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And
I do mean long-distance. Earlier that afternoon the Navigator had generated
some relatively fuel-efficient test data in the modest sea conditions
that prevailed. Throttled back to 1500 rpm, for example, overall efficiency
was l.78 mpg, and her range was almost 1,000 miles with 10 percent of
her 600-gallon capacity held in reserve. Even at a wide-open-throttle
speed of 25.8 mph, the range with reserve was more than 300 miles. The
promise inherent in these numbers was plain, especially considering the
other seakindly features that had announced themselves, among them solid
directionality even down-sea (thanks to big rudders and a slightly bow-up
running attitude) and solid out-of-the-hole performance, thanks to a slippery
hull form and a nicely balanced weight-distribution plan.
The
58’s interior specifications were just as nifty. Rogers and I began
our tour with the engine room, which we entered through a hatch in the
galley sole. At first, I was surprised at how physically small and walkaround-accessible
the engines were, given the amount of maneuvering power I’d been
working with earlier. The observation elicited a brief rundown from Rogers
on the deep gears I’ve already mentioned. “Squeeze even modest
horsepower through a set of 2.476:1 transmissions,” he explained,
“and you lose a little top end, but the oomph you buy back at the
bottom and the efficiency you produce at cruise is way worth it.”
I was
then impressed with several specifics. Fiberglass drip pans were slung
under each engine—good for keeping the bilge clean. The stringers
in way of the engines were capped with long, beam-like, extruded-aluminum
engine mounts, a bit of engineering that allows Navigator to precisely
set isolation saddles in the same plane under each engine—good for
strength as well as nixing alignment hassles. Welded-aluminum fuel tanks,
constructed in-house by Navigator, were beefy and triple-welded at the
corners—good for toughening up high-stress joints and preventing
damage during installation. And finally, the overhead/saloon sole was
supported on a grid of aluminum box beams and gutsy aluminum uprights—good
for general strengthening again and reducing vibration.
The
interior layout was pretty standard, although there were a couple of surprises.
In general, the Navigator is a three-stateroom, galley-up yacht, with
two heads, each containing a separate shower stall. Several hardwoods
are available for the furnishings and joinery, including maple and the
cherry used on our test boat. The 56’s raised-panel doors are custom-built
by Navigator, and so are the built-ins. Corian countertops are standard
in the heads and galley, and the possibility of layout changes is virtually
unlimited, as are the fabric and carpet selections. The master stateroom
aft is noteworthy because of its full-beam (15'0") size. The VIP
stateroom at the bow is also pretty big and has an en suite head like
the master. The third stateroom to port has bunks that are both long enough
and wide enough so that I, a 54-year-old geezer with a 5'11" stature
and failing agility, could easily vault into the top one and lay comfortably
in it.
As Rogers
and I finished up, I ran a couple of negatives by him, starting with the
windshield on the flying bridge, which I think is flimsy and too low to
do much good. The side decks are pretty narrow along the sides of the
saloon, too—not much wider than the width of a couple of deckshoes—a
tradeoff for interior room. And finally, I wondered if a row of closely
spaced through-hulls under the sink in the starboard head might weaken
the laminate in that area a bit. Rogers responded that this arrangement
clusters the through-hulls so an owner can more easily check on air-conditioning,
bilge pumps, and other systems at a glance. He added that the solid-glass
hull side in way of the through-hulls is 1/2 inch thick and beefed up
with 3/4-inch plywood backing plates. Stout specifications, to be sure,
and right in line with other stout, construction-related details, like
a solid-glass bottom that’s at least 3/4 inch thick (thicker in
overlapped areas) and a Sika polyurethane-adhesive-sealed hull-to-deck
joint that’s also fiberglass-bonded all the way around.
The
last thing Rogers and I talked about was money. The Navigator 56 Classic’s
base price with 370-hp Volvo Penta TAMD 63Ps is $543,680. Our test boat
was selling for about $737,030, a figure that reflects a $60,000 engine
upgrade and $133,350 in options. Intriguing figures? In light of the practicality
and comfort of the design and the superb visibility from the lower station,
I’d say so.
Navigator
Yachts Phone: (909) 657-2117.
Fax: (909) 657-4183.
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