symbol yachts' 59 classic pilothouse -...
TRANSCRIPT
Symbol Yachts' 59 Classic pilothouse has t h e look, livable interior, and performance
that distance cru isers appreciate
" T Story By JOHN WOOLDRIDGE
W hen Jimmy Cheng founded Symbol Yachts in des ign and engineering on the needs of those who 1982, he brought with him 20 years of experience want the ability to spend long periods gunkholing and building semi-custom yachts to serve the needs of cruising self-sufficiently:' owners worldwide. In 1998, the well-regarded naval To that end, the bottom is a modified-V with a 4-architect Jack W. Sarin, renowned for his megayacht foot-9-inch-deep keel for directional stability and good designs, became Symbol's exclusive des igner. running gear protection, twin traditional props with
The Symbol 59 Classic pilothouse, one of Sarin 's struts in shallow pockets for good shall ow-water first designs, along with its 51 and 55 sisterships, is a opera tion, and an enhanced shaft angle fo r better handsome boat with a large aft cockpit, wide covered thrust. Wide strakes aft provide good roll resistance side decks leading to a Portuguese bridge, a compact and add buoyancy. With th e boat's large interior foredeck, and a large Aybridge. Its 17-foot-6-inch beam volume and load-carryi ng capabi lity, the aft sections provides a wide, stable platform and the kind of volume are des igned to maximize lift and minimize drag. any flJlI-time cruiser would want for extended periods of r toured and ran the Symbol 59 lassic pilothouse living aboard, and its 1,000-gallon fuel capacity gives it on hesapeake Bay with Peter Vassilopoulos, the enough range to cruise independently for long distances. owner of Symbol Yacht Sales N.E. in Walwick, Rh de
"The original design brief called for a series with Island. Since 1999, Peter <lnd his colleague Trevor twin engines, a design tl1at's rugged enough to stand LIp Kurzbach, along with Trevor's son Eric, have sold to a broad range of climates and sea conditions," Jack and serviced Symbol yachts to cLlstomers interested Sarin said. "Serious long-range cruising, as opposed to in semi-custom boats in the Northeast and mid-marina hopping, was the intent, so we focused our Atlantic regions.
American
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Top: Flybridge features include an outdoor kitchen, a boat deck
large enough to hold a substantial crane and dinghy, and
comfortable seating that's well separated from the boat deck.
Inset: There's plenty of room for standing at the helm, where all
controls are arranged for quick observation and access. Above:
Twin Portuguese bridge doors lead to the foredeck, which is
nicely protected for those handling anchoring or docking duties.
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"The primary emphasis is on comfort and spacious accommodations, with a three-stateroom layout as standard," Vassilopoulos said. "Alternatively, we can tailor the interior to an owner's individual requirements."
BEGINNING AT THE END With the 59 Classic backed into a slip, we started our
tour at the transom. The boat deck overhang partiall y covers the teak-planked cockpit, which is great for owners who occasionally try their hand at fi shing but doesn't offer much protection for guests and crew sitting on the molded bench seat on the centerline. Peter Vassilopoulos told me he is already in discussions with Symbol Yachts to increase the length of the overhang. Access to the lazarette and the engine room is through a large hatch in the cockpit sole. There's storage under the bench seat, as well as in lockers fl anking the aft cabin bulkhead. To port, Vassilopoulos has specified an outlet, one of two for a remote-control box that gives the captain control of the engines and thrusters. A traditional stainless-and-teak ladder leads up through a hatch to the boat deck, a real boon when you're trying to launch the dinghy singlehanded.
Tall bulwarks with stainl ess steel handrails lead forward along both sides of the main deck, with steps up to the level of the Portuguese deck. Although I didn 't see them until I walked aft , there are overhead handrails above both sets of side deck stairs to make descending safer in a seaway or when decks are wet. Side gates are molded into the bulwarks for boarding fi'om high, fixed docks, and there are hawseholes with integral cleats for
Symbol 59 iii The foredeck had an 80-lb. CQR attached to 150
feet of 7/ 16-inch chain and 150 feet of 3/ 4-inch rode, handled by a Muir HR 3500 HT windlass with a properly sized gypsy chain and rode management. Fresh and saltwater washdown faucets are standard to make boat washdowns much more convenient.
Twin latched inspection hatches offer access to the chain locker, which is divided into three compartments with two partitions. The chain locker drains to a seacock, thus avoiding nasty hull streaks at the bow. Foot switches, as well as switches in the pilothouse and on the flybridge, help make dropping and retrieving the anchor more conven ient. There are also two large cleats, two lockers fo r line storage, p lus shorepower connections for those time when the boat must be tied bow-in.
Drainage on deck is carefully considered and handled in this design. There are six drains on the boat deck, six drains on the main deck, and a drain around th e I erimeter of the aft deck hatch. All drain to manifolds, long fib erglass tubes port and sta rboard that lead water aft and overboard. Addit iona ll y, there are four scuppers on th e side dccks and two mo rc in th e cockpit fo r f~lst water release.
Top: Access to the voluminous lazarette includes a w ide locker opening , a teok
tread ladder, and a stainless steel grabrail to keep you steady. Above: Battery
switches, batteries in stout enc losures, and a trash compactor are situated to port
in the lazarette. The waterti gh t door to the engine compartment locks open and
has the requisite viewing port for visua l checks under way.
ENTERING THE ENGINE ROOM Raising the teak-clad fiberglass deck
hatch to the lazarette, I found a stainless steel gas strut to hold it open and a sta inless ladder with teak steps to ease my descent. As sturd y as the g"IS strut appeared, I would request a fixed brace to prevent the possibility of accidental closure should the scal on the strut fa il. The laza r tte is abso lutely enormous, with excell en t access to the rudder head and Hynautic hydraulic power steering gear, and room left over for storage of the sta inless emergency steering til ler, a 4-cubic-foot aux iliary fi·eezer (24/ 110
midship and aft docklines. Forward, stowage lockers are set into the Portuguese bridge structure on the inboard side, as is a stout, two-panel centerline door leading to the foredeck well. Just aft of the door, which locks in place on both sides after opening, one finds a sweet surprise: a new bench seat that Vassi lopoulos requested for those who prize sunning on nice days. Private and protected, it is a wondern.d point of view for guests and crew alike.
volt) with shelf doors, a trash compacto r, a G lendinning Cablemaster tub, and large fend ers. Looking forward on the centerline, there is a watertight bulkhead door with a window for access to the engine roo m. Cross the threshold and yo u begin to see hints of the structure of the hu ll st rin gers and transverse web fi·ames.
The hull is solid fiberglass below the waterline, using vinyl ester resin for the first three layers to provide optimal res istance to osmotic blistering. Cook 991 Fleetwhite
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Massive wood engine beds and engineered foam stringers and webs, thoroughly enclosed in fiberg lass, are visible in th e engine
room. Because fuel tanks are located amidships, there is plenty of room on both sides of the engi nes for se rvice .
gelcoat with UV protection is used topsides for a longlasting fini sh. Hull sides, watertight bulkheads, and decks are cored of high-density, closed-cell PVC foam. Engineered polyurethane foam stringers and transverse web frames, all heavily attached with overlapping layers of fiberglass to the hull interior skin , provide structural integrity and form stability. The engine beds are made of solid wood with heavy fiberglass reinforcement.
The Symbol 59 Classic has twin fuel tanks mounted athwartships ahead of the engine compartment. This design has two benefits: sound levels in the midship master stateroom are insulated from engine noise under way, and space around both engines is beyond generous. Access to the Wesmar stabilizers also is outstanding. Generally, the engine room is well lit, with vaporproof DC lighting and an AC flu orescent fix ture, and it is thoroughly sowldproofed overhead and on fo re and aft bulkheads with 2-inch-thick Soundown acoustic foam. On the centerline forward, there's a small stainless steel workbench furnished with a vise and storage bins.
Seacocks bring engine cooling water into large Groco raw-water strainers that are easy to access and service. Each engine has a bypass pipe with a Unicraft muffier that leads to an outlet above the waterline at the stern
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for quieter operation at idle, but the main exhaust is routed underwater near the transom to help attenuate the engi ne sound under way. T he 17kW Onan genset (a 16kW Northern Lights is stand ard), sitting aft and to port in the engine room, had a sound enclosure and a smoke-water separator for the exhaust. Each engine has a Racor Duplex 75/ 1000MAX30 dual water-separating filter with a gauge for ease of changing filters under way. There's a fuel transfer pump, a stainless steel fu el supply and return manifold, and copper fuel supply and return lines that are color coded and labeled so they can be easily identified.
The engine room also is equipped with a Fireboy MA2-850 fire suppression system with an auto shutdown feature, while the alarm system panel includes a manual shutdown. The electric engine room bilge pump has a capacity of 3,700gph, and it's backed by a Bosworth M-5-V manual pump. (The boat I toured had a second 3,700gph pump, an option well worth the investment.) T here are two other Rule 2,000gph pumps in other compartments. Indicator lights at both helms show low-water pump action, with high-water indicators triggering an alarm.
At this point, I think it is important to detail some of
Symbol 59 iii banks to the working charger. The same system will work with the engine alternators, should one stop functioning, by combining both battery banks so that they can be charged from one working alternator.
CONVENIENCES AND COMFORTS
At the lower helm, the Glendinning engine controls have a separate 24VDC backup processor in case the main engine control processor fai ls for any reason. There are three wiper switches for the three wiper moto rs, because Vassi lopoulos remembers the time when he built a boat using one electronic switch for three wipers and how much gTief it caused when the switch failed, affecting all wipers. If the Kahlenberg foghorn ever quits, there is an electronic foghorn on the leom VHF radios at the upper and lower helm stations.
Top: Shoji sc reens and book-matched teak transform the master stateroom into
a private getaway with a comfor table berth, storage, and a choice of li gh ting .
Above: Th e mass ive helm conso le, wi th room above and below for myriad
electronics, dominates the pilothouse. A well-equipped galley adjoins to port.
For food storage, there are two refrigerator-freezer units, plus thc auxiliary fj-eezer in the laza rette and a combination ice maker and fi'idge o n the f1 ybridge. Three of the four units arc AC/ OC. [f one stops working, food CcUl
be moved to prevent spoilage. For the two head, standard equipment includes a 24VO C Headhunter Mach 5 primary pump and a 24-volt Flojet DC backup pump. Since the Tecma (optional) or VacuFlush to il ets use fj'esh water. this
th e other backups that Vassilopoulos has specified to make systems more reliable and a cruiser's life more convenient. For shorepower, there are forward and aft 250/ 124VAC, 50-amp inlets. The aft inlet has the previously mentioned Glendinning Cablemaster as part of the standard equipment list. If 50-amp service is not avai lable o n the dock, a 125VAC, 30-amp inlet is also standard on the 59. The 30-amp service will provide power to charge batteri es, refrigerators, freezers, and outlets for o ther 125-volt equipment aboard.
The electrical system has two 1l0VAC chargers as standard: a Prosine 3000 for the house battery bank (eight Lifeline AGMs) and a ProTech 2425 to charge the bank for engine starting (four Lifeline AGMs) and the bow thruster (two Lifeline AG Ms). If one of the chargers fai ls, a manual switch wi ll let you route both battery
is a must-have fea ture. In the pilothouse you'll find the electrical system main
switch panel: a fire-resistant board with separate AC and DC sectio ns, Blue Sea digita l meters for amperage and vo ltage, and a backlit breaker 10 feature. There is a separate electrical supply room loca ted behind the curved bu lkhead leading down to the accommodations level. Here, all tin -coated wiring is te rminated to bus strips, beautifully c rimped, and ca refull y labeled for ease o f identification . There are separate raceways (or AC and D C wiring runs.
The main saloon is a comfortable li ving space with I lenty of bui lt-in and casual seating. The carpeted floors help to hold down sound, but a teak-and-holl y fl oor is optional for traditionalists. The boat I tou red had a 60-by-40-inch hydraulic table fronting the settee that served casual an-d dining needs equally well and was finished
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IiI Symbol 59
SYMBOL 59 CLASSIC LOA 63' 3"
LWL 52' 11"
BEAM 17' 6"
DRAFT 4' 9"
DISPLACEMENT 90,000 lb. (half load)
BRIDGE CLEARANCE 15' 8"
FUEL 1,000 U.S. gal
WATER 375 U.S. gal
HOLDING TANK 100 U.S. gal
GENERATOR 17kW Onan
ENGINES Twin 715hp Cummins
QSM-11 s or twin 670hp
Cummins QSM-11 s (standard)
MAXIMUM SPEED 20 knots (approximate; standard power)
CRUISE SPEED 8-17 knots
RANGE AT CRUISE SPEED 964nm (at 9 knots)
DESIGNER Jack W. Sarin
BUILDER Symbol Yachts
BASE PRICE $1 ,500,000
• Symbol Yachts
symbolyachts .com
with a high-gloss burl wood top. Lavish use of satinfinish teak warmed the interior, and the grain could be admired when light flooded in the large side windows and aft bulkhead windows.
For audiophiles, there is a large entertainment locker for TV /vCRI stereo components, as well as an Aritex pop-up lift for the 42-inch TV inside a locker at the front of the saloon. A lit, glass-front china closet sits outboard of the TV, with an optional spirits locker to port near the aft door, sized perfectly for a 24-bottle wine cooler.
On this boat, the galley was located up and forward, on the same level as the raised-pilothouse helm. Because it is decently sized for food and utensil storage and thoughtfully laid out for efficient food preparation, the bench seat and table to port where other crew members can stay in touch with the helmsperson is small. I suggested that a better compromise for those who envision overnight passages might be a galley down with a larger settee where a crew member could stretch out for a snooze. Vassilopoulos said Symbol can oblige.
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The galley was chock-a-block with stowage lockers above and below cultured marble countertops and featured a Scandvik sink with a Grohe fixture on the forward counter. Under the aft counter, the three pullout refrigerator drawers and one freezer drawer from Vitrifrigo locked to keep food safely stored, even under way. The boat I toured also had a stainless steel dishwasher and microwave/ convection oven, both from GE, plus a Kenyon three-burner cooktop with sea rails.
Two watertight doors on the same level as the galley lead to the side decks. In the pilothouse, the settee and helm chair-the latter an upgraded Pompanette Platinum series with a footrest and the same Duratouch fabric as the settee-are raised on pedestals for clear views to the sides and forward. There's storage under the settee and in the base (three drawers, although it easily could have been a single drawer for flat charts).
On the port side opposite the galley, a teak stairway leading to the flybridge has a teak handrail for safer movement under way. A panel on the outboard side of the stairway opens to reveal long tubes for holding rolled-up charts, a nice custom storage touch.
The upper steering station is on the centerline, with room for two chairs to make keeping the helms person company more comfortable. Here you'll find a second set of controls for the mains and for the bow and stern thrusters, as well as duplicate engine performance instruments. If you have guests who want to enjoy the weather or if you want a cozy place to read, sunbathe, or savor an alfresco meal, the dinette to port will seat four in great comfort. To starboard, a large locker houses an outdoor kitchen with sink and upgraded appliances like the ice maker/ fridge and, instead of the expected electric
FOR MORE INFORMATION California: Holiday Marine Sales LLC
949.722.2700
• Florida: Lucid Marine Inc.
866.77.LUCID
• Rhode Island: Symbol Yachts Sales Inc. N .E.
401.737.2233
• Washington: Adventure Yachts Inc.
206.276.6778
Cou rtesy of Jack W. Sarin
grill, an Italian panini grill that sensibly holds food in place if you are cooking under way.
EASY TO ENJOY On the accommodations deck, there's a large, full
beam master stateroom amidship with a spaciou ensuite head with separate shower to starboard. Opposite, opening portholes fIll the cabin beautifully with natural light; these can be hidden with sliding shoji screens for privacy. Cedar-lined hanging lockers are standard in all of the staterooms.
The VIP stateroom is forward, with a private entrance to a head compartment with separate shower that's shared with a smaller guest cabin set to port. (Unless there are plans for more than two guests, this third stateroom would make an ideal office.) You 'll also find a laundry locker with washer and dryer on the accommodations level.
"The 59 Classic pilothouse is not meant to be a fast cruising yacht," Vassilopoulos said. "We ofter the 59 with a choice of twin diesel engines: the standard twin 670-horsepower Cummins QSM-lls, a pair of 705-horsepower Caterpi ll ar C-12s, twin 715-horsepower Cummins QSM-lls, which is the power aboard this boat, and a pair of 720-horsepower Yanmar 6SY-STPs."
We ran the boat up and down the South River in Maryland prior to taking her out on Chesapeake Bay. We compiled our data for speed, Rlel consumption, and sound and found that at wide-open throttl e, if you really
Symbol 59 iii
needed the speed, the 59 Classic pilothouse with twin 715hp Cummins QSM-ll diesels could hit 19.7 knots, burning a whopping 76gph with a range of233 nautical miles. Back to the real world: We also found that at a cruising speed of9 knots, fuel burn was 8.4gph at 1200 rpm, with a range of964 nautical miles. You can increase the range even further by pulling back to 1000 rpm for a 5.2gph burn rate and cover 1,350 nautical miles. All range figures were computed using 90 percent of the avai lable fu el, naturally. Sound levels measured b tween 65 and 66dBA at 8 and 9 knots.
Out on the Bay, a 2- to 3-foot chop greeted us on the nose as we ran at 9 knots, and the motion was comfortable, even witll the Wesmar stabi lizers turned off The boat tracks well downwind and answers the helm quickly. Back in the marina, the bow and stern thrusters made getting into a sli p mLlch easier, with good views along the sides within asy steps of the lower helm. The upper helm does have a view to the starboard aft corner through the sliding hatch for the ladder to the aft cockpit, but I'm betting that most owners wi ll use the lower helm or the remote-control box fi'om the aft cockpit when backing in.
The Symbol 59 Classic is rich in deta ils, very well equipped, and spacioLls enough for an owner/ operator couple with experience to spend extended periods of time cruising in open waters. If you're looking to cruise in a traditional American pilothouse design, this boat is certain ly worth your time and consideration. ~
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