Here’s a creative new boat that’s bound to turn some heads when it’s launched: The Surfari 50 Rigid Hull Hybrid Inflatable from the Friendship Yacht Company in Middletown, Rhode Island, an all-around coastal cruiser with an attitude.
Ted Fontaine, president of the Fontaine Design Group and Friendship, designed the boat for a client who had a Protector 41 but wanted a larger boat that would carry him to his favorite beaches and surfing spots on Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard, and the eastern end of Long Island. He wanted a high-quality, aesthetically pleasing, multi-purpose exploration boat that he also could use for weekend cruising or as a support vessel for a professional racing program.
The resulting Surfari 50 is a fast, seaworthy, sport utility vessel with a finely-appointed interior that would make extended overnight cruises comfortable. The clean lines and low profile make the Surfari 50 look something like a combination of a patrol boat and a go-anywhere expedition cruiser.
Standard power comes from three 400-hp Mercury Verado outboards, which Fontaine says will hit a top of 58 mph and cruise at 42 mph. If that’s not fast enough, you can order the Surfari 50 with four 400-hp Verados. The boat comes with Mercury’s Joystick for easy handling and its Skyhook station, to keep you in place. It also has a Seakeeper gyrostabilizer and a 7.5kW Westerbeke genset. The helm station offers all-weather comfort, with air conditioning and heating.
The hull has an 18.5-degree deadrise aft. The boat’s hybrid foam-filled inflatable sponson tubes provide protection without reducing the interior volume. They are on a D-tube collar, integral with the hull and deck flange. The boat’s hull, deck and superstructure are laminated with epoxy resin and e-glass composite with carbon-fiber reinforcements.
The interior is set up with an open floor plan, a well-appointed galley, and a private head with a stall shower. A settee on the port side converts to a berth; that area can be closed off for privacy by sliding doors. And there’s an aft cabin under the helm with a double berth.
Specs.: LOA: 52’9”; Beam: 14’7”; Draft: 2’1”; Disp.: 29,500 lbs.; Fuel: 750 gals.; Water: 200 gals.; Power: 3×400-hp Mercury Verado outboards.
http://friendshipyachtcompany.com
