Bestevaer 49ST

[DDabs]

That pilothouse settee looks like a cozy spot! Love the color choice on the upholstery, classy.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by DDabs

That pilothouse settee looks like a cozy spot! Love the color choice on the upholstery, classy.

Thanks . I had a pretty free reign with the interior design.

I wish I could just play it cool, but I am so excited with completion approaching . The seed for this build was planted a few decades ago and it has been an intense project for the last four years (Christmas 2013 we were researching which boatyards to visit and drafting the intial brief).

I had a good idea of how the exterior would look, as the only modifications in shape compared to other Bestevaers were the extended pilothouse and solar arch. The interior was another matter though. Although we copied design features we liked from several other KM boats (Stadships as well as Bestevaers), the interior plan is unlike any of KM's other boats. It is a real pleasure to see how it looks in the flesh and how it functions. It should suit our needs absolutely perfectly.

SWL

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Thanks . I had a pretty free reign with the interior design.

................ It should suit our needs absolutely perfectly.

SWL

And if it doesn't, simply change your needs

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Wotname

And if it doesn't, simply change your needs

Oops! That was very much the wrong choice of words on my part. I humbly recognise this build has little to do with satisfying "needs", it pureły satisfies "dreams" .

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Oops! That was very much the wrong choice of words on my part. I humbly recognise this build has little to do with satisfying "needs", it pureły satisfies "dreams" .

Oh, I don't know...
It is true that to want a dream boat is to need a dream boat so it's only a small step to




To dream is to need...



And perhaps you are a living testimony to T E Lawrence's quote in my signature line

[weavis]

As with all things designed, it is only the use of the vessel that will indicate where a modification is required, if at all.

Enjoy.

[Pelagic]

I have no doubt that 2 years from now, Nolex and you will walk around the boat and say to each other with a satisfied smile...

"I don't think I would have changed much"

That is the real payoff of all your hard work and planning.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

I have no doubt that 2 years from now, Nolex and you will walk around the boat and say to each other with a satisfied smile...

"I don't think I would have changed much"

That is the real payoff of all your hard work and planning.

^^^^
Why, you silver-tongued devil, you!

Well said, Pelagic.

And to everyone here, season's greetings, and a joyous and prosperous new year.

Ann

[noelex 77]

Companionway washboards:

These are just about finished and are a rather unusual design.

The first difference from most yachts is that there no horizontal sliding hatch. The pilothouse floor is only a little below cockpit floor level so exiting involves stepping rather than climbing out, making a horizontal hatch less necessary. Importantly, this means there is no possibility of leaks and the roof is stronger without a large hole.

We mocked this up before going ahead with the design and in practice it works wonderfully well. Entry and exit is easy even for someone tall like me.

The washboards slide down and disappear into a recess so there no need to lift them out or find storage. The actual washboards are underneath the pilothouse overhang so there is no possibility of leaks. Because of the overhang they can even be left open in moderate rain. Each layer can be locked from both inside and out with a much more substantial locking devices than are normal for a yacht. The resulting system is much more functional than traditional washboards, which are a rather primitive design.

There are three separate components: plexiglass main hatch (the only plastic window on the boat), stainless steel bars, and separate flyscreen.


Stainless bars. These provide security with ventilation when leaving the boat for a short time such as visiting a restaurant ashore. In high risk areas the layers can be locked (still with plenty of ventilation if needed) from inside to prevent thevies entering when sleeping:




Stainless bars plus plexiglass. If leaving the boat for long time the combination will be difficult to enter and hopefully any potential thieves will pick an easier target. The plexiglass is conterweighted so requires little force to lift:




Fly screen. This can be used on its own, or added to the security bars. Yacht designers who do not incorporate a fly screen need to experience their product on a hot night with mosquitoes until they correct their oversight :



In addition, the interior waterproof door separating the main bedroom from the living area can be locked with a very secure system from the inside if necessary that would be difficult to penetrate. Each of the overhead hatches also has removable security bars.

Most boats have very poor security and can be entered with a screwdriver almost as quickly as using the key. Locking the boat unfortunately can eliminate most ventilation. Given the minimal security offered by the locks some boat owners leave their companionway and hatches open and unlocked when going ashore in hot climates, but many insurance companies require evidence of "forced entry". So an unlocked boat can invalidate insurance.

It is a puzzle why most boats cannot be locked at all from inside and when unattended are so much easier to break into than a typical house or car. A determined thief given enough time can break into almost anything but hopefully the steps we have taken will encourage thieves to move on to an easier target.

[cj88]

I love the idea of drop down boards when space below allows for it. Can you explain how they are locked internally and externally in more detail?

[Pelagic]

Fantastic improvement on standard doors....Just to clarify...do these pieces slide down in segmented pieces from the headliner?
(Like a rolltop cabinet)

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

Fantastic improvement on standard doors....Just to clarify...do these pieces slide down in segmented pieces from the headliner?
(Like a rolltop cabinet)

Originally Posted by noelex 77

.............
The washboards slide down and disappear into a recess so there no need to lift them out or find storage. The actual washboards are underneath the pilothouse overhang so there is no possibility of leaks. .............

I'm sure Noelex can explain better but to me looks like they drop down into a vertical recess in the cockpit / pilothouse step/sole. They are not flexible like a rolltop is. At least the photos suggest that.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by cj88

I love the idea of drop down boards when space below allows for it. Can you explain how they are locked internally and externally in more detail?

I would rather not go into too much detail about the locking mechanism on a public forum, but part of the mechanism are some substantial pins secured by very beefy padlocks. Many padlocks are very easy to pick, but there are models with better cylinders available available for not a great deal more cost. The other advantage is that these locks typically have keys that cannot be copied.

The best padlocks are quite large so make sure you take this into account in the planning stage. It is also important to design the system so that when locked it is difficult to cut.

[mickeyelam]

This system sounds secure, but I'm concerned about emergency egress if padlocks are part of the system. If I'm understanding the description properly, it seems that the companionway could be secured from the outside with a padlock; if this is the case, how do you guarantee the ability to exit the interior of the boat in the event that someone has attempted to lock you in?

I don't want to sound alarmist, but having a guaranteed ability to exit an enclosed space is just as important as the ability to prevent access to such a space.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Wotname

I'm sure Noelex can explain better but to me looks like they drop down into a vertical recess in the cockpit / pilothouse step/sole. They are not flexible like a rolltop is.

Yes, Wotname is correct. The plexiglass layer, stainless steel bars and flyscreen are all fixed one piece constructions. They slide down into an aluminium recess below the cockpit sole. When down they are all flush with the top of the bridgedeck so do not require any storage.

The three layers can be raised independently so, for example, the flyscreen layer can be used on its own or combined with the stainless bars. Another example would be partially raise the plexiglass layer so even rain from behind cannot enter (the pilothouse overhangs the top of the washboards), but leave the top open with the stainless bars providing security with ventilation.

Good ventilation in reasonably heavy rain or salt spray is another advantage of the system.