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The Aleutian’s
performance on the pancake-flat patch of Pacific west of Long Beach was
way more rousing than I’d expected. In fact, the average top end
of 23.9 mph was outrageously untrawlerly, a development attributable to
both the complicated Fexas hull form, which combines planing and displacement
characteristics in a single running surface, and the considerable oomph
of twin 800-hp Caterpillar 3406Es. Out-of-the-hole performance was, if
not exactly head-snapping, at least attention-getting (check out the acceleration
curve on the following page). Turning characteristics were pleasing–despite
a long, true-tracking keel, the hull form banks inboard instead of disconnecting
outboard. And not only did the boat achieve an optimum planing angle of
about 4 degrees with gusto, it did so without obfuscating visibility forward.
Then finally, sound levels at the lower helm, even at WOT, were very low,
thanks to Aquadrive shaft couplers, extra-soft engine mounts, and lots
of lead-loaded vinyl insulation in the engine room, all of it behind crisp
perforated-aluminum panels.
Returning the Aleutian
to the face dock was a piece of boathandling poetry, thanks to the visibility
already mentioned and a Morse remote on a long cord that puts both engines
and a gutsy 25-hp American Bowthruster bow thruster at the walkaround
disposal of the skipper. I prefer hydraulic as opposed to electric thrusters,
by the way, primarily because they endure long periods of usage without
overheating.
Once we got tied up,
my examination of the Aleutian’s finer points started with the machinery
spaces, accessed via a lovely Freeman watertight door on the forward end
of the lazarette, which is in turn accessed through a lounge seat along
the rear of the cockpit. Three groovy features stuck out. First, while
all the electrics were top-notch, I was especially impressed with the
inverter system, which consists of two big Trace units (in the lazarette,
actually), a whopping bank of six Trojan 8L-16 golf-cart-type batteries,
and a dedicated 11.5-kW Onan genset, one of two Onan units onboard my
test boat.
Second, in addition
to duplex Racors for the mains and gensets, there was a mammoth centerline-mounted
Racor RVSF-1 prefilter/separator on the forward firewall, capable of filtering,
polishing, and even centrifuging fuel from any or all of the five fuel
tanks.
And third, most details
of construction I could see were fairly unusual for Grand Banks. For instance,
firewalls, watertight bulkheads, and soles were of Airlite-cored fiberglass,
not plywood-cored as in other models, and there was a separately molded,
preformed, solid-glass grid of six stringers (and numerous athwartship
members) strengthening the hull–we’re talking an all-glass boat
here. Moreover, Phillips said the 64’s topsides are cored with pricey
Airex instead of balsa, and the superstructure and decks are cored with
Airlite.
The Aleutian’s
interior was just as noteworthy. As you can see from the photos here,
the basics are traditional, with top-shelf joinery, a flawless finish,
and crème de la crème ancillaries, although there are some
striking departures, namely the first-ever use of carpeting, the openness
of the layout already noted, and on the lowest deck, the large, central
office area (with settee, desk, and day head) that separates the amidships
master from the VIP forward. The design emphasis? Livaboard comfort, not
population density.
My overall opinion of
the 64 Aleutian Class solidified about sunset, as I drove the ol’
rental car back to the hotel, taking a route that treated me to the very
same vision of the Queen Mary I’d enjoyed earlier in the day and
the very same sense of relevancy. Whether considered from the vantage
point of construction, layout, styling, or performance, this new Grand
Banks is about as close to the New Age as trawler-types get. But like
the great liner that now calls Long Beach home, she’s also, paradoxically
enough, a veritable icon of seafaring tradition.
Grand Banks Yachts
Phone: (203) 845-0023. Fax: (203) 845-0024. www.grandbanks.com.
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