New Fairline Squadron 53

[Hurricane]

But anyways this is more for access to the starboard side deck. I do not think double transom doors are a big deal.

Yea - maybe in the Med
But a huge problem if alongside like most (if not all) of the UK marinas.
Indeed, in Spain at SC all our nice berths are on floating pontoons with alongside fingers.
If you only have one transom gate and it is on the wrong side, it can be very difficult to get on and off especially if the dinghy is occupying the whole of the bathing platform.

Hey, even our old Sealine T51 has two transom doors.

 

[henryf]

Fairline do read these comments and I know they value the feedback.

Oh how they must love everyone

I'm looking forward to seeing the design in the flesh.

Transom door - I only need a single door, we turn the boat around when berthing to ensure port side to. Just means you either go in forwards or backwards. In reality with a tender on the bathing platform you offset it so that only one side is accessible anyway.

Access to both gunwhales - Absolutely essential but I would have no problem with a small lift out cushion and possibly a fold in table end. Our current P50 features just such a lift out cushion to accommodate entrance via the passerelle.

Interior layout - we have no need for 4 cabins, I suspect the 4th cabin will be tiny and there isn't enough kitchen space to accommodate 6 or 8 people. I would also question bathroom capacity / water capacity etc.

I see a bit of artistic licence with the forward seating / steps down to the lower accommodation. Shuffle too far to the left and you fall down an 8 foot drop.

The aft galley features one of those little walls which prevent access to ovens / cupboards etc. Nice to see the option of a lower galley which will presumably feature full sized fridge, loads of storage and indeed a separate utility room. My current gripe with sub 60 foot Princess offerings is a dolls house sized galley compared to our current P50. It was the one area on the Sunseeker 53 which won hands down (assuming they can solve the problem of the joke caravan fridge freezer).

Let's see the thing in the flesh and make judgement from there.

Henry

 

[henryf]

Just to add if they gave me the designer pencil I'd take the aft galley layout, do away with the seating and table opposite, make it into a walk through galley / wet bar with units on both sides then make use of that huge cockpit seating under the canopy of the flybridge.

Cockpit canopies down and good heating / air con in the area? What about looking at the 1940's technology canvas covers we all use to see if there is a more thermally efficient solution?

For the Med it might not be a problem, I'm thinking cooler / warmer climes.

Henry

 

[petem]

Oh how they must love everyone

Henry, they embrace it.

As they say "feedback is the breakfast of champions"!

 

[petem]

Access to both gunwhales - Absolutely essential but I would have no problem with a small lift out cushion and possibly a fold in table end. Our current P50 features just such a lift out cushion to accommodate entrance via the passerelle.

As I said earlier, 'Oundle' do see these posts and one of my contacts there has advised me that they already have a design for starboard deck access as a result of this very question from a customer. I know that Deleted User has a similar arrangement on his Ferretti for enerping the cockpit via his pasarelle.

 

[henryf]

As I said earlier, 'Oundle' do see these posts and one of my contacts there has advised me that they already have a design for starboard deck access as a result of this very question from a customer.

That scares me a little as it shouldn't take a prompt from a customer to design a way of getting onto the starboard gunwhale easily from the cockpit. It's a basic necessity.

If they want to use my walk though galley / wet bar design my rates are very sensible. Even JFM would be able to fit proper sized appliances for his chef

Henry

 

[Hurricane]

Transom door - I only need a single door, we turn the boat around when berthing to ensure port side to. Just means you either go in forwards or backwards. In reality with a tender on the bathing platform you offset it so that only one side is accessible anyway.
Henry

I may be wrong here but most people pay for a berth where the "water space" is longer than the finger - or they would be paying for a berth longer than the berth size.
If we turn our boat round so that the bow doesn't infringe with the main pontoon, we physically couldn't get off the boat.
I do turn her round sometimes for maintenance but in order for us to get off, the bow seriously infringes the pontoon.

So, if as you say, Fairline read these comments, I suggest that they try putting a boat on the correct size berth with a single transom door on the wrong side - and then try and get off.
Yes, it is ok for fit people but there are times when the less able want to get on and off too.

This would be a big deal for me, especially if I were going to use the boat in the UK.
It WOULD be a show stopper for me.

 

[henryf]

If it was a home berth then we would need port side to stern in and get accommodated accordingly. Actually our current berth could take us either way.

When on our travels the only time I can think where it has been an issue was Port Hamble where possibly I got one of the most over priced berths in my boating history. Far too small, angled in where it met the main pontoon meaning you couldn't actually get the boat up to the main pontoon without going at some strange angle and risking damage, miles from any facilities which thankfully we didn't need and didn't care less when given feedback.

Because of the way our dinghy rests on the bathing platform we are port side to only regardless of transom options.

To be fair I don't seek out marinas preferring more natural town berths. Where we do go into formal marinas they tend to be alongside larger pontoons possibly on account of 50 feet being seen as large in the UK.

I've never owned a double transom door boat so like internal staircases I guess I don't miss what I haven't had. Not saying it isn't an issue, just not something that would be a deal breaker for us. I would be more put off by a lack of usable galley / wet bar area.

Obviously worth mentioning a 53 footer would be a step down for you, a step up in size for us so maybe our expectations are different ?


Henry

 

[petem]

Oh how they must love everyone

I'm looking forward to seeing the design in the flesh.

Transom door - I only need a single door, we turn the boat around when berthing to ensure port side to. Just means you either go in forwards or backwards. In reality with a tender on the bathing platform you offset it so that only one side is accessible anyway.

Access to both gunwhales - Absolutely essential but I would have no problem with a small lift out cushion and possibly a fold in table end. Our current P50 features just such a lift out cushion to accommodate entrance via the passerelle.

Interior layout - we have no need for 4 cabins, I suspect the 4th cabin will be tiny and there isn't enough kitchen space to accommodate 6 or 8 people. I would also question bathroom capacity / water capacity etc.

I see a bit of artistic licence with the forward seating / steps down to the lower accommodation. Shuffle too far to the left and you fall down an 8 foot drop.

The aft galley features one of those little walls which prevent access to ovens / cupboards etc. Nice to see the option of a lower galley which will presumably feature full sized fridge, loads of storage and indeed a separate utility room. My current gripe with sub 60 foot Princess offerings is a dolls house sized galley compared to our current P50. It was the one area on the Sunseeker 53 which won hands down (assuming they can solve the problem of the joke caravan fridge freezer).

Let's see the thing in the flesh and make judgement from there.

Henry

Which would you favour Henry, forward or aft upper galley?

 

[stelican]

God, What a fuss about having to remove a cushion to have to access the side deck. A huge social improvement to the limited space available won't be surprised to see other builders follow this lead in maximising space.
People will want twin transom doors on their dinghies next.

 

[MapisM]

A huge social improvement to the limited space available

Pardon?!?
Mind, I agree that IF a section of the settee (not just a cushion!) can be removed and left open to access the stbd deck, that might be ok from an accessibility standpoint.
But let's not pretend that they found a miraculous way to amplify the available space, either.
In fact, a fixed L settee like the one in the drawings can only achieve the opposite result, in my opinion/experience.
Occasionally, I had up to a dozen of folks hanging around and having drinks (if not even a light lunch!) in the cockpit of my boat, whose size is similar.
And imho, in such occasions, a fixed L settee would have been just a clutter, rather than a "huge social improvement"...! :ambivalence:

 

[Bouba]

Pardon?!?
Mind, I agree that IF a section of the settee (not just a cushion!) can be removed and left open to access the stbd deck, that might be ok from an accessibility standpoint.
But let's not pretend that they found a miraculous way to amplify the available space, either.
In fact, a fixed L settee like the one in the drawings can only achieve the opposite result, in my opinion/experience.
Occasionally, I had up to a dozen of folks hanging around and having drinks (if not even a light lunch!) in the cockpit of my boat, whose size is similar.
And imho, in such occasions, a fixed L settee would have been just a clutter, rather than a "huge social improvement"...! :ambivalence:

While I'm not on the same grand scale as you chaps�� I also didn't go for the optional fixed settee in the cockpit, without it the feeling of space matches much larger boats. It leaves an uncluttered space to work in and allows the salon furniture to be brought outdoors thus uncluttering the salon.

 

[henryf]

Which would you favour Henry, forward or aft upper galley?

At this stage neither. I haven't seen an upper galley large enough yet with the possible exception of the Sunseeker 53.

I can't be doing with trying to bend down and contort myself to open cupboards or get something in the microwave. I also can't be messing about with micro appliances, particularly fridge freezers.

With 4 cabins you put a lot of strain on kitchen, bathrooms, water etc. You also have to move around people a lot so need wide passages and public spaces.

I am looking forward to seeing it in the flesh at London and will be viewing with an open mind.

Henry

 

[MapisM]

At this stage neither.

Interestingly, also my wife, who found initially appealing the galley up (like in the AZ55 or Aicon 56), eventually came to the same conclusion.
The only alternative she approved for the placement of an upper galley is around the side door (therefore, necessarily forward), and near the internal stair to the f/b.
But this solution demands larger spaces (like in BartW Canados, or in the SL62 at the very least).
At anything less than 60' or so, she thinks that the galley down arrangement is better in more ways than one - and I fully agree, fwiw (i.e. nothing at all, when talking of the galley!).
And pretty much the same is true for the central vs. bow master cabin, imho.
Otoh, I can see why builders try to squeeze whatever they think is more attractive at boat shows, regardless of what make more sense in terms of space allocation vs. hull size...
But before petem kills me, I'm not blaming FL for jumping on this bandwagon.
In fact, I think that one of the best example of optimal space allocation at sub-60' remains their Sq58, with her galley down and bow cabin.

 

[Whitelighter]

Like it or not - 4 cabins in sub 60ft is a usp that will sell boats, even if only for charter.
But the point is if you want it you have to buy the SQ53

Look how well pearl did with the 55 for the same reason.

Fair line won't care who buys them and for what reason, just so long as someone does.

 

[MapisM]

Well, that's another matter altogether.
'Fiuaskme, I can't figure a queue of people who were waiting for a 4 cabin boat of this kind/size.
But if I'd be wrong, it would neither be the first nor the last time...

 

[Whitelighter]

So they buy the 3 cabin version.
Since when was choice a bad thing?

 

[Nigelpickin]

Well, that's another matter altogether.
'Fiuaskme, I can't figure a queue of people who were waiting for a 4 cabin boat of this kind/size.
But if I'd be wrong, it would neither be the first nor the last time...

When we were looking at 11m boats we were surprised that most of the 2 cabin stuff had drop down saloon tables with infills; far too small a boat for 5 or 6 in our opinion but I guess for the average family with non gender aligned offspring it important. I think the 4 cabins in 17m will be great for the order book, but the stuff of nightmares for me personally.

 

[MapisM]

Since when was choice a bad thing?

Can't remember to have said that. My post was about the galley location...

 

[petem]

But before petem kills me, I'm not blaming FL for jumping on this bandwagon.

Don't worry, you won't be finding a horses head in your bed tonight P. What I think Fairline is doing that people will find attractive, is offering flexibility so that people can choose their preferred configuration.

Call me weird, but I would choose a three cabin boat, with a utility / occasional bunk configuration instead of the fourth cabin. I'd see if they could make the third cabin double as an office space. I actually like the galley up and forward configuration as the galley looks bigger and I particularly like a section of the boat where the whole width of it is taken up by a dinette facing a sofa. I reckon that would make a sociable boat that you could live on comfortably for a few weeks at a time.

As Deleted User will attest, I do like to have a snooze, indoors, in the shade next to a patio door. A bit like being at home!

But you've really got to see the different configurations in the flesh as it could be that the galley aft works just as well. And of course it depends on where you're keeping the boat, incidentally I think galley up and forward would work well in hot and cold climates.

All totally my personal opinion.