The design process for us has always been an evolutionary spiral. As we get further into the project, as the pieces begin to come together, we almost always discover hidden gems that, when teased into reality, help to make a better product. Read the rest »
Creating, fine tuning, and testing yachts intended for serious cruising is demanding, intense work–as you can see above. Read the rest »
With the annual holiday shutdown at Circa comes a massive cleanup of the work in progress… Read the rest »
You are looking at one of the two ZF propellers for FPB 78-1. Very high aspect ratio blades with relative low blade area. But maybe this isn’t the optimum. Read the rest »
We’ve been gently reminded that new content has been lacking – our feeble excuse is that we have been swamped. As it is Thanksgiving weekend and we have much for which to be thankful, a pause for a brief update on the FPB 78-1, starting with a couple on interior photos. Read the rest »
You are looking at as lovely a piece of yachting jewelry as has ever been afloat. The creation of Circa’s Read the rest »
We’ve been blessed over the years with the good fortune to work with many great owners and marine professionals, and with the FPB 78 design and build cycle this has continued in a unique manner. Read the rest »
A quick report from New Zealand, starting with what is at the top of our list for successful cruising. Read the rest »
We have been accused in the past of being obsessive about our ground tackle systems, to which we contentedly plead guilty.
We discovered long ago that a key part to agreeable yacht ownership is systems efficiency and access. The FPB 78 takes us closer to perfection in this regard than ever before. Read the rest »
Following are a series of helicopter and then dinghy level renders of FPB 78-1. Read the rest »
We’ve got sole in the engine room, and it is ever so cool and functional. Read the rest »
The aft end of the FPB 78 has gone through a design evolution, a benefit of the 3D design process and working with two very experienced owners. Read the rest »
Iceberg has just tried out her new propellers, this time without “interceptor” strips, and she has pushed her smooth water maximum speed to 15.0672 knots, Read the rest »
You are looking at a sea-change in the way we do raw water for the engines. Read the rest »
With a project as massive and complex as the FPB 78, there are times when we ask ourselves why we are still doing this. After all, we could have been cruising on Wind Horse these past three years. Read the rest »
Modern yachts are amazingly complex, with numerous interrelated and conflicting requirements. Read the rest »
Is this crew quarters, lazarette, engine room, or workshop? For us it might be considered all or some of the preceding. Right now it is going to be the workshop we always dreamed of having, Read the rest »
There comes a time during the building of the first of a series when it becomes critical to have a look and detailed consultation with the various trades involved in the construction process. That time is now, and although we have a long list of discussions over the next three days, we will try to file a brief report daily. Read the rest »
Last week the engines were dropped onto their beds for the final time, and it now becomes possible to get a sense for how well this layout is going to work. Read the rest »
Reliable air conditioning, fridge operation, and water maker output depend on a clean flow of salt water. Trapping air in the plumbing, which leads to loss of flow, is a common problem due to suboptimal layout. This is the way it should be done. Read the rest »
Some of the hardest details to get right are alternator brackets. It is a question of drive belt, alignment, and structure. And these 7kW DC alternators – which can consume as much as 20 HP – are the most difficult of all. Read the rest »
Air conditioning, heating and ventilation are at the heart of all systems decisions. With the FPB 78 we are designing for the most efficient and comfortable environment yet. Read the rest »
What would you assume is the ocean-crossing yacht of choice for the editor of a preeminent megayacht magazine who’s seen it all? Read Stewart Campbell’s editor’s letter in the April 2015 edition of Boat International to find out. Read the rest »
Having previously entertained you with photos of the great room sole, we thought its support and isolation would be of interest, along with a few other tidbits. Read the rest »
It’s Friday, March Madness is upon us, and it is obvious that the FPB 78-1 has sole, and lots of it. This first photo is from the aft end of the galley looking forward. Read the rest »
Speed is a critical component of long distance cruising, as is a structure that carries a high factor of safety. We also want lots of heeled stability and the ability to recover from a capsize. But there is a conflict between these elements, and it revolves around weight and center of gravity. Read the rest »
Insulation of the hull and deck is critical to comfortable and efficient cruising. It impacts noise levels from exterior and machinery, condensation in cold climates, and electric requirements for heating and air conditioning. With the FPB Series we take the insulation game to a new level. Read the rest »
It is moving day for FPB 78-1. She is on passage to the fit out hall as welding has been completed, and this space is required for the third FPB 78 to begin its journey. Read the rest »
When you head offshore your safety depends on stability, both upright and ultimate (the heel angle at which you don’t recover from a knockdown). Given today’s software and computing power, calculating stability is a relatively straightforward exercise. This is required for commercial vessels, larger yachts, and generally for any flag state/class certification such as MCA, RINA, ABS, etc. We would not go offshore without this data, and we don’t think you should either.
We’ve been thinking about using aluminum lifeline stanchions for a long time as they offer a number of advantages.
We are pleased to report that FPB 64-10 has begun her sea trials. Riptide is sitting well on her lines and happy to be afloat.
It is the first day of August and time for an update, starting with three shots of the FPB 97-1 forepeak, looking here from inside the chain locker and aft. Read the rest »
With the design and engineering cycle for the FPB 78 Series nearing completion – it has been two years and over 16,000 man hours since we started this process –
Continuing on with our update, let’s look at the great room con, the logic for which has changed completely.
The first of the FPB 78 series now has all of its bottom plate in place, a major milestone.
Bottom plate this thick is heavy, very difficult to fabricate, and costly in the extreme. It is two times or more the Loyds Special Service rule requirements. Does it make sense?
We are always looking for a better, simpler way of doing things, and this frequently includes in-house testing. Right now we are working on LED lighting, looking for the best combination of light, color temperature, and dimming ability.
After all those thousands of design and engineering hours, innumerable three dimensional images, and years of noodling on this ltest FPB series design, you would think we’d be tired of it. But these photos represent the high point in terms of buzz factor, and it won’t be equaled again until we see this latest FPB sitting on her lines, afloat in the waters of New Zealand. Read the rest »
Here in Arizona we’re excited, having received our weekly update of photos from New Zealand. Seeing progress starting to accelerate on the first of three FPB 78s now scheduled, we are leaping for joy. The assembly floor has been laid out, and the tank modules are being dropped into place.
We want to talk about a subject often avoided: Size. It is important for comfort, for aesthetics, and for speed. This has been much on our mind of late as we reach the “hard point” in the build cycle for the FPB 78, after which changes are not allowed. If you study the renderings in this post you will note the Dream Machine has a different look.
We have had a ton of feedback on the subject of crew quarters – both via SetSail and e-mail – and we’ve worked up what we think is as close to crew Nirvana as one can get on a small yacht. The process has also lead to several other enhancements in the FPB 78 layout. Our own thoughts have come full circle and we will tell you our decision for FPB 78-1 at the end of the post.
The following is a compilation of the comments and dialogue we have received from various posts on the new FPB 78 Dream Machine: Read the rest »
We are in the process of designing crew quarters for our FPB 78. With no experience cruising and/or living with crew, we are working in a theoretical world rather than reality. If you are a professional crew, or an owner who has lived with crew, we’d love to hear from you. Read the rest »
Skeg, rudder and canoe body integration play a large part in comfort on passage, heavy weather tactics, maneuvering in port, propulsion efficiency, and tolerance for operator error.
Rudder control steering geometry is one of those things which looks simple, but is actually quite difficult to get right. Loads can be high, space tight, and when you are shooting for maximum rudder deflection, it can be a challenge.
Window coverings will play a more important role in the new FPB 78, given our goal of staying cool at anchor a majority of the time without a genset. This post is about the factors affecting the window covering decision, after which we’d love to have suggestions from SetSailors.
The first cut! After many thousands of design and engineering hours, construction is underway with FPB 78-1.
We hate to waste displacement on sloppy interior construction, poorly thought out systems, or excess structure up high, where it does nothing to help us. But from the deck edge down we want all the impact resistance and factors of safety we can get. Read the rest »
Calculating drag, fuel burn, and range for yachts under power is a complex process, one which often turns out wrong in the real world. We are not sure what other folks do, but we use a combination of science, model testing, real world results, and various software suites, mixed with a healthy dose of gut instinct. Read the rest »
Those of you familiar with our work will know that we consider being able to maintain comparatively fast cruising speeds the most important factor in safe, comfortable ocean crossing. Get this right and you enjoy making passages. Get it wrong and you will prefer sitting at the dock reading about the folks who are really out there cruising. Read the rest »
If we had to pick one system above all else that must be 100% reliable we’d say steering. Which is why we fit two complete auto pilots, two independent hydraulic systems, and use intensely muscular structural elements. Most of this is easy, but establishing the engineering scenario for the rudder itself takes a bit of work. As we are just wrapping this up for the FPB 78, we thought you might find the logic of interest.
We feel that the most dangerous operation on any motor yacht is dinghy launch and retrieval. This applies to our FPB as well, even though our approach, with the dink on the main deck, is much easier (and we think safer) to handle than most. The heavier the dink, the bigger the risk, and this new dink is considerably weightier than our old, trending towards 1200 pounds/550kg. So we have been fiddling away at a better handling system since the beginning of the design cycle. What follows has been adapted from the approach being considered for FPB 97-1, and represents what we think is a step forward from where we have been in the past.
The FPB 78 aft deck design has evolved from these renderings, but we expect the launching procedure logic to remain the same.
Now let’s have a more detailed look at what may end up being our favorite area on board: the Matrix deck. Read the rest »
Primary Design Goal – Ocean Crossing Comfort and Security:
Our number one priority with this new FPB 78 is still a mix of capabilities that allows us to make long passages safely while keeping us physically and mentally comfortable. Read the rest »