Innehållsförteckning för August 2016 från Boating NZ

Most modern vessels are fitted with battery-operated fridge/freezer systems – units which have become extremely efficient, reliable and relatively maintenance-free. The technology keeping them operational has also improved – better batteries and charging systems offer boat owners greater capacity and faster charging. And with solar becoming cheaper by the day, there are numerous charging options. If you don’t have any refrigeration on your boat, or you run a mechanical compressor off the main engine, a bonus of upgrading to electric refrigeration is minimal servicing: most electrical refrigeration units are air-cooled and will happily run for 10 years plus without any maintenance. This alone can save your wallet the pain of a refrigeration call-out during a Christmas cruise. Another major advantage is the ability to use shore power: when you get…

From the drawing board of Auckland designer Jim Pauling, the WASP (Water Air Suspension Powercat) is unusual both for its construction and its departure from conventional catamaran concepts. The vessel’s fabricated from flat panels of High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (HMWPE) welded together much like an alloy boat. This is different from LDPE (low density polyethylene) boats which are rotationally-moulded. HMWPE carries a higher tensile strength than LDPE and offers the added advantage of precision: the panels can be manufactured to exactly the right specifications, saving weight or strengthening the structure in different parts of the hull, as required. All with a smooth finish. Effectively, this delivers an attractive marriage – the “feel” of a fibreglass boat with the tough durability of an alloy boat – making for a relatively light,…

Our two weeks enjoying AC34 in San Francisco was the catalyst that made us decide to be at the next AC on our own yacht, wherever that might be. Sadly, that isn’t Auckland and once Bermuda was announced we started to look at more ambitious options to fulfil our plans. I’ve done a few offshore miles, am involved in local club racing and we have both enjoyed a reasonable amount of cruising, but my partner Jaz isn’t so big on heavy leaning. Also, the logic of slowly dragging a large lump of lead halfway around the world scrambles my brain cells. We decided we wanted a boat that would be fast, stable, safe, modern and smart. The easy answer seemed to be purchase a cat in Florida or somewhere nearby…

In 1931 Norwegian writer Erling Tambs and his wife Julie sailed the Colin Archer-designed and built 12.2m, gaff-rigged, pilot-boat cutter Teddy to New Zealand. Tambs wrecked Teddy on Kawau Island in March 1932, but prior to this Nobby Collings and Ernie Bailey had separately taken her lines and drawn their own versions. In the early 1940s boatbuilder Bruce Hart, then working at United Ship and Boatbuilders, began building the Collings version, but sold the frames to Orams. Over the next few years Orams completed a kitset for the yacht and built what became Vega in Whangarei. “She was my dream yacht. I built her to take me around the world,” said Orams. “She took me two years to build and all with hand tools.” Using native timbers such as kauri,…

Face-lift for a Queen Cunard’s flagship liner Queen Mary 2 has set sail on her first voyage following an investment of around $186 million – one of the most significant refurbishments undertaken by the shipping line. The luxury liner has been lovingly remastered with new contemporary interior designs and guest experiences, many of which take inspiration from the original Queen Mary launched at the height of the art-deco movement in the 1930s. Cunard’s investment, marking 80 years since the original liner launched, has ensured every detail from the carpets to the curtains recalls that iconic vessel which became a symbol of British elegance. The liner’s remastering features: • A redesign and refurbishment of the Queen’s Grill and Princess Grill suites and restaurants, as well as Britannia staterooms, the latter to…

C ygnus Montanus? A famous Roman centurion? A noble red wine? Sultry sea sprite? None of my guesses was correct. It means ‘Mountain Swan’ and it’s a construction of two parts: the Swedish owner’s previous vessel (Cygnus Montanus II) is a Swan 77 – a marque synonymous with grace and elegance. The ‘mountain’ is a nod to his homeland’s topography. Using my rapier-sharp powers of deduction, I’ll assume there was a Cygnus Montanus 1 and that strictly speaking, this new Frers-designed beauty should be Cygnus Montanus 111. Whatever the truth, this iteration is a superb coda to the lineage. The latest build from Auckland’s Yachting Developments Limited (YDL), she was launched mid-June. As the images reflect, she’s magnificent in every way – a glowing tribute to YDL’s expertise and, by…

Outboards for Whittley’s CR2080 BETTER KNOWN FOR sterndrive rigs, Whittley appreciates that some boating families prefer their engines ‘hanging off the back’. The company already offers the outboard-only CW series and outboard-powered versions of its offshoreready SL series, but if you wanted a Whittley Cruiser, it came with a Volvo Penta sterndrive. Whittley has re-engineered the popular CR2080’s transom for today’s modern outboards. Designed for four-stroke or direct injection two-stroke outboards in the 100-150hp range, the CR2080 OB (outboard) is lighter with more internal cockpit space, but misses out on the extended boarding/swim platform. The standard CR2080 OB weighs 1400kg on a single-axle trailer, depending upon engine and fit-out. The new CR2080 OB lowers the price of admission for those wanting to experience Whittley’s premium offerings. Pricing and packaging varies…

After four years of intensive training and preparation, Judgement Day has arrived for New Zealand’s sailing team participating at the Rio Olympics (8 – 18 August). The team comprises 12 sailors competing in seven classes – Men’s One Person Dinghy – Laser, Men’s One Person Dinghy (heavy) – Finn, Men’s Two Person Dinghy – 470, Women’s Two Person Dinghy – 470, Men’s Skiff - 49er, Women’s skiff - 49er FX – and Mixed Two Person Multihull - Nacra 17. While conditions at Rio’s sailing venues are notoriously fickle, the sailors’ build-up to the event has benefitted from a high-tech coaching programme – a collaborative initiative between Yachting New Zealand (YNZ) and High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ). HPSNZ – based on Auckland’s North Shore – works in partnership with multiple…

“And what,” visitors to the Tauranga slipway often ask, “do you call that thing?” But Alan Cotter, the retired engineer who created the unique construction, has heard it all before. “That,” he says with a bemused grin, “is a SWATH boat.” He doesn’t quite say “dummy,” but leaves you in no doubt that that is what he’s thinking. It’s only his amiable demeanour that reveals the fun he’s had building the SWATH. To those in the know, SWATH stands for: Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull, but to casual observers it looks like a fairly standard hull form welded on top of three torpedoes. Cotter SWATH ➤ loa 16m ➤ beam 10m ➤ draught 1.5m ➤ weight 16 tonnes ➤ fuel 2,000 litres ➤ engine 250hp Cummins “The bulbs minimise hull…

The nether regions of New Zealand are among the farthest-flung parts of the planet. Campbell Island, our southernmost extremity, has the loneliest tree in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records – but the island has also been the focal point for a flurry of radio contacts from all round the globe. The tree is a 106-year-old Norwegian spruce, planted by homesick Scandinavian whalers – and the communications emanated from a group of DX amateur radio operators who travelled to the island on the expedition yacht Evohe. A truckload of equipment: radios, antennae, computers, personal effects, camera gear, generators, tools and jerry cans of fuel arrived on the wharf beside Evohe in Bluff and, spurred on by showers of sleet, all hands turned to, chain-ganging it aboard,…

The PIC Insurance Brokers Coastal Classic – Auckland to Russell – is one of the world’s best-known ‘must-do’ races. For more than 30 years it’s been the first big summer event on the New Zealand yachting calendar, and it always features a great party at the end. It’s a great distance – long enough to be challenging, but short enough for a race-and-return trip over a long weekend. But for boat owners entering for the first time, you need to organise a crew, get the boat ship-shape, register for race handicaps, prepare meals, and hopefully sort out somewhere warm and comfortable to sleep when you arrive in Russell. Here’s what you need to consider: SAFETY The Coastal Classic is a Category 3 event. This means you need to make sure…

A New York Times article quoted an anonymous resident of Cutchogue Harbour, Long Island as saying, “To us, he was just a bad sailor with funny hair and a funny accent. People used to look out there and laugh at this strange guy in his sailboat going nowhere.” That bad sailor was Albert Einstein, who in 1905, while working as a probationary technical expert (third class) at the Swiss patent office in Bern, wrote scientific papers in his spare time. Among them was a paper on special relativity, a dissertation of 9,000 words entirely devoid of the usual references which choke academic works. It was an extraordinary idea from an extraordinary sailor. This paper and others that followed came from a sailor who became recognised as the most brilliant physicist…

The 2500 Ultracab XL is loaded with clever engineering and design… Stabicraft boats always look functional to me. I like that about them, and judging by the brand’s worldwide success, plenty of other people do as well. That’s not to say Stabicraft pay no attention to styling. On the contrary: its in-house designers take great care to ensure every Stabicraft is unmistakeable and unique – perhaps never more so than with the new 2500 Ultracab XL. In the 2500 the Ultracab concept provides a larger than usual wheelhouse/cabin, fully enclosed for year round comfort, with the ability to seat six. Ultracab models have proven popular in offshore markets, particularly North America. CLEVER INTERIOR In recent years the Stabicraft design team has come up with new materials and innovative design features…

Diagnostics dream NAVICO’S NETWORK ANALYZER and Service Assistant offers integrated wireless diagnostics. Available in a free software release, the new tools are designed to ensure optimal marineelectronics performance for tools for Lowrance, Simrad and B&G multifunction displays with GoFree connectivity. The tools allow anglers to easily send system information to brand service teams to improve troubleshooting and customer service. This update gives immediate access to the latest features and the best support and service when connected to a wireless network. The Network Analyzer proactively notifies users when new software is available for displays, expansion modules and other networked devices. The Service Assistant is used to transmit a detailed report of Ethernet and NMEA2000 networked devices so technical support can help troubleshoot issues more quickly. The service report can also include…

Smuggler Marine’s Strata stable of RIBs, combining fibreglass hulls with Hypalon inflatable tubes, was launched in 2004 and ranges from the 490 centre-console RIB up to monster 14m cabin boats. The Strata 750 hull – with its centre-console, mid-cabin and twin-engine configurations – is a versatile and popular model. This hull’s exceptional stability is well-proven, with the deep 27o deadrise rigid hull providing a smooth ride even through severe chop. On a conventional boat this deep vee would be extremely tender at rest, but that’s where the massive inflatable collar comes into play. Side pontoons deliver superb stability at rest, settling down on the water and completely eliminating any tendency to lean. But at speed three sets of planing strakes lift the pontoons clear of the water, creating a smooth,…

The new E-TEC G2 150, 150 High Output (HO), 175 and 200 follow the success of the 200 HO to 300hp models launched in 2014. BRP says the new models deliver up to 30 percent more torque, up to 15 percent better fuel efficiency and up to 75 percent fewer total regulated emissions compared to many four-stroke outboards. The new models – due in New Zealand in August – are certainly distinctive and even have a customisable look that allows owners to colour match the engines to their boats. They are also remarkably quiet with an impressive hole-shot and loads of torque. That improved torque is available throughout the rev range but it’s particularly noticeable in the mid-range. Put the hammer down at 3000rpm and the boat leaps forward. Loads…