Palm Beach 38

Originally built for crusty cray fishermen chasing crustaceans in the rugged waters off Maine, East Coast of America, lobster (and now, picnic) boats have come a long way. The latest renditions team tradition and love-at-first-sight lines with thoroughly modern amenities and classical seaworthiness.

Honed over more than 100 years, lobster boats are the latest craze sweeping the recreational boating world. Savvy motorboaters tired of travelling in the fast lane are climbing aboard. The boats' comely lines - a lovely sweeping sheer, tumblehome and stylish cabin - are enough to woo many to the fold. But there is more to these boats than their great looks.

By virtue of their layouts, lobster boats are perfectly suited to everything from staging weekends away with your partner to undertaking serious coastal passages. The boats can host family flings with aplomb, entertain a party on one social level, and cruise at a handy clip in consummate style.

Typically, the characteristics of the modern lobster boat include a round bottom, double-wedge hull, single petrol or diesel inboard motor, small forward cabin, windshield shelter for the helmsman, and an open-decked cockpit.

More so than at any other time, lobster boats have relevance in today's world. American company Hinckley, which makes the most famous lobster boats, has a huge following around the world. Such is the fascination with lobster boats that you can now buy an Australian-made model with all the charm of the craft which once plied Maine.

Priced well below a Hinckley, the Palm Beach 38 is a handmade craft built beyond the production standards of your customary off-the-rack cruiser. It has traditional lines, a tank-tested hull, a turbocharged diesel motor, bow thruster and charming timber fitout.

A combination of the old and the new, a local rendition of the all-American boat, the Palm Beach 38 could well be the perfect cruiser for tomorrow's Down Under man. And it is built to last for generations of clever motorboaters.

SHELLING OUT FOR LOCAL LOBSTERS
With two sheds at Mona Vale (NSW) and one in Nowra (NSW), Palm Beach Motor Yachts has attracted a surprising number of local boaties to the fold. It hopes to export its lobster boat back to America at half the price of the local marques.

Already a US dealer has flown to the factory and ordered a stock boat. But it's the local interest which is perhaps more exceptional.

Though it currently offers just one model (a 50 is on the way; see page 196 of News), the Palm Beach 38 comes with a choice of three layouts. The company has sold eight boats in the last year alone and hull No 11 was being built as we speak. The owner's list reads like a who's who of the waterfront, including John David and Malcolm Turnbull, and most recently John Laws has come aboard.

All of these discerning boaters are in raptures over their Palm Beach 38. The local lobster boat has the charm and grace of a handcrafted original, yet it is made with modern technology and a sweet hull from Murray, Burns, Dovell and Associates.

The traditional lobster or picnic boat was built of cedar planking over oak frames. The Palm Beach 38 puts a new spin on an old theme by being fashioned from contemporary foam and balsa sandwich. All-up the boat weighs just 5000kg, which gives it a lot of advantages even before it hits the water.

Lack of weight means the 38-footer is easily driven by modest horsepower. The boat is light enough that the wife and kids can hold it off a marina. What's more, big anchors aren't needed. Yet by virtue of its fine-fronted hull, the boat cleaves the waves rather than bangs on top of them.

OFFSHORE PERFORMANCE
The Palm Beach 38 looked as pretty as a postcard as it danced along the tranquil waters inside Pittwater on a sunny autumn day. However, it was out in the deep-blue Pacific that the boat proved a real eye-opener. Despite being many miles from Maine, this lobster boat had a sense of belonging in the ocean off Sydney.

"It's a gentleman's launch, a Bentley on water," said builder Mark Richards as we rose up the face of a steep swell. Instead of crashing off the back of the wave, we landed with a smooth and welcoming 'swoosh'.

The Palm Beach 38 sets up a lovely rhythm quite different from that of modern motorboats. There is no shunting, banging and bashing. The boat cruises at a comfortable clip, which allows the skipper and crew to remain seated within the all-weather cabin.

Indeed, it's difficult not to fall under the boat's spell and to revel in the comfort this design brings to ocean cruising. But don't think for a minute that the Palm Beach 38 is a slouch.

The hull derives a lot of speed and efficiency from its single motor. It maintains a speed that is fast enough to go places and slow enough to enjoy the drive. And while you are reeling in the sea miles and taking in the view, the single motor is merely sipping on the fuel supply.

EFFICIENCY RULES
With a single 230hp Yanmar diesel engine, hull No 6 from the mould turned in a top speed of 21kt and a comfy cruising clip of 15kt. At such speeds you can cross just about anything, run from Sydney to Pittwater in under an hour and, get this, use just 12-13lt of fuel an hour.

Would-be powerboaters put off by the thought of high fuel bills will love the lobster boat. The efficiency of the slippery, semi-displacement hull is such that a range of motors work equally well on this boat.

While a bigger diesel donk, a 350hp Yanmar, will produce 27kt top speed and handy 18kt cruise speed - still without drinking the bowser dry - the boat travels just as sweetly at 21kt with a single 230hp motor.

Either way, you get to savour the smooth ride from the leather lounges or raised helm seat, and gain protection while enjoying the views through the surround safety-glass windows. It is a darling to drive even with a single screw.

Due to the underwater shape, the Palm Beach 38 is highly manoeuvrable and remarkably stable. An amidships keel in lets you make tight turns without the boat leaning over. It banks flatter than most powerboats and turns almost like a yacht.

A bow thruster is added for parking about the marina, but before long you probably won't need it. The boat can be walked in and out of a marina berth, using the single screw. Low windage means its doesn't skate like a traditional flybridge cruiser.

Meanwhile, the boat's single screw and high-tech foam and balsa sandwich construction contributes to low maintenance. Hit the Palm Beach 38 with a hose, pull the covers down, and you're done. Inside, meanwhile, there is a lovely full-lacquered timber finish. Though it will require some care, the classic-boat feel is an essential part of a lobster boat.

ALL-WEATHER VIEWS
Inside, you get a big for'ard cabin with accommodation for a couple, an oversized bathroom, a congenial galley set alongside the helm, and two big leather lounges. There are various options, including wet bars, entertai nment systems and table settings.

The enclosed helm and big cabin with seating creates a true all-weather cruiser. Winter days gadding about the waterways will be just as engaging in this boat as summers spent reclining in the teak-stripped cockpit or diving off the big boarding platform.

There is good access around the cabin sides to the foredeck, with timber handrails providing reassurance, and a nice little raised cabin top on which to sit. But the best seat in the house is an aft lounge, which is angled in such a way that you feel like you're in a limo.

The coamings are raised, and you can have a bimini over the cockpit for shade if you want. Racing-green gelcoat, a lovely little raked lightpost atop the cabin, and the high-gloss teak transom add something to the style factor.

You can have either an open rear bulkhead, a half bulkhead, or a full lock-up cabin with a retractable aft window. The testboat had an open bulkhead whereby the saloon flowed straight into the cockpit. For colder climes the full bulkhead version with wet bar and opening rear window makes sense.

But whichever way you go, the Palm Beach 38 is a terribly social boat. It has the shoulder room and seating for 10 people inside or out, and the single-level layout makes for a rollicking good time. There is a lot of floor space for a 38-footer and high headroom in the living areas.

Inside, the luscious lacquered Burmese teak joinery and craftsmanship is first-rate. Italian leather is used on the lounges, a good-quality camel berber carpet runs throughout, while the fittings aren't run-of-the-mill chandlery items. For example, the portholes are pretty Italian numbers.

You can stipulate exactly what you want in your Palm Beach 38. The boat I drove had a six-stacker CD player, hot and cold water, a cooktop, fridge, and power derived by an inverter. But there is plenty of room for a genset, airconditioning unit and more.

UP, UP AND AWAY
Engineering wise, the boat is impeccable. The motor has been silenced by using a lot of lead-lined insulation and an American AquaDrive system, which is said to reduce noise by 50% and vibration by 95% in any marine applications.

There is a huge lazarette under the cockpit sole, giving loads of storage, and it takes all of a few minutes to lift out the saloon floor to work on all sides of the single mid-mounted Yanmar motor. All bulkheads and furniture are structurally bonded to the hull, which feels exceptionally stiff.

About the only thing you can move is the saloon lounge, which lifts out to create additional sleeping.

As it is, the Palm Beach 38 is a lovely boat for a family of four and wonderful for a couple. You could run from Sydney Harbour to Pittwater in an hour, have a great weekend afloat, and return even if a southerly was cutting up. It would be right at home on Port Phillip Bay or the Moreton Bay area, too.

Little wonder the Palm Beach 38 has a loyal following.

While one look at its lines is enough to win you over, one drive is enough to make you want one. With a designer drinkholder by the helm and a sliding window in which to put your arm out, the boat is a true gentleman's cruiser. Morse electronic controls and Hydrive hydraulic steering add to the pleasure.

All you need to add is an array of serious electronics and you're away. The boat's natural trim angle, with a slight bow-up attitude, needs adjustment only when running into a steep headsea. A touch of in-trim sees the forefoot slice the waves, but aside from the odd dousing of spray peculiar to soft-chine boats the boat has impeccable manners.

Part of the design brief was to make a no-fuss, easily-driven boat for people who have worked their way through the ranks of cruiser ownership. The idea was to increase comfort, cut fuel bills, produce a gentlemanly ride, and reduce maintenance.

The Palm Beach 38 does all these things, which is why it has been a big hit here and is set to sell like cut-price lobster in overseas markets. Already converts are calling for more and a 50ft version is under construction. Stay tuned...

Highs
Styling to die for, comfort to bask in at sea, with a custom-boat finish that you can be proud of. The layout lends itself to everything from entertaining and coastal cruising to perhaps even gamefishing. Economy is wonderful and the boat so easy to drive that you'll head out twice as often.

Lows
It's not exactly bargain priced, the interior will take some looking after, the diesel engine has been quietened and the high-gloss finish on the joinery improved some.