I am never certain when blogging about boat building that everyone reading the blog understands the development process and so I decided I would take it from the first steps to the day when we complete the first boat and sea trial her. Long before launch day a new design is just that, a design, made with paper and pencil. Our design team works away at size, performance, features and styling and eventually comes up with "an envelope" which in time becomes a fully developed CAD design for the new boat. Meanwhile marketing and sales start their jobs by finding comparable boats in the market and assessing their virtues (good and bad).

Once the design goes to the tooling shop a foam billet is created and is then placed on the table of a very large multi-axis milling machine. The machine then goes about cutting the shape of this very complex design into the foam billet.

Once the basic shape is achieved the machine makes finer and finer passes until the surface is ready for final finish. Last week our designer was down in Florida to inspect the hull plug. Here are a couple of images of the plug nearing completion at Marine Concepts.    

Back Cove Yachts has grown significantly since the first Back Cove 29 was launched in 2003. The market has accepted our boats with an overwhelming enthusiasm and we have often been asked how big we are planning to go with the range. Naval architecture logic says that planing, single engine boats that like to go more than 20 knots, are limited in LOA to about 37 or 38 feet due to weight and drag factors.

And so our design team has envisioned a new model which comes in at 37 feet. Her interior will feature two private cabins and a shared head with stall shower. She will have a mid-level galley and a fully enclosed sedan style helm deck. Her exterior offers the same hallmarks that other Back Cove models provide. Safe and wide side decks, great deck hardware a very crew-friendly foredeck and a large cockpit with plenty of seating.

Standard power is a 480 HP Cummins QSB diesel engine and she’ll have gen set and air conditioning supplied as standard. At the helm, two Stidd seats offer comfortable perches for helmsperson and crew. Check out this drawing of the interior and post your comments and questions about where we are headed.

I‘m not going to blab too much about Back Cove
Yachts and the superior attributes that make our boats special.  But I
find this feature particularly interesting and I wanted to share.  Here at
Back Cove Yachts we put the prop in a bit of a pocket, the reasons are simple:
1. The propeller sits higher and reduced the draft by about 6".
2.  The pocket provides strut protection.  Obviously it does not
provide as much protection as a keel, but if we had a keel, we wouldn’t get the
performance people have come to expect from us 🙂
3.  The shaft angle to the engine is straighter, this had 2 functions:
           a.  The Back Cove gets on
plane quicker, some boats get bow high for a long time when they take off, we
don’t
           b.  At cruising speeds the
load on the engine is lighter, making it more fuel efficient and a smoother
running boat overall.

        -Ben

At first plants and boating don’t seem to go together, but when you stop and think, it’s a perfect environment for plants!  Lots of sunlight, a breeze, and plenty of water!  Alright, maybe not salt water, but you get the idea.  Plants are enjoyable and easy to keep on a boat. Aesthetically they are a beautiful addition to the decor in the cabin or on the helm deck.  We use a lot of American cherry at Back Cove Yachts, and lush green plants look beautiful against the rich wood finish.  Here is a list of plants that are hearty and easy to keep on board your boat (click the name for a picture):

Christmas cactus:  A very hardy cactus with a pink flower needs good sun and little water.

Orchids: Orchids are bit on the delicate side, but beautiful and colorful, orchids need to have plenty of light and moderate water.

Aloe: Aloe is a very hardy plant and will grow well in sun, needs little water and it’s great to break off a piece and rub on a burn or bug bite.  Also can be used in cooking!

English Ivy: Works well as a hanging plant in the cabin.  Does not need to much light, moderate water.  This is a fast growing plant; it should be trimmed back if it gets too big.

Bamboo: Bamboo is fun and it grows fast, however it needs to be very moist to thrive and requires moderate light.  This plant is often known as lucky bamboo and should be kept in odd numbers of stocks, for no other reason than to avoid bad luck!

African violet:  This is a very hardy plant with beautiful purple flowers.  It is nearly impossible to kill.  Put it next to an east facing window and water moderately.  The violets like the humidity and can often have a wonderful aroma that will make your boat smell delightful.

Spider Plant: These plants are fun and crazy, they often do well hanging and will have shoots with babies hanging off the ends.  They need a little sunlight and water once a week.

Venus Fly Trap: “FEED ME!!!” This little plant is fun and wild! It is a carnivorous and also very easy to care for.  It needs moderate light and moderate water.  Have a pesky fly problem?  Let this little guy take care of it for you.  If you are void of bugs it will need bits of uncooked meat now and again to keep it happy.

Heart leafed philodendron: If you think you have the black thumb and are hopeless at keeping plants, this one is for you.  Easy to take care of and will look beautiful wherever you put it on the boat.

Mint: There are many varieties of this herb available.  Mint will need plenty of light and moist soil.  Mint is a fast grower, and can be used in cooking, chewed for fresh breath, or steeped to make tea.  It has a great aroma and it will make your boat smell fresh and inviting.

Sirius Radio has really taken the world by storm.  I have it in my truck and I don’t know how I ever lived without it.  My I-pod has not been thrown under the bus so to speak, but the diversity of music and satellite technology in the Sirius product is sweet. 
   Did you know that Sirius is available on boats?  Back Cove offers it’s radios as ‘Sirius ready’, meaning all that one needs is a subscription to  the company and they are ready to start jamming Sirius Radio through their speakers.  However this is not where the story ends.
    Sirius also offers Marine Weather.  Sirius gathers current and forecast information from WSI.  Tons of  information such as lightning, buoy reports, surface temperatures, and storm tracking is up to date and instantly accessed.  The information is collected from satellites and displayed and/or overlaid on  your display panel, or onto a laptop.   My sense is that  the product and application is not perfect yet, but very close.  Once better integrated with companies like Raymarine and Furuno the sky will be the limit for Sirius.  Also keep an eye out for Sirius satellite TV in the future (now only available in soccer mom style minivans).   

    -Ben