Here’s a first look at a new custom composite 57-foot Down East cruiser that Stephens Waring Yacht Design of Belfast, Maine, worked on for C. W. Hood Yachts of Marblehead, Massachusetts. Construction of major components is starting at Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding in Thomaston, Maine, and will be finished at the Hood yard.
“The client originally came to us with a 26-foot repower and refit project,” says Chris Hood, the founder of C.W. Hood Yachts. “Inspired by the style and performance of our earlier designs, the conversation turned to a larger custom yacht. With a few guidelines and a fair amount of latitude, we set out on a six-month preliminary design and proposal process, resulting in this classic 57-foot performance cruiser.”
The design brief, a collaboration between Hood and Stephens Waring, was to create a high-performance cruiser with a blend of sophisticated, classic lines and modern designs and technology. The result is the 57-footer with a sharp bow, long sheer, classic tumblehome and a 39-knot top speed powered by twin 1,000-hp Volvo IPS1350 pod drives, the most powerful of Volvo’s entire IPS series.
Weight control and strength were top priorities, so Stephens Waring designed an innovative composite construction of hybrid wood and fiberglass, blending affordable tongue-and-groove wood planks with fiberglass composite structures.
“We are utilizing advanced composite techniques that just happen to use wood as a core,” says Drew Lyman, the president of Lyman-Morse. “And then marrying that core to reasonably-priced fiberglass components that meet the demands of modern technological build process.”
The new 57 is meant for weekend cruising and entertaining. It has custom titanium hardware, a titanium spiral staircase up to the flybridge, a unique open cockpit with direct access to the water or a dock, and accommodations for four.
Specs.: LOA: 57’3”; Beam: 17’6”; Draft: 4’10”; Disp.: 60,000 lbs.; Fuel: NA; Water: NA; Power: 2xVolvo IPS1350 pod drives.
