Our approach to cruising yacht design is based on the concept that getting there should be as enjoyable as siting at anchor absorbing a wonderful sunset. If you are physically and mentally comfortable, and know instinctively that your vessel can deal with the sea and the odd bit of operator error, then you are going […]
Tag Archives | Dashew Offshore
The Easiest Dinghy Launch and Retrieval – Wickedly Simple
Among the very first things we look at in designing a yacht is dinghy storage, launching, and retrieval. This design aspect is as fundamental to successful cruising as anything else aboard. We have had a simple and reliable system since the first FPB first launched seven years ago, modified only recently by the advent of […]
The Point Of Shallow Draft
We used to envy the folks who cruised with shallow draft for the benefits it conferred. There is the obvious, extending your cruising opportunities to areas like the Bahamas (above), but there other significant advantages as well. Take grounding risks for example. The shallower your draft, the more tolerance there is for navigation errors. Shallow […]
Name That Deck: A Wicked Setsail Contest
We have a problem gentle reader, and we need your help. The marvelous space we so prosaically call “Pilot Deck” is worthy of a descriptor more in keeping with the view of the world from this unique space. Of course this is not an easy challenge when you consider its attributes. Certainly this area […]
Sometimes the Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts
The one universal rule of yacht design is to be clear about your goals. You may not always achieve them, but having a defined target at which to aim, as opposed to something random and always moving, ensures a better outcome. Our goals for a navigation/piloting area have stayed the same over many years. On […]
FPB 64 Get Home Trials
And now for something different. We are pleased to report that FPB-1, Avatar, has just finished her first day of testing with the swim platform extension and get-home engine. The lovely clean release above is at eight knots with the little Yanmar pushing her along. The first day’s results are in shallow water, with moderate […]
A New Angle With The Wicked FPB
The new Wicked FPB sports some hot angles, not the least of which is the glazing system surrounding the great room. There are numerous advantages to these outwardly angled windows. Consider the following: Windows stay drier (from the overhang) and water slips off faster. This means less salt build up and better visibility. They are […]
Wicked FPB – Following The Path
Throughout history, the most successful seagoing vessels have shared common attributes. Take, for example, the greatest warriors and travelers of their time, the fiercesome Vikings. When they sallied forth from their northland fjords, they employed high speed, extremely maneuverable, shallow draft designs to help them expand and conquer their world. While the FPB series are […]
Wicked FPB – The Shape Of Things To Come
If you are a regular visitor to SetSail.com, you know we like fine rear ends. Flat buttock lines in particular arouse our instincts. With most yacht designs, there is a conflict here between comfort and performance (and this varies with different speeds, or more correctly speed-length ratios). Typically, you pick a speed regime and sea […]
Clearing The Fog
We took the afternoon off, went for a drive, had a gelato, and enjoyed being outside in the harsh winter for which Arizona is known. We’re down to rechecking basic assumptions (again), finalizing deck geometry, and fine tuning the hull shape. This can be a dangerous time in the design cycle. Having put in a […]
