GUNBOAT NEWS JANUARY 2013

ELVIS WINS KEY WEST RACE!

Fresh from a gorgeous refit, the GUNBOAT 62 ELVIS trounced the multihull division in the classic Ft Lauderdale to Key West Race.  She won her division by nearly three hours on corrected time, and was third across the finish line, led by only a grand prix maxi racing boat, and a stripped out carbon racing trimaran.  Congrats to ELVIS owner Jason Carroll and his crew that included US Moth Champ Anthony Kotoun.  ELVIS switches duties for Key West Race Week, and will serve as mother-ship and home to Jason's winning ARGO Melges 32 team.  Race winner... best mother-ship... world cruiser.  Gunboat versatility.  

 PIRATES, GALES, OH MY!  Moonwave's maiden offshore romp  

The gorgeous new Gunboat 60 MOONWAVE departed the yard on Christmas eve with her crew Stephane Fumat and Sophie Brehovsky and Gunboat founder Peter Johnstone and Francesca Grum aboard. The two couples enjoyed the 2000 mile passage from Xiamen to Singapore immensely. MOONWAVE was put through quite a test. "We had large, confused seas along the coast of China to Hong Kong. In some of the flatter waters near Hong Kong, we unleashed her a bit and saw 30.2 knots of boat-speed," enthused Captain Fumat. The new Nigel Irens' shapes effortlessly climb through the speed range with excellent manners. Further South, the winds and seas built to gale conditions. "We kept the small asymmetric flying until winds reached the mid 30's, then went to just a deeply reefed main when waves reached 20'+, started to break, and winds topped 45 knots. The centerboard system is brilliant because you can always adjust the balance of the boat with the boards. You simply cannot do that with a cat equipped with daggerboards. The deeply reefed main allowed us to go straight downwind with the wave train and perfectly balanced helm. Through much of the gale, we sailed at 12-18 knots in perfect comfort, enjoying gourmet sit-down meals. It is quite a contrast to my keelboat years, and the sail handling is so much easier than our earlier series. There is no need for staysails or cutter stays," revelled Johnstone, who saw a top daily mileage at close to 340 miles. He continued, "The new hull shape makes for a very dry ride. The forward doors were open the entire trip, and we only saw spray on deck twice." The rough weather contrasted to the near calms as MOONWAVE glided through the pirate infested Anambas Islands of Indonesia on the approach to Singapore. The all black sails are pretty intimidating. The Pirates either steered clear or could not keep up. "We sailed MOONWAVE right up to the final channel markers off of the Raffles Marina on the Western shore of Singapore," Johnstone concluded. For full details of the new GUNBOAT 60, contact meg@gunboat.com.
 

PAUL HAKES, RENOWNED BOAT BUILDER 

Paul Hakes, and his core team, have joined Hudson Yachts, the builder of the GUNBOAT 60 series. Paul has been named President of Hudson and overseas the GUNBOAT 60 series with project manager William Jelbert. Paul earned his enviable reputation building several of the top TP52's in his former Wellington NZ yard. He has brought along the SL33 catamaran series to be produced at Hudson. TEAM NZ has utilized these speedy carbon 33' cats for two-boat testing and to assist their AC72 design process. Paul's earliest multihull experience was aboard Steve Fossett's record setting PLAYSTATION, which he helped build. Paul and Mr. Hudson will visit the GUNBOAT USA yard in late January for a GUNBOAT world summit on continued development of best practices between the two GUNBOAT yards. GUNBOAT is very fortunate to have Paul and Mr. Hudson on its team. Welcome Paul! 

 

FIND YOUR HEART IN MIAMI 

GUNBOAT will be at the Miami International Boat Show from February 14-17. How about a steamy midwinter Valentine weekend in Miami? Restoke the fire with your someone special, and fall in love with the GUNBOAT that will be at the end of C dock at the Bayside Marina location of the show. PLEASE schedule your VIP time slot to avoid the 45 minute boarding lines! Contact meg@gunboat.com.

GUNBOAT 55....... One Design/World Cruiser!    

The GUNBOAT 55 series is going from strength to strength. Eight GUNBOAT 55's are now on order. The GUNBOAT USA yard is a bee-hive of activity. The first three GUNBOAT 55's are now molded and a new GUNBOAT 55 starts every month. The clean, simple, and versatile design is aimed at owner-operators who do not want crew and desire maximum world cruising comfort and performance from an easy to sail and maintain platform. Several owners have one design racing backgrounds and talk has begun of racing the GUNBOAT 55's one design in Caribbean regattas. Contact meg@gunboat.com for the latest on the Gunboat 55 series.
   

78 MOCKED UP! 

The gorgeously built, all carbon GUNBOAT 78 platform now has a nice interior mock up constructed for potential customers to come view her spaces. She was successfully hauled up our new ramp and is located in our special 78 project shed. Prospective customers are lining up their visits. The world's fastest world cruising cat is available for completion in early 2014. If purchased during the project preparation period, we can customize to suit your needs. Contact meg@gunboat.com to schedule your visit or to make inquiries about our 78 Series. 

 FAVORITES AT HEINEKEN    

Captain Harvey Jenkinson from the GUNBOAT 66 TIGER LILY reports that six GUNBOATs will sail as a GUNBOAT Class at the Heineken St Maarten Regatta this March. Each GUNBOAT will be weighed on digital load cells at Bobby's Superyacht Marina prior to racing. Pre-regatta favorite is ELVIS, the Gunboat 62 being owner-driven by Melges 32 ace Jason Carroll. ELVIS Captain Scott Bradford has lightened ship, added some new sails, and has ELVIS in the best condition in years. The brand new GUNBOAT 66 SLIM will be led by former ELVIS captain, Travis McGarry. Expect close racing, and a fun filled week. We love seeing our all-carbon world cruising cats demonstrate their versatility. The Heineken, as it is known, is one of the world's most fun regattas. Beautiful point to point races, gorgeous setting, huge beach parties, and a proven atmosphere of relaxed fun. Add a GUNBOAT class, and it is magical.

 NEW GUNBOAT BELTS & FACEBOOK  

 Meg Minetree reports that the new, extra wide GUNBOAT belts are in the store. These hot commodities are typically reserved for GUNBOAT owners, special crew, and VIPs. As keeper of the swag, Meg has generously offered belts to the next 10 Gunboat eNews readers who "Like" GUNBOAT on Facebook!  Use this link and follow our News Feed to learn if you're a winner of our coveted gear!



http://www.facebook.com/gunboatcatamarans

 
 

GUNBOAT FALL 2012 NEWS

Coming to America

 

The owners of GUNBOAT 78-01 have hit the re-set button. After being stored for two years as a carbon shell with bulkheads, she is loading on a ship in Cape Town for her first Ocean crossing to Baltimore, USA. In early December she will off-load and be towed to GUNBOAT's new yard in Wanchese, NC for completion.  She is available for purchase and the sooner we hear from you, the more input you will have in customizing her finish.

 

GUNBOAT Expands Facility   GUNBOAT USA recently acquired the adjacent 10,000 sq ft waterfront building in Wanchese, NC. With renovations underway and the GUNBOAT 78 arriving later this year, we now have room for the GUNBOAT 78 series, additional larger projects, and GUNBOAT servicing on site.

SUGAR DADDY Sells at Annapolis Show  Thank you for visiting the Annapolis Sailboat Show. We had more onboard traffic, and serious buyers, during those five days than at any prior show. Four buyers for SUGAR DADDY emerged from the show and she went under contract soon after. The new owners plan her second circumnavigation!

Development of GUNBOAT G4 begins Our founder, Peter Johnstone, has been refining the concept for a radical new smaller GUNBOAT at about 40' since 2004. "I can't wait to present this series! We are going to tip over some sacred cows in this segment." Nigel Irens' first concept drawings are now complete. If you are a serious candidate for a Gunboat at about 40', please contact meg@gunboat.com to be included in the process.

GUNBOAT at Ft Lauderdale Boat Show   GUNBOAT will show the GUNBOAT 66 'SUGAR DADDY' at the Ft Lauderdale Boat Show October 25-29. Please make an appointment if you plan to visit meg@gunboat.com. The lines to board a Gunboat are typically 30-60 minutes long. We would like to get our dedicated GUNBOAT family aboard without the wait!

GUNBOAT 55-01 Furniture Completes The new GUNBOAT 55 furniture is likely our best yet. We have reduced the weight of the construction to amply beat our weight calculations. A proprietary new construction method has reduced weight by nearly 40%. The degree of fit and finish takes Gunboat to a new level of achievement. While the rest of the cruising cat market seems to be headed towards cheaper plastic interiors, we are celebrating a significant jump in quality and light weight. The teak veneers are simply stunning.              Kind regards, Meg Minetree Skype: gunboat_meg meg@gunboat.com 252 305 8700

Many thanks to our dear friend, Whitey Russell of PURE Yachting, who served as our water taxi in Annapolis!

NEW SUPER CAT AT GREEN MARINE

I am publishing this press release from Green Marine. They are talking about a 78 super cat designed by Nigel Irens. I asked both the yard and the designer if I could receive some renderings but no answer. Then I checked on Ibi News and saw the rendering of the Gunboat 78.  So, is Green Marine building the Gunboat 78 or is it another yacht ? I asked the question at Peter Johnson, Gunboat president, by email but no answer yet.  If you know the answer, let me know.

Green Marine, one of the world’s leading builders of lightweight, composite racing and super yachts, has announced that it has a ground‐breaking 78‐foot (24‐metre) catamaran currently in build at its facility in Hythe, England. Designed by renowned multihull naval architect Nigel Irens and designated the APC (Advanced Premium Catamaran) 78, she will be the first of a new breed of catamaran that bridges the current gulf between stripped‐out racing boats and sedate, heavyweight cruisers. The launch date is set for mid‐2014.

With its long experience of building Grand Prix Racing Yachts and its uncompromising approach to delivering Premium Performance yachts with lowweight yet fully equipped cruising interiors, Green Marine is one of the few yards in the world capable of undertaking such a project. The APC 78 is being built in carbon and Nomex and will benefit from the yard’s acknowledged leadership in weight minimisation at every stage of the build.

“With a few notable exceptions catamaran owners have, until now, generally opted to put the emphasis on the living experience,” says designer Nigel Irens, “but all the indications are that this polarisation between ‘strictly racing’ and ‘strictly cruising’ boats is about to end. We set out to design a catamaran that would genuinely out‐perform quite seriously refined single‐hulled boats on all points of sailing, while nevertheless retaining the comfort of a cruising catamaran. The result will, it is hoped, be a groundbreaking boat that will sail fast (and upright), and yet will provide a superb living platform – one that is just as happy nosing up to the beach for a barbecue at the end of a long day’s racing, then heading for home at 13 knots under power.”

“With the increasing demand for sailing superyachts that are both competitive on the race course and yet fully equipped for cruising, taking the step of extending that concept into catamarans was inevitable,” said Green Marine CEO Marcel Müller. "Weight optimisation and control are critical for the success of a performance multihull such as the APC78, and these are areas in which Green Marine excels. The APC78 currently in build will, we hope, be just the first of a series that will provide their owners with exciting, sociable racing together with the capability to pack a long distance cruising itinerary into just a week or two of vacation, all in complete comfort.”

GUNBOAT 78 IN BUILT

GUNBOAT 78 - NEW GUNBOAT - NEW ARCHITECT

Gunboat is coming out with a new catamaran in their range. There was a gap to fill between the 66 and the 90 and they came out with the GUNBOAT 78 designed by Irens and Cabaret.

The designers have used their experience creating the record breakers IDEC II and SODEBO to design the hulls which are really powerful. Built in vaccuumed sandwinch with carbon spars as all the GUNBOAT range no doubt it will be a very fast cruising catamaran. The interior layout remains very original and confortable. The platform host a large salon with a folding dining area. The five cabines include 2 masters cabins with queen berths as well as in the Captain's cabin. As usual the forward cockipt is used for sail handling. No need to run around the boat and take risks to sail. Every thing is in this protect cockpit, the central nerve to the GUNBOAT. One the the GUNBOAT's signatures with the carbon dagger boards and now rudders both retractable to reduce as much as possible the draft.

I really look forward to see the first in production and sailing.