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It’s a really nice looking blue water boat. Reminds me of a N46. Maybe they borrowed the design from Garden?
 
Just cant imagine how much drag that rudder thruster would create :confused:
Would be possible to use a feathering prop to reduce it I guess. First time I see this but can imagine some benefit for handling the boat at very low speed, would give something like a pod.

L
 
Would be possible to use a feathering prop to reduce it I guess. First time I see this but can imagine some benefit for handling the boat at very low speed, would give something like a pod.

L

Feathering props are poor "back'er uppers". I would not mess with it.
 
I really like it, a little small, but....
 

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Tell me I am not crazy to like this boat....please.:facepalm:

custom coastal cruiser

I only had time to skim the other pages presented on this boat.
I didn't see a mention of bow and or stern thruster nor did I see the hull material. One head for all those berths?

So for now, I will say, you are just a little bit crazy.
 
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I only had time to skim the other pages presented on this boat.
I didn't see a mention of bow and or stern thruster nor did I see the hull material. How many staterooms and heads?

It is listed with Pilot House King and I couldn't find it on YW. Maybe an exclusive listing.

Has a 24v Vetus bow thruster.

It mentions cold molded so I guess that means fiberglass over wood.

2 cabins and only one head. That sucks for a 57' boat with an almost 19' beam. REAL houseboats have 2 heads!
 
It is listed with Pilot House King and I couldn't find it on YW. Maybe an exclusive listing.

Has a 24v Vetus bow thruster.

It mentions cold molded so I guess that means fiberglass over wood.

2 cabins and only one head. That sucks for a 57' boat with an almost 19' beam. REAL houseboats have 2 heads!

Maybe it's a Three Holer - LOL :dance:
 
That Bill Garden boat was written up in Passagemaker a bunch of years ago. Wish I had kept that volume but no, it caught the donation box. To bad the name doesn't show in the photo.

Post 5027

I saw it maybe 6 yrs ago in Malaspina Str., He south bound, me north bound.
Darn fine looking vessel.

Remembering some details from the article:
Main prop drive was belts off the Cat engine /gear box. Apparently worked well. An idler sheave allowed adjustment which once initially done was seldom needed.
Variable pitch main prop.
Rudder thruster was hydraulic and worked as expected. May have caused some drag but was not a factor. It could actually drive the boat at a slow speed in case of main prop damage as long as the engine worked.
Initially built of cedar and then covered in 1/2" fiberglass.
Lots of other neat details. A lot of thought was put into that vessel.

Don't quote me on it anymore as typical memory but it impressed enough I didn't forget the boat, just some of the details.

If really interested look up that Passagemaker article or ask for a copy, I'll bet the owner has it.
 
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Tell me I am not crazy to like this boat....please.:facepalm:

custom coastal cruiser

A houseboat that has been to Alaska 5 times!

Thanks for the link, I am going to see this boat next week in Florida and one of my big questions was what the underwater profile looked like. It is essentially a big flat pointed dish and I was wondering what it had for a keel. 18 foot beam with a low profile/cg should make it plenty stable for coastal cruising, but what is the motion going to be like: there's nothing worse than a quick short roll.......
 
It is listed with Pilot House King and I couldn't find it on YW. Maybe an exclusive listing.

Has a 24v Vetus bow thruster.

It mentions cold molded so I guess that means fiberglass over wood.

2 cabins and only one head. That sucks for a 57' boat with an almost 19' beam. REAL houseboats have 2 heads!

Our houseboat on Lake Powell is 50feet and only has one head. Given the maintenance demands of the whole onboard toilet system, having one large head for four berths seems reasonable, especially for a custom boat obviously built for a couple.

Our intent is to live aboard exploring the ICW and Bahamas for the next couple of years and we anticipate having guests aboard for at most 4 of the 52 weeks we will be aboard a year. In that scenario, multiple staterooms with tiny heads attached make little sense. At this point my big concerns about this boat are the motion at sea and the tiny Pullman type master stateroom.
 
A houseboat that has been to Alaska 5 times!



Thanks for the link, I am going to see this boat next week in Florida and one of my big questions was what the underwater profile looked like. It is essentially a big flat pointed dish and I was wondering what it had for a keel. 18 foot beam with a low profile/cg should make it plenty stable for coastal cruising, but what is the motion going to be like: there's nothing worse than a quick short roll.......



You might like it! It really depends on the type of cruising you want to do. It reminds me of the European barge boats built for cruising rivers and canals. For that and say, the Intracoastal it would be great. Short trips in open water such as a day over to the Bahamas in benign weather would be fine also. Up the inside passage to Alaska, one would have to be cautious of the open sea sections but if you had no schedule and could wait out weather then, why not?

It’s essentially a barge hull so there is likely a large GM. This should produce a short, choppy rolling period. A steadying sail might work well to mitigate it?

I kinda like it in a lot of ways. It’s got an interesting look to it. Might be fun on a great loop. But here are my takes on downsides that might not be easy to remedy and become a pain after a while:

1 All auxiliary machinery will be below the floors so be prepared to lie on your belly a lot.

2 Pilot house is quite small

3 The windows look like regular home windows. Check they are marine grade.

4 A day head would be handy for guests on board. Also provides a spare if the main head craps out until it can be fixed.

5 Stuff stored on the top of the coach house reduces sight lines and looks untidy.

6 Everything is on one level so you do not get the benefit of a multideck boat. With that length and breadth the hull could have easily supported a second deck which would have provided more living space albeit with an increase in draft.

7 A cold molded hull of an unusual one-off design is likely to be a difficult re-sell.

8 I would wonder if anyone has made any hull strength calculations to determine that there are sufficient scantlings and no obvious failure points. This can be said of many one-off boats too. I am not a fan of “Well that looks about right” or “We built a lotta boats this way”.

I would love to hear your impressions after you see it.
 
There have been a lot of comments and negative comments.
It's your money. You will live with your decision.
If you like the lay out of the boat, get it surveyed. If it gets a good survey and you still like the boat, buy it at your price. If you don't like the boat or can't get your price, walk away.
End of story.
 
It would be a good bet this boat has been posted as an interesting boat for sure.
I have come across her during her travels throughout South East waters. Once in Meyers Chuck, Man what an impressive view seeing her come tip toeing through the entrance, the second time in Wrangell. What a head turner, Impressive is all one can say about her pilot house set up. Old School!


Gig Harbor Yachts (Gig Harbor, WA)

Al-Ketchikan
 
It is listed with Pilot House King and I couldn't find it on YW. Maybe an exclusive listing.

Finally located it on YW as 59' boat and not 57' thanks to adding in the swim platform. A few more pics are added.

1997 Custom Blackwell-Haught Custom Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

Interesting kitchen access to the engine room. As McG states, the pilot house is really small and getting in and out of the helm chair looks problematic. Still seems like a lot of boat for $250K but also a lot of dockage fees.
 
Finally located it on YW as 59' boat and not 57' thanks to adding in the swim platform. A few more pics are added.

[URL="http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1997/
Interesting kitchen access to the engine room. As McG states, the pilot house is really small and getting in and out of the helm chair looks problematic. Still seems like a lot of boat for $250K but also a lot of dockage fees.

With such a shallow draft, gotta put the engine somewhere. If the sound isolation is good, it should not be a problem.

The pilot house reminds me of a riverboat pilot house.
 
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