me to change clothes and move about. I slept like a rock. The head is normal size, with a pullout shower. Messmer took the aft cabin, which you enter by lifting a teak hatch all the way aft in the port side of the salon, behind the dinette. It’s certainly large enough for two people. The next morning we walked half a mile or so down to the Galley restaurant — a must-stop, and it even has its own dock. I was puzzled when drivers of all the passing cars waved at us, until Messmer told me Lopez is known as “the friendly island” and waving is something of a tradition. Then we headed back to Anacortes, this time across Rosario Strait in a 2-foot chop on the beam, so we slowed to about 12 knots and had a comfortable ride. When we got to Skyline, we dropped the mast (which took about two minutes), and Messmer put the R29 on his trailer and headed home. Thinking back to the distances we covered and the comforts we enjoyed, I thought of the old adage: Good things do come in small packages.
Sea Magazine
The R29 builder is a family-run company owned by David Livingston, who is well known for the ubiquitous Livingston dinghies so prevalent up and down the West Coast. Despite very difficult economic conditions, five of the new 29s were sold at the show and the company has been building two a month since then.
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
The R29 Sport has a husky, broad shouldered look. Bright, shiny and highly polished bronze portholes and port lights in the cabin walls give the vessel a unique touch. Finishing the overall, classic look is the cosmetic smokestack. The appearance may be reminiscent of the “good old days,” but the construction is up to date. The hull is solid, hand-laid fiberglass both below and above the waterline. The decks and cabin are cored glass. All of the windows and skylights (and there are plenty of them) are top-quality Diamond/Seaglaze. The hull is semi-displacement; designed with the displacement sections forward. The planing sections and a reverse chine are located aft. This combination allows for good speed with modest power and excellent stability in high-speed turns or at rest. The vessel is also equipped with both bow and stern thrusters.
ON DECK
Access to the vessel can be either through a transom door off the swim step or via port and starboard built in steps from the gunnel down to the cockpit sole. Substantial stainless steel handrails make boarding easy and safe, and the swim step itself has high safety rails. It is positioned at about the same height as most floating docks, making it an easy step from dock to boat. This will be especially appreciated by boaters with small children or elderly parents. The decks themselves are cored glass with a molded in nonskid pattern. Moving forward from the cockpit along the narrow side deck is made possible by a cabin-top handrail, but this maneuver should not be done under way. Once you're on the foredeck, handrails provide good security. The foredeck can also be reached through a pilothouse sliding door at the starboard helm station or through an overhead hatch from the foc’s’le. The cockpit itself is relatively large and has a stainless sink, with a pullout shower faucet in the transom coaming. Having water and a sink in the cockpit of a small boat is unusual and will be appreciated by experienced cruisers and avid fishermen alike. Another nice feature is the built-in steps hinged at the coaming that swing up to allow access to equipment and a relatively large stowage space tucked neatly under the steps.
INSIDE
Upon entering the deckhouse the first thing you’ll notice is that the entire area is flooded with natural light. There are 10 windows and two bronze portholes in the cabin sides, An Inside Look FREE PRODUCT INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.SEAMAGAZINE.COM 31 plus the large glass area in the cabin aft door. There are four overhead skylights in the main cabin, another in the foc’s’le and one in a combined head/shower space. The flood of daylight gives the appearance of more window glass than fiberglass in the deckhouse.7 The layout is typical for boats this size; a dinette converts to a berth along one side (in this case to port and the galley along the starboard side). There are two stainless sinks with a central, single faucet, which is an excellent feature. Once again an indication that Ranger designers are experienced boaters. The galley also boasts a propane stove with an oven, a built-in microwave, a 12-volt refrigerator/freezer and a temperature controlled wine cooler that holds six bottles. The forward cabin is bright and very spacious for a vessel of this size and comes complete with an island berth, and a separate head complete with a small vanity and shower. There is ample storage space for a cruising couple. A second, midship berth is located under the dinette and immediately to port on entering the salon from the cockpit. It’s not the usual dim, cramped, space one typically finds in a setup of this nature. It is larger and brighter, and the double mattress is large enough for an adult couple to sleep comfortably. The helm station is forward of the galley, and a lookout seat is located forward of the dinette. Visibility from both seats is excellent all around. A teak and holly cabin sole promises good wear, and the various items of teak trim are well fitted.
POWER
Our test vessel was equipped with a single 260 hp Yanmar 6BY2 inboard diesel. This six-cylinder, 694-pound, common-rail engine displaces only 183 cubic inches, yet at its continuous rating of 3600 rpm it produces 198 hp. At that speed it’s still almost at the top of its torque curve. The engine is freshwater, heat exchanger cooled and is also turbocharged and intercooled. It operated smoothly, starting quickly and without smell or smoke. That really should be no surprise since Yanmar built one of the world’s first small commercial diesel engines 76 years ago. They’ve had time to get it right.
UNDER WAY
As expected with both a bow and stern thruster, moving away from the dock was no problem. At idle, 670 rpm, the small trawler ghosted along at 3 knots, burning just less than half a gallon per hour. At 1000 rpm the vessel made 4.5 knots, consuming .7 gallon per hour. At 1750 rpm we were making 7.2 knots and burning 2 gallons per hour. At this speed I hauled out my decibel meter to conduct a noise test (which is really unfair to small, lightly built trawlers). Vessels in this category don’t have either the space or the weight allowance for a lot of sound insulation or baffling. At 1750 revs the noise level was 72 decibels — less than the average radio — and much quieter than I expected. At 2500 rpm we moved along at 9.7 knots and burned 4.7 gallons per hour. At 3000 rpm our speed was 14 knots, and fuel burn was 7.3 gallons per hour. At the engine's continuous rating, 3600 rpm, we scooted along at 18 knots burning 9.8 gallons per hour. At wide-open throttle — 4000 rpm — we topped out at 22.5 knots and were burning 12.7 gallons per hour. All test speeds were GPS generated. Sea conditions at the time of our test were moderate and the vessel handled them well. We added in some wake and found that, even with the added wave height and sea confusion, the vessel was stable, solid and well behaved. We took the way off, cranked the helm hard over and slowly accelerated to full throttle while keeping the helm hard over to port. The vessel picked up a very slight list to starboard until the engine reached about 1000 rpm and then flattened out and leaned slightly to port as it dug into the turn. We straightened out and after reaching full speed, cranked the helm from hard port to hard starboard. The vessel carved the turns cleanly, without fuss or muss
IN SUMMARY
The R29 represents a good step up from Ranger’s R25. It is economical, capable of a good turn of speed and handles well. The designers have made smart use of space, and all equipment and gear can be easily accessed for routine service. The ability of the vessel to comfortably live on a trailer substantially reduces operating costs while at the same time allows the vessel to be towed to distant cruising grounds. Tow vehicles get much better mileage than boats. Overall the Ranger R29 will turn out to be a winner.
Smart Design Meets Style and Sail ability in New Catalina 375 LARGO, FL (January 10, 2008) – Catalina Yachts has just launched the Catalina 375, a fresh new design, characteristic of the successful Catalina 36, and incorporating the best features found on all of Catalina’s latest models. As successor to the legendary Catalina 36, introduced twenty-five years ago, the 375 had big shoes to fill.
Thoughtful ideas, suggestions and critique from the active Catalina 36 Owners’ Association and Catalina dealers guided the development process. “Virtually every system in this yacht has been reviewed and optimized for improved performance, efficiency and owner maintenance,” explained Gerry Douglas, vice president and chief engineer for Catalina.
The new 375 has a sculpted, contemporary and functional low profile deck and a stable performance hull form. High quality hardware and offshore-capable rigging complements a powerful sail plan with in-mast furling main and vertical battens. Twin backstays balance the powerful rig, creating an unobstructed “California size” cockpit. A single side control traveler and inboard sheeting for overlapping genoas makes sail handling easier.
Wide weather decks allow easy access forward and aft, and there is enough room in the anchor locker for two rodes and gear. Deep lockers aft leave plenty of space for optional a/c and generator. The transom extends seamlessly to the waterline for increased structural integrity. Catalina’s classic stern seats are integrated into the stern pulpit, along with an easy-access outboard motor bracket.
A standard 6’10” fin keel is lead (not cast iron), and an optional 4’8” shoal draft wing keel allows gunkholing just about anywhere. Enter the 375’s spacious open interior through hinged bi-fold companionway doors. There’s solid teak trim in the classically symmetrical main cabin with traditional port and starboard cabinets. The Lonseal non-skid sole keeps maintenance underfoot to a minimum. There are plenty of drawers with storage under the seats, a large hanging locker, plus shelved lockers throughout. A game table converts to a settee or berth, and the functional, well-designed galley …more -2- has a self-contained stainless refrigerator, large dry locker, insulated compartment for optional refrigeration and solid surface counters. An extra large head adjacent to the owner’s cabin has a big circular shower and a gravity drain waste system. Inner spring mattresses are fitted in both cabins, fore and aft. Owners will find generous tankage for water, fuel and waste, and the 40-hp. Yanmar diesel sips fuel at a mere .6 gal./hr. @ 2000 RPM.
“Catalinas do well in a very competitive market because they are the result of listening carefully to our owners and dealers,” said Frank Butler, founder and president of Catalina Yachts. “When we introduce a new boat, we don't try to reinvent the wheel each time. We incorporate proven features with new ideas and a lot of boat owners' suggestions. This gives the line continuity, helps us avoid overly trendy styling, and insures good resale value,” he said. For almost 40 years, Catalina’s unwavering dedication to building well-designed, durable, family oriented boats has resulted in long production runs where each model is improved and refined.
A commitment to owner satisfaction has enhanced customer confidence and loyalty insures Catalina’s position as the leading, exclusively sailboat builder in the United States with manufacturing facilities on both east and west coasts and an extensive national and international dealer network.
Visit GWSC for your personal tour of this boat. Currently one in stock!
*******************************************************************************************
BENETEAU 40
MARION, SC, December 17, 2007: The Beneteau 40 was awarded Boat of the Year by Cruising World Magazine for Best Midsize Cruiser. Cruising World magazine announced the best in boatbuilding for 2008 with its 15th annual Boat of the Year Awards. The results will be featured in Cruising World’s January 2008 issue.
In October, the judges nominated 24 boats in six categories: small cruisers, midsize cruisers, multihulls, midsize luxury cruisers, full-size cruisers and a unlimited cruisers category called, "Nothing quite like it." The judges included Steve Callahan, boat designer, Stacey Collins, a lifelong cruiser and veteran judge in the Boat of the Year Awards; Tom Linskey, former racer, sail maker and magazine editor; and Ralph Naranjo, former boatyard manager, technical editor and author. The judges toured the boats at the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland, and sailed them on Chesapeake Bay over four days.
In the category of midsize cruisers, the competition included the Dufour 425, Grand Soleil 40, Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 42i, Sabre Spirit and the Beneteau 40.
“Comfortable and stylish belowdecks and well organized topside, the Beneteau 40 showed light-air performance on the waters off Annapolis last fall that hinted at good handling in a stiffer breeze, and convinced the BOTY judges that this boat was a standout among Midsize Cruisers,” according to Cruising World.
“All in all, a good coastal cruising boat at a very reasonable price,” Naranjo said.
*******************************************************************************************
|
|
|
G. Winter's Sailing Center, Inc.
|
8 Reserve Avenue Riverside, NJ 08075, USA |
Toll-free 866-452-9775 Tel (856) 461-3555 Fax (856) 461-9415 Email Us |
