52' Steel Cruiser

Some Improvements!

This boat (not our design) was built on the East Coast (North America) & en-route to the West Coast. At the time of our involvement, it was moored in Mazatlan and the owner lived in Arizona, so the ‘consult’ was done at a distance.

The first contact from this owner was regarding the use of a 'high lift' rudder to correct a handling problem on a 52' steel displacement hull cruiser. The boat trimmed 1'-4" by the stern (stern down by 1’-4”-or- 3% of the waterline length, a significant amount) and had a tendency to “broach to” in quartering & following seas.
With our guidance, the owner furnished some drawings and data as well as doing some basic stability tests. After reviewing the situation it was decided a good start would be to trim the boat ‘level’ with ballast. This would also improve the stability.

The following excerpt from correspondence(most recent first)

Tuesday, June 03, 2008 10:14 AM
John,
Just a quick update. The bottom line is that I am EXTREMELY PLEASED with the ride of the boat and recognize that it was your advice and assistance that made it possible. You had a really hard task since you couldn't put your own eyes on the boat and had to rely on my notes and comments.
We are up in northern CA at the moment. We got caught off Point Reyes in fairly heavy seas and the change in the boat is extraordinary.
…………..
All in all, the boat seems to be now able to take a lot more than I can!
Thank you again.
Jim
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Sent: Saturday, April 12, 2008 6:19 PM
Dear John,
I am a very happy guy right now. We installed the ballast over the past couple of days.
As it is, it appears to me that the boat will be just about level trimmed with empty tanks and about 4"-5” stern trimmed with all tanks pressed. It just "looks" right as it is.
……….. It no longer feels like I’m skating on ice and on the verge of bad things. The boat just took a slight heel and carved turns in the water. ... It feels steady.

Jim

Refit and Modifications.

In this section we hope to illustrate some modifications which can be applied to vessels to make them more practical, efficient, and in some cases, safer.

Two of the examples shown are catamarans but their shortfalls can also afflict mono-hull boats. Some modifications can be extensive and costly and may not be as effective as hoped. Others can be relatively minor but yield tremendous benefits.

If you are considering modifications to improve your boat it is strongly recommended that you ask the right people before commencing work: at the very least, an informed decision can be made. It is a good idea to talk to several people and compare notes.

Some modifications are:

• Hull extension for larger cockpit, improved speed or efficiency.
• Hull sponsoning to improve performance or stability.
• Enclosures for more protected living space: cockpit, fly bridge.
• Re-power/re-propulsion. I.e.: replacing of stern-drive (I/O) installation with a shaft and propeller.
• Refit: this can range from a thorough upgrade to like original condition or a conversion to another application such as converting a fish boat to a yacht.