ETERNAUT

Diesel Swan 55

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Let me introduce you to chosen design and equipment of this boat to match our requirement for independent worldwide cruising.

Diesel Swan 55

George Buehler designed this boat as well as many other yachts based on North West Pacific Salmon Trollers. These boats have a narrow hull to make them more fuel efficient.

The model of this kind of yacht most often found is the Diesel Duck. It comes in various sizes and Seahorse Marine in Doumen produces different models for different needs. The “Sedan” for example offering more living space, while the normal “Ducks” are preferable for Ocean crossings due to less windage.

We had a look at several models and concluded a Diesel Duck 462 would provide enough space for the two of us plus the occasional guest.

Nevertheless, in George Buehler’s book “The Troller Yacht Book” I had discovered a model that would fit our needs even more: The Diesel Swan 55. Longer and with narrower hull it offers about the same interior space as the DD462. But due to it’s proportions it should be slightly faster and more fuel efficient.

One good thing with Seahorse Marine is that you can take a lot of influence of how your yacht will look and how it will be equipped. Every boat produced by Seahorse marine is an individual product!

Exterior

The standard Diesel Ducks are setup as sloop with a low mast installed on top of the pilot house. That gives these boats a stabilization sail and a small genoa for emergency propulsion.

Bill Kimley from Seahorse Marine modified that standard design by lengthening and moving the mast to a position forward of the pilot house (left picture). The sail area is significantly enlarged and a better push can be expected when on a downwind run.

The 55ft Ducks on the other hand are often seen with a ketch rig. Total sail area is increased further while each sail is still manageable even for the retired sailor. This is Seahorse Marine’s favorite setup.

I, on the other hand, opted for a short schooner rig. It gives the yacht the look of a traditional work boat which I admire so much. It still has enough sail area for stabilization and emergency propulsion, although without the capability of winning the admiral’s cup.

Interior

Before becoming financially committed to this boat we went to the shipyard many times. On most of these visits we ran through the different options of interior design. George Buehler, the boat designer, as well as Bill Kimley, the shipyard owner, were both stuck in the 70s with their concept of interior layout.

None of the old style interior arrangements appealed to us: Neither did we like the ancient V-style armchair setup, nor did we like a wide open area behind the galley. And for sure we did not want a pilot’s berth in the main saloon as suggested by Bill.

I reverted to what I always did when moving house: I made a drawing of available space on graph paper and cut out kitchen appliances, saloon table, couch,… in relation to size. Then I played around and moved the interior objects on my paper drawing until happy with the layout. That way we managed to fit all equipment we wanted into saloon with integrated galley in an acceptable manner.

All this is possible on a computer, but I did not want to invest money and study time for the software required considering that this is a one-off project.

Hardly any shipyard will allow you to design your personal yacht layout. On the other hand, in all those years searching for a suitable boat I have never seen a shipyard sticking to antiquated setups.

Equipment

The way Seahorse Marine configures the yachts is very basic. According to paper the boats are “properly built and very sturdy”. But if you plan to cruise extensively it is wise to spent time and dollars to get proper appliances, electrics and electronics.

Unfortunately the shipyard did not keep up with technological progress during the last decades. Below are some of the many items I considered essential to upgrade for our boat:

Electrics

To be able to spend long time autonomously at anchor the boat should have a generator. I had our generator upgraded to 230V, 10kW to minimize running time. Additionally I chose to equip the engine with an 3.3kW alternator to charge the house batteries when under way.

Lithium Batteries

The house battery bank consists of four LiFePO4 batteries, resulting in 22kWh electricity storage. That amount is required in case we want to run one aircon unit, fridges, freezers and some electronics throughout the night without starting the genset when at anchor. This large battery bank also ensures acceptance of the high power output of the generator.

SHM had not any type of Lithium battery setup or package on offer. Like many other hings this had to be outsourced to a different company.

Solar Power

My previous boat had three 180W solar panels. They were installed on the bimini top, could not follow the sun’s inclination throughout the day and they were partially covered by the rig. Still, the panels performed much better than I had ever expected. A fridge for cold coke and beer kept running permanently. Further they even powered a small de-humidifying unit running an hour a day on a timer to keep the boat dry when not in use.

I had decided against a fly-bridge on our Diesel Swan as the hull is too narrow to look good with it. Also I wanted to keep the CG and windage as low as possible. That gave space for 15 solar panels, each packing 245W. Bill, in his old fashioned way, thought that the amount of solar panels would be far too much. But keep in mind:

• Solar panels power output declines with heat (eg. cruising in the tropics)
• The rig on my boat will always partially cover the panels and thus reducing effectiveness
• Fixed mounted panels won’t follow the sun’s inclination

I estimate to get 20kWh energy out of the solar panel array on a sunny day. That is barely enough to charge a depleted house battery bank. Cooking and washing will also require electricity and generator run time shall be kept to a minimum. That concludes: you will need more solar panels than you have space on a yacht.

Kitchen Appliances

Bill from SHM was very proud offering me a stove which could run two hot plates on electricity and two on gas. By the idea itself and the way the stoves look I wonder whether they have been designed at the height of the Cuban Missile Crises in 1962. Definitely nothing we wanted to use and look at in our galley. I opted for induction cooking for comfort and safety. No more highly flammable gas inside the hull!

All 220V cooking appliances were imported from Germany. I sourced fridges and freezers running on 24V, making sure having a reputable brand for durability and energy efficiency on board.

Navigation and Communication

Neither a navigation system nor an optional navigation package was on offer!

Only option was a communication package consisting of a VHF Icom M-602 and HF Icom M-802. My previous experience with the said HF was not good and neither does it fulfill CE requirement should I ever opt for registration in Europe.

I concluded that navigation and communication system had to be sourced by myself. Items I considered essential are commercial grade to ensure reliability.

Engine

The contract stated “6 cylinder diesel engine with approximately 150HP”. No brand named! With Seahorse Marine’s reputation of cutting corners and cost I decided to order my own engine. Read more about the Gardner 6LXB in the propeller pitch post.

Plumbing

Like everything else in the SHM contract: Very vague without any closer details or brands and models specified. I ordered pressure pump systems, water heater, bilge pump switches, bilge pumps,… uncountable items myself.

Most importantly I invested in a large water maker: 110l/h, using 1.5kW on the AC system. Every time a desalinator is started up or shut down a considerate amount of energy is used for flushing the unit. Thus when started it shall be worthwhile doing so. Large capacity water maker will result in shorter run time. I can choose those times when having spare energy available.

Fuel System

There are 6 fuel tanks with a total capacity of about 7,600ltr. That’s well above the minimum guaranteed volume of 1,600USG as per contract.

In addition to electronic quantity sensors I asked the shipyard to install old style float dial instruments and visual glass level indicators directly at the tanks. This gives a nice maintenance free backup should the electronics fail.

Many previous boats of this shipyard suffered severe fuel filter blockage. There might be two reasons for this:

1. Diesel bug: the tanks are huge and fuel absorbing moisture is a real risk when not being able to to top up the tanks frequently
2. Dust from sandblasting: I have seen the boat being prepared for sandblasting and the vent for the fuel tanks had not been welded closed. I assume a lot of dust has settled in the tanks.

Whatever the reason, I decided to install a commercial centrifugal fuel purifier. Much to the protest of SHM Bill who claimed his standard centrifugal fuel filtration system would be sufficient. As I expect to spend a lot of time at anchor I will require a reliable fuel polishing system!

The list above is extensive, but for sure not all inclusive. Only time will tell whether I made the correct decisions. Further details about the equipment can be found here.