Back After Christamas Part 3

Ronnie Billings, the head electrian at the yard and the foreman for all the systems in The Ninety, hooks up wires in the junction compartment on the side of the passageway leading from the main cabin to the aft cabin.

Systems

When asked a year ago what he thought the most challenging part of The Ninety would be, Steve White replied simply, "The systems." In such a big boat, there's lots of them and they all have to work together: electrical, hydraulics, plumbing, water maker, heaters, air conditioning, lights, electronics, engine and genrators, propane to the stove and fireplace, refrigeration, the steering system, the bow thruster and anchoring systems. Most of the sailing functions are operated by hydraulics so only a few people can sail her. That all leads to miles of hoses, piping, and wires.

Here's a snap shot of what the electricians and mechanics were working on in early January.



There are two electrical control panels in the boat. the main one (top photo) is convienantly located at the base of the stairs leading down from the pilot house. The second panel (not yet installed in the lower photo) is in the captain's cabin.



Both panels back up to the machinery space so inside the space are large bundles of wires running from the panels to the junction space, where Ronnie was shown working, then onto thier destinations for the many switches, lights and motors.



The wires running from the machinery space mainly run the length of the boat in 4" square fiberglass conduits recessed into the 3" thick cored deck and into the deck beams. There are two of these conduits on each side of the boat. Many oval holes were cut in the bottom of the conduits to allow wires to be pulled out and run along beams or in cabinets to the devices they are energizing.



This week the pumps, controls and secondary filters for the water maker system were installed in the lazerette. The rudder is to the right. This is only half of this part of the system. On the other side of the boat (starboard) is an identical set.



The inlet and main filters for the water maker system were installed in the machinery space about the same time the engine was installed, months ago. Altogether the water maker system can make 1800 gallons of fresh water in 24 hours.

After Christmas Part 2

Steve Dentino installs trim along the steps leading out of the owner's cabin.

Down Below

Starting forward and working our way aft, we'll take a look at what was being done on the interior of Bequia during the first week of January.




Construction in the forward cabin is largely completed and the painters are building up coats of paint, letting the drawer guys, Peter Fletcher and Chris Muise, slip in to install the drawer boxes. The tile guy from Fresh Water Stone is working in the forward cabin shower on the port side.



Amidships the settee to starboard has been installed and drawer boxes have been installed in the lower portion of the walnut bar cabinet.



In the galley the drawer fronts are being positioned and fastened to the drawer boxes.





In the captain's quarters the paneling work is installed. By the looks of it, it is to be painted, although most of the trim in the cabin and head (through the door on the left, top photo) are teak (bottom photo).





In the aft cabin the final trim is being installed, primed and painted. The drawer guys were just here, too, installing drawer boxes. Those guys are everywhere! Note that the drawer boxes are mounted on stainless steel full extension drawer slides.

In the next post we'll take a look at some of the systems being installed in early Jamuary.

Back after Christmas

Todd Skoog fits the cornerpost for the chart house

During the first week of the new year of 2009 there was a bit of shaking off the daze of the holidays, remembering what we had been doing last year, and finding where we had put all the stuff we were working with.

There are 22 carpenters working on the boat along with two electricians and, off and on, four mechanics. There are also usually four or five painters in various cabins and building up coats on the many parts. Keeping up with everybody is a challenge.

On deck

Starr Blackwood (above) fits a margin plank, pieces of the teak deck that go between the teak decking panels and the bulwarks. The margin planks are glued down (below) without fasteners in them, held in place while the glue dries with blocks and wedges along the bulwarks and temporary screws with washers in the deck seam. Spacers in the deck seam hold the margin plank tight to the bulwark

Keith Dibble (right) and Joseph Larson spent the week in the tedious job of prepping and caulking the open grooves between the teak deck panels and helping glue down the margin planks.

On the "chart house” (from now on referred to what everyone in the crew calls it: the pilot house) Todd glued and bolted down forward and, here, aft faces after fitting the posts.

Alongside the pilot house and the top edge of the main cabin Norman Whyte (above) and Reed Hayden started fitting and gluing on the teak pillowed corner trim.

Bequia

In July of 2007, in a boat storage building that was empty for the summer, a small crew at Brooklin Boat Yard taped together mylar lofting sheets then started scarfing and laminating long 1/4” thick Douglas Fir veneers into the giant frames for a new custom design, a 90' world-cruising yawl drawn by the design team of Bob Stephens and Paul Waring.

She’s to be christened “Bequia” (A small island in St Vincent and the Grenadines among the Windward Islands in the Caribbean) and is scheduled to be launched in July of 2009, two years after laminating the frames started.

Now, with less than six months to go until launching, we'll be following the progress on this landmark boat—the largest boat ever built at Brooklin Boat Yard—with regular updates and introducing you to the many people working on her.

Laminating the frames

Simply called “The Ninety” around the shop, the design work started two years before construction, in early 2005, for the largest design and build project the yard has ever taken on.

The designers, who this year became a separate company called Stephens, Waring and White Yacht Designs, have this to say about The Ninety:

The owners sought out Brooklin Boat Yard after seeing examples of the yard’s previous work, especially the 76’ W-Class day-racing sloops. While the new yawl shares a similar graceful sheerline and lengthy overhangs, she’s a much more substantial vessel, designed to take her crew around the world’s oceans in safety, luxury, and elegance.

"With a yacht of this complexity, it’s good to have some time to work out the details before wood starts going together," says designer Robert Stephens. The most demanding task has been the integration of the yacht’s systems into the traditional deck layout and interior joinery. In addition to the systems to provide creature comforts, like air conditioning, refrigeration, and an ice maker, the yacht will also feature fully automated sail-handling systems, with a hydraulic system running some 27 different functions.

Profile and Deck Plan (click on to enlarge)

Carbon spars and state of the art sails will ensure sparkling performance, while a relatively long, shallow keel and spade rudder promise good maneuverability and access to the thin water of some prime cruising grounds. Construction is of cold-molded wood, proven to be a lightweight, cost-effective, and low-maintenance material for custom boats in this size range.

Within the varnished teak charthouse is an elevated saloon, providing great views through large windows, and a spacious chart table and electronics panel. Below, the owners’ restrained tastes will result in a decor that they call “casual cottage," modeled after their summer house on Long Island, and featuring soothing white paneling with an ebony-stained cabin sole. Custom-made couches and a gas fireplace will grace the main saloon, while certain pieces of furniture finished in differing woods will add interest.

Accommodations Plan (click on to enlarge)

Forward, a spacious double stateroom provides accommodation for their two teenage daughters, while under the aft cabin trunk is a roomy suite for the owners. A captain’s cabin accommodating two or three is located to port, off the large galley, while in the passageway to starboard is a shower, laundry, and a pair of bunks for additional offshore crew. In total, the arrangement is simple and roomy.

PARTICULARS

LOA: 90.75 ft. (27.7 m)
LWL: 63.5 ft. (19.4 m)]
Beam: 19.3 ft. (5.9 m)]
Draft: 9 ft. (2.7 m)]
Displacement: 135,000 lbs. (61,235 k)
Sail Area: 3,424 sq. ft. (318 sq m)