This is the fishing vessel we built, “Robert’s Blessing” launched in 2001 and berthed on San Francisco Bay. She takes my wife and me out the Golden Gate and onto the salmon grounds during the summer and fall seasons. Sturdy, safe and comfortable she takes us to the ocean wilderness and with luck; we bring in a harvest of fish and memories of great good times.
The hull is design # 505 by the late, great naval architect Philip C. Bolger of Gloucester, MA. Carl Brownstein of Shelton WA. designed the looks of the cabin, gave her a curved transom, a prettier sheer and built the hull & cabin shell. Her hull scantlings rules are based on “Sheathed Strip Construction” by MacNaughton Associates of Eastport, Maine. Robert ”Coach” Jorritsma, my friend & financial partner in the project, sadly passed on before we could finish her – that explains her name. I’m responsible for everything else; the cabin & deck layout, all the other scantlings, materials, framing design, mechanical & electrical systems, ergonomic design, surface finish, etc. It took me 18 months of solo labor to finish her. Her hull dimensions are 27’4” + 8’6” + 1’4”. She weighs 5880 lbs. dry and 6750 lbs. with full tanks & two crew. Power is a Volvo AD41P-A 200HP Turbo Diesel with a DP-E duoprop drive.
Construction Details:
The sheathed strip construction is a modern hybrid of boatbuilding techniques. Essentially it’s a traditional strip built hull with the solid 7/8 “ VG Douglas Fir “core” providing longitudinal and impact strength while the 17.6 oz. biaxial fiberglass inner & outer skins (laid 45deg to the fir strips) handle the transverse loads, abrasion resistance, waterproofing and low maintenance surface finish. Resins were System Three epoxies. She is built with a Lloyds 1088 Okume ply “eggcrate” web of bonded bulkheads, longitudinals, decks and rails as internal framing structure. The topsides and cabin panels are Okume as well. Other framing and the keel are VG Douglas Fir. All wood is sealed both sides with minimum of 2 coats of epoxy. All exterior plywood is sheathed with glass & epoxy. Lower decks are epoxy bedded 3/16” teak over plywood.
A Fuel Efficient Hull Design:
Phil Bolger designed a number of these hull types, derived from ocean racing hulls he developed in the 1960’s, I believe. The idea is to achieve low drag by disturbing the water as little as possible. The sharp bow cuts the water efficiently and keeps her running level without energy wasting rides up & down every wave, while still having the reserve buoyancy to keep the ocean off the front deck. At rest the chines ride just clear of the waterline at the stern, further reducing drag. The hull shape is a hard chine, modified V with about 18deg. of deadrise at the transom with the aft third of the bottom shaped to a gentle arc with no drag-inducing lifting strakes.
The 188hp (at the prop) Volvo is good for 27 kts @ 3900rpm (WOT), 24kts @ 3700rpm and 19kts @3200rpm. In the early years running 20kts @3300rpm, we averaged 3.4 nautical miles per gallon. The last several years we run 16-17kts @3000rpm averaging 4 nautical miles per gallon. Our typical trip is a 50 kt miles round trip through San Francisco Bay to the ocean fishing grounds. Per trip we average 13 gallons of diesel & maybe 2 gallons gasoline for the 10hp Honda trolling motor. The two diesel tanks hold 25 & 60 gallons giving a conservative range of 200 miles with a 25 mile reserve.
A Hull Designed For Rough Water:
She is very comfortable in 3 to 5 foot seas; going straight into it is the best plan. She is very sharp in the bow, no pounding at all if you slow down to 16 kts or so. You can get slapped around going crossways into a sea, mostly spray & splash & lively motion. When trolling slow (2kts) or drift fishing in certain light wave conditions and while carrying a light load, she can have a short tiring roll, which I only notice during periods of discouragingly slow fishing... This behavior is the trade off to the low drag chines being just above the waterline at rest. At any speed above 5 kts, she has no roll at all as the chines hit the water surface. Crossways & downwind in a big sea, she needs to be driven every minute. Her sharp bow wants to dig in and head 20 deg off course from time to time. The Volvo Duo-prop outdrive controls the movement easily but aggressive steering inputs are needed if I want to avoid being asked, “Why not go in a straight line? Isn’t it faster?” Additionally the boat is very sensitive to the outdrive trim angle; just a degree or two adjustment results in more speed and/or more comfort. Consequently I can’t recommend a fixed shaft & rudder setup for this hull. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed learning to run the boat well. She’s responsive & engaging, like driving a motorcycle or an old school sports car.
The worst conditions we’ve been in so far was rounding Point Bonita on a big incoming tide with 20kts of south wind driven slop - very confused, very steep with the occasional 8ft wave face - just no order to it at all. I had to slow to 5 to 9 kts but the boat was great - very corky & buoyant - a very lively motion, violent really as the boat rose to each very steep wave, popping up fast when they broke. Frankly it scared the crap out of me, the lesson being the boat can take a lot more than I can.
The Cabin and Deck Arrangement:
We wanted a big back deck and a generous V berth in the cuddy so decided against a dedicated head enclosure. Never regretted that choice but it will cost me if the time comes to sell her...She sits three in adjustable pedestal seats with room for a fourth on a cushioned counter top. There’s a gimbaled propane single burner stove for espresso and a heater plumbed off the engine coolant for warmth and defrosting the windows
.There’s a big sliding hatch over the door and a sliding window on each cabin side – giving us excellent ventilation – at least for our generally cool conditions. The back deck is all storage under the five hatches, one of which is a fish box. Sitting on the engine hatch puts you at a comfortable height to fillet & clean fish on a removable table.
The stainless rail arrangements allow quick, safe access all around the boat using one hand – generally there’s a fishing pole in the other as a fish tries to wrap the line around the prop... The pulpit design allows you to wedge yourself in securely, keeping both hands free even in extreme conditions. The short deck off the transom allows for at-sea prop changing – it wasn’t bad on a flat calm day but I think I’d want a mask & snorkel on a rough one...