Visible progress is made each day now as the first Back Cove 30 moves along in the assembly process. We showed you the galley test fit just a few weeks ago and now almost all of the interior of the boat is installed.

A few elements that were too difficult to show on paper are visible here now including the board which is shown straddling the berth. If you look carefully just below the board you will see the port and starboard dimples on which the board is resting, When the berth is made up for sleeping the board sits where it is shown here. For daytime use is slots down and rests against those dimples to create a seat back for those seated around the salon table.

The decision has been made to go with S+S Fabrics for our cushions on the new Back Cove 30. We have worked with them very successfully on the Back Cove 37 and feel they will give us a superior look and feel in this new model..

One astute reader recently asked how the companionway stairs were going to integrate with the galley and felt that we had designed drawers which could not open without hitting the stringers. Our engineers came up with this plan which allows the drawers to open between the steps, increasing storage considerably. And yes they did think it all the way through before the question was asked.

This week hull #1 of the Back Cove 30’s went on the assembly line and boat building started in earnest. Now the design work is behind us and proving out shapes and systems installations begins. With the IGU (Internal Glass Unit) in place, it was time to begin installing furniture.

Here the assembly, wood shop and engineering teams met in the hull to dry fit the first galley unit and yes, it fits like a glove. Well OK, there was a little sanding and whittling going on but only as much as the designers had allowed for in their tolerances.

Many prospects ask how the 30 differs from the boat it replaced in the lineup, the Back Cove 29 and here is a perfect example of why the Back Cove 30 is “better”. The 29 had just one drawer in the galley. As you can see (or imagine) here the 30 has from top to bottom left to right: a tip down drawer in front of the sink a drawer below and a cabinet below that. The next opening is where the AC/DC fridge unit goes with a tip down storage space below it. To the right there are two good sized drawers and below that a tip down face or if the boat is rigged with below deck air, that’s where the cold air return will go. In addition to these compartments there will be a second upper galley assembly on the counter top. That’s a lot of storage.

Things will start humming along now so be sure to check back often to see the progress.

Things are really happening now with the arrival of the Back Cove 30 deck mold at our shop in Rockland this week. The glass shop has some work to do to prep the mold for use. Meanwhile out on the shop floor hull #1 is starting to look more like a real boat every day.

Here engineer Adam Carlson checks out the gleaming finish of the first hull out of the mold. Next week Adam and Kevin will be overseeing the placement of the IGU (or Internal Glass Unit) inside the hull followed by the placement of the Yanmar 315 engine and the rest of the drive train.

Hull #1 of the Back Cove 30 is being fitted with the standard engine and will not have the optional gen set so that we can establish performance characteristics for the standard boat before trying any of the optional engines.   

Few events are more exciting in a boat yard than seeing a design come to life as the first hull leaves the mold. The work and anticipation of more than one year of engineering and tooling time goes from lines on a page to reality in just a few minutes.

Unless all of the geometry of the design is completely thought through the part can become stuck in the mold and create some anxious moments, but our team considered each and every detail as did the toolmaker so this was as gracious a beginning as any boat builder could hope for.

This is a great image to show the new hull bottom. The two features of the Back Cove 30 that will most effect the dryness of the boat are the hull chines which are a tad wider on this design than in previous ones and the amount of flare ion the bow. The Back Cove 30 promises to be a great sea boat with little spray getting to the windshield.
 
 

Few things are more important to powerboat operators than access to key mechanical systems. One of the cool things about a Back Cove is that the single engine really improves engine access. A single engine that is about 1/3 of the boat’s beam is a whole lot more fun to work around than twin engine applications in similar sized vessels. In twin engine applications there is a narrow gap between the motors and then everything outboard is what it is. Sure you can get there but in many smaller boats that requires a very small person or great flexibility.

Here’s the plug of the Back Cove 30 helm deck. The hinges for this lifting deck are all the way forward and this helm deck will lift to expose both sides of the motor. The optional gen set tucks in along side the motor to port and under the settee located there. The helm deck will lift using a lifting strut.

If you asked a hundred experienced boat owners what their priorities are, engine access would come up very close to the top with most of them. The Back Cove 30 has the best engine access in class. Bar none.