2009 BOATS OF THE YEAR
AVAILABLE HODGDON YACHTS by John Snyder
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HERE ARE FEW MAINE BOATBUILDERS that can claim the lineage of Hodgdon Yachts. For almost 190 years, five generations have served at the Hodgdon yard in East Boothbay. Since 1985, fifth-generation boatbuilder Tim Hodgdon has been at the helm of the yard that has become known for its large, cold-molded custom boats and developed a reputation for its state-of-the-art work with carbon fiber. Most people these days associate Hodgdon with the extraordinary Bruce Kingdesigned superyachts Antonisa (124 feet, built in 1999) and Scheherazade (154 feet, 2003), but the new Hodgdon 65, Available, the yard’s latest custom yacht, is not a King design. Rather, it is a collaboration with Connecticut-based Tripp Design. Tripp designed Available, a cross between a true ocean racer and an elegant passage-maker, for fast, extended cruising in open water. It is comfortable and easily driven, seakindly and very fast. On a recent test sail on Penobscot Bay the boat sailed effortlessly and tracked like an arrow. Under these conditions a couple could easily handle the boat. While smaller than the yard’s recent superyacht classics, the new Hodgdon 65 is certainly no less complex in its design, build, systems engineering, and finish. (The boat actually began as a 62-footer but gained 3 feet by the addition of a scoop transom, handy for boarding from a swim ladder or tender, after the hull was built.) One might think that building a smaller boat would be a bit easier, but it has presented some unique challenges to boatbuilders who are used to working in large interior spaces, where they can essentially set up shop and work unencumbered, day in and day out. The boat is also unique for Hodgdon, in that it is built to rigid CE (Conformite
Alison Langley
Hadden Boat Company: Surprise At HADDEN BOAT COMPANY, what began as a simple deck replacement quickly became more involved. A 1952 19-foot Lyman Islander arrived at the Georgetown shop with broken frames, long depressions along the hull, and rot in the deck, transom, and stem after sitting on a trailer for 20 years. Once rot was also identified on the underside of many frames, builder Alex Hadden expanded the scope of the job: “After the transom and stem were in,” he said, “we realized that by merely removing the full-length engine stringers and floor frame, we would have wide-open access to all the frames. The floor assembly hoisted out in one piece, and three temporary molds went in the bilge, the lapstrake frames came out, new ones went in—self-fairing as they went—and after 3 days, all the frames throughout were new, top to bottom. The rest of the job went together in the usual laborious, timeconsuming way—decks, guards, windshield, trim, staining and varnishing—but those three days were gratifying.” Other boats in for repair at the predominantly one-man shop were: a 16' Bolger Whitehall “Spur” design, a 15' Banks dory, a 12' Dory skiff, a 19' Culler Buzzards Bay sloop, a 19' Penryn dory; and the ongoing restorations of a 1960 34' Knutson and a 1972 25' Crosby cat. www.maineboats.com/mainecoastal-directory/hadden-boat-company; 207371-2662.
Alison Langley(2)
teak option. An extensive electronics package includes a Garmin Plotter with XM Radio weather overlay, Sirius Radio, depth sounder, and VHF radio. A 1978 Sisu received a power makeover, with the swapping of a 4-cylinder Volvo for a 110-hp 4-cylinder Yanmar. www.greybarnboatworks.com; 603-382-0055.
Hodgdon Yachts: Available HODGDON YACHTS of East Boothbay
launched Available in June and debuted the Tripp Design 20-meter sloop at the MAINE B OATS, HOMES & HARBORS SHOW. The performance hull is a carbon/Kevlar/cedar composite structure. Luxury systems include hydraulic/electric sail controls, a lifting keel, bow thruster, water makers, and a full package of electronics and entertainment equipment. (See page 68 for more information). www.hodgdonyachts.com; 207-633-4194.
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The low, sleek house defines the main saloon and is designed to provide maximum visibility. MAINE BOATS, HOMES & HARBORS
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February / March 2010
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Issue 108
BOATS OF THE YEAR 2009
SPECIFICATIONS / HODGDON 65 LOA: 65' LWL: 59.5' Beam: 15.7' Draft: 8' (lifting keel up), 12.5' (keel down) Displ.: 50,400 lbs. Mast height: 88' Sail area: upwind 2,325 sq. ft.,
down 4,951 sq. ft. Fresh water: 163 gal. Fuel: 264 gal. Engine: Volvo D3 110 Turbo Diesel Sails: North Sails—3DL,
LorLam, NorLon
Nav/Comm: Northstar dome radar and
GPS, Sirius Northstar weatherfax, ICOM VHF, B&G depth sounder and sailing instruments, Nobeltec Admiral 9.0 navigation software, VEI hard drive 2/15" display onboard computer, Simrad AP28 autopilot Rigging: Custom Harken hydraulic system, Hall Nitronic-50 stays, Hall carbon high modulus mast, Harken winches and jib furler, Hall Vee-boom with lazy jacks
Designer: Bill Tripp, Tripp Design Naval Architecture,144 Water Street,
South Norwalk, CT 06854. 203-838-2215; www.trippdesign.net Builder: Hodgdon Yachts, P.O. Box 505, East Boothbay ME 04544.
207-633-4194; www.hodgdonyachts.com electric primary and secondary winches, jib furler, and a carbon fiber Vee-boom with lazy jacks and boom vang. Additional sail inventory and rigging include a spinnaker on its own furler, a staysail on soft hanks, and a removable inner forestay. The yacht’s cockpit is a true hybrid: spacious, comfortable, and secure for family cruising and passagemaking, yet well laid out for serious racing. A sleek, low-profile pilothouse serves as a spacious main saloon and nav station. A large wraparound windscreen offers excellent visibility at the interior helm and bathes the galley with natural light. Electronics and navigation equipment includes everything you would expect in a yacht of this caliber. Below decks, Available has three cabins with en-suite heads featuring showers and toilets. All of the joinery material is cherry veneer and white-painted tri-cell panels to save on weight. The forward cabin has a double centerline berth and settee, bookshelves, and ample locker space. The port-side galley is U-shaped and bordered by the lift-keel trunk. The proportions and layout lend themselves to ease of food preparation when offshore. Available has demonstrated Hodgdon’s versatility and will surely attract buyers eager to own a yacht of this pedigree in a package shorter than 100 feet. Call this new class of yacht what you will—mini-superyacht, café racer, or hybrid racer/cruiser—it will be at home racing from Camden to Castine or from Monaco to Marseille. N www.maineboats.com
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MAINE BOATS, HOMES & HARBORS
C.W. HOOD YACHTS of Marblehead, Massachusetts, launched Mischief, an Aldendesigned Wasque 26 downeast-style yacht for a couple on Long Island Sound. Hull no. 1 of the Hood 32 daysailer was due to launch in time for a “frostbite” sail, and hull nos. 2 and 3 were spoken for and in the early construction stages. Sailors as far away as the Midwest have expressed interest in this new design. The Hood 43, with a passenger seating area forward of the helm for effortless mingling with the captain, was awarded “Best Boat” at the 2009 Newport International Boat Show. www.cwhoodyachts.com; 781-631-0192. MARC HOREY BOATBUILDING, a restoration and repair business in West Bath, recently completed the overhaul of a Tayana 37 that ranged from a new teak deck to plumbing and electrical updates. Projects in the shop as 2010 began were a 45' wooden topsail schooner named Aries and a 32' Alberg. www.maineboats.com/maine-coastaldirectory/marc-horey-boatbuilding; 207841-7472.
Howard Boats Catboat HOWARD BOATS completed 6 Barnstable
Catboats—a design based on John Beetle’s wooden catboat, 1 skiff, and 10 Fisher Cats, bringing the total number of Fishers built to nearly 20 in the 2 years since its introduction. The shop annually cares for a “blend of 50 to 60 wooden and glass traditional boats,” with the usual mix of frame and deck repairs. Winter promises to bring an addition to the Barnstable, Massachusetts, shop to create more production and office space. www.howard-boats.com; 508-362-6859.
Billy Black
Europeéne) standards, necessary certification for all recreational boats in the European Economic Area (EEA). Available’s hull is cold-molded from 6mm Douglas fir and sheathed outboard with a cored, PVC-foam, resin-infused carbon-fiber skin, which combines strength with lightness. The interior is ceiled with Douglas fir in the accommodation spaces, providing an elegant look. The decks are teak. The wood composite enhances the sound proofing, serves as thermal insulation, and cuts down on much of the condensation common to carbon fiber. The hull form is quite narrow, lending itself to a powerful fractional rig height of only about 88'. This means less weight aloft than you would typically find on a boat of this size. Tripp notes that their designs create boats that “sail on the water, not through it.” True enough, the fore deck remained remarkably dry on all points of sail despite a slight chop on the bay. On all tacks the plumb bow cut cleanly through the water, with some slight stern turbulence appearing just 8-10" aft of the transom scoop. Available is equipped with a hydraulic lifting keel with an L–shaped profile stainless steel fin and lead bulb. Rigging includes a centerline below-decks mainsheet system, a custom hydraulic system, a high modulus three-spreader carbon-fiber mast,
Hunt Harrier Hardtop Coupe HUNT YACHTS of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, introduced 3 new hardtop coupes—in the Harrier 36 and Surfhunter 29 and 33 models—in response to customer requests for an all-weather bridgedeck area. A sliding sunroof is an optional detail. The first Harrier 36 Hardtop Coupe was launched in November and then left for the Bahamas for the winter season. The first Surfhunter 29 Coupe acted as a chase boat in the Newport Harbor area dur-
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