Brooklin Boat Yard has begun construction of a 74-foot cold-molded sailboat designed by Germán Frers. The yacht is a uniquely styled racer/cruiser that’s scheduled to be completed and launched in spring of 2015. A design that’s versatile enough to daysail and race on both coasts of the United States as well as the Caribbean, the Frers 74 will be equipped for coastal cruising and ocean sprints. The yacht’s modern hull, underbody and sail plan are complemented by original styling from an award-winning architect. The Frers 74 is one of the most distinctive yachts to come from Brooklin Boat Yard in the builder’s 54-year history.
The Frers 74 has a length overall of 73’ 9” (22.m) and a waterline of 66’ 4” (20.24m) with a beam of 18’ 10” (5.76m). Her bulb keel draws 12’ 5” (3.8m) and has 18,959 lbs (8,600 kg) of ballast. Her full displacement (lightship) is 54,454 lbs (27,400 kg). The hull is built with a foam core construction to maximize stiffness and minimize weight. The inner planking is Western Larch running fore and aft (at 0 degrees) covered with uni-directional carbon fiber (at 90 degrees) and infused with WEST epoxy. The outer planking consists of two vacuum-bagged diagonal layers of Western Red cedar (at 45 degrees and 135 degrees), a layer of 3/16” thick Western Larch, and a layer of infused bi-axial carbon fiber. The exterior of the hull will be finished bright. The deck is constructed separately from the hull of Western Larch veneers and Okume plywood skins that sandwich the foam core.
The Brooklin Boat Yard shipwrights carefully selected all of the wood for the Frers 74 with regard to size, shape and length. The full complement of materials was custom cut, sawn, kiln-dried and milled all at once to guarantee its uniformity and consistent quality. “The quality of the wood is exceptional,” said Steve White, owner of Brooklin Boat Yard. “The sawyer believed it was the best run of material he had seen in a decade.”
“While this yacht has a cold-molded hull and deck like most of our boats, the Frers 74 is like nothing we’ve ever built before in a lot of ways,” said White. “The styling details are completely unique to modern yachts and the end product will be a work of art.”
The Frers 74 styling includes intricate patterns of daylights built of carbon-reinforced curved glass that is inset into the sides of the hull and deck. Down below, the daylights will illuminate the interior with silhouettes of sunlight. Brooklin Boat Yard’s designers have engineered large areas of carbon reinforcement that fit inside the core to accommodate the deck light shapes. The laminated deck frame is a combination of longitudinal and transverse deck beams sinuously shaped in both directions to mimic the window deck light shapes.
The modern, sleek interior design will be as unique as the exterior styling, contributing to the overall contemporary aesthetic. Designed to be a comfortable coastal cruiser, the Frers 74 will have plenty of accommodations for the owner and crew with a saloon, full galley, master cabin, guest cabin, and crew cabin.
The Frers 74’s systems include a full navigation system and push-button sail handling with a hydraulic mainsheet system and retractable anchor arm, making her easy to sail with few crew. Powered with a 170-HP Volvo diesel, the yacht also features a bow thruster for easy maneuvering. A 10-kw generator will supply power for her ten 24-volt DC lithium iron phosphate batteries producing 1800 amp-hours of power. She will have a GOST security system, full electronics, and air conditioning. Her mast, standing rigging, boom, rudder and keelframe are all built from carbon.
