First Four TT35s Looking GOOD!

This is a recent shots of the first four Great Harbour TT35s!

They even have the flybridge for hull #1 sitting in front.

I'm still waiting to see real photos of the finished interior.

I think a 5th wheel trailer is called for, not a bumper pull. Just a thought. Have an RV and Sea going boat all in one...WOW!

I can't wait to see a few of them coming down the river together.

https://www.passagemaker.com/cruiser-reviews/great-harbour-trailerable-trawler-ken-fickett

Recent Blog post by Peter Swanson

Curious why the steps up to the deck haven't been installed. Perhaps a redesign is needed.

That's a funny article. I've met Ken Fickett, and he definitely marches to his own peculiar drum beat. He has interesting ideas and builds very interesting boats IMO.

I loved some of the fast sailboats he built in the 1980s. Hope he finds continued success.

Question on outboard controls: I was tied up next to a big offshore fishing machine recently that had three outboards. When I watched him pull out it appeared that the motors were turning independent of one another. That made me wonder whether the joystick control system had made its way to this sort of boat. Could you have a complete drive-by-wire system on a boat like this?

Jeff F said:

I loved some of the fast sailboats he built in the 1980s. Hope he finds continued success.

Question on outboard controls: I was tied up next to a big offshore fishing machine recently that had three outboards. When I watched him pull out it appeared that the motors were turning independent of one another. That made me wonder whether the joystick control system had made its way to this sort of boat. Could you have a complete drive-by-wire system on a boat like this?

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Yes, you can have many different combinations and joysticks have definitely made their way there. Now, there are also times when one might not want the motors working in tandem. Perhaps running on just the middle one or just the two outside. This is very unusual with outboards but has definitely made it's way to large yachts.

Here is Yamaha's Helm Master.

Helm Master | Yamaha Outboards

HenryD said:

I can't wait to see a few of them coming down the river together.

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I'd love to see just one actually completed and independently tested and reviewed. Sounds like they're still designing as the initial sea trials were January 31 and they're just now installing the bow thrusters.

Bow thrusters are a buyer option and not part of the stock boat.

BandB said:

Here is Yamaha's Helm Master.

Helm Master | Yamaha Outboards

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Thanks. That explains what I saw. Seems like we can expect this to trickle down to be applicable to this boat at some point. Then no thrusters ever needed. Pretty appealing package.

Jeff F said:

Thanks. That explains what I saw. Seems like we can expect this to trickle down to be applicable to this boat at some point. Then no thrusters ever needed. Pretty appealing package.

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Wouldn't change the need for bow thrusters. You still have your props and rudders back of the hull so still plenty of room for the wind to catch the bow. I would say if any 35' boat ever needed bow thrusters, this one would.

BandB said:

Wouldn't change the need for bow thrusters. You still have your props and rudders back of the hull so still plenty of room for the wind to catch the bow. I would say if any 35' boat ever needed bow thrusters, this one would.

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I'm speaking from complete ignorance here. Do modern IPS boats have thrusters? Just looking at the physics I don't see why two well spaced outboards with the appropriate control system to allow independent thrust vectoring couldn't keep the bow wherever you wanted it. Maybe that's not current off-the-shelf capability, but it could be, couldn't it? Appreciate your POV on this.

With a 15" draft there is not much room for a bow thruster

FoxtrotCharlie said:

With a 15" draft there is not much room for a bow thruster

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It's a drop down retractable thruster apparently.

Jeff F said:

I'm speaking from complete ignorance here. Do modern IPS boats have thrusters? Just looking at the physics I don't see why two well spaced outboards with the appropriate control system to allow independent thrust vectoring couldn't keep the bow wherever you wanted it. Maybe that's not current off-the-shelf capability, but it could be, couldn't it? Appreciate your POV on this.

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Pods are located well forward of outboard drives. Plus they have greater turning range. Generally on a relatively short boat you can forego thrusters with pods. However, larger pods, those over 50') are being fitted with bow thrusters most of the time. Typically a boat the size of this one wouldn't need thrusters with straight drives either. However, I would think with the design, with the light weight, with the shallow draft, that this boat would easily be pushed by wind and outboards would simply not be able to correct the bow. I'm assuming that's why they're adding the thrusters. Without thrusters as you try to correct the bow, you're going to push the stern away as well. Clearly I haven't seen how this boat handles with or without. I owned stern drive boats up to 30' or so and never needed thrusters but they were designed much differently than the TT 35. I've handled outboard driven pontoon boats that were 24' and sure could have used something as strong winds took control. I've handled a 39' CC with triple Volvo outboards that had no need whatsoever for a thruster.

BandB said:

Pods are located well forward of outboard drives. Plus they have greater turning range.

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Makes sense. Thanks for your detailed answer.

Mule said:

I think a 5th wheel trailer is called for, not a bumper pull. Just a thought. Have an RV and Sea going boat all in one...WOW!

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I think one would be looking at about 10,000 lbs, fully loaded with the trailer.

Thus, I don't see a problem with a hitch set-up. I wouldn't pull this, however, with anything less than a newer 3/4 truck.

Jim

The problem with the fancy outboard controllers that give you joystick control is that you need to have 200hp engines minimum according to the engine people I've talked too. Bit more that the TT35 is designed for.

With the apparent high windage design of the hull, I would want a bow thruster on this boat for sure. Actually, the drawing on the PM article seems to show two bow thrusters. Since the draft is shallow, you probably need two small ones vs. a single larger one to get enough thrust.

ssobol said:

The problem with the fancy outboard controllers that give you joystick control is that you need to have 200hp engines minimum according to the engine people I've talked too. Bit more that the TT35 is designed for.

With the apparent high windage design of the hull, I would want a bow thruster on this boat for sure. Actually, the drawing on the PM article seems to show two bow thrusters. Since the draft is shallow, you probably need two small ones vs. a single larger one to get enough thrust.

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You're right that this boat is not the type that normally would benefit from a joystick application. It's just not normally necessary. There are joysticks that could be fitted, including one to include the thrusters. We're talking a small boat with small outboards so it shouldn't be necessary. There are quite a few retractable bow thrusters-Max Power, Vetus, Lewmar, Sidepower SR, Sideshift and more. A couple even do offer joysticks in packages.

BandB said:

You're right that this boat is not the type that normally would benefit from a joystick application. It's just not normally necessary. There are joysticks that could be fitted, including one to include the thrusters. We're talking a small boat with small outboards so it shouldn't be necessary. There are quite a few retractable bow thrusters-Max Power, Vetus, Lewmar, Sidepower SR, Sideshift and more. A couple even do offer joysticks in packages.

Click to expand...

The Helm Master system referred to in the earlier post is more than just simple joystick control of the bow thruster. The system computers command the thrust and direction of each engine separately. The joystick control allows you to move the boat in any direction (forward, back, translation, rotation, station keeping, etc.). It requires a computer control system, various sensors, and separate steering systems for each engine. If you see it in action, you will see the O/B engines moving independently.

I thought it would be cool for my boat. But a boat like mine would take twin 50s and Yamaha says the smallest they go is twin 200s. Most boats with this system have triple or quad motors of many, many HP.

Boat Steering Systems, Helm Master | Yamaha Outboards

ssobol said:

The Helm Master system referred to in the earlier post is more than just simple joystick control of the bow thruster. The system computers command the thrust and direction of each engine separately. The joystick control allows you to move the boat in any direction (forward, back, translation, rotation, station keeping, etc.). It requires a computer control system, various sensors, and separate steering systems for each engine. If you see it in action, you will see the O/B engines moving independently.

I thought it would be cool for my boat. But a boat like mine would take twin 50s and Yamaha says the smallest they go is twin 200s. Most boats with this system have triple or quad motors of many, many HP.

Boat Steering Systems, Helm Master | Yamaha Outboards

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There are many other joystick systems available but I don't see any of them fitting this application well or cost effectively. Would be a bit strange to have more money in the joystick system than in the engines themselves.

Most joystick systems are veery much like the Helm Master in terms of the complete system.

Anymore updates on this thread? It's so neat seeing a proper trawler with outboards. The Eco-Trawler from WI had outboards but the beam was so narrow. The GH TT35 seems very cool

South of Heaven said:

Anymore updates on this thread? It's so neat seeing a proper trawler with outboards. The Eco-Trawler from WI had outboards but the beam was so narrow. The GH TT35 seems very cool

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Ok, I'll bite, what's you definition of a "Proper Trawler ".

Ted

Yours Ted. [emoji57]

Here is more info on the TT35:
MEET US IN MARYLAND. We've just reserved dock space at the United States Powerboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland, where we'll make the first public showing of the TT35. The show runs from October 12-15, and the Great Harbor crew will be holding down a slip on D dock throughout the weekend. We hope to see you there.

________________



Here is an update from their newsletter:

Updates From the Yard

With Travis Fickett

Launch Date for the TT35
is Fast Approaching


It's been several months since we mated hull and deck on the first TT35. Since then, progress has been steady, but not dramatic, because we've been working on details such as wiring, rigging and interior furnishings. These items always seem to take longer the first time around, but we remain determined to get it right, and not rush or cut corners for the sake of deadlines. Patience has paid off, and we are now just a few weeks away from delivering hulls number one and two. Future builds will go much quicker, as we have now created all the necessarily tooling, and established work flow protocols. Meanwhile, here's the latest progress report as of mid August.

The rooftop solar system has been installed and tested. It looks like owners will be able to operate refrigeration, lighting and some additional light-load electronics with solar power alone. In the event of rainy days, there is the standard air-cooled Honda generator, which ties to the inverter to provide all the power needed to handle both start loads and continuous operation of air conditioning, refrigeration, cooking and more.
The retracting bow thruster is installed and tested. This design will not only present a cleaner bow profile, but also reduce or eliminate fouling of the thruster blades from marine growth, thanks to the unit's recessed storage position within the hull. We determined that there was no need to add a separate forward battery to power the thruster and anchor windlass. Both are tied to the primary battery bank and fed through robust wiring. This not only reduces weight and cost, but also simplifies maintenance.
We put a good bit of design effort into the transom tailgate, and have come up with a system that is both extremely strong and light enough to easily drop and raise. The hinges are fully recessed, so there's nothing sticking up to stub bare toes. When the gate is down, it becomes a seamless extension of the cockpit.
After considerable research, we opted to go with a soft-sided, bladder-style water tank. These systems have proven to be durable and trouble free, and we settled on a 150-liter tank from Plastimo.

A bladder-style water tank from Plastimo
By the next news letter, we should have shots of the fully-finished boat in the water. Till then, we'll be sticking to the details to ensure that this new model lives up to the Great Harbour name.

From what I can see based on watching the development of this project for the past year or so, the company is now on track to be about a year (or more?) late in delivery of the first boats.
I have no idea what is slowing the project down but obviously something is as a Great Harbor was talking about finished models being available for Annapolis in 2016.
I just feel sorry for the people who are waiting with money invested in the project. I know how difficult it was to wait for our boat to be finished and we were on time. How torturous that must be for them!
Bruce