greater appreciation for nuances and details – this is more than just a boat, it is a yacht with a soul. It’s difficult to describe what’s in a yacht’s soul, yet still we know what this means: an appreciation of more than just its aesthetic qualities, also uniqueness and elegance in design, build and the sense of purpose for those who sail her. This is something hard to find in modern series-built production boats, designed and built as they are to tick boxes for a marketing team’s survey results in a quest for maximise both appeal and profit.
Queenstown, New Zealand-based Kevin Dibley first met Cabot Lyman two decades ago when the family was on its second circumnavigation. ‘We had a lot of talks about the best features of what made the ideal cruising boat,’ Dibley recalls, ‘And Cabot’s talk of the boat needing to have a “soul”. For us this meant finding balance in many key areas of design and construction: elegance, efficiency, simplicity, high quality, warmth of feel – all were important whether in new or old ideas.’ Fast forward to 2018, Cabot got the LM46 project going but it is his son Drew who is now president of Lyman-Morse and is building hull #1. These ideas put into play now first bounce around sizing: the boat needed to be large enough for the safety, space and comfort of a small family or a few friends to enjoy either short or long cruising passages or races. A spar with a masthead height limit of 65ft for bridge clearance was important for those trips down the Intracoastal Waterway in the autumn migrations where this inland path is a viable alternative to rough passages offshore. Having a shallow
Top: the
LM46’s galley design is informed by the designer’s and builder’s own experi- ence of what works (and what doesn’t), accrued the hard way during their own world cruising
adventures. Above: a neat storage solution: grab and go duffels have their place throughout the boat. Right: while undeniably elegant, the LM46’s hull shape is
anything but traditional. Note the very deep, narrow- chord rudder and fold-down transom. A shoal-draught keel is still essential, however, for versatile
cruising use and the boat’s air draught has been restrict- ed to 65ft to ensure bridge clearance on key cruising highways such as the Intracoastal Waterway
draught option similarly expands cruising grounds in places like the Chesapeake where 80 per cent of the Bay and its tributaries are less than 2.5 m deep. A length of 46ft thus seemed about right. Years of cruising the world also taught the Lymans many important and practical features of interior layout to achieve soulfulness in design. Lessons such as how onboard systems need to provide a minimum of comfort without being so numerous and complex to compromise on space and the hassle of practical operation and maintenance. The wrap-around design and equipment in the galley, for example, should be sufficient to serve cocktails and a nice meal in the cockpit at anchor, but not have to support a Michelin star chef. And the galley’s design should also be functional and practical to serve meals at sea without losing most of it on the cabin sole…or the headlining. Upon entering the cabin, the grooved wood panel finishing evoke light, this is not “finishing” or “panels”, but the wood components of the hull structure warmth, and simple elegance so that the outside world whether ashore or at sea seems miles away. The LM46 achieves this in a saloon that is large enough for comfort but not so large that you risk a long fall across the boat when it heels. There are plenty of wet and dry storage spaces and the two or three-cabin layout options will provide the private space needed when either family or couples are cruising or racing.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the LM46 is how this blend of traditional practicality and simple elegance in the interior is matched to Dibley’s modern hull, rig and generous sail plan to produce the
impressive performance of a yacht with a SA/DSPL ratio of about 24. Even here there is contrast: the sails, rigging and spar parts will use carbon fibre, titanium and other modern materials common to raceboats, yet the hull skin comprises less exotic materials; tongue and groove American douglas fir strip planks plus four diagonal western red cedar veneers set in epoxy and vacuum bagged on the outside. Additional, transverse strength is provided by laminated fir frames and a final outer layer of unidirectional fibreglass. To optimise strength and weight on deck, construction is in a lightweight composite that has the added benefit of allowing for flush hatches, gutter systems to shed water and localised reinforcement for high-load hardware. And underneath, the interior deck surface is finished with painted v- groove veneers and sleek mouldings. The internal structure is robust with a laminated fir inner keel running the full length of the boat. Deep fir floors and girders distribute the ballast keel loads across a wide area and there is selective use of carbon laminates for reinforcement. With wood construction, the keel bolts pass through the full depth of the floors, not just the tabbing as is common with other constructions. This monocoque construction produces a very stiff hull, making it fully compliant with ISO 12215 that has been certified by HPi-CEproof Ltd, a World Sailing notified body. ‘We see this boat as having the same appeal and success of the Sequin 44 from years ago’, says Drew Lyman. ‘It draws on the best qualities of modern technology and traditional materials, and will interest those who want to have soul once again in their cruising and racing lives.’
www.lymanmorse.com
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