There is good news for Pulsifer Hampton fans who want to go a little faster. John Lentz, Dick Pulsifer’s longtime assistant who took over the Pulsifer Hampton boatbuilding operation after Pulsifer’s 2018 retirement, will offer a faster, slightly larger Hampton.
The new design, which is currently referred to as the Hampton XL, will be a foot longer and wider than the Pulsifer Hampton. At 23 feet LOA with a 7-foot, 8-inch beam and powered by a 110-hp Yanmar diesel, designer Jesse Lowell, the son of legendary boatbuilder Carroll Lowell and the nephew of boat designer Royal Lowell, expects the XL to reach speeds of over 20 knots.
“I’ve had a lot of interaction with Pulsifer Hampton owners and prospective buyers over the last 20 years,” says Lentz, “and many of them have expressed that they love the boat but wish it was a little faster.”
Initially, Lentz addressed this desire for greater speed by offering larger engines on the Pulsifer Hampton, but while it gave that boat a couple more knots of top end speed, there were diminishing returns as the stern would begin to dig in.
Lentz asked Lowell if he could tweak the Pulsifer below the waterline to improve the boat’s handling with more power. After a number of conversations, Lentz gave Lowell the go ahead to make whatever changes he saw fit, which led to an entirely new hull design.
Lowell felt that the Pulsifer’s built-down hull in a larger design wasn’t giving a lot of advantages and that a skeg build would allow more planing surface aft and simplify some of the construction. He also added beam because he’d heard that some people felt the Pulsifer cockpit was too narrow.
Lowell added more flare forward giving the boat a “Frosty” look, referring to William Frost, his great-grandfather, an early twentieth century boatbuilding and designing legend.
The Hampton XL will be identical to the Pulsifer Hampton in fit and finish.
For more information, contact John Lentz.
