Spotlight: Alaska 49 Aft Cabin Yacht Fisher

Aft cab returns for the extended family

Alaska boats, the baby of the well-known Leigh-Smith boating family in Queensland, are celebrating their 10th Anniversary in Australia. But rather than rest on their laurels after a decade of importing the popular Asian-made cruisers, brothers Dean and Ryan Leigh-Smith have decided to invigorate the local market with four new releases.

Spearheading the 2013 range is the all-new Alaska 49 Aft Cabin Yacht Fisher, with a full-beam stateroom featuring a king-sized bed. Of course, the aft-cabin cruiser has traditionally been a big hit with families, but for one reason or another the design has been largely overlooked in recent years.

Having lived on an aft-cabin 45 footer for 11 months and spent many more gadding about Sydney’s waterways, your editor has a soft spot for the design. Boats like the Island Gypsy 44, Mariner 45 and classic Grand Banks 42 are incredibly practical and timeless cruisers.

“We looked at the market and considered our own family boating use and discovered that the aft-cabin cruiser hasn’t really been about on the new-boat market since the 1990s. But it’s a great family design,” Dean told BoatPoint and boatsales this week.

“Our parents could have the big aft cabin with en suite, and there are two cabins up front with another split head and shower compartment,” explains Dean, underscoring the fact many boat owners have extended and nuclear families with them these days. The new 49 Aft Cabin Yacht Fisher has been designed with this in mind.

“Essentially the boat was built around a king-sized bed. Although this is a 49-footer we’re offering owners a stateroom and living experience in keeping with much bigger motor yachts like the Hamptons we also import,” Dean says. He jokes that the R&D that went into this boat is short for Ryan and Dean, but in reality those Leigh-Smith brothers with young families thought long and hard about how this boat should be.

Dean says he and Ryan have “spun Alaska on its head and changed the focus now that the brand is in its 10th year. “Originally, the direction was to be the cheapest in the field. Now we’re making a concerted effort to lifting the quality,” he says. There are now about 80 Alaska cruisers in Australia.

“We’ve grown and matured, much like the Chinese boat-building market, and our product is now top-of-the-range. We’ve reduced internal timber by 60 per cent on this new model, but what timber we use is high-gloss and twice the cost.

“The result is a boat that will be familiar with Riviera, Sea Ray and other local owners. Along with more mouldings, we’re using Macrosuede upholstery, Blum soft-close drawers, Grohe bathroom fittings… all the comforts of home,” he says.

Of course, price is a big consideration these days and Dean says there’s a psychological barrier where most of his clients don’t want to spent more than $1 million. To this end, the base 49 Aft Cabin Yacht Fisher, with a lot of fruit as standard, is being offered for $999,999 with the first-ever pair of Cummins QSB 6.7L 480hp engines in the country.

Performance projections are for 23-24 knots top speed, cruise of 18-20 knots and 9-10kts displacement chugging around the inshore waterways or offshore passages. The boat has bow and stern thrusters. Parked or underway, safety has been a big consideration, with plenty of (elliptical) handrails, walkaround decks with LED lighting, and a nice flat foredeck that doubles as seating.

The cockpit is perfect for water sports, fishing and diving, with access to the master stateroom, SS-lined ice box, cockpit controls, tackle draws, H&C sink and H&C deck shower. The moulded stairs take you to the spacious undercover aft-deck area with moulded L-shape settee to port and fridge with Corian bench to starboard. There is also a wet bar area forward of the dining table/settee, which could be the ideal place to mix an afternoon cocktail. There are options for carrying tenders, but simple snap davits on the swim platform are the easiest solution.

Since the 49 Aft Cabin Yacht Fisher’s launch this week, interest has apparently been very strong. Several prospective buyers are ready to jump behind the wheel of this, the first new aft-cabin cruiser we’re seen in many years. “I used our families in the R&D, put the boat through its paces, and assessed what market wants. It’s super practical,” Dean concludes.

Other new boats arriving at Leigh-Smith Cruiser Sales in 2013 include a 70 Hampton Sky Lounge, 59 Alaska Sedan and the third 72 Endurance with dual-Portuguese bridge. More at www.lscruisersales.com.au.

Specifications

Price: $999,999

Length (Overall): 50ft

Draft: 1.20m

Beam: 4.27m

Fuel: 2100 litres

Water: 756 litres

Engines: 2 x Cummins QSB 6.7L 480hp

Genset: 17kVa

Builder: Alaska DHS

Launch Year: 2013

Survey Rating: RINA

Full inventory: www.lscruisersales.com.au/boats/alaska-49ft-aft-cabin-yacht-fisher

Details: www.lscruisersales.com.au

Spotlight: Alaska 49 Aft Cabin Yacht Fisher

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