Resilient Has Landed

[chanprr]

Tom, I'm going to be their best customer also!! Helmsman is a top class outfit. There, I said it again.

 

[amxr39]

Yes, one is autopilot, and the other is the Mercury engine stats display.

I have not had time on the water with it but am liking the layout.

Does the Mercury engine display show rudder angle by chance. My Volvo setup does.

 

[FWT]

Does the Mercury engine display show rudder angle by chance. My Volvo setup does.

Not that I have seen.

Frankly its somewhat redundant as a piece of gear. My Simrad MFD (NSS Evo3s) displays engine info. Bit by bit I've been getting that organized to my liking. I've not discovered any info that's on the Mercury that isn't on the MFD.

The Mercury is engine-focused. The rudder angle info comes out of the auto pilot and is a data point that shows on my MFD.

To complete the thought, the Simrad dedicated auto pilot pad is also somewhat redundant since the usage commands are also on the MFD. But you cannot do without this pad because it is a requirement to do the calibration in setup. I can't swear to it, but my suspicion is the MFD is picking up networked info off of that pad, and without that pad you have no auto pilot function.

 

[Helmsman]

Not that I have seen.

Frankly its somewhat redundant as a piece of gear. My Simrad MFD (NSS Evo3s) displays engine info. Bit by bit I've been getting that organized to my liking. I've not discovered any info that's on the Mercury that isn't on the MFD.

The Mercury is engine-focused. The rudder angle info comes out of the auto pilot and is a data point that shows on my MFD.

To complete the thought, the Simrad dedicated auto pilot pad is also somewhat redundant since the usage commands are also on the MFD. But you cannot do without this pad because it is a requirement to do the calibration in setup. I can't swear to it, but my suspicion is the MFD is picking up networked info off of that pad, and without that pad you have no auto pilot function.

The pad is a receiver of NMEA 2000 PGN's (Program Group Numbers) just as the Chart plotter is. A PGN is a standardized instruction sentence that carries information such as origin source, metric definition, and data. For example, there is a PGN for Heading, Course over Ground, etc, etc.

Either instrument can display any PGN's it receives that it is programmed to display. A quick look in the manual should reveal (not familiar with Simrad's manual) those PGN's that can be displayed by any instrument.

So, FWT, you are right that there is redundancy in the displays. The AP system has a computer (a brain) that controls the AP, and provides PGN inputs, outputs, and decisions for the AP. NMEA2000 sentences (instructions) are the life blood of modern marine electronics. As more and more uses for PGN's have been developed, the decision was made to move into a new protocol called OneNet which is backward compatible with NMEA2000 and also NMEA0183 sentences.

OneNet is simply switching to RJE cables to route communications, which allows for much greater bandwidth than NMEA2000. This should allow electronics to do exponentially more than they do today.

Probably more than anyone wanted to know, but I do think it is helpful to understand the basis of the systems we all use.

 

[FWT]

Thanks!

 

[FWT]

At this point I have had Resilient about 2 months. But there are a few things worth mentioning to those ordering a H38.

I was persuaded that stern thrusters are not "needed" to turn the boat to back into the slip. That has proved true. Helpful at times to help counteract a push from wind or current, but not "needed."

However, what I was interested in was the remote fob to operate the thrusters, so that I could step off the boat to tie docklines and use the remote from the dock to KEEP the boat where I wanted it. And to do that effectively, stern thrusters would be needed as well as bow thrusters. And so I have both thrusters.

In that same desire to be able to step off, I also ordered side doors adjacent to the pilot house.

What I want to mention is how this sets up in a very valuable way.

With the fob remote you have in your hand controls that are similar in capability to the expensive Dockmate remote, except you have no throttle control.

While the H38 has excellent rear visibility looking aft inside the boat through the salon, nothing beats stepping out onto the side deck.

So picture if you can:

Turn the boat using the back and fill method of forward and reverse shots of the throttle with the helm hard over. Line it up.

Then with the helm returned to center, a shot of reverse to begin moving back into the slip.

Then with the fob in hand, step out onto the side deck. From there you begin small bits of thruster to fine tune your entry after having already lined things up, or importantly to counteract any push from wind or current. Reach into the pilot house as needed to bump the throttle for more reverse, or forward to halt the boat once in. But basically, once you are lined up you can step outside for slip entry and pilot it in from outside.

Once in and stopped, you can step off as needed for dock lines. And bump the thrusters as needed while you tie off the series of lines. Further, you can use the fob to pull the boat to the other side of the slip for those dock lines.

I highly recommend the fob. It allows you to dock from the side deck with ease. Strictly needed? Nope. But it makes life a lot easier.

You can accomplish the same thing without the remote fob, but you are turning around and ducking into and out of the pilot house repeatedly, and taking your eye off the dock. With the fob you are more planted on the side deck and more focused on the dock and any needed actions. Your reaction time from recognition of needed action, and action, is much quicker.

Ditto on the side doors. Easy step off for the lines.

I had a backup camera installed with my electronics package. It is mounted adjacent to the rear salon door in the cockpit, as high up as it can go. While as high as it can go there, the transom blocks a view of the swim platform corners.

Am I glad I have a camera? Yeah, I'd do it again. It helps, especially when just lining up the boat when making the turn. It also makes for a nice rear view mirror underway in a split screen arrangement on the plotter. But that camera is not nearly as valuable in docking as that fob, to dock from a position on the side deck.

Consider a thruster remote fob. Consider side doors. Consider a backup camera. All three if in the budget. In that order if saving a dollar.

 

[FWT]

Resilient

 

[NSM]

Beautiful boat…

 

[chanprr]

Resilient

Absolutely beautiful interior! Helmsman's craftsmen do a superb job!
On improvements, our 38E came with a two-step ladder for access to the forward engine compartment. This was replaced by a three-step ladder which made access and egress a whole lot easier.
With convenience in mind we will have a three-step ladder for both engine and lazarette compartments in the 46.

 

[FWT]

"On improvements, our 38E came with a two-step ladder for access to the forward engine compartment. This was replaced by a three-step ladder which made access and egress a whole lot easier."

Wow. Great idea. You are right, it would help.

On the Chesapeake I didn't have easy access to crawl around other boats while I was ordering. It was a lot of hit and miss, take it on faith decisions. I have to say there were no misses, but just this sort of missed opportunity.

Folks have been asking for me to post pictures. Scott just did it for me, better than I ever could have.

 

[FWT]

Beautiful boat…

Thanks. We are pretty happy with it.

 

[FWT]

When I began this thread, a topic I really wanted to get to is how the boat handles on the water. Unless you are so fortunate as to be able to be aboard one, in a range of conditions, its a hard thing for a new buyer to evaluate.

Having said that, I am a bit hamstrung in doing this topic justice at this point. My boat arrived on the Chesapeake about 7/1, it took days to get it into my home marina, more days for the Helmsman commissioning process, more days yet before I had electronics installed, and so forth. My goal for 2023 was to focus on finishing all commissioning, by Helmsman, then electronics, then my own projects. I still work so my time wasn't infinite. It was important to get on the water at times, for sanity and grow the smile that comes with boating, on a new boat.

I have some experience with it now, but not nearly what other owners have. Choosing between sharing what I know at this point vs leaving this important topic untouched, I am choosing to make a few points. Other owners may well want to pitch in with their own observations and tips, and I'd welcome hearing them.

I am hamstrung by the fact my time on the water in 2023 was somewhat limited in time, and limited in the good luck in not facing any snotty weather conditions. The Chesapeake in the northern area, Kent Island for me which is across from Annapolis, has normal conditions of wind waves that probably average about 1 ft. or sometimes a tad more. Hardly the makings of a stress test. Big wake is the biggest water I've seen.

In my opinion, getting the hull selection right is the most important thing in boat selection. And that's both hard and full of tradeoffs. Trying to keep this simple, my prior background is sailing, and owning traditional full keel sailboats which I preferred.

If you don't get the hull right, it won't much matter in your boating pleasure whether the galley fridge is to your liking, or other interior design issues.

Helmsman makes the point clearly this is a semi-displacement hull, but leans more toward full displacement. This is true. And this is what I wanted. And this is what I got. Those aspects bear out in usage.

In fact, none of what I have to say here is original. Helmsman and other users have made these points and shared these tips. This post just will echo a lot of that.

First up, this is a heavy boat, and I say that as a compliment. It isn't designed to plane, so there isn't the goal to keep the hull thin and light and shave weight in all manner of areas. Rather, to quote Scott in an old video, its built like a tank. I'm here to report that isn't a sale pitch, its true, and a dead on perfect description.

What that means on the water is the wave and wake action I've seen to date hardly phase it. My instincts to brace for, and react to, wave and wake action, that are based on time on other boats, remains too sensitive. I brace for my boat's reaction that never really comes, or comes too moderately to much care. This is a more stable boat than I've experienced before. Going forward I need to recalibrate my own instincts to something less sensitive.

The hull flattens out to pretty flat for the aft third of the boat. You take the combo of weight and flat shape, and it takes something to phase it.

You immediately sense all of that in one second at the dock. Step aboard off the pier and it barely moves. Boats that plane with more deadrise (V shape) in the stern area that brings buoyancy to the centerline together with less mass / weight feel different.

In the marina and at anchor that translates to more comfort. It isn't a nervous boat when at rest.

Into head seas the bow does rise sufficiently but not excessively. It is a hard thing to describe, but its a strong attribute of this boat. You don't bob up and over like a rollercoaster. Neither do you stay dead level and just push through. Its a middle ground of some lift at a comfortable pace (not snappy) and some push through. To me, this boat gets that mix and tradeoff perfectly.

I am used to full keel sailboats, and liked them. Preferring them definitely runs against the grain in modern design. I don't care. I liked them. I instantly liked the Helmsman keel the minute I saw it on the hard before my purchase. With a full keel and single engine your prop is well protected in grounding. On the Chesapeake bumping the bottom is close to inevitable at some point as shoals shift, especially if you gravitate toward cove anchorages rather than transient marina stops. Rocks are nowhere to be found apart from any breakwaters constructed or shoreline rip-rap.

That full keel helps this boat track well in following seas. Yeah your stern can get pushed a bit, but not nearly what I've felt on other boats.

One of the things I wanted from the hull design was decent stability without NEEDING stabilizers. Space for fin equipment is limited in any 38, and a gyro takes up space. Its more to buy. Its more to maintain. On some boats is damned near a necessity. But not all boats. I wanted one without it, if I could find it.

I found it.

Beam seas are a challenge in trawlers. On sailboats seas on the beam often meant wind on the beam. Your sails provide a natural steadying force. Trawlers don't have that.

I would differentiate between two things. Wake, and the wind waves. The upper Chesapeake doesn't have rollers, so that would be an entirely different set of sea conditions I can't address. As for wake, the one-off or two-off wakes of surprising size just don't phase you. The weight and natural stabilty of the boat simply takes that in stride.

As for the wind waves, Scott told me a tip that is quite true. The rhythm of wind waves set up a rhythmic rocking from side to side that builds. The best reaction to that is counter-intuitive. Don't slow down, but instead speed up. This being a semi-displacement boat that doesn't carry its flat section straight to the stern, but instead rises from a deeper depth to a shallower depth at the tail brings with it a characteristic of full displacement boats to some degree. As you speed up more above displacement speed the stern "squats" down somewhat and plants itself more firmly into the water. That push down into the water provides a stabilizing force.

I never had the time this summer to run speed and fuel burn tests against RPM, so this is just a guess. For just a nice few hour cruise on the water with no special destination I'd generally run maybe 7 knots at maybe 1300-1400 RPM burning maybe 2.75 to 3 gallons an hour. In those beam sea wind waves one could rock. But increase RPM to maybe 1700 or so and burn 4 gallons an hour and my baby just settled right down to no material movement. Its a major positive difference. Thank you Scott for pointing that out.

It is immensely cheaper and better to burn a few more gallons an hour than deal with stabilizers.

I am curious to see in the future what the limits of this strategy and behavior will be, as I inevitably find myself in bigger seas. I have the 380 Cummins, and can run all day at 2700 RPM with WOT at 3000. I have room to run faster with bigger beam seas, but don't yet know at what point this approach begins to break down. One can always choose to tack against it, first taking the seas off the bow quarter then the stern quarter, but I've not seen seas big enough to need that.

Putting the speed thing together with the full keel thing, I had one run this summer with following seas enough to have noticed something, but not enough to have played with those conditions. My electronics package is Simrad. When in auto pilot the rudder indicator will show rudder movement even while it is tracking the boat dead straight. Its doing its job well. But what I noticed is that at one speed it was having to work more, with more rudder movement, than at another speed. I need to play with that more to better optimize downhill performance.

I love this boat. One reason, big reason -- BIG REASON -- is how it behaves on the water.

I'd love to find time one day to set up a camera shot that would show well just how the boat performs at varying speeds, in enough sea conditions to make the point. Seeing it and feeling it tell a much better tale than anything I can do in words here.

But, I took at shot at it. I hope it helps someone.

 

[chanprr]

Thanks for your posts as you learn how to handle Resilient. That should be a real pleasure, I can say!

On our 2022 SE Alaska cruise, we were able to learn how our 38E handled in rough water, wind, rain and following seas on several occasions. Overall, the 38E handles rough water conditions extremely well at increased speeds. One notable rough crossing was from Red Bluff Bay, Baranoff Island, across Chatham Strait into Stephens Passage. The conditions in Chatham that morning called for NW winds gusting to 20 kts, an ebb tide, 1-2 meter waves. We had to tack quite a bit to achieve a less rough ride. We chose to go rather than stay in Red Bluff Bay another two days.

Our 38E ran pretty well in rough conditions at 2000 rpm making 10 kts in beam seas. I don't think were were mentally prepared for the crossing! She tracked well, steering manually, since the autopilot struggled to keep course in the heavy seas. To put it mildly, she was a bucking bronco for almost three hours until we entered calm water in the western side of Stephens Passage.

Well, lesson learned: stay put and let the weather pass. On the plus side, we learned that the 38E handles and responds well in rough sea conditions.

We have missed cruising this year waiting on the new 46. We plan to cruise to SE Alaska in 2024, with Glacier Bay and Juneau as our northernmost destinations. The 46 will be equipped with the DMS MagnusMaster rotor stabilization system, which should make for more comfortable passages.

The latest on the 46 is that the build should be complete in December 2023. We are looking forward to a fabulous Christmas present!!

 

[FWT]

Thanks for your posts as you learn how to handle Resilient. That should be a real pleasure, I can say!

On our 2022 SE Alaska cruise, we were able to learn how our 38E handled in rough water, wind, rain and following seas on several occasions. Overall, the 38E handles rough water conditions extremely well at increased speeds. One notable rough crossing was from Red Bluff Bay, Baranoff Island, across Chatham Strait into Stephens Passage. The conditions in Chatham that morning called for NW winds gusting to 20 kts, an ebb tide, 1-2 meter waves. We had to tack quite a bit to achieve a less rough ride. We chose to go rather than stay in Red Bluff Bay another two days.

Our 38E ran pretty well in rough conditions at 2000 rpm making 10 kts in beam seas. I don't think were were mentally prepared for the crossing! She tracked well, steering manually, since the autopilot struggled to keep course in the heavy seas. To put it mildly, she was a bucking bronco for almost three hours until we entered calm water in the western side of Stephens Passage.

Well, lesson learned: stay put and let the weather pass. On the plus side, we learned that the 38E handles and responds well in rough sea conditions.

We have missed cruising this year waiting on the new 46. We plan to cruise to SE Alaska in 2024, with Glacier Bay and Juneau as our northernmost destinations. The 46 will be equipped with the DMS MagnusMaster rotor stabilization system, which should make for more comfortable passages.

The latest on the 46 is that the build should be complete in December 2023. We are looking forward to a fabulous Christmas present!!

Thanks for the kind words, but especially thanks for your performance observation. That experience certainly seems to have been a stress test, and one I certainly hope to avoid! Its great to know the speed effect holds up in higher speeds and wave height.

I have to ask. With those wave heights on the beam, was any of it filling the side deck area?

As for your build, all of us have been following your design posts and construction progress. Green with envy. I can't wait to see your posts on the final product as it arrives home.

I'd seen references to your stabilizer choice but had not looked it up until now. That is fascinating. The manufacturer videos certainly show amazing performance, and advantages. I am curious about an installation detail: I would assume it needs to be tied into stringers for a strong attachment to the hull as the stabilization forces are exerted. Correct? Second, those forces would be working on a lever effect putting stress on the housing of what I guess would be called the booms. Is it designed for any sort of breakaway in the event of failure, sort of like the Volvo IPS drives do, to avoid the big hole in the boat? I just find that stabilizer solution to be quite appealing.

 

[chanprr]

Thanks for the kind words, but especially thanks for your performance observation. That experience certainly seems to have been a stress test, and one I certainly hope to avoid! Its great to know the speed effect holds up in higher speeds and wave height.

I have to ask. With those wave heights on the beam, was any of it filling the side deck area?

As for your build, all of us have been following your design posts and construction progress. Green with envy. I can't wait to see your posts on the final product as it arrives home.

I'd seen references to your stabilizer choice but had not looked it up until now. That is fascinating. The manufacturer videos certainly show amazing performance, and advantages. I am curious about an installation detail: I would assume it needs to be tied into stringers for a strong attachment to the hull as the stabilization forces are exerted. Correct? Second, those forces would be working on a lever effect putting stress on the housing of what I guess would be called the booms. Is it designed for any sort of breakaway in the event of failure, sort of like the Volvo IPS drives do, to avoid the big hole in the boat? I just find that stabilizer solution to be quite appealing.

We had water into the side deck occasionally on the port side but all drained quickly through the scupper at the base of the steps to the flybridge. To mitigate the beam seas, and induced roll, we tacked across the waves at angles up to 40 degrees, pretty much zig-zagging across the strait. Following seas never broke over the transom since we were at 10 kts and wave period was maybe 15 seconds.

The MagnusMaster twin rotor installation points in the 46 hull will be strengthened substantially to bear the weight of each rotor assembly. The rotors are deployed only when underway at speeds between 3-12 kts. Above 12 kts they automatically go to park, and parallel beneath the hull. They also park automatically if the transmission is put in neutral.

In the PNW waters, submerged logs are common, so we will be a bit more more attentive while underway when the rotors are deployed. I have navigated through log jams several times, so I'm at least familiar with that situation.

As far as rotor breakaway if an object it hit, I am told that at slow speeds, the assembly is stout enough to take it. I don't intend to try it intentionally!! At docking, I'll have to make sure the rotors are parked, but at less than 3 kts, they should be.

I will post information and photos when the installation is performed in the Seattle yard come December.

 

[crowleykirk]

Your posts perfectly describe the order-build-delivery process. It would have been great to have had your observations when we were in the pipeline. It would make a great document for Helmsman buyers and prospective buyers.

When we went aboard a 38E for the first time, Scott assured us that each boat is better than its predecessor. We certainly found that to be true. Supply chain issues caused the change to Raritan Elegance heads and the stainless single table pedestals. We look forward to seeing newer boats at next year’s rendezvous and the improvements they will have.

You went with most of the options we chose with a few exceptions.We went with the standard 250 HP engine. Now that a fuel pressure issue has been resolved, we’re very satisfied with how it performs. We elected to put our lightweight dinghy on the swim step and are using the boat deck for kayaks, bikes and lounging. We like how quickly and easily we can get the dinghy in and out of the water. We keep it locked in the snap davits for boarding and exiting the dinghy. The dinghy stays put until we’re ready to cast off or climb back aboard the mother ship.

Hello, just curious how you back in with a dingy on the swim step?
I have seen them there before and they really block the view.

 

[crowleykirk]

FWT, thanks for the ‘ride along’
I think you will enjoy the Cummins 380. Rushing the weather or a bridge opening or a tidal change.
I look forward to your pictures of your build.
You may find the need for one or two handholds. I added more to my AT, never giving it much thought on height. Turns out, it was a perfect placement. The only thing I would do differently is to add some light or medium knurl to each of the handholds.
How long between ordering to arrival of your boat?

The 380 in now the base engine and not the 250. A good decision on their part. That's what we will go with although I wish the Deere was offered on the 38. But Cummins are really good so no worries.

 

[crowleykirk]

Limited view aft can be assisted with a camera as well if stepping away from the helm isn't easy or desired. I may eventually add a rear camera. I normally have a great view aft, but if it's raining and we have the canvas up, that view becomes pretty minimal. The admiral is always nervous about me backing into our slip with the canvas up, as there's not a lot of extra width before hitting the dinghy or part of the boat on the dock or a piling.

Long dock lines are always good to have. We carry 25, 35, and 50 foot lines aboard. And a couple of times I've needed almost every inch of a 50 footer to get a tie-up I was happy with due to less than ideal placement of cleats or other things to tie to. This is on a boat almost identical in overall size to an H38 (slightly longer once our davits are factored in).

There's the answer. Thank you, sounds like you have a set-up that works for you

 

[Helmsman]

Hello, just curious how you back in with a dingy on the swim step?
I have seen them there before and they really block the view.

On my 38, I attached a Wyze camera to the aft flybridge rail pointing down to the swim platform. That has made backing a simple process. It is viewable on a tablet and a phone. I also put one on the light standard off the arch to serve as a rear view camera, that works really well.

To do so, it helps to have internet on the boat. I have a Pepwave BR1 Pro 5G that I use. That also helps with having the TV, Cerbo GX, chart plotters, and Vesper Cortex all tied to the same network. When traveling, I just add a network to the Pepwave as I come upon them.

 

[FWT]

The latest on the 46 is that the build should be complete in December 2023. We are looking forward to a fabulous Christmas present!!

Hull #1 is ripe for delay, but are you now getting close?

Lots of us have been tracking your new baby with interest.

 

[chanprr]

Hull #1 is ripe for delay, but are you now getting close?

Lots of us have been tracking your new baby with interest.

Fabrication of the lower deck living spaces is slower than expected, so it may be a March 2024 arrival in Seattle. We are being patient!!

 

[crowleykirk]

On my 38, I attached a Wyze camera to the aft flybridge rail pointing down to the swim platform. That has made backing a simple process. It is viewable on a tablet and a phone. I also put one on the light standard off the arch to serve as a rear view camera, that works really well.

To do so, it helps to have internet on the boat. I have a Pepwave BR1 Pro 5G that I use. That also helps with having the TV, Cerbo GX, chart plotters, and Vesper Cortex all tied to the same network. When traveling, I just add a network to the Pepwave as I come upon them.

Sounds like a very good solution. I can see having the dingy at the stern would be very helpful. Does your 38 have a crane on board as well?

 

[Helmsman]

Sounds like a very good solution. I can see having the dingy at the stern would be very helpful. Does your 38 have a crane on board as well?

No. We opted not to install one. We use the upper deck for entertaining. I plan to put davits on the swim platform.

 

[FWT]

Fabrication of the lower deck living spaces is slower than expected, so it may be a March 2024 arrival in Seattle. We are being patient!!

?

Haste makes waste

 

[KDT]

The target audience of this thread being folks having a boat built or considering it, I'm going to jump ahead to an aspect the Helmsman owners ask about and chat about between themselves during the build process. So this post is about setting some expectations, and what is normal.

At the front end of the build process Scott mentioned this to me. Its sort of an in-one ear issue until you live it.

Helmsman follows an excellent process. A signed contract and initial payment buys you a slot in the build schedule. Order flow has been sufficiently good that it may well be some months before your build begins in the mold. They reach out periodically and keep you posted on when your boat should begin. Then you have a very good day when you get word yours has begun.

Shortly after that, what begins is a periodic email with links to pictures of your build, that come roughly every 2-3 weeks. In the early days there is a lot to see, a lot of VISIBLE progress to follow. Anyone curious about the construction process will find a lot to take notice of.

Once the cabin structure is on, the build of the interior bulkhead walls and then the cabinetry begins. Still lots to see with each new batch of pictures, but "new" things to see begins to slow down.

But then, you hit an extended period of time where there is little VISIBLE progress. With cabinetry in what comes next is the finish work. You will receive batch after batch of pics where the only thing you see is parts of cabinetry masked off while other sections are being finished. I mentioned how well the finish work is. Well, that involves a lot of coats, and light sanding between each one. It takes time, and lots of it. It takes care and attention, and lots of it. So there is an extended passage of time and batches of pics where someone unfamiliar with what goes into finish work can feel like there is no progress on their boat. Do not fret. The time they are taking with the finish work is one of the things that make this feature of the boat so stunning.

I was told in advance. I was warned in advance. It still shocked me. Suddenly one day a batch of pics will arrive that show the beginnings of installation of gear, and a number of workers aboard doing it. Hooray!

The next batch of pictures you will see is your completed boat. Workers doing the very final tasks.

You go from nothing being visibly done, and seemingly a ton left to be done, to a completed boat in maybe a month. That's not checking a calendar, but its close enough.

And in that period is communication of some target shipping dates. The dates can still move a little bit until its aboard a ship, but now you have some finality to the build.

Helmsman communicates very well throughout this process, when there is actually something to communicate.

I can lay out these expectations, but I assure you that you will feel some anxiety that nothing is happening for an extended period that you can see. At the end you will feel like you are many months away from completion when in reality it may well be weeks or a month away. That's normal. I can say expect it, and I was told to expect it, but its still something of a shock to see it unfold on your own boat.

Trust the process. Its a good one, and it serves to result in a great boat.

Thank you for this. We have just ordered our 43e and already wondering what lies ahead.

 

[Helmsman]

Congratulations on the order! You will enjoy the build process.

 

[FWT]

Congratulations and welcome to the ever growing group.

What lies ahead? Good times.

I’ve been giving my baby a lot of love this week. In the form of a polish followed by Fleetwax. Hard work, but nothing like messing around boats in the spring, anticipating the season.

What region will you be cruising in?