| Northcoast Yachts 87 |  |
Walking through the building hall at Northcoast Yachts with
company owner Stephen Yadvish is the best way to learn a bit about how he
approaches boatbuilding. The area is clean, neat and uncluttered. Workers are
focused and quiet, absorbed in the tasks at hand. Everything is squared
away.
| Click on the Spec and Design tab at top to see complete list of resources. |
On the far side of the construction bay is a room where most of
the company’s stainless steel parts are fabricated. Like all things with which
Yadvish involves himself, the execution of the metalwork is flawless, but more
telling are the two objects that share the space with the metalworking jigs and
power tools: a beautiful new 30-foot Fino runabout and a custom-built sand rail.
Each is a showpiece, every part and piece meticulously machined, forged or cast,
every surface finished to perfection. It is an attention to detail that is
expected of the most costly show cars, and one that has helped to make Yadvish’s Seattle-based
boat repair business, Yachtfish Marine, successful. It is also what makes
Northcoast’s latest launch noteworthy.
 The wheelhouse placement creates exterior spaces
that are large and inviting. The aft deck has a flat-panel TV built into the
forward bulkhead to port. (Click image to enlarge)
With hull design by Paul Fredrickson, who was also responsible
for the styling and space planning for the last 10 Northcoast yachts,
Fortuna 2 is one of the smallest yachts delivered to date by the company, which
has a respected reputation for building innovative boats with exemplary
performance. The 87-footer’s décor and furnishings were a collaboration between
Jonathan Quinn Barnett and JoDee Frye, who have created a sophisticated, urban
environment that is at once stylish and comfortable and which integrates nicely
with Fredrickson’s contemporary joinery design produced by Northcoast’s
cabinetmakers. Fortuna 2’s owner, an Italian
businessman who divides his time between Palm Beach, Florida, and New York,
moved up to his new boat from a Legacy express cruiser that he still owns. His
captain, Chuck Jordon, noted that in addition to the layout and interior
design, the quality of the workmanship is what really appealed to the owner. An
obvious example, he said, is the hull itself.
 The upper deck has enough room for a
pair of lounges while offering plenty of space for tenders and toys and
access to the deck below. (Click image to enlarge)
"There’s no fairing compound anywhere on the hull," Jordan
noted. "This is the fairest boat I’ve ever seen in the 25 years I’ve been doing
this, and the paintwork quality is incredible." Fredrickson has given the boat a spacious, well-planned
arrangement with a typical West Coast layout on the main deck that includes a
combination lounge and dining area that leads forward to a galley that opens
onto the wheelhouse. On the lower deck, the VIP stateroom occupies the entire
forepeak, while the master stateroom takes advantage of the entire beam in the
aftermost portion of the accommodations. In between is a pair of guest cabins.
The companionway connecting all of these cabins is appointed with a lovely
marble sole by Jeff Homchick with an eye-catching wave-patterned border of
inlaid stainless steel. The yard’s stainless steel shop provided some noteworthy
interior features of its own, such as the stairway to the upper deck, which has
treads that are seamlessly boxed in highly polished plate, giving them a level
of finish that is typical of Yadvish’s show-car approach to boatbuilding. As lovely as the interior is, the secret of Fortuna 2 is hidden
in those elements that are not readily visible. For example, on the upper deck,
all built-in furniture is married to the deck with faired fiberglass
connections, so that no mechanical fasteners or sealants are needed. This allows
a better paint finish to be applied and prevents discoloration and cracking.
Elsewhere, fiberglass spigots are used between bulkheads to run cables, and
exhaust pipes are isolated from the hull with heavy rubber grommets that
attenuate noise and vibration. For increased strength, solid molded fiberglass
is used for the rub rails.
|
; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Email This
Printer Friendly Version
Reprints & Permissions
Most Popular Searches