An Update from Sabre Yachts

The first rule of blogging is "Don't talk about yourself" which in this case is our company Sabre Yachts. Well I have never been much for rules so I am going to talk about us because we have a lot to tell you.

First and the fall boat shows were very good to us. Sales of sail and power yachts were strong and we feel a great relief as we head into the winter months with a strong backlog and the "help wanted" signs soon to be hung at the end of Hawthorne Road. The star of the show season was and continues to be the new Sabre 48 Salon Express. I personally have never worked a boat at a boat show that created so much buzz and excitement. Thank you to the owners who allowed us to show their boats; It really helped to get things rolling.

The second bit of news is a new design for the Sabre range to be launched next spring. The Sabre 38 Salon Express is being tooled in Cape Coral at present and molds and parts will be in our shop early in 2012. I will be covering this boat's "birth" on the blog so stay tuned right here.

The Sabre 38 Salon Express. Coming June 2012

 

 

An Update from Sabre Yachts

The first rule of blogging is "Don't talk about yourself" which in this case is our company Sabre Yachts. Well I have never been much for rules so I am going to talk about us because we have a lot to tell you.

First and the fall boat shows were very good to us. Sales of sail and power yachts were strong and we feel a great relief as we head into the winter months with a strong backlog and the "help wanted" signs soon to be hung at the end of Hawthorne Road. The star of the show season was and continues to be the new Sabre 48 Salon Express. I personally have never worked a boat at a boat show that created so much buzz and excitement. Thank you to the owners who allowed us to show their boats; It really helped to get things rolling.

The second bit of news is a new design for the Sabre range to be launched next spring. The Sabre 38 Salon Express is being tooled in Cape Coral at present and molds and parts will be in our shop early in 2012. I will be covering this boat's "birth" on the blog so stay tuned right here.

The Sabre 38 Salon Express. Coming June 2012

 

 

Open Boat Yard Days

As an active member of Maine Built Boats, Sabre Yachts wants to be sure you are aware of Maine's Open Boatyard Days coming up in August. Many of Maine's boat builders who will participate in the event. If you love boats you will love this inside look at our yards.
The 2nd Annual "Open Boatyard Days" will be held August 15 & 16, 2011, in boatyards and boat building companies across the state. The public is invited to tour the insides of companies which include boat builders, boatyards, and affiliated businesses across the state of Maine. This is a unique opportunity to learn more about boat building in Maine, and to see first hand the passion that boat builders have for their art. The dates will build upon the Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors Show, held in Rockland, August 12th-14th. People can visit the show and see a very broad array of boats, then go on to visit the boatbuilders, boatyards, and affiliated businesses at their location. More details will be posted as they become available.

First 54 Fly Bridge is "on the ways"

If you are wondering what "on the ways" means it refers to the way ships were launched before the days of modern dry dock shipbuilding. The largest of ships slid down the ways and came crashing into the water. It certainly made launch day exciting.

Ship talk aside we are very excited about the upcoming launch of the Sabre 54 Fly Bridge. I will have some great shots of the boat here and on our main web site within 30 days. Meanwhile one of the questions which arises is how we would protect the occupants of the fly bridge from sun or weather. Depending on the market, tops run the gambit from a simple bimini top to a full hard top with heavy weight EZ 2 CY screens. Hull #1 is going with the latter and this very elegant hard top design was created by J+J Marine. Their design uses elegant stainless steel structures and a light weight FRP hard top.

 
We can't wait to see all of this fine craftsmanship coupled to the bridge of the Sabre 54. She is going to be sensational.

 

The elegance of fine woodworking

At a time when European boat builders are staining their interior woods so dark that one cannot even tell if the wood is actually wood or some look-alike and many boat builders here in the USA are following like lemmings, I love to brag to the world about what goes on in our cabinetry shops here in Maine.

 

 

These two images of the new Sabre 48 Salon ExpressSalon and Helm show the true beauty of the American cherry wood that we use for our interior furniture. Note the inlays in the salon table top and in the small end table, aft of the helm chair. Only on a Maine built boat will you find such elegant details. It makes me very proud to be associated with these skilled boat builders.

Sensational Sabre 48 Salon Express

It's frustrating for so many people who follow the development of a new model on the Sabre blog. Everyone wants images of the new design but until the boat is 100% built, the soft goods are installed and she is in her (water) element, good images are hard to get. Then suddenly she is a living thing with her crew aboard, living the dream. And oh what a dream it has been for the owners of Rooster's Tale, our first Sabre 48 Salon Express. I observed owners John and Madeline as we ran the boat for other owners, new prospects and the press. The words "awesome" and "unbelievable" were uttered over and over again.

What I love about boating and about building boats for couples like John and Madeline is the love that people show for their boats and for their water environment. People adopt different personalities when they are away from the anxieties of day to day life. Boating soothes the soul and brings smiles to faces.

 
Certainly there were anxious moments as the Sabre 48 evolved and became what she is today but at the end of it all, there is one very happy, very humble and very sweet couple who now will spend endless days aboard Rooster's Tale, living their dream with their family and friends.

Fair Winds John and Maddie!

Flash - Sabre 48 Sea Trials Show Strong Results

Today was our first official sea trial day for the Sabre 48 Salon Express. The engineering team that created her and all of us here in South Casco and Rockland are smiling as they should be, given the results.

 
The Sabre Design Team exceeded both our performance and our noise abatement goals. Top speeds exceeded 33 knots and sound levels in the main salon were measured at just over 75 Db. Those are really great numbers, no matter what your point of comparison. I'll be able to post the actual test results here in a few days once we have made sure that everything checks out.

I've been doing my best to stay out of their way as their work to prove out all of the systems continues but tomorrow morning I get a turn on board and I can't wait to feel her under my feet. More tomorrow

Launch Day has arrived

Despite the Patriots Day holiday in Maine today, Sabre's engineering and design staff are launching the exciting new Sabre 48 Salon Express. The team was on hand at 09:00 this morning but were delayed for a few hours by the prop supplier. Hopes are that we'll be in the water this afternoon and running later in the day.

 
 
The navigational electronics have all been installed, bottom paint is done but the varnish is a day or two behind due to the recent inclement weather.

The whole team is anxious to get under way and verify the performance. More tomorrow.

Sabre 54 Fly Bridge

Before I start talking about fly bridge stairs let me explain what has happened to the name of our new Fly Bridge boat. The American Boat and Yacht Council sets recommendations for yacht nomenclature and basically says we can call the boat by a number that represents to longest molded part, which in this case is the hull. When the 52 foot hull design was made we, for market competitiveness purposes, opted to call her a 52 footer. That's how long she is on deck. So here we are a few years down the line and 20 hulls later and we want to introduce anew model based on the same hull design and to avoid confusion we are opting to call her the 54 Fly Bridge Sedan because that's how long her hull actually is. So, if you are looking for the Sabre 52 fly bridge you will not find her.

A big topic on fly bridge boats is the method of getting people from the lower decks to the fly bridge. i.e. the stairs. I've seen far too many people quit boating or spend their days seated in the main salon simply because the stairs on many sport fishing convertibles, are too steep and un-people-friendly. So when it came time to design our stairs it was clear that a spiral was the only way to go and our engineers have come up with a beautiful piece of custom hardware for the task at hand.

 

 

So the answer to the question on how easy it is to scale these stairs is "very easy and very comfortable."

When Drawings Come to Life

I've often said in this blog that I can be attracted by beautiful drawings of boats and such is the case with the exciting new Sabre 52 Fly Bridge. But, as I have also confessed the passion I feel for a design only multiplies when I see the actual boat coming together. Like many boaters I am a frustrated naval architect, always believing that I and only I can design the most beautiful craft. And I know I am not alone. I've seen many of you using table napkins and the backs of envelopes to draw the next incredibly beautiful "Collins 52". But over the years I have learned that my skills do not come close to those of the real design stars; stars like Kevin Burns who has designed all of our recent motor yachts and is responsible for the bridge design on the Sabre 52.

This morning I arrived at my computer and saw an email from our head of engineering David Newcomb. The title was "test fit of the Sabre 52 bridge", so needless to say before I even popped the lid on my morning coffee I was falling in love all over again. They say that bigger is always more beautiful when it comes to yacht designs and that is certainly the case with this one.

 

Keep in mind that the aft corners of the house will be cut away and glass will be placed in the recess there which will add even more to the elegance of the design.

 
Aft, where the spiral stair comes from the cockpit, the opening to the bridge level is through this sculpted cutout in the hard top and liner. Every detail, facet and curve in this design is eye-catching.

 

In the foreground in this image is the hull of the boat which is already quite far along with all major pieces of furniture in place and ready to accept the deck when it's ready for mounting. I can't wait to see this boat completed and underway. She is going to be very special.