HEYMAN YACHT DESIGN

Expedition Yachts # 2

2011-09-30T18:00:00.036+02:00

The ATOA 64

An amphibious yacht

Maybe I should keep this to myself as I am partial. But the Atoa is one of the most interesting yachts I know of:

- She is unusually comfortable at sea, in any climate

- By concept, she is one of the safest yachts around

- She sails without a proper keel

- And she is designed to walk on land

Beyond the horizon

Properties like these obviously do not happen by themselves. In the case of the ATOA, they are in part the result of some extremely careful planning and engineering.

But, to be honest, to a great extent she is the result of coincidence. Pure luck, if you will.

The Atoa 64 was conceived as a competent expedition yacht – ATOA refers to Arctic to Antarctic. With a visit to the Amazon river on the way. The requirements were very specific:

· Fast, at least 8 knots average offshore, under engine or sail, off the wind or to windward.

· Draft limited to 1,60 m. Able to dry out.

· Protected propeller, good for all sorts of conditions

· Completely self-reliant. Foolproof keel, rudder and rig.

· Immensely strong construction, capable of any weather without damage and able to go through thin ice.

· A double-ended stern was desirable, if it did not detract from the basic qualities

· Walk-in engine room.

· A completely enclosed pilot house from which the yacht could be handled for long periods in adverse weather.

· Cockpit as sheltered as ever possible.

· Easily handled by one or two persons.

· Three cabins, one of which could be used as a crew cabin. En-suite layout.

stability requires that the keel stays in place...

During the project phase, all sorts of different concepts were evaluated. Our client suggested twin keels – these were ruled out for their lacklustre performance. Ballasted swing keels were not enough foolproof. A lifting keel was regarded not fit for the south Atlantic. Even an ordinary fixed fin keel was ruled out as being too vulnerable. Spade rudders likewise.

Please note that all these concepts are fine for almost any boat and we use most of them all the time. Only, this particular yacht was supposed to be able to be fine and safe in the most remote parts of the world, on her own and under any conditions.

Boarding the boat

ATOA 64, with both dagger boards shown. One is used at a time

Finally, a somewhat unique concept grew on the drawing board.

The boat would be built with a long, very shallow keel, extending all the way aft to protect the propeller and support the rudder. This would be the backbone of the yacht and allow a reasonable position for approx. 12 tons of lead ballast.

The rudder would of course be balanced, in order not to strain the helm or autopilot too much.

section through engine room

On the outside of the engine room each side, through the side decks, there would be an asymmetric daggerboard. This would provide a lift to windward equivalent to a modern fin-keel yacht with 2,8 m draft.

Outside of the dagger boards, towards the hull sides and under the side decks, there would be space left for nothing. Unless we put ballast tanks there. But the boat wouldn’t be able to survive freezing conditions with water ballast, fresh or salt, so we put the spare diesel bunker tanks there. 2000 litres, to be half in each tank, or all on the windward side during a passage.

Pilot house with inside helm station

Downstairs, looking aft under pilot house into engine room

Apart from batteries, all installations in one place

Again, with the combined stability gained by the filled windward tank together with the lead keel, this would provide the equivalent kind of righting moment that one would expect from a modern fin-keel yacht with 2,8 m draft. Voilà!

If one of the daggerboards got damaged in the Antarctic, the boat would still be able to keep sailing. She would lose that last edge, that’s all. Same if the spare diesel had to be used.

So, essentially, we were creating a totally safe yacht with 1,6 m draft that would behave like it had a modern cruiser-racer fin keel 2,8 m deep. Alas, with slightly more drag.

As dry as possible

Maybe the real beauty of this concept is the ability to dry out. The dagger boards serve as perfect legs. And the yacht will in such case rest on its keel bottom, not on the hull itself. Drying out with a lifting-keel boat could be a nightmare if you discover you are sitting on a boulder. With the thick sole of the keel onto the sea bed, you will still be safe.

Taking all aspects in account, we knew this design was as safe and amphibious and fast and simple we could come up with for a 40-ton, world cruising 64-foot sailing yacht.

It never turns out the way you expect

Atoa as she was built. The keel protrudes only 0,5 metres (1' 8") below the hull

The ATOA was built beautifully in Enkhuizen, Holland. During the build, however, a decision was made not to build the daggerboards. We were very concerned, convinced that she would become a mediocre motorsailer kind of yacht.

Motoring out of Enkhuizen, last days of December

As it happened, the test sails with ATOA proved us all wrong.

Reaching under reefed main + jib

In blustery, freezing conditions on the Ijselmeer she reached out of Enkhuizen at good speed, 9,4 knots, under reefed main and 106% jib. This was all expected, because even if she is on the medium to heavy displacement side of the scale, she is a slippery boat with a long waterline and a very fine entry.

She was easy on the helm and felt nimble to handle. Everybody perched in the forward sheltered part of the cockpit or inside the pilot house.

The cockpit is well protected forward. The are doors to reach the side decks

As we headed up close-hauled, the speed dropped to 8,2 – 8,5 knots.

The yacht had approx. 98 degrees between the tacks, counting leeway. Thus, she wasn’t very close winded, but she compensated more than well in speed. We didn’t even try to sheet harder and head up more – she had the potential, but speed seemed to be ATOA’s thing more than close-windedness.

Check how she goes. In this video, ATOA is close-hauled.

Still, looking at the polar, with such speeds ATOA’s ability to windward would definitely take her anywhere, with panache.

The wind was a steady 24 knots, occasionally topping 28. Still with a reef in the main, we hoisted the mizzen. The speed increased by perhaps a tenth, she needed a little more helm and if the mizzen was sheeted hard, the pressure on the wheel increased but still not enough to make steering unduly heavy.

A little later, the diesel ballast was tested. It took around 4 minutes to pump the 2000 litres to windward, during which she righted herself from 18 to 14 degrees. She certainly felt powerful bearing away, again increasing to 10 knots, with little heel.

Understanding ATOA

Her performance on the wind was a surprise to everybody. Somewhat later we had the opportunity to test shoal draft keel concepts at Chalmers University of Technology, in Göteborg, Sweden. The study was conducted by Andre Sauer under Professor Lars Larsson and Michal Orych, comparing a thoroughly modern cruiser / racer with a deep keel and the same boat with a very shallow keel.

This time, the keel was given a slightly more sophisticated shape, with a bulb turning into an end-plate back at the rudder

The results, in short, are that the boat with the shallow keel still sails rather well. Even to windward. As expected, her VMG (windward ability) is certainly a few percent inferior to the deep-draft boat.

Still, I am not convinced that such extremely shoal draft would work as well for any boat: Our hypothesis is that it only works well for relatively large and slippery yachts. That the efficiency of this inefficient keel is entirely speed-dependent. The study was not able to put enough light on this so there is room for further research.

I am not advocating anything here. Personally, I have a very soft spot for fast and responsive boats. On the other hand, giving away half a knot may be acceptable if you are going at around 8 or 9 knots anyway – especially taking into account the way most boats are used, very shoal draft keels as these could certainly be a serious option.

There are lovely cruising grounds with limited water. The Bahamas, the west side of Florida… being able to enter more or less any harbour may be worth a lot more than losing that half knot.

It is interesting to contemplate this as you take a look at the market: More or less every boat has a kind of deep draft fin keel – be it fixed, lifting or swinging. Out of a thousand sailing boats, none is equipped with a fixed keel of such shoal draft that it is almost non-existent. You may draw your own conclusions from this.

But speaking of ATOA, it must be remembered she is not all about shoal draft. This particular design has a number of virtues and maybe has something to offer for any yachtsman contemplating that particular Swan, Hallberg Rassy or Oyster cruising yacht.

There will be a third expedition yacht published on this blog. You can read more about the ATOA here

Expedition Yachts #1

2011-09-29T16:16:00.032+02:00

Hull development for Journeyman 60

The Journeyman 60 is a project conceived and nursed by Jesper Weissglas. Mr Weissglas is a man of , as it seems, unlimited talents. Having once run a boat professionally, charter sailing to Greenland and taking part in an expedition across the continent, he was subsequently a little restless after a highly successful career in IT in Stockholm.

When Jesper Weissglas decided he needed a new boat, his demands were special and nothing on the market filled his requirements. The fact that he had never designed a boat before did not really deter him from designing his own. He started a 5-year process of design and engineering which went through 9 iterations. After having more or less completed these 9 different designs, the Journeyman was born.

Jesper Weissglas' design # 9

Journeyman is a purposeful design for shifting weather and high latitudes… aluminium hull, rather slender, with water ballast, retracting T-keel, careful engineering. Her pilothouse is a brutal design. As an expedition yacht, she is all about efficiency.

For Jesper Weissglas, taking up yacht design obviously had nothing to do with romantic fiddling with dream boats which would never hit the water. He had a goal.

I liked this project from the start, as much as I admired the man behind it, for their honest open-minded sincerity. Both Jesper’s and Journeyman’s.

Faster, easier motion, drier, better steering, directionally stable

Jesper Weissglas’ hull for the Journeyman was a decent, ordinary, fast hull. Rather slender, but of very modern proportions. Blunt stem, wide stern, easy lines.

But over the past decade, we had been testing and tweaking the hull volumes, under water and above water, to make boats go faster offshore, with an easier motion and drier decks. In addition, the same changes made our designs easier on the helm and more directionally stable.

These new designs had been evaluated in a study at Chalmers University of Technology and, surprisingly, apart from having better handling and an easier motion, VMG was improved by approx. 4%. These results were also verified at SSPA, the test tank facility in Göteborg.

I cannot remember now whether Jesper Weissglas had heard about these studies when he turned to us to confirm that the hull shape would work. But I said that Journeyman could be turned into a better boat, and that the difference would be significant. I guess he was thrilled by this option but he looked at me in disbelief. And replied that we were going to be challenged in such case and that he was going to perform a CFD study of our hull design alongside his own. This trial would have to confirm what I was trying to say.

The re-design

In the case of Journeyman, Jesper Weissglas’ basic design was set.

A fine entry, able to slice through waves without losing speed

However, the waterlines were made sharper forward, for slicing easily through 1-2 m high seas. The decks, on the other hand, were made wider forward, for a dry, buoyant hull.

The boat was made more buoyant aft which meant the keel could move aft. In the screen dump below, the first picture shows the original keel position. We suggested three different keel concepts. All took advantage of the buoyancy aft, moving the keel bulb aft by more than a metre.

Keel configurations, original position at upper left

· One did not have a protruding bulb, to avoid getting snared in weed and fishing lines

· One had the keel blade at an angle aft, to avoid the keel casing ending up in the pilot house.

· The third one was based on the original Torpedo-shaped keel. This was the keel chosen, for mechanical reasons, as it was the only configuration that would put even loads on the keel hoisting mechanism and the keel guides inside the casing.

Whichever keel concept would have been chosen, it would move the keel area aft, the boat would track better, allowing the helmsman or autopilot to rest. Doing so, the sail plan could move aft as well without putting too much strain on the rudder. This also meant her ‘J’ could be increased a little, her boom could be a little longer, her mast could be made a little lower. Thus, her sail area could be a little bigger, without making her heel more.

CFD result

Journeyman, wake pattern at 8 knots

As it turned out, the design suggested by us showed much lower drag. I cannot give exact figures, besides, this would perhaps be misleading as the tests were conducted without the usual number of different heel and leeway angles.

Combined with the expected improvements in steering, motion in a seaway and slightly increased sail area, the overall gains seemed irresistible. Jesper Weissglas took a deep breath and started working on design iteration # 10 – which meant a complete re-design.

As the interior volumes had changed, the keel position had moved aft changing the interior layout and the mast as well to some extent. This meant the interior layout, the position of water ballast tanks and the structural drawings had to be changed. In fact, these changes made a number of improvements possible. At this stage, our role was merely to act as discussion partners and help with advice.

Journeyman # 10

So how did Journeyman turn out in her final configuration?

I think, just as intended. Only a little better.
She is just the purposeful, benevolent, fast expedition yacht she was intended to be. And she is utterly comfortable at sea.

On 18 July Jesper wrote:

Well, just nu sitter jag vid navbordet och njuter av en sträckbog i
solnedgången mitt mellan Fårö och Västervik, det har blåst på så sjön är
rätt gropig men nu har vi 8 m/s vind, 29° AWA och full ballast i lovart,
det tutar på i 8-8.5 knop med 17° lutning och inte ett vågstamp så långt
jag kan minnas :-) Rorsman behöver peta till rodren lite sådär var 10e
minut eller nått, annars styr hon sig själv mest hela tiden.
Maken till seglingskomfort får man leta efter. Det tackar vi för.
/j

In translation:

Well, I am sitting at the nav table enjoying a reach into the sunset, halfway between Fårö and Västervik. After a windy day the sea is rather choppy but the wind has now come down to 16 knots, we are rushing along at 29° apparent, full ballast to windward, 8-8.5 knots and 17° heel. Not a single slamming for as far as I can remember :-) The helmsman needs to touch the helm every 10 minutes or so, other than that she steers herself.

Sailing comfort like this must be rare indeed. Sending our thanks.

The Journeyman was finished and tested during 2010 and 2011, the official christening party took place in September 2011 followed by a huge crowd of friends and admirers. Renowned racing yachtswoman Pia L'Obry was her godmother.

Admirers

Pia L'Obry

A fanfare composed for Journeyman. Jesper to the left

Two days later, Journeyman left for a world cruise. You can follow her on this site.

Journeyman has no problems carrying a full main and a small staysail in a blow. Steering is never an issue.

Celeste Thirtyseven

2011-04-05T15:21:00.008+02:00

"I guess I've got higher ambitions than most, but I have never really felt tempted to become another mainstream designer. Instead, I love working together with builders who also aim beyond producing just another standard boat. The Celeste Thirtyseven is great example of such a cross-pollination"

Gabriel Heyman

Visit the Celeste Thirtyseven website here

International visitors

2010-03-24T15:46:00.005+01:00

The yachting community is international, like the oceans. Therefore, as a curiosity, we today launch a flag counter showing the nationalities of visitors to this site.

The counter can distinguish a Frenchman from a Sinhalese or Colombian. The website is updated at irregular intervals - once a month, every three months... Visit the site from time to time and see your national flag rise in the ranks!

Celeste Coupé

2009-12-11T12:03:00.010+01:00

CELESTE Coupé

This yacht is conceived for 2 persons cruising. Her home port is near Cannes, in the south of France.

She is genuinely built for two. There are fewer berths than you will see in any similar size boat. The idea is that two persons will be able to stay onboard in comfort for long periods of time.

At the same time, her owners are generous people, the open interior is lovely for friends and family and her galley is laid out for keeping everybody happy.

She is at the same time generously inviting, and cosily private.

But being built for the Mediterranean, the focus is on deck. There is room for all in and around the cockpit and her nearly-flush deck is vast for sunbathing. With her transom folded, her cockpit extended and the swimming ladder in the water, she is a perfect boat for a day sailing off the French coast.

Unusually for a yacht of such moderate size, she was built as a one-off by Fantasi Yachts. Project management by Celeste Yachts. Celeste Yachts started in 2005 with the plan to produce exclusive yachts in small series – one-offs like the present yacht, or production yachts with a very high degree of customising.

The present yacht is the first introduced under the Celeste name, called Celeste Coupé. She is painted with Awl-Grip in the trademark Celeste colour.

At first glance she is an unassuming yacht, and relatively small by today’s standards. But featuring a highly sophisticated hull shape, perfected in collaboration between Heyman Yacht Design, Chalmers Institute of Technology and the tank test facility in Göteborg, SSPA.

This hull shape is all about two things: Performance, and Handling

PERFORMANCE

With her sharper than normal entry, she has a better speed than boats of comparable proportions. In a world of uniformity, the difference is vast. VMG (speed to windward) is better by 4-5%.

Her handling is magic. She stays on track with a finger on the wheel even when pressed hard. Let go of the wheel and she slowly heads up. Grab the wheel, swing her around at full speed and she turns like a go-cart. Bear away, and her rudder has a firm grip at all times. Go forward or backward under engine and turn her around corners in crowded ports.

With her sharp, buoyant bow she has an easier motion than other boats. And, oh yes, she is dry too.

Then there’s the rig.

The sail plan of Celeste Coupé is conceived for fluky summer winds in the Mediterranean, and is almost 19 metres high. The spars are carbon, by Marström, Sweden. Sails by North. In addition to the 3DL main and non-overlapping jib there is a code zero and a gennaker.

Sailing upright makes a difference, both for speed and for comfort. There are two spare water tanks for cruising, 370 litres each. These happen to be positioned low to port and starboard, near the widest part of the hull, under the forward part of the cockpit. Fill one if you need the extra litres, shift the water to windward if you like. You activate the pump via two push-buttons from the steering pedestal and there are gauges each side so you can monitor the windward tank filling.

The effect is equal to 3 persons on the windward rail.

Celeste Coupé is not really designed for racing, she is a little too elaborately built and extensively equipped, and she only draws 1,84m (6 feet). But you never know; her owner is a racing aficionado and had some success with his last boat in Copa del Rey. The Coupé has good potential, especially in light or medium conditions.

BUILD
Hull and decks are built of mulitidirectional glass and Vinylester on a Divinycell core. Beams and stringers combine with cored bulkheads and the outboard edges of interior details to make up a rigid monocoque structure. The keel fin is solid glass and the rudder stock solid aluminium by Jefa, Denmark.

The deck is covered with 8mm vacuum-glued teak. The interior carpentry is a masterpiece made of lovely unstained Honduras mahogany.

DECK LAYOUT

The Celeste Copé has an open transom. But for longer passages, like to Corsica or Mallorca, one might prefer it closed. Thus, it is both. When the transom is folded down it forms a longer cockpit floor, and concealed at the aft end is a the swimming ladder. The open transom is also ideal for stern-to docking, Med style. There are both lower and upper handrails to make boarding easier.

The steering pedestal holds controls for shifting water to windward, for the Selden electric jib furler and the anchor windlass. The instruments and plotter are all Raytheon. For shorthanded sailing, the Andersen electric primary winches are used both for the jib and main sheets. There is no traveller for the main, just a single block. Forward of the secondary winches there are two small drained lockers for all ropes.

The yacht can be handled entirely by the helmsman (thereby of course referring to helmswoman as well but this word is perhaps a little awkward) and the cockpit seats forward are meant for spending time together, reading, eating or watching the stars.

INTERIOR LAYOUT

The Celeste Coupé is laid out for two persons. Apart from the w.c. / shower, the entire yacht is like an open studio on the water. You can overlook the accommodations from wherever you are inside the boat.

The galley has an electric cooker with a ceramic top, and the microwave has an oven setting as well. Less ideal perhaps for cooking at sea, but who wants to do that during summers in the Med? The fridge / freezer is both front- and top opening for access.

Forward of the bathroom is a dining table and a comfortable L-shaped sofa. Opposite, you find the office. You can pull two linen curtains (Josef Frank, Svenskt Tenn) to close the sleeping compartment off

The berths have spring mattresses from Madrassfabriken, Gothenburg. Forward under the flush decks is a little ‘dressing room’ with hanging lockers and lockers with shelves behind mirrored doors.

The air conditioning works in reverse cycle for heating as well. This installation is obviously most convenient for harbour use but, under anchor, can be powered by the generator as well.

INSTALLATIONS

The Celeste Coupé has a little dedicated engine room for the 40 hp Volvo Penta main engine, the 3,5 kW generator, charger and inverter, the air conditioning, fridge & freezer compressors, sea cocks, pumps and filters, a day tank for diesel and the special pump installation for shifting fresh water to windward.

Under her Volvo engine the Celeste Coupé is silent and powerful. She leaves the dock in forward or astern with equal ease, turns around in her own length and accelerates with a whisper.

Her ballast tanks are to the sides of the engine room, under the cockpit lockers. There is stowage aft each side of the steering wheel for safety equipment, shower and diving / swimming gear.

Forward, the deck locker is big enough for a tall person to enter. The Lewmar windlass stows 60 metres of chain into a separate high-and-narrow chain locker and the 15 kg stainless steel Bruce anchor stows securely in the bow platform.

UNDER SAIL

The Celeste Coupé handles like a breeze. She is course stable and requires very little attention on the wheel. The aluminium steering wheel controls the Jefa rack-and-pinion system for a superbly sensitive steering. Her steering feels like a precision instruments giving that sensuous sensation of total control with only a gentle touch, and she reacts like a dinghy.

In addition, she stays in full control and should not be possible to provoke into a broach.

Her speed, we believe, is very competitive for her size.

SPECIFICATIONS:
LOA 10,98 m
DWL 10,08 m
Beam 3,40 m
Draft 1,84 m
Displacement 6,200 kg
Ballast 2,250 kg

SA (100%) 71,8 m²
SA (true) 80,4 m²
Engine 40 hp

D/L ratio 166
SA/D 21,7

CE Category A

THE TEAM:
Designer Heyman Yacht Design, Nya Varvet, Gothenburg
Builder Fantasi Yachts, Källviken, Uddevalla
GRP Lars-Olov Jansson, Köping
Project management Celeste Yachts AB, Gothenburg

57' Fast Cruising Yacht

2009-11-24T15:18:00.027+01:00

CONCEPT

This yacht was meant to be something special, but without making too much fuss about it. She was built on Tjörn, an island on Sweden’s rocky west coast. She may bear superficial resemblance to Hallberg Rassys and Najads which are built on the neighbour island, Orust.

But on closer inspection, she is rather different.

In terms of two things, she is a challenge to any similarly sized cruising boat: In comfort, and in speed. Period.

During five summer seasons, having logged more than 15 000 Nm, quite a few boats have had the privilege of seeing her transom but she has not been overtaken once. The best attempt so far was from an ex-racing 12 metre America’s Cup yacht. The two yachts were sailing close-hauled in 12-15 knots of wind – no bad conditions for a twelve – but, little by little, the twelve was eventually left behind.

Being designed for the Baltic and the North Sea coasts, this yacht also has a shoal draft keel. In order to protect her crew from the cold during early spring cruises, her cockpit is sheltered by a windscreen which is a common feature on boats up here. She even has a centre cockpit. But the similarities with some other Orust boats ends there.

HOW DO YOU SHAVE OFF 10,000 KGS?

The 57’ One-Off is relatively light at 20,000 kgs. This is an essential part of her performance; if she weighed 30,000 kgs which can be considered normal for the size and kind of boat, she wouldn’t be such a flyer.

So, How?

In order to be light, a yacht has to be designed light. With her carbon rig, just enough lead in her bulb keel, and the boat built like a monocoque, a one-piece construction, she weighs less. In places where ordinary boats are assembled out of big parts glued together with big flanges, for example in the hull-deck joint, this yacht is made in one piece. The laminates are hand rolled to a very high fibre contents, vinyl ester is used throughout together with e-glass. A foam core is used everywhere except in some highly loaded areas like the keel area.

The result is an immensely strong, moderately lightweight yacht.

COCKPIT

The 57’ One-Off is a centre-cockpit yacht. Nothing much to discuss except that, generally speaking, I am not a great fan of centre cockpits. These are usually too far forward and too high up in the boat, and so will make you feel exposed. They are usually too small too, typically only 2 or 2½ metres long and without enough room for the helmsman’s seat or a big wheel.

In this design, the two big aft cabins required a centre cockpit. So how bad is it?

It is 3½ metres long. There is a helmsman’s station aft, spanning the full width of the cockpit. It is easy to find a position on the windward or leeward coaming. The helmsman’s seat is a little higher and visibility is excellent. At the helm, the floor can be raised so it works fine for shorter helmsmen too. All the sheets and trim lines are close at hand so the boat can be sailed single-handedly. The winches, the twin headsail furlers and the bowthruster are all electric and controlled by the helmsman.

The forward seating is long, with curved seats and comfortable backrests. This is a layout for leisurely sailing, sleeping, reading or watching the stars on the ocean… Or for dining, in which case the flat surfaces either side of the entrance are perfect for serving!

ON DECK

There is a sizeable lazarette locker aft and a forward deck locker. The forward locker has a shallow part, with its own flush hatch, so the docking lines inside will always be easy to reach. In the cockpit coaming aft is a dedicated space for the life raft. Walking around the decks of the 57’ One-Off boat is comfortable and safe, with well-placed handholds.

GOING BELOW

As you enter the main cabin, there are is a wet locker directly to port of the staircase and on top of this a shelf for cameras, sunglasses and books. Turning aft on the port side, there is a big-sized chart table with a ‘coal-locker’-style chart stowage beneath. The Baltic can be blistering cold in early spring, so further aft of the chart table, there are a couple of more lockers for outdoor gear.

On the starboard side of the entrance is the heart of the yacht. By heart, I mean the galley. And this galley is very special, because the owners of the 57’ are keen cooks. Not just the kind who read recipes and carry all the latest gadgets, but they do cook. Real food. This galley doesn’t have a microwave.

The fridge is arranged with two huge drawers, facing aft. Dry storage in two equally big drawers, facing forward. The freezer under the worktop on the inside of the galley. Above the sinks a drying cupboard. Lots of space and drawers. A wine cellar under the floorboards. Under the opening port into the cockpit, there is a big coffee machine which grinds and brews fresh coffee.

The galley and navigation connect forward into a pleasant main cabin. There is a pair of Bruno Mathsson armchairs on the starboard side and a dining table to port

The interior is finished in unstained Honduras Mahogany, with white panelling on the hull sides, the bathrooms and underside of the deck also painted white. Directly onto the laminate, with no excessive weight. Knowing this, the super smooth paint finish must be seen to be believed!

There are two equal, mirrored aft staterooms each laid out with a very generous double and a single extra sea berth or berth for a friend. These staterooms share a bathroom. There is a washing machine and a separate

shower stall

Forward, the owner’s stateroom also has a big double and an extra single berth. There are a number of good hanging lockers and clothes drawers, all lined with unfinished cedar. The bathroom is split; to starboard a small head, to port a bigger shower room.

MACHINERY

The volume below the soles allows an efficient positioning of batteries, tanks and engine in the centre of the boat. The 57 has a dedicated machinery room, sound and vibration insulated, accessible from opposite the navigation station.

SPECIFICATIONS

Dimensions:
L.O.A. 17,63 m 57,2’
L.W.L. 14,20 m
Beam, maximum 4,85 m
Beam, waterline 4,18 m
Draft 2,23 m
Displacement (lightly loaded) 19500 kg
Ballast 7300 kg
Sail area (100% fore triangle) 144,2 m²

Ratios: D / L 193
SA / D 19,9
SA / WA 2,52
Entry angle 15,5°

Celeste Coupé Test Sail

2009-10-08T14:14:00.051+02:00

Pictures from launhing and test sail on October 2nd at the yard of Fantasi Yachts, Källviken, Sweden. Text in Swedish only. Please click the pictures for higher resolution.

OBS! Det går att klicka på bilderna för högre upplösning. Om det kommer ett förstoringsglas med (+), klicka en gång till! Klicka bakåt för att gå tillbaka.

CELESTE Coupé

Denna båt är avsedd för 2 personer och kommer att seglas i Medelhavet, med hemmahamn på Franska kusten, nära Cannes.

Hon är byggd som en one-offbåt, i ett exemplar. Konstruktör är Gabriel Heyman, Heyman Yacht Design, Göteborg och båten har färdigställts hos Fantasi Yachts, Källviken, i Nordströmmarna. Projektledning Celeste Yachts.

Celeste Yachts grundades 2005 för att producera exklusiva båtar i små serier – enstycksbyggda som denna eller seriebyggda med hög grad av kundanpassning.

Den båt vi presenterar här är den första båten under Celeste-namnet och vi har kallat den Celeste Coupé. Ytligt sett en ganska anspråkslös båt, inte ens särskilt stor med dagens mått, 36 fot. Men med ett avancerat skrov och bättre VMG än vanliga moderna båtar med identiska dimensioner.

Men så är det ju riggen.

Väder, vind och vågor är ju inte desamma överallt. Riggen på Celeste Coupé är anpassad för lätta vindar i Medelhavet, 19m hög, handbyggd i kolfiber av Marström.

Stor och fock från North, 3DL. I lätt vind en code zero som hissas från det integrerade peket.

Båtar går fortare och bekvämare om de kränger så lite som möjligt. Under främre delen av sittbrunnen finns två tankar för färskvatten på nära 400 liter styck. De fylls bara till hälften. När vattnet pumpas upp i lovart ökar rätande momentet med motsvarande 4-6 man på relingen.

Celeste Coupé skall inte kappseglas egentligen... men man vet ju aldrig! Ägaren har kappseglat hela livet på en bra nivå, senast med förra båten, en X-yacht, i Copa del Rey. Han har en bra besättning om det blir dags igen. Båten kommer att vara svår att slå, särskilt i lätt- och mellanvind.

BYGGE
Skrov och däck till Celeste Coupé är byggt på en kärna av Divinycell, med multiriktat glas och vinylester. Enkellaminat i kölfickan och andra högt belastade områden. Balkar och stringers kombinerade med inlaminerade skott och inredningsdetaljer ger en stum struktur. Kölfenan är gjord av solitt glas/vinylester ner till bulben av bly, som därmed ger en låg tyngdpunkt. Hjärtstock aluminium, JEFA.

Däcket är teakklätt, 8mm, med stående ådring och limmat med vacuum. Inredningen är uppbyggd till stor del med sandwichskott, klädda med fanér, hela träinredningen i obetsad hondurasmahogny och garnering mot skrovsidor i vitmålad ceder. Slät durk i teak, oljad med Timberex.

LAYOUT
Sittbrunnen är helt öppen akteröver men för långa havsseglingar, som till Korsika eller Mallorca, kan det vara trevligt att den är stängd. Så sittbrunnen på Celeste Coupé är både – och. När luckan fälls ner bildar den en ren förlängning av den teaklagda durken, och det finns en badstege som fälls ut ur en lucka i luckan. Räckena på pulpiten gör det enkelt att enkelt gå ombord från aktern.

Styrningen är ett JEFA-system med länkarm. Vitmålad aluminiumratt med dubbla rader av ekrar, klädd med älgskinn. På piedestalen finns alla elektriska kontroller i en rostfri inneslutning under kartplottern. All instrumentering från Raytheon.

Rorsman har två eldrivna Andersenvinschar till förfogande. Storskotet kommer fram ur sargen på båda sidor och nere i brunnen finns ingen skena, bara ett enkelblock mitt på durken. På längre bogar kan storskotet alltid ligga på lovartsvinschen och focken i lä. På så sätt kan all segling och manövrering kan skötas från rorsmansplatsen.

Ett system med avlastare och ytterligare två manuella Andersen används vid kappsegling, kortare slag eller när gennakern eller code zero är hissad. I däcket vid sidan om sittbrunnen finns en lucka på varje sida för alla tampar.

De generösa sofforna i sittbrunnen är i första hand tänkta för avkoppling, måltider och för att sova under stjärnhimlen när vädret tillåter.

Inredningen på Celeste Coupé är gjord för två personer. Förutom toalett och dusch om bb är hela utrymmet gjort utan skott och dörrar. På styrbords sida är pentry med många draglådor under bänkarna, elspis med glashäll, mikro och stor kyl med lucka uppifrån och dörr framifrån.

Salongen är inredd med en svängd L-soffa om bb och om sb ett öppet kontor med byrå, snurrstol och arbetsbord. För därom ett öppet halvskott med draperier som kan dras för om man så önskar. Det finns en större dubbelkoj om bb och en enkelkoj om sb, båda med specialbyggda resårmadrasser från Madrassfabriken. Längst föröver under flushdäcket är ett litet dressingroom med 3 garderober och speglar, i anslutning till sovavdelningen.

Båten är luftkonditionerad. Denna anläggning kan också användas för att ge värme.

INSTALLATIONER
Under lucka i durken i sittbrunnen ligger ett litet maskinrum med motor, 3,5 kW generator, dagtank för diesel, laddare och inverter, airconditionanläggning, bordgenomföringar, pumpar och filter och det speciella pumpsystemet för att skifta vatten upp i lovart.

Ballasttankarna ligger vid sidan, utanför skotten till maskinrummet och under bänkstuven. Akterut vid rorsmansplatsen en stuv om bb för livflotte och om sb för dusch och badgrejor.

På fördäck finns en stuv stor nog att gå ner i. Det finns ett Lewmar ankarspel med kapstan, ett rostfritt Bruceankare 15kg hänger i ankarpeket, 60m kätting ligger i en avskild kättingbox längst akterut i stuven.

UNDER SEGEL
Med all sin utrustning väger Celeste Coupé drygt 6 ton i lätt lastat tillstånd. Med tanke på det är det fascinerande att känna accelerationen i båten när det kommer en liten bris. Styrningen är exakt, som en jolle, men lite ovanligt är att hon är helt kursstabil. Släpper man ratten lovar hon upp mycket sakta.

Vi har ännu (mitten av oktober) inte haft tillfälle att provsegla båten i frisk vind eller höga vågor men från erfarenheten av tidigare större systerbåtar förväntar vi oss exceptionellt bra fart på kryss i öppen sjö, behagliga rörelser med mindre pitching än normalt, och en torr gång. Det skall bli mycket intressant att därtill få uppleva effekten av vattenballasten.

Manövreringen är enkel och förutsägbar. Motorn - en Volvo Penta på 40 hk med S-drev - upplevs som kraftfull och mycket tyst. Det krävs inget stort gaspådrag för att ge henne fart. Hon backar ut från bryggan med en precis kontroll, vänder på sin axel, och ute på fritt vatten gör hon 8½ knop för motor.

SPECIFIKATIONER:

LOA 10,98 m
DWL 10,08 m
Beam 3,40 m
Draft 1,84 m
Displacement 6,000 kg
Ballast 2,250 kg

SA (100%) 71,8 m²
SA (true) 80,4 m²
Engine 40 hp

D/L ratio 166
SA/D 21,7

Konstruktör Heyman Yacht Design, Nya Varvet, Göteborg
Byggare Fantasi Yachts, Källviken, Uddevalla
Projektledning Celeste Yachts AB, Göteborg

OM CELESTE YACHTS AB
Celeste Yachts AB startades 2005 med syfte att ta fram unika båtar - i ett exemplar, seriebyggda eller kundanpassade. Båtarna byggs lokalt, med högsta kvalitet, viktbesparande metoder och bästa möjliga materialval. Utrustningsnivån bestäms i samarbete med kunden.
Båtarna från Celeste Yachts skall utmärka sig genom en avancerad hydrodynamik, med lättdrivna skrov, perfekt hantering och smidig manövrering. Heyman Yacht Design ägnar stor del av sin tid åt utveckling av egenskaperna, med patent på kölarna i America’s Cup, med utveckling av effektiv styrning, omfattande utvecklingsarbete på skrovformer och, nu senast, utvärdering av grunda kölar.

Men, viktigast, Celeste Yachts båtar skall vara attraktiva och tidlösa.