Norman Wright Custom 47

Sometimes you come across a boat that just does it for you. A boat that ticks all the boxes in your mind. Something that, everywhere you look, you agree with. Everything that's been done makes sense and you can understand the reasoning behind it. It's a personal thing - something that is different for everyone. But it's something that every boatie finds, given time.

Odern, for me, is such a boat.

I first saw it during construction at the Norman Wright & Sons boatyard in Brisbane. It was well short of being finished, but I immediately thought it was going to be something special.

The high, proud bow, the scrumptious bridgedeck, the sensible use of beam to create interior volume, the two-cabin layout and the huge bathroom with full-sized shower and neatly stowed washer and dryer. Not to mention the spacious engine room containing a single Perkins diesel and big genset that doubles as a wing motor.

It was all there, and it all made sense in a long-distance passagemaker.

I loved the ship-like bulb on the bow and the combination of bow and stern thrusters for manoeuvrability. And that oh-so-gorgeous Portuguese bridge.

Following that near-birth experience, I next saw Odern at the Sanctuary Cove Boat Show this year, just after it was launched - and, for me, it was the boat of the show. The show was crowded with people wanting to get aboard and inspect it, but I still had some time to talk to designer Adam Eviripidou and check out the finished (well, nearly) product.

A couple of months later I found myself winging my way to the Royal Queensland Yacht Club at Manly for the test I was so looking forward to. I actually nearly missed out, as virtually the next stop for Odern was to be Southport, where the owner would be moving onboard to begin extensive cruising.

TRUE CONFESSIONS
Ian Wright from Norman Wright & Sons met me onboard with a grin as wide as Odern's beam and confessed to 'slightly' overdoing the sea trials: "You have to test everything," he said. "So we took her up to Mooloolaba for a few days - terrific trip."

Before we left the yacht club, Ian and I sat up in the wheelhouse for a while and chatted in the soft ambiance of the cherrywood. I was immediately dreaming of days at sea and cups of tea at the beautifully crafted table while the boat gently pitched into a headsea.

Ian fired up the engine and with a flick of the thrusters we were out of the pen and onto Moreton Bay.

Odern is a quiet boat with a gentle motion. An instant feeling of strength and security pervades - it feels like one strong boat.

The displacement of just over 20 tonnes unladen adds to this, but it's also the way the boat is built. It is strong and tight, with no compromises for weight, nor shortcuts for cost saving.

Construction is a solid handlaid fibreglass hull with composite topsides, and to quote the builder, Odern is "designed and built for unlimited cruising and will have, in this respect, the appropriate seakeeping, manoeuvrability and general handling capabilities." 

BRIDGE TO SOMEWHERE
The owner of Odern is a former yachtie who has cruised the Pacific extensively - and it shows.

The bridge is set up like a ship, with all the most up-to-date electronics - most of which have backups. My notes on the bridge setup run to several pages, so I'll try to stick to the basics.

Start with two separate Furuno autopilots, the primary being a 500 with a 300 as backup. There are two plotters, a sounder and Furuno radar (all integrated). Furuno has also supplied the wind instruments. Then there's the Capsat satellite communications; add an Icom ICM802 HF set and ICM502VHF and you're starting to get the picture. All the installation of the electronics and the setup was done by Taylor Marine, and it's a great job.

Standing at the central helm, there's a clear view of everything, and it's all within easy reach. The engine controls and gauges are right at your fingertips and are flanked by the navigation gear. The view out over the expansive bow is helped by a big central wiper with integrated freshwater washers.

Set the autopilot and then sit back on the lounge, or recline on the comfortable berth and enjoy the view provided by the big picture windows. If the weather turns nasty you can slide the doors closed and fire up the Eberspacher hydronic heating, which is ducted throughout the boat.

If it gets too warm, you guessed it: dial up the air conditioning.

From the bridge there is direct access to the foredeck via the port and starboard sliding doors. The Portuguese bridge has a central gate, and there's plenty of room on deck for catching sun when moored.

Travelling aft, there are steps up each side to access the boat deck. Here we find the 250kg Davco davit and the Naiad 3.5m RIB with 15hp outboard. There's also a six-person Zodiac liferaft.

Up on top of the bridge there are six 85W solar panels, which Ian Wright says will power the refrigeration for three weeks.

WARM AND COSY
The full use of beam is a design factor of this boat that really surprises. As you can see, there are no walkaround decks - which some might see as a negative when berthing. However, Ian explains that this is a long-haul cruiser and that berthing is not a priority.

Consequently, the saloon of this 47-footer is as wide as a 60-footer with decks.

The open plan gives an even more spacious feeling. The saloon is dominated by a big L-shaped lounge with an absolutely stunning solid cherrywood table (woe betide the first person to scratch this piece!). The table can drop down to form a temporary berth.

The cherrywood theme continues throughout the saloon and provides a bright yet cosy feeling. Norman Wright & Sons does its own carpentry and fitout, and it is absolutely perfect. Ian Wright prides himself on detail, and he took great delight in our appreciation of the attention to detail on Odern.

Panoramic views are offered from the big picture windows, which incidentally can be covered with 12mm storm boards on the outside for rough-weather passages. However, this can only be done in port or from a tender.

Across on the port side of the saloon is the entertainment system with a big flatscreen TV, video and DVD players, as well as a CD unit. 

The galley is a great piece of engineering with two front-opening 170lt fridges, a 75lt top-loading freezer, four-burner Force 10 gas stove with oven, and Fisher and Paykel rangehood.

The galley offers masses of storage; it's incredibly easy to move around and is very workable.

Moving forward, we step down three steps into the forward cabin area. To starboard is the huge bathroom with Miele combination washer/dryer neatly mounted in a big aft-facing locker. There's also the Tecma electric head and Lectrasan holding and treatment system.

It's interesting to note that the owner has opted for a single-bathroom arrangement rather than twin en suites. I have to agree that it gives more space for extended cruising and adds to the roomy feel of the boat.

To port is the guest cabin with two quite large bunks and storage room.

The forward owners' cabin is accessed via a watertight door that doesn't look like a watertight door. It's worth noting that the ship has five watertight compartments, and is designed to survive a severe impact and still float with one or two compartments flooded.

But back to the cabins. The owners' stateroom has its own flatscreen TV, CD unit, his-and-hers wardrobes and voluminous storage under the raised central queen-sized bed.

There's ample light and ventilation from the opening Lewmar hatch overhead and the ports either side.

Wandering back aft from the owners' cabin, one can't help but notice the watertight door with window looking straight into the engine room. You can access the engine room from here, but it's easier and more convenient from the aft hatch.

The engine room itself is thoughtfully laid out to the point of being clinical. The big single Perkins M185C gives a maximum of 190hp at 2100rpm and will push Odern along at 9.8kt.

Ideally, however, the Perkins will get Odern a very respectable range of 2300nm with the engine ticking over at 1400-1600rpm at a speed of around 8kt. Fast cruise is around 9kt at 1800rpm using 27lt/h.

Servicing isn't a problem even though there isn't full headroom in the engine room: there's sufficient space around the engines to work. Twin Racor filters on the Perkins mean that you change filters without shutting down, and having the same filters on the small engine means carrying fewer parts.

Beside the Perkins is a Kubota D1105-E three-cylinder genset, which is rigged up as a wing motor with a 16in Hydralign folding prop. If the big engine has a problem, the wing engine will still give nearly 5kt.

The engine room is also home to the Naiad Stabilisers, the air-con system, the Eberspacher heater - which, incidentally, can also heat water and even warm up the block of the Perkins in cold climates - and the Spectra 1560lt/day desalinator.

CAN I HAVE ONE?
I could go on for another three pages, but alas, like the sea trial we went on, it has to come to a close.

I have to say that if I were in the market for a passagemaking motorboat, it'd be something like this. Odern is a strong, safe and very usable boat that has been built to the highest standards of craftsmanship. It's a boat that would certainly attract interest from boaties all over the world - and probably will.

I certainly envy Odern's owners as they embark on their extended cruise. Apparently their first destination is the Whitsundays, and then... wherever.

I'll no doubt see them over the next few months, and they might see me. I'll be the bloke hanging over the side of the yacht looking a bit green - not with seasickness, but with envy.