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The third time’s the charm for Henry and Kelly Luken, whose new Liquidity finds perfection in the details.
by Mark T. Masciarotte
photography by Neil Rabinowitz
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04/01/2005
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| Christensen 157 |  |
When it comes to Christensen motor yachts, Henry Luken is an
expert. He should be, having recently taken delivery of his third, 157-foot
Liquidity. Launched in January, the boat is Henry and Kelly Luken’s
second new build with the Washington-based shipyard.
"This boat’s only two feet longer and two feet wider than our
last boat," Luken said, "but that translates to over 1,200 square feet more
usable space. And even though the old boat was pretty close to perfect for us,
we now have more space in the skylounge and VIP cabin, and I was able to
fine-tune some of the design decisions that we made the first time."
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By Luken’s count, he and the builder made 300 changes from his
old boat, 155-foot Liquidity. Most, he admits, were small, but all were
consequential. "We added more fuel," he noted, "going from 12,000 to 15,600
gallons. We also added 22,000 pounds of ballast in the keel for extra stability.
With the extra beam, we’re only a few inches deeper."
Top: Owners Kelly and Henry
Luken. Photograph by Pamela Jones. Bottom: Thanks to increased beam, the bridge
deck lounge is large enough to accommodate groups that gather to watch the
60-inch plasma television, which is just one of three on board. Photograph by Stephen Cridland. (Click images to enlarge)
Other changes included structural and system upgrades to
simplify maintenance and increase safety and functionality – all important
points for Luken.
Despite upsizing 37 feet over his original Christensen,
Cacique, which he purchased in 1998, Luken still chooses to operate his
boat himself. He has little regard for some of the trends, such as the push
toward MCA compliance, that have affected yacht building in the past few years.
Luken believes that the latest mandatory regulations and reporting requirements
make flying a U.S. flag not only
more patriotic, but also more sensible.
"I don’t really care what the next buyer wants. I’m building
boats for myself, so I’m just going to go do what I want to do, which is go
around the world and enjoy myself. The first time I get some grief, I’ll deal
with it. I think that what’s going to happen is that you are going to see more
and more U.S. flags."
Sophisticated stonework is displayed throughout the yacht. Particularly notable are the malachite
inlay in the lobby's border and the Juparana persa granite in the galley. Photographs by Stephen Cridland. (Click images to enlarge)
Absent any evidence to the contrary, the new Liquidity
might well be the largest recreational vessel in the United States to carry a
state registration. In fact, the registration system in Tennessee, where Luken
lives, was never set up to accept three-digit length designations, and therefore
classifies the yacht as a 57-foot cabin cruiser.
Luken laughed, displaying the registration card. "We’re trying
to figure out the best place to display the numbers and stickers."
A telecommunications entrepreneur, he has a
greater-than-average interest in things electronic. Liquidity is equipped
with state-of-the-art navigation electronics, a highly complex entertainment
system and some of the fastest communications available, including full-time
broadband voice-over-Internet capability via satellite.
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