Decisions: Boat and Machinery

CAD drawings in the study at our Sarasota residence

Building an Outer Reef, and for that matter any trawler, involves a considerable number of decisions.  These include the boat's configuration, engines, machinery, electrical system, electronics, entertainment system, alarm system, structural decor elements and, most important, interior design.  Outer Reef has taken the position that owners at this type of boat would prefer it their way.  Hence, after the basic specifications it's all up to you.

The standard equipment on this boat is considerable (11 pages in 10 pt type double spaced).  Here are some of the major items:

• Caterpillar C9 ACERT 503 HP Diesel engines (2)
• Bow thruster 10.7 HP electric with dual station controls
• ABT-Trac 220 stabilizers w/6 square foot fins with dual station controls
• Teleflex hydraulic steering system for dual stations
• Racor 1000MA fuel filters for main engines and generator
• Northern Lights 16kw  Generator w/sound shield
• Glendinning cable master and 75' cable on transom
• Charles ISO boost transformer
• Fuel polishing system
• Tank gauge for fuel and water tanks
• Stainless steel fuel manifold system (supply and return
• Nutone central vacuum system

Some major decisions were really easy.  There is no question that we preferred the open layout to the version with three separate rooms separated by bulkheads.  The engine decision was also easy.  The standard is two 503 HP Caterpillar C9 ACERT (clean diesels), which is what we chose.  The Caterpillar C12 option, with 705 HP, increases the boat's top speed to 20 MPH (at 69 GPH).  However, it decreases range considerably at trawler speeds.  For example, at 10 KTS, range decreases to 910 nautical miles as compared to the C9's 1,000.  At just above idle, the range decreases to around 1,600 nautical miles as compared to 3,000 with the C9s.  There is also a 375 HP option.

63 Engine Room with Caterpillar C9s

There are 202 options on the options sheet that deal with engines, transmissions, controls, thrusters, stabilizers, mechanical equipment, ground tackle and on and on.  I spent an entire Sunday on the phone with Mike making decisions about the options we would include. It turned out that was just the start.  As the process continued I discovered that other options were desirable and the many change orders followed.

 

One very major decision involves upgrading the thrusters.  We chose ABT 12" - 16 HP hydraulic bow and stern thrusters along with a hydraulic windlass.  While expensive, it was an easy decision.  The hydraulic bow and stern thrusters are powerful and can run continuously.  The hydraulic system is run off the transmissions with a power take off (PTO).  We had an electric bow thruster on the 48 and no stern thruster.  Electric thrusters, unlike those run by the engine's hydraulic's PTO, are dependent on a battery.  Thus it is possible to run out of power and to overload they system if they are run for long intervals.  The ability to park the boat between two boats or to depart in a tight situation make this a must have.

Another important decision involves the engine controls.  Here we opted for the Glendenning single lever controls with a handheld plug-in remote control.  The Glendenning remote allows the operator to control the transmissions, throttle and thrusters (bow and stern) from different locations on the main deck and boat deck.  This will allow me to maneuver the boat from the stern or sides with an unobstructed view.  This is important as the center mounted pilot house and flybridge controls have restrict visibility with regard to the boat's proximity to the dock and other objects (boats and pilings).  This decision should make the boat easier to maneuver, which is critical when maneuvering a 73,000 pound 63 foot boat.

These are some of the other major options that we chose:

• Fiberglass hardtop with radar arch
• Northern Lights 12KW Generator with 60 Hz sound shields
• Chilled water central air conditioning system with remote monitor in the pilot house
• Maxwell HWC3500 Windlass
• Two polished stainless steel anchors (110lb and 75lb) with 300 and 200 feet of chain
• Two 150 gallon auxiliary fuel tanks
• Isolation transformer
• Upgraded additional lighting and switches including dimmers
• Upgraded stabilizer to 7.5 foot fins
• Stern thruster (12" 16 HP)
• Upgraded 12" 16 HP bow thruster
• Upgrade windlass
• Extended swim platform with teak decking
• Wing doors on aft deck (port and starboard)
• BBQ grill on the flybridge
• Cabinetry with sink and refrigerator on the flybridge
• 1,000 pound davit on the boat deck
• AB Nautilus 13 DLX rigid inflatable dingy with a 60 HP Yamaha
• TV lifter system
• Bosche Axxis washer and dryer

Another set of decisions involved the galley appliances.  GE Monogram in stainless steel is the Outer Reef standard except for the microwave.  Standard equipment includes the refrigerator, dishwasher, wall oven, cooktop, microwave, trash compactor and garbage disposal.  We opted to upgrade the microwave to the Monogram version and add an all important wine cooler.


GE Monogram Appliance and Empradorial Marble on a 72

Additional decisions involving the boat's functionality involved the boat deck, flybridge, lazarette and aft deck.  Let's start with the aft deck.  The question was whether to include a cabinet on the port side with a small refrigerator, a sink, storage and space for a trash container.  We had originally voted against this option and then had second thoughts.  When we considered how we used the cockpit on the 48 Sundancer it became clear that we used the four items in question all the time.

48 Sundancer cabinetry with refrigerator, sink, storage and trash container

Aft deck with refrigerator and cabinetry - our will be more compact

Below the aft deck is the lazarette, which is entered either from the swim platform or from door to the engine room in the master stateroom.  We opted to build storage lockers at the aft end.  One will be a hanging locker (great for foul weather gear), one will have adjustable shelves (great for engine maintenance items and spare parts) and one open (for whatever).  We also opted to build a small workbench on the starboard side.  During commissioning we will add a mounted tool box.

On the flybridge we added cupholders and working lights to illuminate the swim platform that are mounted on the aft deck overhang.  Notice the working lights in the photo below that are mounted to the aft end of the hardtop.  These are used to illuminate the boat deck, which is essential when retrieving the dingy at night.

Six cupholders structure with stainless steel handholds

The next article will deal with the myriad of decision involving the electronics, entertainment and security package.

Written by Les