Bestevaer 49

noelex

noelex

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We are building a new boat. It will be a custom designed aluminium boat, which makes no economic sense, but why not :).

The Bestevaer range of yachts are designed by Gerard Dijkstra:
http://www.dykstra-na.nl

He originally designed the Bestevaer 53 as his personal boat to cruise mainly polar waters. He still owns and uses this boat.

As a spin off, KM, a Dutch builder produced several Bestevaer 53 yachts very similar to the original, but differing in finish and detail to suit the clients requirements. They gradually extended the range to two smaller versions (a 45 and 49) and several larger models (a 55, 60 66 and 76).

The website is here:
Our Yachts / KM Yachtbuilders

They are all based in the same overall design, but the company will produce anything that is technically feasible. Several have been built with lifting keels and one was even made with a larger beam and side decks for a wheelchair, as well as full access to the interior.

This is a photo of a completed 49, although our boat will differ in many details:

img_1842088_0_1f36a5931e0e583f97ec84bd1d0b051f.jpg
 
sarabande said:
Oh nice ! Very definitely long distance in comfort.

What anchors are you going to buy for her ? :)
Click to expand...

:).
The anchoring gear has generated quite a lot of interest.
The details are not yet finalised. The boat has a retractable bowsprit, which complicates the issue, but we are hoping to fit a Mantus as the primary anchor. This has been a fantastic anchor on our old boat. We will be initially cruising some cold waters so a suitable back up primary anchor will be needed, unlike the warm waters of the Med where I was always confident I could dive and free a stuck anchor (although I never needed to do this and had a backup Rocna).

There is a large windlass planned (Maxwell 4000 on 24V) and the chain locker is well back from the bow, allowing us to carry lots of chain for those deep Pacific anchorages.
 
Last edited:
Rest easy, Neeves. I am sure that Noelex will be able to answer my light-hearted question from his own extensive and technical experience.
 
sarabande said:
Rest easy, Neeves. I am sure that Noelex will be able to answer my light-hearted question from his own extensive and technical experience.
Click to expand...

Thanks Sarabande. I think we posted at the same time :).

Here is a build photo from last year showing the hull framing:

d3BdrTd.jpg
 
That photo shows that the boat is being built with a really strong internal structure. Will it have a thick layer of insulation between the outer skin and the internal finish? When do you expect it to be completed?
 
Tranona said:
There was a test of the 45 with centreboard and twin rudders in YM a couple of months ago.
Click to expand...

It was the Pure. This is a slightly smaller version (45 feet instead of 49). Most Bestevaers have been completed as custom boats, meaning the owners can specify anything that is technically feasible and the factory will build it. The Pure has been produced more like a production yacht. There are still plenty of options, but costs have been reduced by standardising many of the details. The Pure is great value for money and a wonderful yacht. If anyone is interested in Pure I have some photos of this model that I am happy to post if you indicate what you would like to see.
 
Keeping the weight of anchor chain back from the bow, obviously makes sense. Have you been able to make the further aft chain locker self draining?
 
Neeves said:
I think you mentioned some time ago that you would not buy G70 again - is this still the situation
and why?
Jonathan
Click to expand...

Once again it is a little too early for these details to be finalised, but our preference is to avoid G7 chain if possible. The chain locker is well back from the bow, so there is less impact from the heavy chain on sailing performance.

G7 is difficult to replace in remote locations and needs watching carefully as a small loss of material translates to a significant loss of strength. Anchoring about 300 days a year we are tough on anchoring gear and our G7 chain only lasted 4 years and really needed replacing around the three year mark.

The weight savings are significant so I think G7 can still be a good option for many boats especially for lightweight catamarans like yours. There is not much loss of anchor performance going for lighter chain although most of this loss is in difficult substrates where the anchor is strugglng to set which is perhaps where the loss can be least afforded, but this is uncommon if a good quality anchor is used.
 
Norman_E said:
That photo shows that the boat is being built with a really strong internal structure. Will it have a thick layer of insulation between the outer skin and the internal finish? When do you expect it to be completed?
Click to expand...

Yes, that is good point. Our previous aluminium boat had 75mm of insulation, which made a tremendous difference. There was no condensation or trace of mould when other boats in the same conditions were struggling. It was also much quieter, which is a help when sleeping offshore, as well as the more obvious advantages of being warmer in winter and cooler in summer.

We specified the same again for this boat, but it has actually ended up thicker in most locations. The same insulation has also been applied to all the watertight bulkheads (there are three of these), which should further help reducing the noise levels.

The insulation can be seen here on the main watertight bulkhead between the owners' cabin and the salon. The watertight door has not been fitted at this stage.

PFt9zbn.jpg


KM have even added small amounts of foam (you can see the different colour) around some trim pieces to fill in any gaps around fittings. A small detail, but this will be hidden when the boat is finished and taking care even in areas that cannot be seen shows they care about build quality.

KLZ8tkn.jpg


The build was started early last and should be finished he end of this year.
 
I know quality like that costs money, but its worth it. I am reminded of the reply attributed to Henry Royce when someone queried the high cost of his cars. "The quality will remain long after the price has been forgotten."
 
noelex said:
We are building a new boat. It will be a custom designed aluminium boat, which makes no economic sense, but why not :).

The Bestevaer range of yachts are designed by Gerard Dijkstra:
http://www.dykstra-na.nl

He originally designed the Bestevaer 53 as his personal boat to cruise mainly polar waters. He still owns and uses this boat.

As a spin off, KM, a Dutch builder produced several Bestevaer 53 yachts very similar to the original, but differing in finish and detail to suit the clients requirements. They gradually extended the range to two smaller versions (a 45 and 49) and several larger models (a 55, 60 66 and 76).

The website is here:
Our Yachts / KM Yachtbuilders

They are all based in the same overall design, but the company will produce anything that is technically feasible. Several have been built with lifting keels and one was even made with a larger beam and side decks for a wheelchair, as well as full access to the interior.

This is a photo of a completed 49, although our boat will differ in many details:

img_1842088_0_1f36a5931e0e583f97ec84bd1d0b051f.jpg
Click to expand...

I remember reading that Gerard Dijkstra said that if he were building again he waould specify an aerorig for his own boat. Tempted?
 
Sybarite said:
I remember reading that Gerard Dijkstra said that if he were building again he waould specify an aerorig for his own boat. Tempted?
Click to expand...

The Aerorig was a good idea, but I think it was a bit of a commercial failure and I am not sure it is available any longer. Unconventional solutions can be difficult to repair in out of the way places.

Dijkstra was responsible for the very innovative square sail system on the Maltese Falcon so he is certainly no stranger to radical sail solutions. His own boat is very well thought out with lots of custom hardware (such as turning blocks), but is quite conventionally rigged.

We did have a talk with Gerard Dijkstra about things he would change on his old boat before building our own. The philosophy behind his own boat of "simple and strong" is very much what we wanted for our new boat. His design team has a many good sailors and they also had a lot of input during the consultation process that is part of the early design work. But we have been full time cruisers for the last 10 years on a 48 foot aluminium yacht and have sailed for much longer than that, so of course have incorporated many of our own ideas and requirements into the specifications.
 
This is Gerard Dijkstra's own boat still looking great after many hard sailing miles into difficult cruising grounds.


p9UZoPi.jpg
 
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