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| Schooner Creek Launches 65' Catamaran for Maui Charters |
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 | | Submitted Photo | | Two native Hawaiian dancers and a drummer performed on the cabin roof in a traditional ceremony to christen the Aluu Nui. |
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By Peter Marsh
Schooner Creek Boat Works in Portland has just launched the 65' sailing catamaran Alii Nui for Maui Dive Shop, which operates a charter service and a chain of eight water-sports stores on Maui. This luxurious vessel was built in fiberglass composite/ foam core using vinyl ester resin and is US Coast Guard-certified to carry 100 passengers and 10 crew. It was designed by Kurt Hughes to be a versatile platform for the owners' daily snorkel, whale watching and sunset cruises and was engineered to withstand daily service off Maui's south coast.
To ensure reliability and deliver a memorable sailing experience, the Alii Nui is rigged with a 76' tall high-performance Ballenger mast, a fully-battened Doyle mainsail and Harken deck gear. If the wind dies, the boat will still return on time, thanks to its twin 500 hp Caterpillar engines. These advanced computer-controlled diesels are highly efficient and super clean.
After many years experience running power boat charters, Maui dive shop entered the sailing charter market in 2003 when it acquired the original Alii Nui, a 54-foot 49-passenger catamaran that was built in 1975. The new owners built on Alii Nui Charters good reputation by adding additional services, setting new standards in Maui's sailing charter sector.
However, by 2005, owners Bob and Sandra Chambers began planning to replace their 30-year old boat with a new craft that would have more space, more amenities and comfort, and.utilize the latest construction methods, rig and deck gear. Chambers, the president of Maui Dive Shop, and Jeff Strahn, the general manager, surveyed the Hawaiian charter fleet and learned that Seattle architect Kurt Hughes had designed many of the modern boats and was known as a capable and stylish architect.
So they commissioned Hughes to prepare a design for the new Alii Nui and set out to visit all the leading boatbuilders in the northwest. At that time, Schooner Creek Boat Works was completing the outfitting of a 52' Morelli & Melvin cruising catamaran, and the quality evident in that yacht and the yard's 30-year record of satisfied customers helped them choose Schooner Creek to turn their dream into reality. It's a decision they have not regretted, Strahn said. "It's really about building a relationship with the customer. That's what makes Schooner Creek successful."
"What's in a Name?" Says Steve Rander
In Hawaiian. "Alii Nui" means "the highest royalty" or simply "the best of the best," they explained to Steve Rander, the owner of Schooner Creek. And that was the standard they wanted their boat built to. The result is a craft that lives up to that name and sets new standards for a sailing charter cat in the Hawaiian islands. "It's not often that a working/commercial boat is finished like a yacht, with sparkling paint, polished stainless steel, and lavish teak trim!" Rander points out.
To fulfill the owners' requirements, Schooner Creek's workforce employed new technology and materials combined with traditional craftsmanship. The 18-month building process began with a simple frame and strip hull mold onto which Divinycell foam cores were fitted. Uni and bi-directional fabrics and vinyl ester resin were vacuum-bagged onto the core to produce a lightweight, very strong laminate. The hulls were rolled upright and the interior skin applied, then the bulkheads and massive fore and aft cross beams were installed, giving the boat its final width of 36 feet.
The structural under-surface of the bridge deck was assembled and laminated as an impressive single piece in an adjacent bay, then jacked into place between the hulls and bonded to the sheer line and beams. The compound-curved deckhouse roof was laminated in place over a temporary form erected in the main cabin. The high-gloss finish is a combination of gel coat and Awlgrip. During construction, the boat was regularly examined by U.S. Coast Guard safety inspectors, who ensured it complied with all applicable rules.
The deck and interior layout benefits from Hughes' extensive experience with charter cats, and includes a stairwell in each stern to give easy access to the water, an aft deck for removing and storing scuba equipment, and twin boarding ladders on the foredeck between the trampolines. The deckhouse offers a comfortable lounge area forward, a well-equipped bar with granite counter tops, and two spacious heads in the port hull.
Finally, the vessel was lifted into the Columbia River by a truck-mounted crane in June, and fitted out at the dock in July. Trials under power revealed the design had an incredible speed potential, achieving 28 knots! A traditional Hawaiian christening ceremony took place on July 21, and the boat departed down river two days later. Steve Rander and a crew of local sailors will be delivering the Alii Nui to its base in Maalea harbor on Maui in August.
Rander has previously raced to Hawaii and cruised back eleven times in the Pacific Cup and the Transpac races-in two keelboats built by Schooner Creek. (He has also made a crossing under power to deliver the 61' motor catamaran Kai 'Oli 'Oli built by Schooner Creek in 2003.) This time he will be cruising not racing under sail, but still expects the Alii Nui to make a fast crossing.
Top-quality equipment and the best customer experience has always been a hallmark of Maui Dive Shop since it was begun by New Yorker Bob Chambers in the 1970s. He arrived on the island at the age of 19, quickly developed a passion for underwater sports--and never left! The company recently opened Maui Dive and Surf in Lahaina--the largest shop of its kind on the island. The new Alii Nui will continue the company's proud tradition of providing visitors with a memorable, safe and exciting experience on and under the warm waters of Maui.
http://www.schoonercreek.com/
http://www.mauidiveshop.com/
http://www.aliinuimaui.com/index.htm
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