Here are six boats that didn’t make it into the boat show preview in the October issue.
1. Scout 320 LXF
Scout plans to introduce the 320 LXF center console in Fort Lauderdale, and in 2013 debut a luxury sportfisherman — the 410 XSF — with a double-stepped hull and a full cabin. That’s all of the information available about the 410, but there are more details on the 320.
Standard equipment includes a stand-up shower, powder-coated hardtop with glass enclosure and spreader lights; a leaning post with bait well, tackle drawers, sink and rod holders; dual Airmar custom helm chairs; Lenco trim tabs; raw- and freshwater washdowns; and a 50-amp charger.
As an option, the builder offers Teleflex’s new Optimus power steering system. Twin Yamaha 300- or 350-hp outboards will power the boat.
LOA: 32 feet, 3 inches BEAM: 9 feet, 10 inches DRAFT: unavailable DISPLACEMENT: unavailable SPEED: low 60 mph FUEL: 265 gallons POWER: twin Yamaha F350s or F300s PRICE: unavailable CONTACT: Scout Boats, Summerville, S.C., (843) 821-0068. www.scoutboats.com
2. Intrepid 400 I/O Diesel
The diesel-powered semicustom 40-footer gets nearly 2 mpg at 34 mph. At a top speed of 53 mph she gets 1.3 mpg. The Volvo Penta sterndrive joystick system is linked to the twin Volvo Penta D6 power plants.
The twin seats to port and starboard on the foredeck function as fishboxes or lockers. The power-actuated compartments slide inboard and meet to create a padded chaise lounge. But there’s more; the aft portions flip up to become backrests. The console door doubles as a two-person seat and opens to reveal the head and sink.
Intrepid will hang outboards on this boat, too. She rides a transverse stepped hull with a relatively shallow draft and ample freeboard. With the Volvo Penta I/Os and joystick, the Intrepid 400 is about $475,000 to $500,000, depending on options.
LOA: 40 feet, 3 inches BEAM: 11 feet, 1 inch DRAFT: 2 feet, 8 inches DISPLACEMENT: 19,000 pounds SPEED: 53 mph top, 34 mph cruise FUEL: 300 gallons POWER: twin Volvo Penta D6 400-hp diesels PRICE: $475,000 to $500,000 CONTACT: Intrepid Powerboats, Largo, Fla., (727) 548-1260. www.intrepidboats.com
3. Grand Banks 54 Heritage EU
After 15 years and 48 boats, Grand Banks has retired the 52 Heritage EU, replacing the yacht with its 54 Heritage EU. “The 52 was the last semidisplacement boat in the Heritage Series,” says David Hensel, Grand Banks brand and marketing director. “All the boats in the Heritage Series have evolved to a modified-vee.”
The 54 utilizes the same hull as the 53 Aleutian, designed by Earl Alfaro, says Hensel. “We thought, Let’s not reinvent the wheel,” he says. “We have a hull with the 53 Aleutian that runs well at both higher speeds and lower speeds, and owners have given it high praise.”
The 54’s standard 715-hp Cummins V-drive diesels burn about 11 gph at 10 knots for a mileage rating of 0.9 nmpg. That gives the boat a range of 1,215 nautical miles using 90 percent of its fuel capacity.
The 54 has a full-beam master stateroom with a head, twin sinks and shower. Two forward staterooms share a guest head. The engine room is exceptionally large, says Hensel. “I am 6-foot-6, and I can stand in it,” he says. The utility room provides ample storage space, he adds.
The boat makes its U.S. debut at the Fort Lauderdale show, and Grand Banks will show hull No. 2, which has already been sold and has the optional Seakeeper gyro. Standard equipment includes a 1,000-pound davit, a 21.7-kW genset, dual-anchor windlass and bow thruster. (The company will introduce its new Zeus-powered 43 Heritage EU at the show.)
LOA: 54 feet, 4 inches BEAM: 17 feet, 9 inches DRAFT: 5 feet DISPLACEMENT: 83,335 pounds SPEED: 19 knots top (with half load), 9.5 to 15.5 knots cruise FUEL: 1,500 gallons POWER: twin Cummins QSM-11 diesels (715 hp) PRICE: $1.76 million (base with Cummins power) CONTACT: Grand Banks Yachts, Seattle, Wash., (206) 352-0116. www.grandbanks.com
4. Beneteau Swift Trawler 50
Known for its sailboats, the French builder Beneteau has consistently strengthened its powerboat offerings on this side of the pond during the past decade or so. The company, which has a U.S. division in Annapolis, Md., continues to add to its fleet of semidisplacement trawlers, which it began building 10 years ago.
The Swift Trawler 50 becomes Beneteau’s second-largest trawler, sitting between the 44 and the 52. Designer Joubert-Nivelt and Beneteau Powerboats have created a yacht to excel as a long-distance or liveaboard cruiser, with two full helm stations, a large saloon with an L-shaped couch, and a U-shaped galley.
The Volvo Penta IPS installation allows the builder to increase interior living space amidships, and that’s just what Beneteau did, creating a large midships master stateroom with an en-suite head and separate shower. The forward stateroom has a V-berth and ample storage. Between the staterooms is a guest cabin to port and a head with shower to starboard. The flybridge can hold a dinghy or small tender, and two large settees join the helm and companion seats.
LOA: 49 feet, 2 inches BEAM: 15 feet, 3 inches DRAFT: 3 feet, 5 inches DISPLACEMENT: 35,264 pounds SPEED: 23 knots top FUEL: 634 gallons POWER: twin Volvo Penta IPS600s (435 hp) PRICE: $899,000 (with power) CONTACT: Beneteau USA, Annapolis, Md., (410) 990-0270. www.beneteauusa.com
5. Viking 55 Convertible
Viking Yachts introduced the first 55 Convertible at the Fort Lauderdale boat show in 1997. Fifteen years later, the builder will be presenting the second generation of the 55. “Compared to the original 55 Convertible, this new model is longer, wider, carries more fuel and sports a choice of sleeping accommodations, galley and flying bridge layout,” says Peter Frederiksen, Viking communications manager.
The yacht can be packaged with four propulsion setups ranging from 2,720 to 3,600 hp. Hull No. 1 has a pair of MAN V12 1550 CRM engines, 1,550-hp each. With full fuel — 1,414 gallons — she eclipses the 40-knot mark and cruises at 35 knots.
“The 55 C is totally new, bow to stern, with a completely resin-infused composite hull, an enhanced high-speed running surface with propeller pockets, 14.5-degree transom deadrise and an eye-pleasing sheer,” Frederiksen says.
The skipper drives from a centerline helm on the flybridge. You can fight fish in the 151 square-foot cockpit or watch from the mezzanine.
LOA: 56 feet, 5 inches BEAM: 14 feet, 9 inches DRAFT: 5 feet, 1 inch DISPLACEMENT: 77,700 pounds SPEED: 41 knots top, 35 knots cruise FUEL: 1,414 gallons POWER: twin MAN V12 1550 CRMs PRICE: $2.29 million (base with MAN V12 1400 CRM diesels; add $53,000 for 1550 CRMs) CONTACT: Viking Yachts, New Gretna, N.J., (609) 296-4762. www.vikingyachts.com
6. Nordhavn 68 Aft Pilothouse
The Nordhavn 68 was born about 5 years ago, but it has never been shown at the Fort Lauderdale show — or any show, for that matter, says Jeff Leishman, Nordhavn’s chief designer and co-owner of the company. The displacement trawler was developed at the request of a Nordhavn 62 owner who wanted a larger Nordhavn, though not as big as the 76. “He liked the look of an aft pilothouse,” Leishman says. “So we extended the waterline length of the 64, which was built as a forward pilothouse model.”
The Nordhavn at the show is powered with a single 400-hp John Deere diesel and has a range of 3,000 miles. “This boat carries out the typical Nordhavn mission; it is capable of worldwide cruising,” Leishman says. “It is a double-deck yacht, so it has that full upper deck, wheelhouse and captain’s quarters, and the saloon and other accommodations are on the mid-deck, and the lower deck has two nice guest cabins.
“The fellow who owns this boat is having an 86 built, so he is putting this boat on the market,” Leishman adds. The boat is being offered at $4.25 million.
LOA: 68 feet BEAM: 20 feet, 4 inches, DRAFT: 7 feet, 2 inches DISPLACEMENT:230,000 pounds SPEED:10 knots top, 8.6 knots cruise FUEL: 3,136 gallons POWER: single 400-hp John Deere PRICE: $3.7 million (base) CONTACT: Pacific Asian Enterprises, Dana Point, Calif., (949) 496-4848. www.nordhavn.com
See related articles:
– Our short list of new boats to see at Fort Lauderdale
– The express boat’s traditional side
November 2012 issue
