LECLERCQ YACHTFISHER 92'

Team
Aluminium hull construction: Kvichak Marine Industries, Seattle, USA
Composite construction, outfit and finishing: LeClercq Marine, Seattle, USA
Hull lofting: Elliott Bay Design Group Ltd., Seattle, USA
Designer: Jack W. Sarin Naval Architects, Washington, USA

Project
Construction of a sport fishing yacht with an aluminium hull and a composite superstructure.

Project Highlights
Elliott Bay Design Group successfully used the ShipConstructor suite of software to loft the aluminium hull of the Yachtfisher 92'. This vessel was extremely complex relative to its size.

The main deck is constructed of composite and was built concurrently with the hull. This required that the hull tolerances were maintained to within 1/4" to ensure proper fit. Due to the accuracy of the ShipConstructor model and the high quality fabrication by the contractor, the variance between the hull and deck, when mated, varied by no more than 1/8" over its entire length.

The propellers are set into large tunnels. The tunnels have a significant ‘S’ shape in the longitudinal direction, which results in a compound curvature. The tunnels are constructed of plate varying in thickness from 1/4" to 1" creating additional complexity.

The vessel’s chines are concave rather than planar as you would typically see in aluminium construction. To achieve this shape, the chines were constructed with multiple facets such that the as-built chines were within 1/4" of the moulded shape.

Minimizing weight is critical on a high speed vessel such as this. The builder required a maximum variance in the shell plate of 1/8". The entire hull surface was then covered and faired with fairing compound. This process resulted in an aluminium hull with a composite appearance.

The interior of the structure also presented a number of construction and lofting challenges. A number of internal bulkheads were stepped. Shallow fuel tanks were designed into the aft cockpit that afforded no internal access for welding.